Southwestern Community College Online Cyber Crime Technology

Southwestern's Cyber Crime Technology A.A.S. is a different kind of cybersecurity degree. It leans toward digital investigation, data recovery and the law, which suits you if you picture yourself tracing what happened after an incident more than configuring firewalls. North Carolina residents pay $76 per credit hour, and non-residents pay $268.

Southwestern Community College is a public community college in Sylva, North Carolina. Its online programs page lists Cyber Crime Technology under the state program code A55210 and says students have the option to complete all required courses online.

The name matters. Most programs on this site are called Cybersecurity or Information Security. This one puts crime in the title, and the course list backs that up with investigation, forensic password recovery and technology law next to the usual network material. If you want a pure network defense degree, compare it with the other associate programs before you decide.

The degree is 68 credits and ends with a three-credit capstone project, CCT 289. Southwestern also lists program-specific certificates in Cloud Computing, Data Recovery, Law and Network Vulnerabilities, so you can pick up a smaller credential on the way to the full degree.

Southwestern posts two rates for 2026-27, with a maximum of 16 credit hours charged per term. North Carolina residents pay $76.00 per credit hour and non-residents pay $268.00. Across 68 credits that comes to $5,168 for residents and $18,224 for non-residents in tuition.

Those totals are tuition only. Activity, technology and emergency management fees and books are added on top, so ask for a cost sheet for an online student. The cap at 16 hours also means a heavier term costs no more than a 16-credit one.

68 credits at $268 a credit comes to $18,224 in tuition, before fees. At the in-state rate of $76, the same 68 credits come to $5,168.

Who It Fits

• You're interested in digital forensics, computer crime investigation or working near law enforcement, courts or corporate investigations.
• You live in North Carolina and want a resident rate of $76 per credit hour, which puts the full 68-credit degree at $5,168 in tuition.
• You'd like to stack smaller credentials, such as a Data Recovery or Network Vulnerabilities certificate, before committing to the whole associate degree.
• You want a capstone project at the end, so you leave with a piece of work you can talk about in an interview.

Who Should Skip It

• You live outside North Carolina and price is your main reason for choosing a community college. At $268 per credit hour the 68-credit tuition is $18,224 and you may find a lower out-of-state price elsewhere.
• You want a general cybersecurity degree built around certifications and security operations. This program is aimed at investigation and law.

The named courses tell the story. Intro to Cyber Crime and Computer Crime Investigation set up the field. Data Recovery Techniques and Forensic Password Recovery are the hands-on skills, the kind of work you'd do when a drive is damaged or a device is locked.

Network Vulnerabilities I and II cover how attackers get in, and Technology Crimes & Law covers what evidence is admissible and what an investigator may legally do.

The plan is spread across terms of roughly 9 to 18 credits, and it finishes with CCT 289 Capstone Project, worth 3 credits. Pairing technical recovery work with a law course is the thing that separates this from a networking degree with a security label.

Courses the School Names

• Intro to Cyber Crime
• Computer Crime Investigation
• Data Recovery Techniques
• Network Vulnerabilities I and II
• Forensic Password Recovery
• Technology Crimes & Law

Standout Features

• Program-specific certificates in Cloud Computing, Data Recovery, Law and Network Vulnerabilities

The college says students have the option to complete all required courses online. That wording is worth reading closely: the online path exists, but it's described as an option, so confirm with an advisor that every course you need is offered online in the terms you plan to take it.

At the college level, 34% of undergraduates study exclusively online, which means most Southwestern students are still on campus. Online students should ask how advising, tutoring and lab help work remotely.

You'd earn an Associate of Applied Science in Cyber Crime Technology. The certificates Southwestern lists are its own program-specific awards, not vendor exams, so a security certification such as Security+ would be a separate step you'd plan on your own.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• It's an investigation-focused degree, so a hiring manager looking for network defense experience may want more evidence of that skill.
• Out-of-state tuition of $268 per credit hour is more than three times the resident rate of $76.
• Fees and books are added to the posted tuition totals, and the amounts aren't printed with the rates.

• Are all 68 credits offered online every term, or do some courses only run on campus or in certain semesters?
• What are the fees and book costs per semester for an online student?
• How do the forensic and data recovery courses work remotely, and what software or equipment do I need at home?
• Which of the four certificates can I finish first, and do they count toward the A.A.S.?
• What do graduates of the capstone usually build or investigate?
• Do credits transfer to a four-year school if I want a bachelor's later?

Public community college in Sylva, North Carolina.

• Zane State College

  Cybersecurity (Associate of Applied Business)

  Ohio Score 38.9

• Immaculata University

  Cybersecurity, A.S.

  Pennsylvania $250 per credit Score 40.2

• Herkimer County Community College

  Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics, A.S.

  New York $309 per credit Score 40.9

• Iowa Western Community College

  Computers: Cyber Security Technology A.A.S.

  Iowa $247 per credit Score 38.1