Grand Canyon University Online Bachelor of Science in Information Technology With an Emphasis in Cybersecurity

Grand Canyon University's information technology degree with a cybersecurity emphasis is a good fit for working adults who want short 7-week courses, a team security capstone, and a Christian university setting. It has a national cybersecurity designation and a Cyber Center of Excellence. The $490 per credit price is a middle-of-the-road number, not a bargain.

Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a private for-profit Christian university in Phoenix, Arizona, with very large online programs. The Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with an Emphasis in Cybersecurity is 120 credits, delivered fully online in 7-week terms. GCU enrolls about 113,257 students, and 70% of them study exclusively online, so you're joining one of the biggest online communities on this list.

The degree has received designation from the National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (NCAE-CD) program. Because the home degree is information technology, you get a broader IT foundation with a security emphasis layered on top.

Online tuition is $490 per credit. Over 120 credits, that comes to $58,800 in tuition. Transfer credit changes this more than anything else: with up to 90 credits accepted, a student who transfers the maximum would pay for only 30 credits. Always request a transcript evaluation first, since it determines the real bill.

120 credits at $490 a credit comes to $58,800 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• Students who want broad IT skills and a security specialty, not a pure cybersecurity degree. If you might end up in network administration or systems support, the wider base helps.
• Students with existing college credit. GCU accepts up to 90 transfer credits, though only 84 can be lower division.
• Students who like team projects and Christian university culture. The security capstone is typically completed as a team.

Who Should Skip It

• Students who want a pure cybersecurity degree. GCU also offers a separate B.S. in Cybersecurity, covered below, which may fit better.
• Price-sensitive students. At $490 per credit, the 120-credit degree is $58,800 before transfer credit, which is well above public community college and state university prices.
• Students who want a long list of security-only courses. Ask GCU for the degree plan and count them.

The program is an IT degree with a cybersecurity emphasis, and it ends in a security capstone IT project, typically completed as a team. Team capstones teach project management and communication, which employers value, though they also mean you depend on classmates' schedules.

Outside the classroom, GCU's Cyber Center of Excellence is a faculty-led learning environment with research, exercises and hands-on training that you may take part in. The emphasis is aligned with CompTIA Security+, a common entry-level exam. Ask for the degree plan to see how many courses are security-specific, since that ratio is the real difference from a dedicated cybersecurity degree.

Standout Features

• Cyber Center of Excellence with research, exercises and hands-on training
• Designated by the National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (NCAE-CD) program

Courses run 7 weeks, which is a fast pace. You take fewer classes at a time and finish each one sooner, which many working adults prefer, but a missed week is harder to recover than in a 16-week term.

With 70% of students studying exclusively online, the university has built its support around distance learners. The team capstone means at least one stretch where your schedule must line up with others, so ask how teams are formed and whether they are assigned.

The NCAE-CD designation is the main program-level credential, and it is worth asking employers about. Security+ is the exam named in connection with the degree, and it is a reasonable first certification. The designation is not a license, and employers will still weigh your skills and any certifications.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• The federal data puts median earnings for graduates at $57,384, so compare that figure to what you plan to borrow.
• GCU is a for-profit university, and the 8-year completion rate for transfer-in students is 51%.
• The program is information technology with a cybersecurity emphasis, so fewer of your courses may be security-specific than in a dedicated cybersecurity degree.

• How many of the 120 credits are cybersecurity courses, and how many are general IT?
• How are capstone teams formed, and what if a teammate doesn't contribute?
• How many transfer credits will GCU accept from my previous college work?
• What does the Cyber Center of Excellence offer to online students?
• Is there a degree plan showing which courses prepare me for Security+?
• Will I save money or time choosing the B.S. in Cybersecurity instead?

Christian university in Phoenix, Arizona, with large online programs.

• Best Online Programs in Arizona Rank 4 of 5, bachelor's

• Master of Science in Cybersecurity

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• Master of Science in Cybersecurity Management

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• Davenport University

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• Rasmussen University

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• Kennesaw State University

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• Western Michigan University

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