Boise State University Online Bachelor of Applied Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience

This is the degree-completion version of Boise State's online cyber operations bachelor's, built for someone who already has technical credits or an Applied Science associate degree. It takes up to 47 technical credits from another accredited school, runs in seven-week courses, and starts six times a year. If you're starting with no college credit, Boise State's separate B.S. is the better door.

Boise State University is a public university in Boise, Idaho, and its School of Computing delivers the cyber operations degrees through Boise State Online. The Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) in Cyber Operations and Resilience is one of three related online degrees, and the differences between them are the most useful thing to understand before you apply.

The B.A.S. is designed for students who have earned an Associate of Applied Science or have some technical associate credits. The school says it lets you leverage up to 47 of your technical credits from another accredited institution. A B.A.S. is an applied degree: it's built to turn a hands-on technical associate degree into a full bachelor's rather than send you back through general academics.

The courses run seven weeks each, with six start dates a year, so you don't wait long for a start. The format is asynchronous, which means you complete work on your own schedule rather than at set class times, with no in-person requirements.

Boise State lists $395 per credit for the online B.S. and $550 per credit for the online M.S. in the same field. The B.A.S. is the one you'd actually enroll in here, and its per-credit rate should be confirmed in writing by the admissions office before you plan a budget.

What will matter more than the rate is how many credits you bring in. The program accepts up to 47 technical credits from another accredited institution. Every credit that transfers is a credit you don't buy again, so a transcript review before you apply is worth more than comparing rates.

Ask for fees line by line, and ask whether the rate changes if you live outside Idaho. The federal data lists a campus per-credit charge of $722 for Boise State, which is a campus figure and not the online rate.

Who It Fits

• You hold an Associate of Applied Science in a technical field, such as networking or IT support, and want a bachelor's that counts those credits.
• You have some technical associate credits from another accredited school and want to apply up to 47 of them.
• You work irregular hours and want asynchronous courses with no set meeting times.
• You want frequent start dates, since the program offers six a year and seven-week courses.

Who Should Skip It

• You're starting without any college credit. Boise State's separate Bachelor of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience is $395 per credit and is set up for students beginning from the start.
• You want a master's. Boise State offers a separate Master of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience at $550 per credit, with technical and non-technical tracks.
• You need a program that prices every credit up front. Ask Boise State for the B.A.S. rate in writing, because the sibling degrees list different rates.

The three Boise State degrees share a name, but they serve different students. The B.A.S. is the completion path: you bring technical credits in, and the program supplies the cyber operations coursework that sits on top of them. The B.S. is the full bachelor's built from the start. The M.S. is the graduate degree and carries its own technical and non-technical tracks.

The School of Computing holds National Centers of Academic Excellence designations in Cyber Defense and Cyber Research from the National Security Agency. Those designations are earned by a school's cybersecurity program as a whole, so they're a mark of the department behind this degree, not a promise about each course. Some federal and defense employers look for them.

Boise State's industry partners, VMware IT Academy, Palo Alto Academy and Cisco Networking Academy, are listed on the B.S. page as giving students free access to training resources. Ask whether B.A.S. students get the same access.

Standout Features

• Degree completion path that accepts up to 47 technical credits from another accredited institution

The B.A.S. is fully online with no in-person requirements, and it's asynchronous. Courses run seven weeks, and a new term starts six times a year. That rhythm is helpful for adults who work: you take one or two classes at a time, finish them in under two months, and move on.

The tradeoff is speed. Seven weeks is a fast pace for a technical course, and a heavy work week can set you behind quickly. Ask how many classes students typically take at once and how many weeks you can pause between terms.

Federal data shows 15% of Boise State's students are enrolled exclusively online, a lower share than at schools built around distance learning. The university enrolls 27,198 students, so online students share a large institution's services but are a smaller group inside it. Ask how the online program supports advising and career services.

You'd earn a Bachelor of Applied Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience from a public university. Because it's an applied degree, ask how it's treated if you later apply to a master's program, including Boise State's own.

The School of Computing's NSA Centers of Academic Excellence designations in Cyber Defense and Cyber Research are the main credential signal on the program page. Federal data shows an eight-year completion rate of 61.5% for students who transfer in, and a school-wide graduation rate of 60%. These are university-wide figures. The transfer completion figure is the closer match for you, since a degree-completion student is a transfer student.

Industry certifications aren't tied to this degree, so ask which exams the coursework supports.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• The program is built for students with technical credits, and it won't suit someone starting from scratch.
• Seven-week courses move fast, which can be tough if your work schedule changes.
• The sibling degrees list different rates, so the B.A.S. price needs a written quote.

• What is the per-credit rate for the B.A.S., and does it match the $395 rate of the B.S.?
• How many of my technical credits will count toward the 47 transfer maximum?
• Will I get the same VMware, Palo Alto and Cisco training access that the B.S. students get?
• How many seven-week courses do students usually take at once?
• Does the B.A.S. qualify me for Boise State's master's program?
• How does career help work for online students?

A public university in Boise, Idaho. Boise State Online delivers the cyber operations degrees through the School of Computing.

• Best Online Programs in Idaho Rank 3 of 3, bachelor's

• Bachelor of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $395 per credit Score 57.2

• Master of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $550 per credit Score 59.1

• Bluefield University

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  Virginia $420 per credit Score 42.8

• Platt College

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity (Degree Completion)

  California Score 42.8

• Mid-America Christian University

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  Oklahoma $499 per credit Score 42.3

• National American University

  Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, FOCUSED (Cybersecurity Focus Area)

  South Dakota $380 per credit Score 43.1