Texas State Technical College Online Cybersecurity, Associate of Applied Science

TSTC's Cybersecurity A.A.S. is a self-paced, job-focused associate degree that the school prices at an estimated $16,200 and says you can finish in 20 months. It suits a motivated adult who wants labs, a clear finish line and a school that puts a job-offer promise in writing. It is a poor match if you want a four-year degree handed to you with every credit transferring automatically.

Texas State Technical College (TSTC) is a public technical college based in Waco, with campuses across Texas and an online option it calls TSTC Connect. The school says you could earn this cybersecurity degree online. It lists the class type as online, performance-based (PBE) or hybrid, and the same degree is also taught on campus at several locations.

The college also offers two shorter cybersecurity credentials, a Cybersecurity Certificate of Completion and a Digital Forensics Specialist Advanced Technical Certificate. Both are certificates, not degrees, so they are not part of this ranking. The associate degree is the longer path, and the one to choose if you want a full A.A.S. on your résumé instead of a short skills credential.

The campus has 12,077 students overall, so you're joining a large public college rather than a small program.

You'd earn an Associate of Applied Science in Cybersecurity from a public technical college. Ask which certifications the coursework lines up with and whether exam vouchers are included.

The school-wide federal graduation rate is 46%, and 45.5% of students who start as transfers finish within eight years. Those are whole-college figures across every program. Federal data also shows graduates in this field earning a median $52,618. The college awards about 46 credentials a year in this field.

The standout is the guarantee. TSTC says it guarantees students a job offer within six months after graduation, or it refunds tuition. A promise like that usually has conditions, so get them in writing.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

Who It Fits

• You're a self-starter who would rather move through material as fast as you can prove you know it than wait for a class calendar.
• You want a published price and finish date up front: an estimated $16,200 and 20 months.
• You like the idea of a stated job-offer guarantee and want to read the exact terms before you commit.
• You live in Texas and may want the option to switch to a campus or hybrid class at a nearby TSTC location.

Who Should Skip It

• You need a bachelor's degree eventually and want every credit to carry into a four-year school. Technical college credits don't always transfer one for one, and this page has no transfer figures to lean on.
• You do best with weekly deadlines and a set class cohort. Performance-based learning leaves the pacing to you.

TSTC describes the degree as built around hands-on labs in scripting, auditing and compliance. That mix is worth noticing. Scripting is the habit of automating routine checks with code, auditing is checking whether systems and accounts match the rules they're supposed to follow, and compliance is the paperwork side that many security jobs spend real time on.

Ask the admissions office for the degree plan, so you can see how many classes are networking, how many are operating systems and how many are electives, and compare it with a school whose courses are listed, such as the penetration-testing courses at Troy University or the ethical hacking class at Mid Michigan College.

Standout Features

• Hands-on labs in scripting, auditing and compliance
• Money-back job offer guarantee within six months after graduation
• Performance-based education (PBE) lets students move at their own pace

The college publishes an estimated cost of $16,200 for the whole A.A.S., not a per-credit rate.

Federal data shows an IPEDS campus charge of $404 per credit, which is a campus figure and not an online rate, so we don't use it for your budget. Ask TSTC what the $16,200 includes and whether fees, books and exam vouchers sit on top of it.

The school's wording is performance-based education (PBE), and it says this meets you where you are with flexible learning that works with your schedule. In practice that means you progress by showing what you know instead of sitting through a fixed number of weeks.

If you already work in IT support or a help desk, you may move faster than 20 months. If you're new to computers, expect the pace to depend on you.

Online isn't the whole school's identity here. Federal enrollment data shows 29% of undergraduates are enrolled exclusively online, so most students still attend in person or in a mix. The same degree is offered on campus and hybrid, which gives you a fallback if fully online turns out not to suit you.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• The school publishes one estimated total, $16,200, but no per-credit rate and no credit count, so side-by-side comparisons take extra work.
• To judge how deep the curriculum goes, you'll need to request the degree plan and course list.
• The money-back job guarantee is only as good as its terms, so read the conditions before you rely on it.

• What exactly does the estimated $16,200 cover, and which fees or books come on top?
• What are the written conditions of the job-offer guarantee, such as job search steps I must complete and what counts as an offer?
• How fast can a student finish if they already have IT experience under the performance-based model?
• Are there any exams or labs I must complete in person at a TSTC campus?
• Which industry certifications do the courses prepare me for, and are exam fees included?
• How many credits does the degree require, and how many would transfer to a four-year Texas university?

Public technical college with campuses across Texas and an online TSTC Connect option.

• Best Online Programs in Texas Rank 2 of 2, associate

• New River Community and Technical College

  Associate of Applied Science in Cyber Security

  West Virginia $418 per credit Score 36.4

• Pearl River Community College

  Associate in Applied Science in Cyber Security Technology

  Mississippi $310 per credit Score 36.9

• Mid Michigan College

  Computer Information Systems (IT Infrastructure & Cybersecurity)

  Michigan $375 per credit Score 35.9

• Iowa Western Community College

  Computers: Cyber Security Technology A.A.S.

  Iowa $247 per credit Score 38.1