Southern New Hampshire University Online Associate of Science in Cybersecurity

This is a flexible, fully online associate degree from a university that serves most of its students online, at $354 per credit with a new class starting every eight weeks.

It suits someone who wants a first college credential in cybersecurity and a clean path to a bachelor's at the same school. The tradeoff is that the rate is quoted per credit, so get a written credit count and total before you enroll.

Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private nonprofit university in Manchester, New Hampshire. Federal data shows 98% of its students are enrolled exclusively online, so the online classroom is the center of the school here, not an add-on. This page covers the Associate of Science in Cybersecurity, the shortest of three online cybersecurity degrees SNHU offers.

The other two sit above it. The online Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity runs 40 courses at $354 per credit, and the online Master of Science in Cybersecurity is 36 credits at $659 per credit.

The associate degree is the entry point. It is meant to be the first step on a ladder, and SNHU points graduates toward its bachelor's degree, which the National Security Agency (NSA) has validated as a program of study.

The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

You would earn an Associate of Science in Cybersecurity from a regionally accredited university. SNHU's federal graduation rate is 43%, and its transfer-student completion measure is about 42.5%. Both are school-wide figures across all programs, so they describe the university rather than this degree. Many SNHU students attend part time while working.

If a certification matters to you, ask which exams the courses line up with. Federal data counts 195 completions at SNHU in this field at the associate level, so you would not be an early pioneer in a brand-new program.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

Who It Fits

• You are starting college, or restarting it, and want a cybersecurity degree you can take entirely from home on a schedule that bends around work.
• You want to try cybersecurity before committing to four years. Eight-week terms let you test the subject in short bursts.
• You plan to finish a bachelor's degree and want a path into SNHU's NSA-validated B.S. in Cybersecurity.
• You like learning by doing. The coursework uses online labs and simulated operating environments rather than only readings and quizzes.

Who Should Skip It

• You want a firm credit count and total price on paper before you apply. Ask for both, since the rate is quoted per credit.
• You want to finish as a bachelor's graduate at a lower price per credit. Public universities with a bachelor's in cybersecurity can cost less per credit than $354.
• You want a large on-campus community. SNHU's students are overwhelmingly online.

The program page describes learning through online labs and simulated operating environments. In plain terms, that means you practice on virtual machines that behave like real company systems, so you can try configuring defenses and watching what an attack looks like without risking anything.

What SNHU says outright is that the associate degree leads into its online Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity. That bachelor's degree is the NSA-validated one, and it adds optional concentrations in Data Analytics Fundamentals, Generative AI and Project Management Fundamentals, plus labs with AI-enabled security tools.

If you are choosing this associate degree because you plan to continue, ask an advisor which associate courses are counted toward the bachelor's degree, so you aren't repeating anything.

Tuition is $354 per credit. The bachelor's page at SNHU quotes the same rate as $1,062 per course, so a standard course costs $1,062. Terms last 8 weeks, which lets you take one course at a time and pay as you go.

The federal data lists a campus-based charge of $540 per credit for SNHU. That figure reflects the on-campus price, and online students pay the lower $354 rate. Be sure any estimate you receive uses the online rate.

Ask for the number of credits you must complete, then multiply by $354. Also ask what fees apply and whether credits you already hold lower the number of courses you need.

Classes run in 8-week terms, so each course is short and focused. That pace suits a student who likes to finish one thing before starting the next, and it gives you a natural stopping point if work or family gets busy.

The program is listed as fully online with no required campus visits. Because 98% of SNHU students study exclusively online, support services, advising and course design are built for people who never visit Manchester.

The flip side of short terms is speed. Eight weeks moves fast, and a lab-heavy technical course can take real hours each week. Ask the advising office how many hours a typical course asks of you before you plan around a full-time job.

• The price of $354 per credit is not low for an associate degree, so ask for a written total before you commit.
• The course list, credit count and certification alignment are things you request from an advisor.
• Eight-week terms are quick. Lab-based security courses can feel compressed when you are also working full time.

• How many credits does the associate degree require, and what is the total tuition at $354 per credit?
• Which associate courses count directly toward the online B.S. in Cybersecurity?
• What fees are added to tuition each term?
• How many hours a week does a typical eight-week course take?
• Which industry certification exams do the courses prepare me for?
• How many credits from a previous college or training can I transfer in?

Private nonprofit university in Manchester, New Hampshire that serves most of its students online.

• Best Accelerated Online Programs Rank 4 of 9, associate
• Best for Working Adults Rank 3 of 9, associate

• Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $354 per credit Score 63.2

• Master of Science in Cybersecurity

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $659 per credit Score 55.6

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

• Wilmington University

  Associate of Science in Cybersecurity

  Delaware $439 per credit Score 54.0

• Northeast Wisconsin Technical College

  Cybersecurity Associate Degree

  Wisconsin Score 54.9

• Western Iowa Tech Community College

  Cyber Security and Digital Crime

  Iowa $234 per credit Score 55.1

• Georgia Military College

  Cybersecurity Associate of Science (Online)

  Georgia Score 55.2