University of Phoenix Online Associate of Science in Cybersecurity

This is a fully online associate degree for working adults who want a fast, structured start in cybersecurity and expect to keep going to a bachelor's. It runs 63 credits in five- to six-week courses at $398 per credit, with a $170 resource fee on every course.

It's flexible and quick to begin, but it isn't cheap for an associate degree, so price it against a community college before you commit.

University of Phoenix is a private for-profit university based in Arizona that teaches almost entirely online. Federal data shows 100% of its undergraduates study exclusively online, so the online classroom isn't an add-on here. It's the whole school.

The Associate of Science in Cybersecurity is the entry rung of a three-step ladder. Phoenix also offers a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity at 120 credits and a Master of Science in Cybersecurity at 39 credits, both with their own pages on this site.

The associate degree is the shortest and lowest-commitment option. The bachelor's adds certification-aligned courses, a Computer Forensics Lab and two capstone projects, and the master's adds cyber range activities. If you already know you want a four-year degree, compare the bachelor's first, because it may save you from paying twice for general education.

You'd earn an Associate of Science in Cybersecurity from a private for-profit university. Before you enroll, confirm the school's institutional accreditation on its site and on the accreditor's own list, since that's what controls credit transfer and federal aid.

The federal graduation rate at Phoenix is 21%, which counts first-time, full-time students across the whole school. A second federal measure, which looks at students who transferred in, puts completion at 32%. Neither figure is specific to this associate degree, but both say that many students who start at Phoenix don't finish, which is the strongest reason to plan your schedule and budget carefully at the start.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

Who It Fits

• You work full time and want one short course at a time instead of a full semester load.
• You're new to security and want a first credential that covers ethical hacking, Linux fundamentals and network defense in one program.
• You want an online classroom that's open at any hour, since Phoenix says it's available 24/7/365.
• You plan to continue to Phoenix's bachelor's degree and want the associate degree as a stepping stone.

Who Should Skip It

• You're price sensitive. A public community college charges a fraction of $398 per credit, and the resource fee adds to every course.
• You want credit that transfers easily to a public university. Ask each school you might attend how it treats credits from a for-profit college before you enroll.
• You'd rather have a long semester with a slower pace. Five- to six-week courses move quickly.

Phoenix's own description of this degree names three areas: ethical hacking, Linux fundamentals and network defense. That's a sensible foundation. Ethical hacking teaches you to probe systems the way an attacker would, with permission. Linux fundamentals matter because so much security tooling runs on Linux. Network defense covers protecting the connections between machines.

The degree is 63 credits, and Phoenix counts three credits per course, so you're looking at roughly 21 courses. The certification alignment (EC-Council's Certified Secure Computer User, Certified Ethical Hacker and Certified Network Defender) and the Computer Forensics Lab belong to the bachelor's degree, not this one. If you want exam preparation built into the coursework, that's the difference to weigh.

Standout Features

• Courses cover ethical hacking, Linux fundamentals and network defense

The rate is $398 per credit across 63 credits, which comes to $25,074 in tuition. On top of that, Phoenix charges a resource fee of $170 for each course, and it lists a typical three-credit course at $1,364. Add the fees up across the full degree and the real bill is higher than the tuition line suggests.

For context, the same $398 rate applies to the bachelor's degree, and the master's runs $698 per credit. Federal data lists Phoenix's per-credit charge at $833, but the $398 online rate is what an online student sees on the program page.

Because a for-profit school's price is rarely negotiable, the real savings come from transfer credit, employer tuition benefits and federal aid. Ask an advisor for a written estimate that includes the resource fees, and ask what your transfer credit would cut.

63 credits at $398 a credit comes to $25,074 in tuition, before fees.

Courses run five to six weeks, so you focus on one or two subjects at a time and finish them before the next begins. That suits people with unpredictable schedules, because a rough month costs you one short course instead of a piece of every class in a long semester. The tradeoff is pace. Six weeks passes quickly, and falling behind in week two can leave little room to recover.

Phoenix says its online classroom is available around the clock, so you don't need to log in at set times. Federal data puts the share of undergraduates studying exclusively online at 100%, which means the support systems, tutoring and advising are built for remote students. Ask whether your classes are fully self-paced or have weekly discussion deadlines, and how quickly instructors reply.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• At $398 per credit plus a $170 resource fee on each course, it costs far more than a public community college for the same level of degree.
• Federal graduation and completion rates at Phoenix are 21% and 32%, so many students who enroll don't finish.
• The associate degree has no listed certification alignment or lab. Those come with the bachelor's.
• Five- to six-week courses are fast, and a missed week can sink a class.

• What is the total cost of the 63 credits once the $170 resource fee for every course is included?
• How many of my existing credits will Phoenix accept, and will you confirm that in writing before I enroll?
• Which of the courses prepare me for industry certification exams, and are exam fees discounted?
• If I continue to the bachelor's, which associate courses count toward the 120 credits?
• Is there a hands-on lab in the associate program, or does that begin at the bachelor's level?
• Will the other colleges I might transfer to accept a Phoenix associate degree?

Online-focused university based in Arizona.

• Best for Working Adults Rank 5 of 9, associate
• Best Online Programs in Arizona Rank 1 of 3, associate

• Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $398 per credit Score 55.0

• Master of Science in Cybersecurity

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $698 per credit Score 54.9

• Lanier Technical College

  Cybersecurity Degree

  Georgia $214 per credit Score 51.3

• Minnesota State College Southeast

  Cyber and Information Security (A.A.S.)

  Minnesota Score 52.6

• Franklin University

  Associate of Science in Cybersecurity

  Ohio $398 per credit Score 49.9

• Northern Virginia Community College

  Cybersecurity, A.A.S.

  Virginia $480.40 per credit Score 49.9