Liberty University Online Bachelor of Science in Information Systems (IS), Information Assurance (IA)

Liberty's Information Assurance degree suits you if you want a business-side route into security, plan to transfer in a lot of credits, and like the idea of free electronic textbooks. It's housed in the business school, so it isn't the pick if you want the most technical computer science path.

Liberty University is a private nonprofit Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia, with a large online division. This Bachelor of Science in Information Systems with an Information Assurance concentration is 100% online, 120 credits, and taught in eight-week courses. The classes have no set login times.

The program sits in Liberty's business school. Its programmatic accreditor is the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), and the university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). That is a business accreditation, not the computing accreditation some other programs hold.

Liberty has other cybersecurity bachelor's options, including a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a Cybersecurity emphasis at 121 credits and the same $410 rate.

Full-time undergraduate tuition is $410 per credit, which puts the 120 credits at $49,200. Part-time students pay $475 per credit, and military undergraduates pay $250 per credit. Those are 2026-2027 rates.

Two features can bring your real cost down. Transfer allows up to 75% of the degree total, so a student with a lot of prior college work could have far fewer credits left to pay for. Electronic textbooks are included, so you won't add a book budget each term.

Get a transfer evaluation in writing first, because the savings depend on exactly what Liberty accepts.

120 credits at $410 a credit comes to $49,200 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• You have lots of earlier credits. Liberty states you can transfer in up to 75% of the degree total, which is a generous allowance.
• You see security as part of running a business: policies, planning, risk and information systems.
• You're in the military. The undergraduate military rate is $250 per credit.
• You'd like to avoid textbook bills. Liberty provides electronic textbooks for all undergraduate courses at no additional cost.

Who Should Skip It

• You want the most technical route. Liberty's Computer Science with a Cybersecurity emphasis is a separate degree, and it is the one to compare against if programming and systems depth matter to you.
• You want a computing accreditation. This degree's programmatic accreditor is a business one.
• You need the lowest possible price. Part-time students pay $475 per credit, which raises the 120-credit total above the full-time figure.

Three courses stand out on Liberty's page: Network Security, Information Security Planning and Cybersecurity. Together they point to a degree that covers how networks are protected and how an organization plans for security, with the planning course giving the business flavor.

Because the degree is an Information Systems major, you also take the information systems and business coursework that surrounds the concentration. That is the key difference from a straight cybersecurity or computer science degree: more of your time goes to how organizations use systems, less to deep programming.

The final capstone course gives you hands-on experience through a real-world project. Ask what kinds of projects past students have done and whether you can pick a security-related one.

Courses the School Names

• Network Security
• Information Security Planning
• Cybersecurity

Standout Features

• Electronic textbooks provided for all undergraduate courses at no additional cost
• Transfer in up to 75% of the degree total

Classes are 100% online and run in eight-week courses, though some courses follow a full-semester schedule. There are no set login times, so you do the work on your own hours within each week's deadlines.

Federal data shows 74% of Liberty's undergraduates study exclusively online, and the eight-year completion rate for students who transferred in is 44%. Since this degree welcomes transfer students, that second figure is worth noting. Ask about advising for transfer students and how Liberty tracks your progress.

Liberty's page describes the courses as asynchronous, which suits self-directed learners and is less suited to anyone who wants live discussion.

You graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems with an Information Assurance concentration. The degree carries ACBSP accreditation and sits within a SACSCOC-accredited university.

If you want a certification, plan the exam separately and ask which courses cover its topics.

Federal data counts 39 degrees awarded in this field at Liberty in the most recent year, so cohorts are mid-sized. A larger alumni base helps with networking.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• The degree is in the business school and carries a business accreditation, not a computing one.
• Ask which certifications the coursework prepares for; plan exams separately.
• Part-time students pay $475 per credit instead of $410.
• The federal completion rate for transfer students is 44% over eight years.

• How many of my credits would transfer under the 75% policy, and can I get that in writing?
• How does this degree differ in courses from Liberty's Computer Science with a Cybersecurity emphasis?
• Which courses make up the Information Assurance concentration, and how many credits is it?
• What kinds of capstone projects have students completed, and can I choose a security topic?
• Does full-time status apply to my schedule, and how does the $410 rate change if I drop to part time?
• Which certifications do alumni usually pair with this degree?

A private Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia with a large online division.

• Best Information Assurance Degrees Rank 3 of 6, bachelor's
• Best for Military Students Rank 5 of 9, bachelor's
• Best Online Programs in Virginia Rank 3 of 5, bachelor's

• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Cybersecurity

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $410 per credit Score 53.0

Also at Liberty University, but not counted here because they are not fully online: Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity Sciences and Operations (Residential) (bachelor's, on campus).

• Park University

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  Missouri Score 53.2

• Regent University

  B.S. in Cybersecurity

  Virginia $470 per credit Score 53.4

• University of Charleston

  Cybersecurity (Online Bachelor's Degree Completion)

  West Virginia $395 per credit Score 53.5

• SANS Technology Institute

  Bachelor of Science in Applied Cybersecurity

  Maryland Score 52.6