National University Online Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

National University's bachelor's is built for adults who want to pick a lane inside cybersecurity. You choose Computer Network Defense, Digital Forensics or Information Technology Management, start any month, and finish with a capstone. It is also priced at the high end, so the real question is whether the concentrations and the master's pathway are worth that rate to you.

National University is a private nonprofit school based in San Diego, California. The Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity is fully online and requires at least 120 semester credits. Classes start monthly, so you are never waiting for a fall term to begin, and the school's own guidance for finishing is 60 months.

The National Security Agency (NSA) has designated the university a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) through 2028. Treat that as a review of the school's cyber programs, not a guarantee about any one course.

National also offers a Master of Science in Cybersecurity, which runs 39 credits at $644 per credit and is for people who already hold a bachelor's. This page covers the undergraduate degree. The bachelor's is where you build the base, and the master's is where you go deeper into areas like ethical hacking or cloud security.

National charges $640 per credit hour. Multiplied across 120 credits, that is $76,800. The tuition page, though, lists $69,000 as the estimated total cost of the program, so ask an advisor which figure applies after transfer credit and any fees.

Both numbers are well above what most public universities charge for an online bachelor's in cybersecurity. What you get for the extra cost is monthly starts and a school that has been serving working adults online for a long time. If you are paying out of pocket, run the math with your own transfer credits before you commit.

The master's at the same school costs $644 per credit, so continuing there does not change your per-credit rate much.

120 credits at $640 a credit comes to $76,800 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• You know which side of security interests you. The three concentrations (Computer Network Defense, Digital Forensics and Information Technology Management) let you point the degree at defending networks, investigating incidents or managing technology.
• You have a job or a family schedule and want to start in any month instead of lining up with a fall or spring calendar.
• You are curious about forensic science. A transition program lets you take two graduate forensic science electives toward the bachelor's, which gives you a head start if you move on to the Master of Forensic Sciences.
• You want a school that learns from large online enrollment. Federal data shows 73% of National's undergraduates study exclusively online.

Who Should Skip It

• You want the lowest published price. At $640 per credit across 120 credits, tuition comes to $76,800 at the full rate, and the school's own tuition page lists an estimated total of $69,000. Public online options in this field cost far less per credit.
• You want to finish in two or three years. The school's stated finish time is 60 months, which is five years.
• You want certification exams built into the coursework. Plan those as a separate step.

The degree is organized around three career-focused concentrations: Computer Network Defense, Digital Forensics and Information Technology Management. They do different jobs. Network Defense leans toward protecting systems, Digital Forensics toward investigating what happened after a breach, and Information Technology Management toward running technology teams and budgets. Pick the one that matches the job posting you would actually apply to.

Everything ends in a capstone project where you apply what you learned, either on your own or with a team. A team option is useful if you want to practice the collaboration that security work usually involves, while the solo option gives you a single piece of work to show a hiring manager.

Ask an admissions advisor for the course map for your concentration before you enroll, since it shows which classes fill each term.

Standout Features

• BS in Cybersecurity to MFS transition program lets students take two graduate forensic science electives toward the bachelor's degree
• Designated by the NSA as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) through 2028

Classes start monthly, which is the main format feature to know about. You can begin soon after you are admitted instead of waiting months for a term to open. Ask how a typical course runs, live or self-paced, before you pick a start month.

Federal data shows 73% of National's undergraduates study exclusively online, so online students are the norm here and not an add-on. The same data shows a completion rate of 50% over eight years for students who transferred in, which is a reminder that a five-year plan takes steady effort.

Because you can start any month, you can also pause and restart more easily than at a school with fixed terms. Ask about the policy before you need it.

You earn a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity. The NSA's CAE-CD designation through 2028 applies to the university's cyber work and is often something federal and defense employers recognize.

The forensic science transition is the most unusual credential feature. Two graduate electives count toward the bachelor's, so a student who wants a Master of Forensic Sciences does not start from zero. That only helps if you actually want forensics, so decide before choosing a concentration.

Plan any industry certification exam as a separate step from the degree.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• The tuition is $640 per credit, which makes the 120-credit total $76,800 at the full rate and well above many public online degrees.
• The school's stated finish time is 60 months, longer than many accelerated online bachelor's programs.
• Course titles and certification exams are not part of the published summary, so you will need an advisor to confirm what you would study.
• Monthly starts are flexible, but they do not tell you how much live interaction each class includes.

• Which figure should I plan around, $76,800 at the full per-credit rate or the $69,000 estimate on the tuition page, and what accounts for the difference?
• Which courses make up each concentration, and can I see the course map for Computer Network Defense, Digital Forensics and Information Technology Management?
• How many of my existing credits will transfer, and can I get that evaluation in writing before I enroll?
• How does the transition program into the Master of Forensic Sciences work, and which two graduate electives count?
• Is the capstone done alone or in a team, and who chooses the project?
• What does a typical class look like week to week, and are any sessions live?

A private nonprofit university based in San Diego, California.

• Best Cybersecurity Management Degrees Rank 10 of 10, bachelor's
• Best Digital Forensics Degrees Rank 9 of 10, bachelor's
• Best Online Programs in California Rank 3 of 4, bachelor's

• Master of Science in Cybersecurity

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $644 per credit Score 58.3

Also at National University, but not counted here because they are not fully online: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (bachelor's, on campus).

• Dakota State University

  Cyber Leadership and Intelligence, BS

  South Dakota $373.80 per credit Score 51.7

• Indiana Institute of Technology

  Cybersecurity, B.S.

  Indiana Score 52.1

• Northwood University

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  Michigan $525 per credit Score 51.6

• Northwood University

  Bachelor of Applied Science in Cybersecurity

  Michigan $525 per credit Score 51.5