Kennesaw State University Online Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

Kennesaw State's online B.S. in Cybersecurity is a 120-credit, fully online bachelor's from a large public university with a Center for Cybersecurity Education. It suits students who want a four-year degree that mixes technical skills with the business and management side of security, and who may want to continue into Kennesaw's master's on a faster path.

Kennesaw State University is a public university in Kennesaw, Georgia, with about 47,764 students. It runs a Center for Cybersecurity Education, and the bachelor's, a certificate and a minor are all offered entirely online. Federal data counts 41 awards in this field at the bachelor's level, so the program has an established track record.

Only 18% of Kennesaw's undergraduates study exclusively online, so the school mixes online and campus students. That's worth knowing: the online program sits inside a big institution with campus resources, but online students are not the whole student body the way they are at online-focused universities.

Kennesaw is a public university, and tuition depends on residency and the number of credits you take. Ask the bursar for the current online rate for your situation and whether online fees apply.

The pathway to the master's is where the savings are. Kennesaw says Double Owl Pathways let students earn undergraduate and graduate degrees at significantly lower costs and in less time, which beats paying for two separate programs.

Who It Fits

• You want a four-year bachelor's with start dates twice a year. Fall and spring entry terms mean you don't wait long to begin.
• You're interested in management as well as technology. The curriculum blends technical skills with the business, managerial and administrative elements of cybersecurity.
• You may want a master's later. The Double Owl Pathway lets undergraduates earn the B.S. and a Cybersecurity M.S. at lower cost and in less time.
• You want a public university. Kennesaw is a state school with a federal graduation rate of 52% and an admit rate of 69%.

Who Should Skip It

• You want to finish in under four years. The program is a four-year, 120-credit path.
• You prefer a school built entirely around online students. Only 18% of Kennesaw's undergraduates study exclusively online.
• You need a program with named concentrations or a stated internship. Ask the school how the degree handles both.

The 120-credit degree is interdisciplinary. Kennesaw describes it as pairing technical skills with an understanding of the business, managerial and administrative elements of cybersecurity. That's useful if you see yourself leading a security team or translating risk for executives, not only working a console.

The Center for Cybersecurity Education on campus anchors the program. Because Kennesaw is a large public university, you'd also take the general education courses that come with a bachelor's, which is the main difference from a cybersecurity-only certificate.

The Double Owl Pathway is the feature to ask about. It lets you start graduate coursework while finishing the bachelor's and earn the M.S. in less time and at lower cost than doing the degrees separately.

Standout Features

• Accelerated Double Owl Pathway lets undergraduates earn the BS and a Cybersecurity MS at lower cost and in less time
• Interdisciplinary curriculum blends technical skills with the business and managerial side of cybersecurity

The bachelor's, certificate and minor are all offered entirely online, with entry in fall or spring. Plan on a four-year timeline for the full degree.

Ask how advising, library and career services work for you from a distance. Federal data puts the 8-year completion rate for transfer-in students at 50.5%, which is a useful number if you're bringing credits from a community college.

College Scorecard shows median earnings of $95,958 for graduates of Kennesaw's cybersecurity program at this level. For context, the median pay for graduates in this field on the federal data we use is $129,180.

Ask whether the curriculum maps to any industry certifications, and whether the Center for Cybersecurity Education offers students extra programs, clubs or competitions.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• It's a full four-year, 120-credit program, so it takes longer than an associate degree or a degree-completion path.
• Online students are a small share of the university: 18% of undergraduates study exclusively online.
• Cost depends on residency and isn't a single flat online rate, so you'll need to ask for your own total.

• What is the per-credit cost for my residency, and which online fees apply?
• How many transfer credits will Kennesaw accept from my community college or earlier degree?
• How does the Double Owl Pathway work, and when do I apply for it?
• Which courses cover the business and management side, and which cover hands-on technical skills?
• What does the Center for Cybersecurity Education offer online students?
• Are internships or research projects available to online students?

Public university in Kennesaw, Georgia with a Center for Cybersecurity Education and an online Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity.

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