Coastal Pines Technical College Online Cybersecurity (CY13)

This is a 60-credit Associate of Applied Science in Cybersecurity from a public Georgia technical college, offered 100% online. It is the full degree in a family of four cybersecurity credentials at the college, so it suits someone who wants the complete associate credential and not just a short certificate.

Students pay tuition plus $361 in fees per term, so ask for the current per-credit rate before you plan a budget.

Coastal Pines Technical College is a public technical college in Waycross, Georgia, with 4,130 students enrolled. The college lists its Cybersecurity program, catalog code CY13, among the programs offered 100% online, and the catalog sets the minimum for graduation at 60 credit hours.

The college has four cybersecurity credentials, and the differences matter. CY13 is the Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.), the longest and most complete of them. CY12 is a Cybersecurity diploma, which sits below an associate degree.

Cybersecurity Fundamentals (CW71) and Cybersecurity (IS81) are certificates. If you only want a quick entry credential, one of those may do the job. If you want something employers and four-year schools will recognize as a degree, CY13 is the one to look at.

The college is a technical college, not a research university, so the program is built around job skills.

The college charges tuition plus fees of $361 per term. The activity and accident insurance fees are not applied to all online courses, so your own fee total may come in lower, depending on what you take. Federal data lists a $214 per credit charge for the college.

Because the degree is 60 credits, ask the financial aid office to add up a full-degree estimate, including books and any lab software. Ask the college which grants or state aid programs apply to this degree.

Online students sometimes pay fewer fees than on-campus students, which is why the note about activity and accident insurance fees is worth confirming with your own registration.

Who It Fits

• You live in or near Georgia and want a public technical college degree rather than a private or for-profit option.
• You want the full associate degree in the college's cybersecurity family, not a diploma or a certificate.
• You can plan around fees of $361 per term on top of tuition.
• You want a school where online students are a meaningful group. Of the college's undergraduates, 22% study exclusively online.

Who Should Skip It

• You want a program with a published per-credit price and a published course list you can compare line by line before you apply. Request both from the college first.
• You want a four-year degree. The A.A.S. is a two-year credential, and you would need to transfer for a bachelor's.
• You need a program that names the certifications it prepares you for. Ask the department whether the courses line up with entry-level security exams.

The program is catalog code CY13, and it requires 60 credit hours for graduation. An A.A.S. at a technical college is built around occupational courses, and that part is where the security skills come from.

Before you commit, ask for the course sequence for CY13 and compare it with the diploma, CY12. The diploma is the shorter path and the degree adds credits on top, so the extra courses are what you are paying for. Ask which of those extra courses are general education, which are advanced security courses, and whether any are electives.

If you already work in IT support or networking, that sequence tells you whether you would be repeating material you know.

The program is listed as 100% online in the college catalog and on its online learning page. Of the college's undergraduates, 22% study exclusively online.

Before you enroll, ask how the hands-on parts of a security degree are delivered. Labs on virtual machines can be done from home. Proctored exams may need a testing center. Ask whether classes meet at set times or run on your own schedule, and how many terms per year you can start.

You earn an Associate of Applied Science in Cybersecurity. The college's federal graduation rate is 48% across all students, and 66% of students who transferred in earned an award within eight years. Those numbers describe the whole college, so they are background, not a prediction for this degree.

If you want to continue to a bachelor's later, ask which four-year schools accept A.A.S. credits and get the answer in writing. If you want a certification, ask which exams the courses prepare you for, since employers often look for one next to the degree.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• Fees of $361 per term add up across a 60-credit degree, even though some fees do not apply to all online courses.
• The A.A.S. is a work-focused degree, so transfer into a bachelor's program may not carry every credit.
• With three other cybersecurity credentials at the same college, it is easy to enroll in the wrong one. Confirm that you are applying to CY13.

• What is the per-credit tuition for CY13, and what is the full-degree estimate including fees?
• Which fees apply to online students, and which are waived?
• What courses make up CY13, and how do they differ from the CY12 diploma?
• Do any courses require proctored exams or on-campus lab time?
• Which industry certifications do the courses prepare me for?
• Which four-year schools accept this A.A.S., and is the agreement in writing?

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