Monroe University Online Bachelor of Science in Computer Networks and Cybersecurity

This is a full 120-credit online bachelor's that mixes networking and cybersecurity and lines up with six industry certifications, including Cisco CCNA and CompTIA Security+. It's priced at $700 per credit in a 15-week semester, or $560 per credit in 7.5-week modules. It suits someone who wants networking skills alongside security, and it costs more than most public options.

Monroe University is a private for-profit university with campuses in the Bronx and New Rochelle, New York. It offers online undergraduate programs through Monroe Online, and the B.S. in Computer Networks and Cybersecurity is one of them. The degree requires 120 credits.

The name signals the design. This is a networking degree first, with cybersecurity built on top of it. If you want a purely security-focused bachelor's, compare it against a straight cybersecurity major.

The university enrolls 8,141 students, and 23% of its undergraduates study exclusively online. Its school-wide graduation rate is 57%.

The program page names six certifications it supports: Cisco CCNA, Cisco CyberOps Associate, CompTIA A+, Security+, Network+ and Cloud+. Preparing for them isn't the same as earning them, and exam fees are normally separate, so ask what the university covers.

Security+ is the one most security employers mention first. CCNA is valued for networking jobs. Earning a few of these alongside the degree can show employers skills the degree title alone doesn't.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

Who It Fits

• You want to understand how networks are built before you learn to defend them.
• You want coursework that lines up with CCNA, CyberOps Associate, A+, Network+, Security+ and Cloud+.
• You prefer shorter terms, since 7.5-week modules let you focus on fewer classes at a time.
• You want round-the-clock academic help, since online students get 24/7 tutoring.

Who Should Skip It

• Price is your main concern, because $700 per credit puts total tuition near $84,000 for 120 credits.
• You want a security-only degree with a heavier focus on forensics and policy.
• You want a degree from a flagship public university.

The certification list shows how the degree is built, networking first and security on top: the CompTIA A+ covers hardware and support, Network+ and Cisco CCNA cover how networks run, Security+ and Cisco CyberOps Associate cover defense and monitoring, and Cloud+ covers cloud infrastructure.

Ethical Hacking is the featured course. It teaches you to test systems the way an attacker would, with permission, so you can find weak points before someone else does.

Ask for the full degree plan so you can see which classes map to which exam.

Courses the School Names

• Ethical Hacking

Standout Features

• 24/7 online tutoring for online students

Online U.S. students pay $700 per credit in a 15-week semester, with $800 in semester fees. In a 7.5-week module the rate is $560 per credit with $400 in fees. An instructional resource fee of $100 to $200 per semester also applies. Over 120 credits, tuition at $700 comes to $84,000.

International online students pay $320 per credit. The module rate is the cheaper U.S. option, so ask whether you can take every course in modules and how many credits each module allows.

120 credits at $700 a credit comes to $84,000 in tuition, before fees.

The university offers 15-week semesters plus 7.5-week undergraduate modules, so you can pick a pace. Shorter modules mean intense, focused classes. Longer semesters spread the work across more weeks.

Online students get 24/7 online tutoring, which helps if you study at night or on weekends. Ask whether labs for Ethical Hacking and the Cisco material run in a virtual environment you can use from home, and whether you need any special software. Because the university has campuses in the Bronx and New Rochelle, ask whether online students can use campus advising or career services.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• At $700 per credit, the 120-credit tuition is $84,000 before fees.
• Semester fees of $800 and resource fees of $100 to $200 add to the bill each term.
• Ethical Hacking is the one course the school features, so ask for the full course list to judge the rest.
• The university is private for-profit, so compare its cost and outcomes with public options.

• How many of my existing credits will transfer toward the 120?
• Can I take every course in 7.5-week modules at $560 per credit?
• Which courses prepare me for CCNA, CyberOps Associate and Security+?
• Are exam vouchers included, or do I pay separately?
• How do I do Ethical Hacking labs from home?
• What is the total cost per semester after the $800 or $400 fee and the resource fee?

A private university with campuses in the Bronx and New Rochelle, New York, offering online undergraduate programs through Monroe Online.

• Best Online Programs in New York Rank 5 of 7, bachelor's

• Mississippi State University

  Bachelor of Applied Science in Cybersecurity

  Mississippi $452 per credit Score 41.7

• Columbus State University

  Cybersecurity

  Georgia Score 41.8

• Mid-America Christian University

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  Oklahoma $499 per credit Score 42.3

• University of Maine at Augusta

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  Maine Score 40.9