Hilbert College Online Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

This is an online bachelor's built for people who already have college credits or a busy schedule. Tuition is $560 per credit for 120 credits, which comes to $67,200, and textbooks are included. The catch is the per-course resource fee on top, and a school-wide federal graduation rate of 56% that you should weigh against how much you can transfer in.

Hilbert College is a private nonprofit college in Hamburg, New York. Its online programs run through Hilbert College Global, and this page covers the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Cybersecurity, which the school lists as fully online.

Every course is asynchronous, meaning there are no set login times, and each one lasts eight weeks. Six start dates a year mean you rarely wait long to begin. The school says it keeps a 12:1 student-to-instructor ratio, which matters in online classes because it is the difference between a professor who answers you and one who answers a queue.

Hilbert also offers an online Master of Arts in Cybersecurity Administration, at 36 credits and $830 per credit. That is the graduate step for managers. This bachelor's is the technical, entry-level door.

You earn a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity from a private nonprofit college. Check what the school says about its institutional accreditation if employer or federal requirements matter to you.

Hilbert says its students should be able to pass the exams for CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+ and the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) credential. Network+ and Security+ are entry-level exams from CompTIA, and CISSP is a senior-level credential. The wording is that students should be able to pass them, not that exam vouchers or review courses are built in, so ask what prep is actually provided.

Federal data shows a 56% graduation rate across the college and a 97% admit rate.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

Who It Fits

• You have 60 or more credits from an earlier degree attempt, because Hilbert waives general education requirements at that point and accepts up to 90 transfer credits with a free official evaluation.
• You hold AP, IB, CLEP or DANTES (DSST) credit, all of which the school accepts toward the degree.
• You work during the day and want eight-week classes you can finish on your own schedule, with no live sessions to plan around.
• You want the free textbooks and courseware, so you aren't surprised by a bookstore bill every term.

Who Should Skip It

• You want a large, research-driven cybersecurity department. Hilbert's online program is small, and federal data shows only 22% of its undergraduates study exclusively online.
• You want a program that publishes a long list of named labs or a cyber range. Ask about lab access before you count on one.
• You are starting with zero credits and want the lowest price. Compare the per-credit price with other bachelor's programs on this site first.

The named courses lean toward the fundamentals. Intro to Network Security covers how networks get defended, Information Security covers the policies and controls around data, and Computer Crime looks at how digital offenses are investigated and prosecuted. That last one is a useful pick if you are drawn toward the legal and investigative side of the field, not only the technical one.

Two required courses bookend the major. ECI 498 Internship is 3 credits and required, so you must find a placement and log real work. ECI 450 Senior Seminar, also 3 credits, is the capstone.

Ask for the full degree map. In particular, ask how many of the 120 credits are security classes and how many are general education that you may be able to waive.

Courses the School Names

• Intro to Network Security
• Computer Crime
• Information Security

Standout Features

• 12:1 student-to-instructor ratio
• All courses are asynchronous and last eight weeks, with six start dates a year
• Textbooks and courseware are included in the cost of tuition
• Up to 90 credits can transfer in, with a free official credit evaluation

Tuition is $560 per credit and the degree is 120 credits, so the tuition total is $67,200. Hilbert says textbooks and courseware cost nothing extra, which removes a bill many students pay elsewhere.

The fees are where you need to read closely. There is a course resource fee of $351 per course, a $50 online comprehensive fee each semester, a $231 one-time orientation fee and a $315 one-time graduation fee. Because the resource fee is charged per course, the number of courses you take changes your real price, and transfer credits lower that count.

For comparison, the Hilbert master's program charges $830 per credit, so the undergraduate rate is the lower of the two. Federal data lists median earnings of $54,589 for graduates of this field at Hilbert.

120 credits at $560 a credit comes to $67,200 in tuition, before fees.

This is the part Hilbert does best. Courses are asynchronous, last eight weeks and start six times a year, so a missed start date costs you about two months at most. The program says it takes four years full-time, but the transfer and prior learning policies can cut that down sharply.

Eight-week terms feel faster than the usual 16-week semester. You take fewer classes at once and finish each one quickly, which suits people who like to focus on one subject at a time. The tradeoff is pace: a week behind in an eight-week course is a bigger share of the class than a week behind in a long semester.

Hilbert is a small school with 968 students overall, so you will not find a large online community. Ask how online students meet classmates and instructors.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• The $351 course resource fee is charged per course, so it can add up quickly over a 120-credit degree even with free textbooks.
• Only 22% of undergraduates at the college study fully online, so the online cohort is a small slice of a small school.
• Ask about the lab environment to judge hands-on depth.

• How many of my credits will transfer, and can I get the free official credit evaluation before I apply?
• How many courses will I take after transfer, and what will the $351 resource fee total for that number?
• How do I find an internship for ECI 498 if I live far from western New York, and does my current job count?
• Which labs or virtual environments do the network security and information security courses use?
• What does the school provide to prepare me for Security+ or Network+, such as practice exams or vouchers?
• How does this bachelor's connect to the Master of Arts in Cybersecurity Administration, and do any credits carry over?

• Best With Multiple Start Dates Rank 9 of 9, bachelor's
• Best Online Programs in New York Rank 6 of 7, bachelor's

• Master of Arts in Cybersecurity Administration

  M.A., Master's

  Fully Online $830 per credit Score 50.3

• University of Baltimore

  Bachelor of Science in Cyber Forensics

  Maryland $1,139 per credit Score 32.3

• University of Mary

  Cybersecurity, B.S. (Online)

  North Dakota Score 32.5

• Mercy University

  Cybersecurity

  New York $990 per credit Score 30.6

• Harrisburg University of Science and Technology

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity Operations and Management

  Pennsylvania Score 30.1