Champlain College Online Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

This is a fully online bachelor's degree for someone who wants a recognized security curriculum and plenty of lab time, and who will pay a private-college rate for it. At $342 per credit across 120 credits, tuition is $41,040. In return you get short seven-week terms, credit for prior learning and a school that the NSA and Homeland Security have designated a cyber defense education center since 2006.

Champlain College is a private nonprofit college in Burlington, Vermont, and it delivers its online degrees through Champlain College Online. The Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity is a 120-credit degree you can complete entirely online.

Champlain also offers a Bachelor of Science in Computer Forensics and Digital Investigations at the same 120 credits and the same $342 per credit. The two overlap in tools, but the aim differs. Cybersecurity is about protecting systems and responding to attacks. The forensics degree centers on collecting and analyzing digital evidence, with courses such as Malware Forensics, Digital Forensic Analysis and Law of Searching and Seizing Digital Evidence.

Champlain also has an Associate of Science in Cybersecurity, which is a shorter route if you aren't ready to commit to four years.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

The rate for Fall 2026 to Summer 2027 is $342 per credit, which is $41,040 over 120 credits. A one-time $150 graduation fee applies.

Three groups pay less. Alumni, associate degree graduates, veterans and their families pay $297 per credit. Military servicemembers pay $250 per credit.

The bigger saving may be credit. Champlain accepts credit for prior learning and experience, transfer credit for work experience and training, and military training. Every credit you bring in is a credit you don't pay for at $342, so ask for a transfer evaluation before you enroll. Because the 120-credit total is fixed, the evaluation tells you exactly what your remaining bill looks like.

120 credits at $342 a credit comes to $41,040 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• You want a bachelor's degree with hands-on virtual labs and are willing to pay more per credit for a school with a long cyber education record.
• You work full time and want to take one to three courses at a time in seven-week bursts.
• You have military service, work training or earlier college credit and want it counted. Champlain gives credit for prior learning and military training.
• You are a veteran, military family member or active servicemember and want a lower rate: $250 per credit for servicemembers, $297 for veterans and their families.

Who Should Skip It

• Your top priority is the lowest possible tuition. Public technical colleges charge far less per credit, though for a different kind of degree.
• You want to focus on investigation and evidence. The Computer Forensics and Digital Investigations bachelor's is closer to that goal.
• You prefer long 15-week semesters with a slow, steady pace for every class.

The notable courses cover the full arc of security work. Ethical Hacking teaches you to attack systems with permission. Intrusion Analysis and Response is about spotting an attack in progress and containing it. Cloud Computing Security and Mobile Security extend that thinking to the places data now lives. Digital Forensic Investigation Techniques covers the evidence side.

Champlain says you will master over 31 applications, platforms and programming languages used in cybersecurity, and that you will work in hands-on virtual labs that mirror industry scenarios. That is a concrete reason to look at this degree: you practice with real tools instead of only reading about them.

The program ends with a Senior Seminar Project, an independent project related to the major completed in a 15-week course. Cybersecurity students also learn within the community around the Senator Patrick Leahy Center for Digital Investigation and Cybersecurity at Champlain.

Courses the School Names

• Ethical Hacking
• Intrusion Analysis and Response
• Cloud Computing Security
• Digital Forensic Investigation Techniques
• Mobile Security

Standout Features

• Cybersecurity students learn within the Senator Patrick Leahy Center for Digital Investigation & Cybersecurity community
• Hands-on virtual labs that mirror industry scenarios
• Master over 31 applications, platforms and programming languages used in cybersecurity
• National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education since 2006 (stated for Champlain College)

Champlain runs 7-week terms alongside 15-week semesters. You take one to three courses per 7-week term, and with two courses per term the typical time to finish is 3 years and 6 months.

The short terms let you focus on a small number of classes at once, which many working adults prefer to juggling four courses across a long semester. You can also slow down to one course in a busy stretch.

Federal data shows 39% of Champlain's undergraduates study exclusively online, so the rest are on campus in Burlington. That mix is common for colleges with a physical campus, and it means the online division has to stand on its own. Ask how large your online sections are and how faculty handle live sessions.

You would earn a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity from a private nonprofit college that is regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). Institutional accreditation is what lets your credits transfer and your degree qualify for graduate school and federal aid.

Champlain also states that the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated it a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education since 2006. Some federal jobs and scholarships look for that designation, so it's worth confirming how it applies to your degree.

Champlain's federal graduation rate is 65%, a school-wide figure. Graduates of this field at the school have a median earnings figure of $112,282 in federal Scorecard data.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

• At $342 per credit, it costs far more than a public school's online rate, and the $41,040 total adds up.
• Ask which exams the courses cover.
• Seven-week terms move fast. A missed week can mean a big share of a class.

• Can you run a transfer evaluation on my prior credits, work training and military experience before I apply?
• Which industry certification exams do the ethical hacking and intrusion analysis courses prepare me for?
• How are the virtual labs delivered, and can I use them at any hour?
• How many credits do graduates typically bring in, and how does that change the time to finish?
• Does the Senior Seminar Project involve a faculty advisor or an industry partner?
• Which of the 120 credits are security courses and which are general education?
• Do I qualify for the alumni or associate-graduate rate of $297 per credit?

A private nonprofit college in Burlington, Vermont that delivers its online degrees through Champlain College Online.

• Best Online Programs in Vermont Rank 2 of 3, bachelor's

• BS in Computer Forensics & Digital Investigations

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $342 per credit Score 75.9

• Master of Science in Digital Forensic Science

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $608 per credit Score 75.1

• Master of Science in Cybersecurity Operations

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $608 per credit Score 70.7

• Master of Science in Cybersecurity Analytics

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $608 per credit Score 70.5

• Master of Science in Digital Forensic Analytics

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $608 per credit Score 70.3

• Master of Science in Cybersecurity Management

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $608 per credit Score 70.1

Also at Champlain College, but not counted here because they are not fully online: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (bachelor's, on campus).

• Western Governors University

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance

  Utah Score 74.5

• Franklin University

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  Ohio $398 per credit Score 69.8

• Wilmington University

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  Delaware $439 per credit Score 67.2

• Norwich University

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  Vermont $415 per credit Score 65.3