Online Bachelor’s in Cybersecurity Programs - Cybersecurity Majors
Cybersecurity degree programs have evolved to meet the growing need for dedicated field practitioners, as well as for information technology and business professionals with knowledge of the principles and practices of cybersecurity. Online bachelor’s in cybersecurity programs are undergraduate degree programs that confer a bachelor’s degree with a major or specialization in the theories and practices of cyber defense, information security, and digital forensics. These programs are offered by regionally accredited colleges and universities using digital learning platforms that allow students to complete all or most of their required coursework online. They are designed to introduce undergraduates to the functional foundations of computer systems and provide practical knowledge of cybersecurity principles and instruction in the skills needed to protect digital networks and data from cyber threats.
Students in an online bachelor’s in cybersecurity program earn the equivalent of a four-year bachelor’s degree via online coursework and instruction. These programs are designed to offer greater flexibility than traditional, campus-based college degree programs while providing the same level of academic coursework and professional training. Bachelor’s degree programs in the field typically include general education requirements in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, cybersecurity prerequisites in math and computer science, and a cybersecurity major consisting of ten to 15 courses. Many online bachelor’s in cybersecurity programs also require students to complete an applied capstone project that addresses specific proficiencies and demonstrates subject-area expertise prior to graduating.
For students exploring online bachelor’s degree programs, it is important to note that there are schools that accept applicants with a high school diploma or equivalent, schools that require applicants to have previously completed some college credits (often general education requirements), and schools that offer a bachelor’s degree completion curriculum that typically requires applicants to have already earned an associate’s degree from a community or junior college. Applicants with prior college credits should confirm transfer eligibility before applying to a bachelor’s in cybersecurity program.
Elements of a Bachelor’s in Cybersecurity Program
While specific requirements vary by school and by program, a bachelor’s in cybersecurity degree has three primary curricular components: general education requirements and electives in the humanities and social and natural sciences; cybersecurity major prerequisites, which commonly include calculus, statistics, and introductory computer science; and core cybersecurity major courses and electives. More than half of the credits required to earn a bachelor’s degree may be in designated general education coursework. This is true for both campus-based and online degree programs. Bachelor’s degree programs include the equivalent of eight semesters, or four years, of coursework, which usually equates to 120 semester credits or 180 quarter credits, depending on the school’s academic calendar. Students who pursue a degree full-time can often graduate in four years (or less if they take courses year-round), or in four to six years if they enroll on a part-time basis.
Once students have completed a program’s designated cybersecurity prerequisites, they begin taking cybersecurity major-specific courses. While major requirements vary by program, most bachelor’s programs include coursework in computer network, operating system, database, and application security; common programming languages, such as Python, Java, Linux shells, and/or Microsoft PowerShell; incident response and investigation; cyber defense strategies; system vulnerabilities; malware and other attack modalities; and enterprise security risk management strategy. In addition, cybersecurity majors generally include courses in cyber law and regulation, organizational and governmental cyber policy, and specific technologies associated with securing digital systems, such as firewalls, cryptography, penetration-testing and anomaly-detection software, and digital forensics tools for investigating cyber activity.
As part of a cybersecurity major, some schools also give students the option of focusing their studies in specific areas such as cyber investigations, cloud security, penetration testing, cyber governance, digital forensics, and cybersecurity law and policy. A concentration may be offered through a series of elective courses, or as a designated sequence of focused courses within the cybersecurity major. Finally, many programs incorporate internships and/or capstone projects to encourage students to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned in their coursework to real-world challenges.
Bachelor’s in Cybersecurity Courses
The following list is meant to provide a representative overview of the types of courses students commonly take as part of an online bachelor’s in cybersecurity degree program. The names and descriptions are drawn from actual online bachelor’s in cybersecurity degree program curricula:
- Cybersecurity Programming and Networking: An introduction to computer programing and network administration protocols for the cybersecurity professional. Students learn how to read and write code, manage complex computer networks, and recognize common vulnerabilities and security lapses.
- Tools and Concepts of Cybersecurity: An examination of computer system architectures and IT infrastructure in the context of cyber threats and vulnerabilities. Students study risk assessment protocols, review common IT system vulnerabilities, and learn how firewalls, cryptography, access controls, and other strategies are deployed as cyber defense measures.
- Cyber Operations and Security Tools: An in-depth look at common cybersecurity tools and techniques, including network mapping, application diagnostics, firewall configuration, intrusion detection software, penetration testing, and forensic investigation processes.
- Ethical Hacking: Students learn to use common penetration testing tools and techniques to discover and exploit system vulnerabilities in order to reduce potential attack vectors, tighten network security, and prevent malicious cyber attacks. Upon completion, students may qualify for the EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker professional certification.
- Malware and Computer Viruses: An applied knowledge course in which students learn how to perform static and dynamic analyses of software in order to detect malware and other types of computer viruses, reverse engineer the malicious code, and eliminate the threat.
- Cybersecurity Policy and Governance: An examination of common and recommended risk management strategies that are designed to provide organizations with effective governance through policies that protect sensitive data and critical infrastructure. Students focus on how cyber policy and governance can be aligned with an organization’s business objectives and regulatory compliance.
- Social Engineering and the Psychology of Cybersecurity: An overview of social engineering practices used by cybercriminals to gain access to otherwise secure networks using phishing attacks and other techniques that exploit human weaknesses. Students learn how access controls, cyber awareness training, and anomalous activity detection can help thwart cyber attacks rooted in social engineering.
- Cyber Law and Regulations: An in-depth examination of the evolving regulatory environment for cybersecurity, including local, state, federal and international laws pertaining to data safety, system resilience and cyber preparedness, and industry-specific cybersecurity compliance requirements.
Note: For an in-depth look at how cybersecurity knowledge and skills map onto careers in the field, refer to our Guide to Careers in Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, and Digital Forensics.
Earning a Bachelor’s in Cybersecurity Degree Online
The structure of online bachelor’s in cybersecurity degree programs varies by school and by program. Some accredited, nonprofit colleges and universities offer fully online bachelor’s degree programs that require no prior college credits and thus deliver a full range of general education requirements, along with the necessary cybersecurity prerequisites, and core cybersecurity major courses through online instruction. There are also online bachelor’s in cybersecurity programs that are designed for students who have already completed some or all of their general education credits and/or prerequisite courses either through a prior bachelor’s degree program or a junior college associate’s degree program.
Programs that require college credits for admission are sometimes referred to as online bachelor’s degree completion programs. For these programs, students typically work with an admissions advisor to determine if their previous college credits will transfer and, if so, what additional courses they must complete in order to earn their bachelor’s degree. While most colleges and universities that offer online bachelor’s completion programs now offer online general education courses as well, some schools only offer major-specific courses via online instruction. For these schools, students who are missing general education requirements may have to complete qualifying courses at a different college or university either online or in-person.
Students researching online programs may want to consider the structure of online degree programs and how different instruction methods can impact a student’s learning experience. Online courses can be taught using synchronous or asynchronous instruction. Synchronous instruction takes place in real-time and requires students to be logged on to a program’s online learning platform for live lectures, presentations, and discussions. Asynchronous instruction does not have a real-time component. It includes pre-recorded lectures, self-serve learning modules, online discussion forums, and other instructional modalities that can be accessed at any time. While both methods of online instruction have been shown to be effective, some students may prefer one mode of instruction over the other based on their learning style and/or the need for additional flexibility to complete coursework at any time, day or night.
Note: In order for a program to be classified as an online bachelor’s in cybersecurity program, it must be offered by an accredited, nonprofit college or university and provide all or most of its instruction via online courses. While most online bachelor’s programs can be completed fully online, some programs incorporate a limited number of required campus-based sessions for orientations, seminars, workshops and other learning experiences that benefit from hands-on, face-to-face training. CyberSecurityDegree.com does not include programs that require students to attend three or more campus-based sessions per year.
Online Bachelor’s in Cybersecurity Admission Requirements
Admission requirements for online bachelor’s programs are generally similar to admission requirements for traditional, campus-based programs. However, there may be differences in the application process between online programs and campus-based programs. For example, students applying to traditional four-year colleges often submit a general application and may not declare their actual major until after they are accepted or enrolled at the university. In contrast, students applying to online programs often apply to specific degree programs during the application process.
While exact admission requirements vary by program, the baseline eligibility requirement is a high school diploma or the equivalent. Programs may then make assessments based on an applicant’s grade point average (GPA), grades in relevant subjects such as math and science, and/or SAT or ACT test scores. Some programs still require the submission of SAT or ACT test scores, other programs no longer require standardized test scores, and there are programs that make the submission of test scores optional for students who think their scores will help their application. As part of the admissions process, applicants may be asked to submit a written essay based on one or more prompts. Admissions interviews, either in person or via phone or video chat, may also be incorporated into the process, depending on the program.
As noted above, some online bachelor’s in cybersecurity programs are designed for students who have prior college credits. These programs, typically designated as bachelor’s completion programs, may require applicants to have already completed a certain number of college credits for admission. While the total number of credits or courses completed prior to applying varies by program, most of these types of programs require a minimum of one year and up to two years of transferable college credits.