Rio Salado College Online Cybersecurity (Associate in Applied Science)

Rio Salado's cybersecurity associate degree is an online-first community college option with some of the clearest stackable steps on this list. You can earn a short certificate along the way, and the in-state price is $97 per credit. The thin spot is published detail: we have few course and outcome specifics, so ask questions before you commit.

Rio Salado College is a public community college in Tempe, Arizona, part of the Maricopa Community Colleges district, and it is built around online learning. The Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Cybersecurity is offered online, and Rio Salado notes that courses are available online or in hybrid formats.

The college enrolls about 18,841 students, and IPEDS shows 43% of them study exclusively online. That online-first design is what separates Rio Salado from community colleges that added online sections to a campus schedule. The whole college is organized around students who never visit the campus.

The program sits inside the college's computer and information technology offerings.

For 2025-26, lower-division online courses cost $97 per credit for Maricopa County residents and $253 per credit for out-of-state online students. Upper-division courses run $145.50 for residents and $379.50 for out-of-state students. Military and veterans outside Arizona pay $225 per credit online. The price gap between the resident and out-of-state rates is large, so your residency decides the bill more than anything else.

A Maricopa County resident paying $97 per credit spends less than half of what an out-of-state student pays at $253. Total cost also depends on how many courses fall in each division and what transfers in, so ask for a plan-specific estimate.

Who It Fits

• Maricopa County residents. The per-credit rate is $97 for lower-division courses, which is a very low price for a public college.
• Military and veteran students living outside Arizona. The online rate for out-of-state military and veterans is $225 per credit, below the $253 out-of-state online rate.
• Students who want to build in steps. Two certificates of completion, Cybersecurity Fundamentals (24-25 credits) and Cyber Engineering, stack toward the A.A.S., so you can earn a credential early and keep going.

Who Should Skip It

• Students who want to study a full course list before enrolling. Request the catalog sequence first and check it against your goals.
• Students who want certification prep built in. You would choose and prepare for any industry exam on your own.
• Out-of-state students who aren't military. At $253 per credit for lower-division online courses, the price advantage over other community colleges is small.

The published structure centers on two certificate pathways inside the degree. Cybersecurity Fundamentals (24-25 credits) is the introductory certificate, and Cyber Engineering is the second. Both stack toward the A.A.S., which means you can stop after the first, get a credential for your resume, and come back for the rest.

Ask Rio Salado for the full degree plan and compare it against what you want to learn, such as networking, operating system security and incident response, and confirm the total credit count.

Standout Features

• Certificate of Completion options in Cybersecurity Fundamentals (24-25 credits) and Cyber Engineering stack toward the AAS

Online learning is the main business here. IPEDS shows 43% of students study exclusively online, and the college lists its courses as online or hybrid. Ask how often you can begin and how long each course runs. Colleges built for distance learning often start classes more often than a traditional calendar allows, but confirm that before you plan around it.

Confirm the institutional accreditation for the Maricopa district directly with Rio Salado before you enroll. If you want industry certification, plan to choose and prepare for one on your own. The certificates of completion are the credentials built into the program, and employers may view a certificate plus an associate degree as a stronger signal than either alone.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• The 8-year completion rate for transfer-in students is 46%, so about half don't finish in that window.
• Rio Salado is a community college, and an A.A.S. is an applied degree, so confirm how a four-year school will treat the credits.
• Out-of-state non-military students pay $253 per credit for lower-division courses, which is far above the $97 resident rate.

• What are the required courses in the A.A.S., and how many total credits does it take?
• How often can I start, and how long is each online course?
• Do the Cybersecurity Fundamentals and Cyber Engineering certificates count in full toward the degree?
• Which classes include hands-on labs, and what software do I need at home?
• Will a four-year school accept these credits if I transfer later?
• Is there an internship or work-based option?

Online-focused community college in the Maricopa Community Colleges district in Arizona.

• Best Online Programs in Arizona Rank 2 of 3, associate

• American Public University System

  Associate of Science in Cybersecurity

  West Virginia $360 per credit Score 45.7

• Germanna Community College

  Information System Technology - Cybersecurity

  Virginia $309.40 per credit Score 46.1

• Saint Leo University

  Associate of Arts in Cybersecurity

  Florida $250 per credit Score 46.8

• Central Texas College

  Cyberdefense - Information Assurance AAS

  Texas Score 44.7