Fort Hays State University Online Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Information Networking and Telecommunications (Cybersecurity)

Fort Hays State's online cybersecurity degree is one of the lowest-priced bachelor's options on this list, built on a networking and telecommunications base. It suits self-directed students who want a public-university name and a manageable bill, and who are willing to ask about labs and certification tie-ins directly.

Fort Hays State University is a public university in Hays, Kansas, with a large online enrollment through Fort Hays Online. The cybersecurity degree is a 120-credit Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Information Networking and Telecommunications, with cybersecurity as the focus.

The school offers it online and on campus, and online students pay the Fort Hays Online undergraduate rate of $275.65 per credit hour. Fort Hays says students gain expertise in network security, ethical hacking and digital forensics. The degree title is worth a second look.

It sits inside a networking and telecommunications program, so you should expect the security coursework to rest on how networks are built and run, not on programming-heavy software security. That's a real strength if you want to defend networks and a mismatch if you picture yourself writing secure code all day.

Fort Hays also lists a master's in this field, which is a separate program covered further down.

Tuition is the clear selling point. Fort Hays charges the Fort Hays Online undergraduate rate of $275.65 per credit hour for online courses, which works out to $33,078 for 120 credits. That's tuition only, so budget separately for books and any fees the school adds.

The B.A. adds ten credit hours of a language other than English, which raises the credit count and the bill a little. Ask admissions how many credits from a community college would count and whether a military rate applies. If you already hold an associate degree or a pile of general education credits, transfer is the biggest lever you have on the final total.

120 credits at $275.65 a credit comes to $33,078 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• Students who want a public university and a lower bill than most private options. At $275.65 per credit hour, the tuition for 120 credits comes to $33,078.
• People who like how networks work and want security built on top of that, since the degree sits in a networking and telecommunications program.
• Career changers in IT support or network administration who want a credential that matches the work they already do.
• Students who want the option to switch between online and on-campus classes, because Fort Hays offers both.

Who Should Skip It

• Students who want a software-development-heavy security degree. The program is built around networking, and the courses Fort Hays names are network security, ethical hacking and digital forensics.
• Anyone who needs the coursework tied to specific certification exams. Ask Fort Hays which courses overlap with the exams you want.
• Students who want exact term lengths and start dates in hand before applying. Get them from an advisor.

The three areas Fort Hays names are network security, ethical hacking and digital forensics. Network security covers how to protect the systems traffic runs through. Ethical hacking means testing systems the way an attacker would, with permission, so you learn where the weak points are. Digital forensics is the investigation side: working out what happened after an incident.

Together they cover defense, offense and cleanup, which is a sensible spread for a bachelor's degree. Because the degree is housed in information networking and telecommunications, the foundation courses underneath should be networking ones. Fort Hays offers a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science.

The B.A. adds ten credit hours of a language other than English, so pick the B.S. if you'd rather spend every credit on technical work.

Courses the School Names

• Network security
• Ethical hacking
• Digital forensics

Fort Hays says the programs offer online and on-campus options, so you can take classes the way that fits your life. Students are encouraged to take internships, join the Cybersecurity Club and attend industry conferences, which gives distance students a few ways to meet peers and employers even without a campus visit.

Whether classes are live or self-paced, how long each term runs and how many times a year you can start all change how the degree feels week to week, so get those answers from an advisor before you commit.

This is a bachelor's degree, not a certification program. Fort Hays frames it around skills, with the exams left to you. If employers in your area ask for a certification, plan to study for it on your own or ask Fort Hays which courses overlap with the exam objectives.

Ask whether the bachelor's carries any programmatic accreditation. The master's program at Fort Hays carries the NSA and DHS designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, but that designation is listed on the master's page, so confirm with the school how it applies to the bachelor's before you rely on it.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• The degree title says information networking and telecommunications. Employers searching for a degree called cybersecurity may read it differently, so explain it on your resume.
• Ask what hands-on work looks like, including labs, a capstone and certification alignment.
• Confirm term length, start dates and transfer limits with an advisor before applying.

• Which courses are the networking foundation, and which are the cybersecurity courses?
• Are online classes live at set times, or can I finish the work on my own schedule?
• How many transfer credits will you accept from my community college or earlier degree?
• Do the ethical hacking and forensics courses include hands-on labs, and how do online students access them?
• Is the B.S. or the B.A. the better fit for the jobs I'm targeting, given the extra ten language credits in the B.A.?
• Does the NSA and DHS designation that Fort Hays lists for its master's program also cover the bachelor's degree?

A public university in Hays, Kansas, with a large online enrollment through Fort Hays Online.

• Best Affordable Online Programs Rank 1 of 10, bachelor's
• Best Programs With Internships Rank 7 of 10, bachelor's

• Colorado Technical University

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• Stevenson University

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• Old Dominion University

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