The University of Texas at San Antonio Online Bachelor of Business Administration in Cybersecurity

UT San Antonio's online BBA in Cybersecurity is a 120-credit business-school bachelor's at one flat $525 per credit for every student, from a university with all three NSA and DHS cyber excellence designations. It fits someone who wants security knowledge plus a business degree, and it's lighter on online-student community than some rivals.

The University of Texas at San Antonio is a public university in San Antonio, Texas. Its Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Cybersecurity is offered fully online through UT San Antonio Online and sits in the Carlos Alvarez College of Business, which holds AACSB accreditation.

The NSA and DHS have designated UTSA a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Education, Cyber Operations and Cyber Research. The school says it's one of only 10 institutions in the nation with all three, which is a rare spread for an undergraduate program.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

The school sets tuition for the BBA in Cybersecurity at $525 per unit, and that rate covers tuition and fees for exclusively online students. Over 120 credits the total is $63,000. Material and lab fees are extra.

For comparison, University of Maryland Global Campus charges Maryland residents $337 per credit and everyone else $499, so UTSA's flat $525 is higher than UMGC's out-of-state rate but doesn't change with your home state. Transferring credits from a community college is the best way to lower your total, so ask for an evaluation.

120 credits at $525 a credit comes to $63,000 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• You want to work in security and also understand how a business runs, since the degree comes from a business college and not a computing department.
• You live outside Texas and don't want a surcharge. The quoted price is the same for residents and non-residents.
• You like hands-on practice. The coursework includes labs, projects and research opportunities, and an optional minor in Digital Forensics is open to all majors.
• You can study part time, since the school lists a part-time path of 13 terms.

Who Should Skip It

• You want a degree from a computer science or engineering department. This one is a BBA, so check whether your target employers care.
• You haven't taken college math. Direct admission to the BBA requires MAT 1053 or a higher-level math course.
• You want the cheapest price. Material and lab fees are not included in the $525.

The degree is 120 credit hours. Named courses include Operating Systems Security, Network Security, Intrusion Detection and Incident Response, Cyber Attack and Defend I (IS 4543) and Digital Forensic Analysis I.

That sequence covers the whole arc. You learn how systems are built and secured, practice breaking in and defending in the attack-and-defend course, then learn what to do after something goes wrong. Because the degree sits in a business college, expect business courses alongside the technical ones. The optional Digital Forensics minor extends the investigative side if you want to specialize.

Courses the School Names

• Operating Systems Security
• Network Security
• Intrusion Detection and Incident Response
• Cyber Attack and Defend I
• Digital Forensic Analysis I

Standout Features

• Designated a Center of Academic Excellence by the NSA and DHS in Cyber Education, Cyber Operations and Cyber Research, one of only 10 institutions with all three
• Hands-on labs, projects and research opportunities built into the coursework
• Optional minor in Digital Forensics

The program is 100% online. The school says you can finish in as few as eight terms full time, or 13 terms part time. That flexibility helps if your work or family schedule changes.

One thing to know: federal data shows only 11% of UTSA's undergraduates study exclusively online. The school's online unit is a small part of a large campus, so ask how online students get advising, tutoring and career help. The upside is that the program draws on a university with a deep cyber faculty and research base.

You earn a Bachelor of Business Administration in Cybersecurity. The business college is AACSB accredited, and the cyber designations from the NSA and DHS apply to the university. That gives the degree two kinds of recognition, one for business and one for security.

Federal data shows the university's 8-year completion rate for transfer-in students is 64.5%, the strongest in this group of bachelor's programs, and graduates in this field earn a median $88,585. UTSA also awards a lot of degrees in this field, with 405 recorded in the federal data.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

• Federal data shows only 11% of undergraduates are exclusively online, so online support may be a smaller part of the university.
• Material and lab fees are not covered by the $525 per credit.
• A math prerequisite (MAT 1053 or higher) is needed for direct BBA admission.
• Median graduate earnings of $88,585 are well below the master's programs, as you'd expect for a bachelor's, so weigh the business-degree angle.

• Which math course do I need before direct admission, and can my community college credits cover it?
• What are the material and lab fees, and how often are they charged?
• How many of the cybersecurity courses include hands-on labs, and where do they run?
• How does the Digital Forensics minor fit into 120 credits?
• What advising and career support is set up for online students?
• How do employers in my area view a BBA in Cybersecurity compared with a computer science degree?

Public university in San Antonio, Texas. UT San Antonio Online offers its Carlos Alvarez College of Business degrees fully online.

• Best Cybersecurity Management Degrees Rank 6 of 10, bachelor's
• Best Digital Forensics Degrees Rank 6 of 10, bachelor's
• Best for Working Adults Rank 8 of 10, bachelor's
• Best Part-Time Programs Rank 1 of 1, bachelor's
• Best Public University Programs Rank 7 of 10, bachelor's
• Best Online Programs in Texas Rank 1 of 1, bachelor's

Also at The University of Texas at San Antonio, but not counted here because they are not fully online: Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (master's, on campus).

• Purdue University Global

  Online Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  Indiana $371 per quarter credit Score 60.2

• University of Maryland Global Campus

  Cyber Operations Bachelor of Science

  Maryland $499 per credit Score 60.3

• University of Maryland Global Campus

  Cybersecurity Management and Policy Bachelor of Science

  Maryland $499 per credit Score 59.4

• University at Albany

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  New York $424.46 per credit Score 59.3