Dakota State University Online Cyber Operations, BS

Dakota State's Cyber Operations B.S. is the offense-minded bachelor's in a school that is built around cyber. Dakota State says it carries an NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations designation, and it trains you in the Madison Cyber Labs. It's a strong pick if you want to understand how attacks work. If you'd rather lead teams or manage policy, a sibling degree fits better.

Dakota State University is a public university in Madison, South Dakota, with a cyber-focused college. The Cyber Operations B.S. is 120 credits and is listed as available online, with starts in fall, spring and summer.

Dakota State says the NSA's National Cryptologic University designates it a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO). Of Dakota State's roughly 3,774 students, about 54% study exclusively online, so the online cohort is a real part of the school rather than an afterthought.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

Online undergraduate tuition is $373.80 per credit hour for 2026-2027, which puts the 120-credit degree at $44,856 in tuition. Non-resident students in computer science courses pay a $117.70 delivery fee on top, so ask how that fee adds up across your plan. It is the line to price carefully before comparing this degree with other public schools.

120 credits at $373.80 a credit comes to $44,856 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• Students who want to do the hands-on technical work: malware, offensive testing and network attack and defense. Those topics are named in the course list.
• Aspiring government and defense-adjacent professionals. The CAE-CO designation is aimed at the operations side of the NSA's cyber workforce.
• Self-starters comfortable with a technical load. The course list runs from Introduction to Cyber into malware analysis and network work.

Who Should Skip It

• Students who want a management or policy track. Dakota State's Cyber Leadership and Intelligence B.S. covers digital forensics and world affairs and human behavior specializations, and it pairs better with leadership goals.
• Students who want networking certification built in. The Cyber and Network Security B.S. is the sibling with a Cisco Networking Academy path toward CCNA.

This is the school's offensive-security degree. It opens with Introduction to Cyber, then builds toward Malware Analysis, Offensive Network Security and Defensive Network Security. That pairing matters: you learn to break into networks and to defend them, so you see both sides of the same attack. Malware Analysis teaches you to take apart hostile code and figure out what it does.

Hands-on training happens in the Madison Cyber Labs, which the university describes as a dynamic environment for practice. Compare the siblings at the same school. Cyber and Network Security leans toward infrastructure and a CCNA route. Cyber Leadership and Intelligence adds AI and open-source intelligence (OSINT) work. Cyber Operations is the one to choose if breaking and analyzing systems is the goal.

Courses the School Names

• Introduction to Cyber
• Malware Analysis
• Offensive Network Security
• Defensive Network Security

Standout Features

• Designated a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO) by the NSA’s National Cryptologic University, one of only 20 such designations
• Hands-on training in the Madison Cyber Labs

The program is listed as available on campus or online. Three starts a year (fall, spring, summer) mean you can begin without waiting a full year. About 54% of Dakota State students are exclusively online, which suggests an established online culture. Ask about lab access: the Madison Cyber Labs are named for hands-on training, so find out how remote students reach lab environments and whether any sessions are scheduled.

The headline credential is the CAE-CO designation that Dakota State says it holds from the NSA's National Cryptologic University. Some federal jobs and scholarships look for it. A designation does not replace a professional certification. Federal data puts median earnings for Dakota State graduates in this field at $78,637.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

• The 44.5% eight-year completion rate for transfer-in students leaves room for improvement, so plan your time before you commit.
• The non-resident computer science delivery fee of $117.70 can make the real cost higher than the per-credit rate suggests.
• Federal median earnings for graduates in this field are $78,637, so ask the department which employers and roles its recent graduates landed in.

• How much is the non-resident delivery fee over a full degree plan?
• How do online students use the Madison Cyber Labs?
• What do graduates of Cyber Operations do next: government, contractors or private companies?
• How does Cyber Operations differ from Cyber and Network Security in the first two years?
• Can I move between Dakota State's cyber bachelor's degrees if I change my mind?

A public university in Madison, South Dakota, with a cyber-focused college.

• Best Cyber Defense Degrees Rank 2 of 10, bachelor's
• Best Public University Programs Rank 4 of 10, bachelor's
• Best Online Programs in South Dakota Rank 1 of 4, bachelor's

• Cyber and Network Security, BS

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $373.80 per credit Score 53.9

• Cyber Leadership and Intelligence, BS

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $373.80 per credit Score 51.7

• Cyber Defense, MS

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $495.70 per credit Score 65.8

• Cyber Defense, Ph.D.

  Ph.D., Doctorate

  Online With Campus Requirements $548.75 per credit Score 51.8

• Cyber Operations, Ph.D.

  Ph.D., Doctorate

  Online With Campus Requirements $548.75 per credit Score 49.3

• American Public University System

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  West Virginia $360 per credit Score 62.1

• SUNY College of Technology at Canton

  Cybersecurity - B.S.

  New York $353 per credit Score 62.5

• Ferris State University

  Bachelor of Science in Information Security and Intelligence

  Michigan Score 61.7

• Excelsior University

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  New York $510 per credit Score 62.8