Rasmussen University Online Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security

This is a bachelor's completer program. You bring an associate's degree or at least 60 quarter credits of earlier college work, and Rasmussen adds the cyber security courses on top. Tuition is $332 per credit across 90 quarter credits, which the school totals at $29,880, plus $5,875 in fees.

It suits working IT people who want a degree and certification prep on one track, and it's a poor fit if you're starting college from zero.

Rasmussen University is a private for-profit school, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), and this degree runs through its School of Technology. It's 23 courses and 90 credit hours, and it can be finished in as few as 18 months. Start dates listed for now are November 12, 2026 and January 4, 2027.

The program is built as a step up from two of Rasmussen's own lower credentials, the Network Support Certificate and the Network Systems Administration associate's degree. Credits from those ladder into this bachelor's. So this is less a standalone cybersecurity start and more the security finish to a networking path.

The credential is a Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security. The program prepares you for SSCP, CCNP and CISA, but it doesn't award them. You still sit for each exam, and some, like CISA, are valued most when you also have work experience.

Federal records count 32 awards a year in this field at the school, a small program next to the big online names. Institutional accreditation comes from the HLC.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

Who It Fits

• You hold an associate's or bachelor's degree, or at least 60 quarter credits (40 semester credits) of college work with a C- or higher in each course, and you want a bachelor's in as few as 18 months.
• You already work with networks, servers or help desk tickets and want the degree to point at security certifications. The program page names SSCP, CCNP and CISA, and Rasmussen reimburses up to three exam application fees.
• You know part of this material already. A $149 self-directed assessment can stand in for a course when you can show the skills, which shortens the road for an experienced admin.
• You learn by doing. The page promises hands-on practice with Windows, Linux, Cisco, VMware and Microsoft Azure.

Who Should Skip It

• You have no college credit yet. Admission is for completers, so you'd need to build up the 60 quarter credits somewhere else first.
• You want a cybersecurity-specific designation on the program itself. Rasmussen's accreditation is institutional, through the HLC, so check what an employer you care about expects.
• You're weighing outcomes closely. Federal data shows 50% of transfer-in students earning an award within eight years and median earnings of $73,554 for graduates in this field, so ask for placement details before you enroll.

Three course titles show where the program leans. Hacker Techniques, Tools and Applications is the attacker's-eye view, Malware Reverse Engineering takes apart hostile code, and Virtualization covers the platform much of modern infrastructure runs on. Together they point toward hands-on technical work rather than policy.

The tool list matters too. Windows, Linux, Cisco, VMware and Azure are what most mid-sized IT shops actually run, so the practice transfers to a help desk or sysadmin role you may already hold.

The certification prep follows the same mix. SSCP is a practitioner-level security credential from ISC2, CCNP is Cisco's professional networking credential, and CISA, from ISACA, covers auditing and controls. That's a wide spread, so decide which one you'll actually sit for.

Courses the School Names

• Hacker Techniques, Tools and Applications
• Malware Reverse Engineering
• Virtualization

Standout Features

• Credits ladder from the Network Support Certificate and Network Systems Administration associate's degree
• Hands-on practice with Windows, Linux, Cisco, VMware and Microsoft Azure
• Rasmussen reimburses up to three industry certification exam application fees
• $149 self-directed assessments can replace individual courses
• Reimbursement of up to three certification exam application fees

Full-time tuition is $332 per credit, which Rasmussen totals at $29,880 for 90 credits. Fees add $5,875, bringing the school's estimate to $35,755.

These are quarter credits, which are smaller than semester credits. In semester terms the rate works out to $498 per credit, and that's the fair figure to put next to a semester school's price. Transfer credit lowers the total, and each $149 assessment you pass replaces a course you'd otherwise pay for.

The exam fee reimbursement for up to three certification attempts is a real saving on top of tuition, since those fees are usually paid out of pocket.

90 quarter credits at $332 a credit comes to $29,880 in tuition, before fees.

The degree is fully online, and classes start on the November and January dates above. Before you commit, ask how courses are paced and whether you can take more than one at a time.

School-wide federal data shows 28% of undergraduates at Rasmussen University enrolled exclusively online, with 3,121 students enrolled overall. That means you'll share the school with many campus and blended students, which can help with support services but means online cohorts may be smaller than at an online-only school.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• Fees of $5,875 sit on top of tuition, so the real price is the $35,755 estimate, not the $29,880 tuition line.
• The 28% share of undergraduates studying exclusively online suggests the school's strengths are campus-based, so online support quality is worth testing.
• Federal figures are modest, with a 42% graduation rate school-wide and median graduate earnings of $73,554 in this field.
• It's a completer degree, so it can't serve as your first step into college.

• Which of my credits transfer, and how many of the 23 courses would I still need?
• Which courses can I replace with a $149 self-directed assessment, and which can't be tested out of?
• What do fees come to over the whole program, and do they include the Cisco, VMware and Azure lab access?
• Which exams does the coursework cover best, and which three would Rasmussen reimburse?
• How do the November 12, 2026 and January 4, 2027 starts affect the 18-month timeline?
• Where have recent cyber security graduates been hired, and what does career services do for them?

Rasmussen University, part of the American Public University System, offers its online Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security through its School of Technology.

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