Community College of Baltimore County Online Cybersecurity

This is a low-cost way into cybersecurity if you want hands-on skills and a Security+ conversation with your instructor in the first year. The school says the program is accredited as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the NSA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The tradeoff is a small-school completion record, so plan your schedule carefully before you enroll.

The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) offers this 60-credit Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Cybersecurity fully online. It is a public two-year college in Baltimore, and the program also runs on its Catonsville, Dundalk and Essex campuses, so online students share a curriculum with people in the classroom.

The A.A.S. is built for work, not for a straight transfer to a bachelor's. Courses are practical: firewalls, intrusion detection, Linux. A Cybersecurity Advisory Board of greater Baltimore technology employers guides course development, which matters in a field where tools change quickly.

CCBC also offers a Digital Forensics associate degree. That one centers on evidence and investigations. This Cybersecurity degree centers on defending networks and systems, so pick it if you want to be the person who configures and watches the security tools rather than the one who investigates after an incident.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

The program lists CompTIA Security+, CompTIA Linux+ and Cisco CCNA as certification preparation. The school's own guidance is specific: students who want the Security+ credential should speak with their faculty member in the Introduction to Information Security course (DCOM 258) about obtaining it.

Security+ is the entry-level certification many employers name in job postings, so getting a conversation about it in your first security course is practical. Linux+ pairs with the Advanced Linux Administration course, and CCNA is a networking credential from Cisco. Ask whether exam fees are part of tuition if you plan to sit each one.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

Who It Fits

• Career changers who want an entry-level credential in about two years without leaving a current job
• Baltimore County residents, who pay $124 per credit for academic year 2026-27
• IT help desk or support staff who want formal security coursework and a Security+ path
• Students who want to start with an associate degree and keep the option of moving to a four-year school later

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who needs a bachelor's degree for the jobs they are targeting, since this is an applied associate degree
• Students who want a fast pace through the whole degree, because the school plans on 30 credits per year
• People who want a digital forensics focus, who should look at CCBC's separate Digital Forensics associate degree

The program totals 60 credits. Named courses include Introduction to Information Security, Introduction to Firewalls, Introduction to Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems and Advanced Linux Administration.

That sequence follows how a junior security technician actually works. You learn the basics of protecting information, then the controls that sit at a network's edge (firewalls), then the systems that watch for attacks (intrusion detection and prevention), and then the operating system most security tools run on. Linux gets its own advanced course, which is a real advantage if your only experience is Windows.

The school describes small classes and state-of-the-art lab facilities. The Cybersecurity Advisory Board, made up of greater Baltimore technology employers, guides course development so the courses stay in line with industry standards and with what today's tech jobs ask for.

Courses the School Names

• Introduction to Information Security
• Introduction to Firewalls
• Introduction to Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems
• Advanced Linux Administration

Standout Features

• Accredited as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the NSA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, per the school
• Cybersecurity Advisory Board of greater Baltimore technology employers guides course development
• Small classes and state-of-the-art lab facilities

Online classes cost $247 per credit hour for out-of-state and international students. Maryland residents of other counties pay $246 per credit, and Baltimore County residents pay $124 per credit for academic year 2026-27. The estimated tuition for the full 60 credits is $14,820 at the $247 rate and $14,760 at the $246 rate.

For Baltimore County residents the picture is much better, since the per-credit price is about half. Those totals are tuition only, so add books and any fees when you compare with other schools.

60 credits at $247 a credit comes to $14,820 in tuition, before fees. At the in-state rate of $246, the same 60 credits come to $14,760.

Courses run in 7-week sessions, which is short. You carry fewer classes at once and finish each one quickly, so a missed week hurts more than it would in a 15-week semester.

The school expects about 30 credits per year to finish in two years, which works out to a steady load across the year. The program is fully online, and the same degree is available on campus, so you are not in a second-tier version of the program.

Federal data shows 31% of undergraduates at CCBC study exclusively online. That is a minority, so expect to be part of a mixed student body, not a mostly online cohort. Ask how online students reach advisors and lab time.

• Only 19% of students at the school graduate, and the federal completion rate for students who transfer in is 25%. Short 7-week sessions and a plan of 30 credits per year take steady attention.
• Federal earnings data for CCBC associate graduates in this field shows a median of $58,293, which is entry-level money.
• An A.A.S. is built for employment, so check with any four-year school you might attend later about how these credits count.

• Which of the Introduction to Information Security course labs run in a virtual environment, and can I use them from home?
• How often does the Cybersecurity Advisory Board change the course list, and what changed most recently?
• Do the Security+ and Linux+ exam vouchers come with the courses, or do I pay separately?
• Which four-year schools accept this A.A.S. in transfer, and how many of the 60 credits do they take?
• Are the 7-week sessions offered every term, and what is the realistic load if I work full time?
• Am I eligible for the Baltimore County resident rate of $124 per credit?

• Best Online Cybersecurity Degrees Rank 5 of 10, associate
• Best Online Associate Programs Rank 5 of 10, associate
• Best Accelerated Online Programs Rank 1 of 9, associate
• Best for Working Adults Rank 1 of 9, associate
• Best Public University Programs Rank 5 of 10, associate
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 5 of 10, associate
• Best Programs With Certifications Rank 2 of 10, associate
• Best Online Programs in Maryland Rank 1 of 3, associate

• Digital Forensics

  A.A.S., Associate

  Fully Online Score 44.0

• Minnesota State College Southeast

  Cybersecurity and Network Administration (A.A.S.)

  Minnesota Score 56.4

• Georgia Northwestern Technical College

  Associate of Applied Science in Cybersecurity (IS23)

  Georgia $107 per credit Score 56.0

• California Institute of Arts & Technology

  Associate of Applied Science in Computer Information Systems

  California $660 per credit Score 55.6

• St Petersburg College

  Cybersecurity (A.S.)

  Florida $386.90 per credit Score 55.4