Zane State College Online Cybersecurity (Associate of Applied Business)

Zane State's Cybersecurity A.A.B. is the general version of its online cybersecurity associate degree, and it comes with three things many associate programs lack: stated preparation for Linux+, Security+, Network+ and CEH exams, an internship option with local firms, and a 3+1 pathway with Franklin University toward a bachelor's. The printed cost is $14,235 for 65 credits.

Zane State College is a public community and technical college in Zanesville, Ohio. This page covers the Associate of Applied Business (A.A.B.) in Cybersecurity, which the college lists as an online program where you can take each cyber course from wherever you have a computer and internet access.

Zane State actually runs three cybersecurity associate degrees. This is the main one at 65 credit hours. A Data Analytics concentration is also 65 credits at the same printed cost of $14,235, and a Foundations concentration is 64 credits at $14,016.

The difference is emphasis. The Data Analytics version adds skills in data mining, statistical modeling, anomaly detection, security monitoring and visualizing threat patterns. The Foundations version stresses hands-on labs that start in week one in a virtual lab environment. This page is the one without a stated concentration.

You'd earn an Associate of Applied Business in Cybersecurity. The coursework may prepare you for Linux+, Security+, Network+ and CEH, but the degree does not include the exams, which carry their own fees. The 3+1 pathway with Franklin University is the formal route to a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity, so ask Zane State and Franklin how many of your credits count.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

Who It Fits

• You want a clear map from an associate degree to a bachelor's, because Zane State and Franklin University offer a 3+1 Cybersecurity Pathway toward a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity.
• You'd like to sit for entry-level certifications; the college says the coursework may prepare you for Linux+, Security+, Network+ and CEH.
• You live in Ohio or near Zanesville and want an internship with a local firm while you study.
• You prefer a printed total to a per-credit rate, so $14,235 for the degree is the number you plan around.

Who Should Skip It

• You want an online program with the highest share of fully online peers. Only 17% of Zane State's undergraduates study exclusively online, so the college is mostly campus-based.
• You are interested mainly in analytics or want labs from the first week. The Data Analytics and Foundations concentrations are built around those, and each is a separate listing.

The certification list is the best view of the curriculum. Linux+ and Network+ cover operating systems and networking, Security+ is the common entry-level security certification, and CEH stands for Certified Ethical Hacker, a certification about thinking like an attacker. A degree that points toward all four mixes systems administration, networking and security in one plan.

The college offers a degree completion map for the 65 credit hours. Download it and look for the order of the networking and security courses, since that determines when you could realistically sit for each exam.

Standout Features

• 3+1 pathway with Franklin University toward a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity
• Internship program with local firms

Zane State prints an estimated tuition cost of $14,235 for the full 65-credit degree. That figure is the whole-degree estimate and it's easy to budget around. By comparison the Foundations concentration is printed at $14,016 for 64 credits, so choosing it changes the price by only a small amount.

Ask what the printed total includes. Fees, books and exam vouchers for the certifications are separate things to ask about.

The college lists the format as online, and says you can take each cyber course from wherever you have a computer and internet access. That is a good sign for people with a job or family. Ask whether classes run on a fixed schedule or on your own time.

Watch the internship. It's built around local firms, so an out-of-area online student should ask whether a remote or alternative arrangement is available.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• A.A.B. is a business-oriented associate degree, so it's built for jobs, and transfer outside the Franklin pathway may not carry every credit.
• The internship is with local firms, which favors students who live near Zanesville.
• Certification exams are separate from tuition, so budget for them on top of the $14,235 estimate.

• What does the $14,235 estimate include, and what are the fees and book costs?
• Can an online student outside Ohio complete the internship remotely?
• Which courses in the degree completion map prepare me for Security+ and CEH, and when are they offered?
• How many of my credits count toward the Franklin University Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity?
• Should I choose the general degree, the Data Analytics concentration or the Foundations concentration for my goals?
• Are the labs run on virtual machines I can reach from home?

A public community and technical college in Zanesville, Ohio that offers its cybersecurity associate degree in an online format.

• Best Cybersecurity Management Degrees Rank 1 of 2, associate
• Best Programs With Internships Rank 10 of 10, associate
• Best Online Programs in Ohio Rank 2 of 4, associate

• Cybersecurity, Data Analytics Concentration (Associate of Applied Business)

  A.A.B., Associate

  Fully Online Score 33.2

• Cybersecurity, Foundations Concentration (Associate of Applied Business)

  A.A.B., Associate

  Fully Online Score 33.0

• Southwestern Community College

  Cyber Crime Technology

  North Carolina $268 per credit Score 39.5

• Iowa Western Community College

  Computers: Cyber Security Technology A.A.S.

  Iowa $247 per credit Score 38.1

• 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