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

Boise State's online Bachelor of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience is built for people starting cybersecurity from zero. It's fully asynchronous, it asks for no math or technical background, and it costs $395 per credit. The School of Computing behind it holds National Security Agency (NSA) designations in both Cyber Defense and Cyber Research, so the degree sits inside a department the federal government has recognized.

Boise State Online delivers this degree through the School of Computing at a public university in Boise, Idaho. Courses run seven weeks, and there are six start dates a year. That means a missed start costs you about two months, not a full semester, which suits anyone whose work schedule changes without warning.

Everything is asynchronous with no in-person requirements, so you work through each seven-week course on your own hours rather than logging in for scheduled lectures.

Boise State puts three degrees under the same Cyber Operations and Resilience name, and they serve different people. The Bachelor of Applied Science is a degree-completion path that accepts up to 47 technical credits from another accredited institution, aimed at students with an Associate of Applied Science or technical associate credits.

The Master of Science is $550 per credit and accepts any background. This B.S. is the one for a student who is starting the bachelor's without technical credits to bring.

Tuition is $395 per credit for the online bachelor's. Federal data lists a campus charge of $722 per credit at Boise State, so the online rate is the lower number you should plan around. The master's in the same field is $550 per credit, which shows how much cheaper the undergraduate route is if you're choosing between levels.

To estimate your total, multiply $395 by the credits you'll still need after transfer, then ask the admissions team about fees and books, which sit on top of the per-credit rate.

Who It Fits

• You're changing careers into security and have no technical background. The program states that no math or technical background is required, so you won't need to teach yourself programming or networking before you apply.
• You work full time and your schedule isn't predictable. Seven-week asynchronous courses with six starts a year let you pace the degree around your job, and a heavy quarter at work doesn't force you to drop out for a long stretch.
• You'd like vendor training next to your degree work. Boise State's partnerships with VMware IT Academy, Palo Alto Academy and Cisco Networking Academy give students free access to those companies' training resources.

Who Should Skip It

• You already have technical associate credits. The Bachelor of Applied Science was designed to take up to 47 of those credits, so you won't repeat material you've already covered.
• You want scheduled live classes and a fixed cohort. This degree is asynchronous, so you set your own pace inside each seven-week window and won't have a weekly meeting to anchor you.
• You want a school organized mainly around distance learners. Only 15% of Boise State undergraduates study exclusively online, so the university is mostly a campus school that also offers an online route.

The degree title puts operations and resilience first, which points toward running, defending and recovering systems instead of academic research. The School of Computing holds NSA designations in both Cyber Defense and Cyber Research, and those designations belong to the school that teaches this degree.

The clearest curriculum detail is the training partnerships. VMware IT Academy covers virtualization, Palo Alto Academy covers network security and Cisco Networking Academy covers networking. Students get free access to all three, which gives you hands-on practice material in the same technologies many security teams run every day.

The full required-course list is worth requesting before you apply, since you'll want to see which classes cover forensics, cryptography and incident response.

Standout Features

• Industry partnerships with VMware IT Academy, Palo Alto Academy and Cisco Networking Academy give students free training resources
• School of Computing holds NSA National Centers of Academic Excellence designations in Cyber Defense and Cyber Research

This is a 100% online, asynchronous program with no in-person requirements. Courses last seven weeks and start six times a year, so the calendar is built around short sprints. You can take a single course in a window, and you aren't tied to a semester start in August or January.

School-wide federal data shows 61.5% of transfer-in students earning an award within eight years and a 60% overall graduation rate. Those figures cover Boise State as a whole, not this program alone. They're a useful reminder that the school mostly serves students on campus, so ask what advising and tutoring look like for online students.

The credential is a Bachelor of Science. The NSA designations in Cyber Defense and Cyber Research are held by Boise State's School of Computing, and the program page names them as part of the department that delivers this degree. They describe the school's cybersecurity education, not a license you receive at graduation.

The vendor academies give you training resources, but ask whether exam vouchers or certifications come with tuition. If a specific certification matters for the jobs you want, ask which courses prepare you for it.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• Seven-week courses move quickly. A bad stretch at work or home can put you behind fast, and there's no weekly live class to pull you back on track.
• It's asynchronous only. If you learn best by talking through problems with an instructor and classmates in real time, this format will feel isolating.
• The NSA designations belong to the School of Computing as a whole. Check which of the courses you'll take actually fall under that umbrella before you count it as a reason to enroll.

• How many total credits does the degree require, and how many of my existing credits will transfer?
• Which required courses use the VMware, Palo Alto or Cisco training material, and which are taught from other sources?
• Are there fees or required software costs on top of the $395 per credit?
• Do online students get the same access to labs, advisors and career services as campus students?
• If I miss a seven-week start, how soon is the next one, and will my financial aid or military benefits carry over?
• Does the Bachelor of Applied Science fit me better given the technical credits I already hold?

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

• Best Cyber Defense Degrees Rank 6 of 10, bachelor's
• Best Accelerated Online Programs Rank 6 of 10, bachelor's
• Best for Working Adults Rank 10 of 10, bachelor's
• Best With No Programming Rank 3 of 4, bachelor's
• Best With Multiple Start Dates Rank 5 of 9, bachelor's
• Best Online Programs in Idaho Rank 1 of 3, bachelor's

• Bachelor of Applied Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience

  B.A.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online Score 42.6

• Master of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $550 per credit Score 59.1

• California Institute of Arts & Technology

  Applied Bachelor's Degree in Cybersecurity

  California $660 per credit Score 56.4

• Ashford University

  Bachelor of Science in Cyber & Data Security Technology

  California $460 per credit Score 58.2

• Eastern Oregon University

  Bachelor in Cybersecurity (B.A., B.S. or B.A.S.)

  Oregon $338 per credit Score 58.3

• Penn State World Campus

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity Analytics and Operations

  Pennsylvania $644 per credit Score 58.3