Carnegie Mellon University earns top national rankings in cybersecurity education

Carnegie Mellon University has been recognized as a national leader in cybersecurity education, earning the No. 1 ranking for undergraduate cybersecurity programs in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings and the No. 1 ranking for in-person cybersecurity master’s programs in Fortune Magazine’s 2025 rankings.

The recognitions highlight Carnegie Mellon’s long-standing strength in cybersecurity across multiple levels of study, from undergraduate education to advanced graduate training. Together, the rankings reflect the university’s emphasis on rigorous academics, interdisciplinary collaboration, and research that addresses real-world security and privacy challenges.

At the undergraduate level, the U.S. News & World Report ranking places Carnegie Mellon at the top of the field nationwide for the sixth consecutive year. Undergraduate students interested in cybersecurity major in either computer science or in electrical and computer engineering and take additional courses that form a concentration in security and privacy. They engage with foundational computer science, engineering, and policy concepts while gaining exposure to the technical and societal dimensions of securing digital systems.

CMU also received top honors for its graduate offerings, with Fortune Magazine ranking the university’s cybersecurity in-person master’s programs No. 1. Our graduate programs are designed to prepare students for advanced technical and leadership roles in areas such as cybersecurity engineering, network security, privacy, and risk management.

Cybersecurity education and research at Carnegie Mellon are supported by faculty expertise across multiple schools and departments, as well as by university-wide initiatives focused on security, privacy, and emerging technologies. Students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels benefit from opportunities to engage in research, collaborate across disciplines, and work on problems relevant to industry, government, and society.

For more information on Carnegie Mellon University’s undergraduate and master’s offerings in cybersecurity and privacy, please visit https://www.cylab.cmu.edu/education/index.html.

You can also learn more about CMU’s cybersecurity and privacy Ph.D. offerings.