Northland Pioneer College Online Cybersecurity (Associate in Applied Science)

This is one of the cheapest ways on this site to start a cybersecurity degree if you live in Arizona. In-state tuition is $94 per credit, so the 64-credit degree comes to $6,016, and it can be taken 100% online. Out-of-state students pay $376 per credit, or $24,064, which changes the math completely.

Northland Pioneer College is a public community college based in Holbrook, Arizona, serving a rural part of the state. This page covers its Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Cybersecurity, a 64-credit degree the college lists as 100% online.

The curriculum is built around the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Workforce Framework. NICE is a federal framework that sorts cybersecurity jobs into work roles and the skills each one needs, so a program built around it is aiming its courses at job tasks rather than at general computing theory.

The college also keeps a dedicated computer lab at its Show Low campus, separated from the college network. You can attend on campus if you prefer, but the college doesn't require it.

You earn an Associate in Applied Science in Cybersecurity from a public community college. An A.A.S. is designed to prepare you for work, with a smaller general education load than an associate of arts, so transfer to a bachelor's program may not carry every credit.

The college's federal graduation rate is 22%, and the 8-year completion rate for transfer-in students is 39%. Both are school-wide figures across all programs, and community colleges often have lower rates because many students attend part time. Treat them as context, not a prediction.

Ask which certification exams the courses support.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

Who It Fits

• You live in Arizona, and especially in Navajo or Apache County, where the in-district rate is $75 per credit.
• You want to test whether cybersecurity suits you before committing to a bachelor's price tag.
• You live in a rural area, far from a campus, and need an online option.
• You want your coursework tied to job roles in the NICE framework so you can match it to postings.

Who Should Skip It

• You live outside Arizona. The out-of-state rate of $376 per credit is four times the in-state rate, and cheaper online associate programs exist elsewhere.
• You want a published list of named security courses and certification tracks. Ask the college for both.
• You expect a well-known name or a big alumni network from a small rural college.

Northland designed the program around a recognized framework. The NICE Workforce Framework organizes cybersecurity work into categories such as securing systems, operating networks, analyzing threats and responding to incidents, and the college built its curriculum around that structure.

For you, that means two practical questions. First, which work roles does the 64-credit plan point toward? Second, which courses are hands-on? The Show Low lab is a good sign, since it is set apart from the main college network, which is the kind of isolated space where students can safely run attack and defense exercises.

Ask whether online students can use the lab remotely or through virtual machines, because the lab is described at a physical campus.

Standout Features

• Curriculum built around the NICE Workforce Framework
• Dedicated computer lab at the Show Low campus separated from the college network

The pricing has three tiers. Arizona residents pay $94 per credit, which makes the in-state total $6,016 for 64 credits. In-district residents of Navajo and Apache Counties pay $75 per credit. Everyone else pays $376 per credit, or $24,064.

Media/technology fees and course fees apply on top of tuition, so ask for the fee schedule for your classes before you plan a budget. The rates quoted are for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027.

The gap between in-state and out-of-state is the biggest cost fact about this program. At the in-state rate, the whole degree costs $6,016 in tuition.

64 credits at $376 a credit comes to $24,064 in tuition, before fees. At the in-state rate of $94, the same 64 credits come to $6,016.

The college says the degree can be completed 100% online, and it states there is no on-site requirement, though students may choose to attend on campus. That flexibility is useful in a rural region where a campus can be a long drive away.

Federal enrollment data shows 34% of the college's students are enrolled exclusively online, so you will not be the only remote student. The college has 3,158 students overall.

Ask whether classes are asynchronous or have set meeting times, how long each term runs, and how often instructors hold virtual office hours.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• The out-of-state price of $24,064 is nearly four times the in-state total of $6,016.
• You need the full degree plan from the college before you can judge the course content.
• The dedicated lab is at the Show Low campus, so online students need to confirm what lab access they get.

• What is the full course list for the 64-credit A.A.S., and which courses are labs?
• Can online students use the Show Low lab remotely, or do they use virtual machines?
• What are the media/technology and course fees for the cybersecurity classes?
• Are classes asynchronous, and how long does each term run?
• Which certification exams do the courses prepare me for?
• If I want a bachelor's later, which universities accept these credits, and is there an agreement in writing?

• Best Online Programs in Arizona Rank 3 of 3, associate

• Los Angeles Mission College

  Cyber Security Associate

  California $443 per credit Score 32.0

• Blue Ridge Community and Technical College

  Cyber Security

  West Virginia $406 per credit Score 31.0

• Mid-America Christian University

  Associate of Science in Network Management and Security

  Oklahoma $455 per credit Score 32.5

• Pikes Peak State College

  Cybersecurity, Associate of Applied Science

  Colorado $460.30 per credit Score 30.7