University of Missouri-St. Louis Online Cybersecurity B.S. (Computer Science and Information Systems Emphases)

The University of Missouri-St. Louis offers its Cybersecurity B.S. from a public research university that holds the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security cyber defense education designation. You choose a Computer Science emphasis or an Information Systems and Technology emphasis, and the flat per-credit price is the same online or in person.

It suits you if you want a respected public-school credential and can accept that most of the student body is on campus.

The University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) is a public research university in St. Louis, Missouri. Its bulletin describes it as the only National Security Agency cyber defense designated institution in the St. Louis region. Federal data counts 14,736 students and a graduation rate of 57%.

The bachelor's is a joint program between computer science and information systems. When you apply, you pick one of two emphases: Computer Science, or Information Systems and Technology. The bulletin says the entire program can be completed in the evening or online.

UMSL also has a Cybersecurity M.S. at the graduate level with the same two emphases, a 12-credit-hour graduate certificate, an accelerated bachelor-to-master pathway and an MBA with a cybersecurity emphasis. This page is about the bachelor's. The master's is for people who already hold a degree, and the certificate is a short add-on, so the bachelor's is the one for new undergraduates.

You would earn a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity from a public university in the University of Missouri system. UMSL holds the National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education designation granted by the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to its bulletin. Employers in government and defense contracting often look for degrees from designated schools.

The university's graduation rate is 57%, a school-wide number.

With either emphasis, plan to add an industry certification on your own while you study. The designation gives the degree credibility, but a certification shows an employer a specific skill.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

Who It Fits

• You want a public university degree with a federal cybersecurity education designation behind it.
• You live in Missouri and can use the resident rate, or you live elsewhere and are fine paying the non-resident rate.
• You like having a choice between a more technical computer science emphasis and a more business-oriented information systems emphasis.
• You want to take classes in the evening or online so you can keep a job, and you do not need the whole campus experience to be remote.

Who Should Skip It

• You live outside Missouri and want the lowest price. The non-resident rate is $1,370 per credit in the College of Arts and Sciences and $1,440 in the Ed G. Smith College of Business, versus $550 and $620 for residents.
• You want a school where nearly everyone studies online. Federal data shows only 14% of UMSL students are enrolled exclusively online.

UMSL's bulletin points to one named course for the bachelor's, Information Security Risk Management and Business Continuity. It looks at how an organization identifies the threats it faces, decides which ones matter most and keeps running when something goes wrong. That is the policy and planning side of security.

The bigger choice is the emphasis. The Computer Science emphasis leans toward programming and systems, while the Information Systems and Technology emphasis leans toward how technology fits into a business. You must choose one at the time of application, so decide before you apply rather than after you enroll.

The university also carries a focus area designation in Security Policy Development and Compliance alongside its national cyber defense education designation. Those designations apply to the university's cybersecurity program, and they tell you it has been reviewed against national standards. Ask for the degree plan to see the exact required courses and credit total.

Courses the School Names

• Information Security Risk Management and Business Continuity

Standout Features

• NSA and DHS National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education designation, plus a Security Policy Development and Compliance focus area designation

UMSL charges a simplified tuition: one flat per-credit rate set by the college of your major, the same whether you study online or in person. For 2026-27 undergraduates, the College of Arts and Sciences rate is $550 for Missouri residents and $1,370 for non-residents. The Ed G. Smith College of Business rate is $620 for residents and $1,440 for non-residents.

Which college your emphasis falls under determines your rate, so ask before you choose. The two colleges differ by a few dozen dollars per credit for residents, which adds up over a degree. The gap between residents and non-residents is much larger.

Multiply your rate by the credits in the degree plan the school sends you, then add fees. For graduate comparison, the M.S. rate is $697 resident and $1,658 non-resident in Arts and Sciences.

The bulletin says the entire program can be completed in the evening or online. That wording matters, because it means online is one path alongside evening classes on campus rather than the only mode.

Federal data shows 14% of UMSL students are enrolled exclusively online, a much smaller share than at schools built around distance learning. The practical effect is that you may find online sections for the courses you need, but support services, advising and student life are designed mainly around people who are on campus.

Ask whether proctored exams are required and whether every course you need is offered online each semester. Also ask how often the required upper-level classes run, since a course that is offered once a year can slow you down by a term if you miss it.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• Only 14% of students are enrolled exclusively online, so the online experience is smaller than at schools built for distance learners.
• Non-resident tuition is $1,370 or $1,440 per credit depending on the college, which is more than double the resident rate.
• You must choose your emphasis when you apply, so you cannot wait and see.
• Ask for the credit total, required courses and capstone details before you apply.

• Which college does each emphasis belong to, and what per-credit rate will I pay?
• How many credits are required, and which courses are in the Computer Science emphasis versus the Information Systems and Technology emphasis?
• Is every required course offered online each semester, or only in the evening on campus?
• Does the degree include an internship, capstone or hands-on lab, and can I do it remotely?
• If I am not a Missouri resident, are there any programs that reduce the non-resident rate for online students?
• Could I later move into the Cybersecurity M.S. or the accelerated bachelor-to-master pathway?

A public research university in St. Louis, Missouri, and the only National Security Agency cyber defense designated institution in the St. Louis region according to its bulletin.

• Best Online Programs in Missouri Rank 3 of 3, bachelor's

• Cybersecurity M.S. (Computer Science and Information Systems Emphases)

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online Score 43.2

• Saint Leo University

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  Florida $425 per credit Score 37.4

• Miller-Motte College

  Bachelor's Degree in Cyber Security

  Tennessee Score 36.8

• Troy University

  Bachelor's in Cyber Security

  Alabama $764 per credit Score 36.3

• University of Maine at Augusta

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  Maine Score 40.9