Best Online Cybersecurity Degrees for Career Changers (2027)

• Master's

  Top Score59.1 out of 100

  Boise State University

  Master of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience

  Idaho · M.S.

  Boise State University's M.S. Review
• Bachelor's

  Top Score69.8 out of 100

  Franklin University

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  Ohio · B.S.

  Franklin University's B.S. Review

A program makes this list only if it is online and its published admission rules open it to people from other fields. For master's programs, that means a bachelor's in any discipline, or a track that accepts one. For bachelor's programs, it means a stated transfer limit of 70 credits or more, so earlier college work or training counts.

Within each degree level we rank on the same published scoring used across the site, which weighs cost, graduate earnings, completion and the online experience. Admission rules, prices and transfer limits come from each school's own pages. You can read the full approach on the methodology page.

• Admissions text that accepts any bachelor's degree, or a stated career-changer audience
• Bachelor's programs qualify with a stated transfer limit of 60 credits or more
• Prerequisite courses noted for each program

Scores combine seven published factors. The methodology page shows each weight and rubric.

Choosing Between a Master's and a Bachelor's When You Switch Fields

Your current education sets the answer. With a bachelor's degree in anything, a master's is usually the shorter road, because the schools here do not ask you to repeat undergraduate work. With no bachelor's, or with an associate degree and some credits, one of the five transfer-friendly bachelor's programs fits better.

The master's route is faster but costs more per credit. The University of Dallas needs 30 credits at $1,300 each, about $39,000, and lists one to two years. Mercyhurst needs 36 credits at $1,132 and lists a minimum of 24 months.

Boise State charges $550 per credit and runs seven-week courses with six start dates a year, which suits a full-time job. Norfolk State lists 36 credits over two to three years, with fall and spring starts only.

The bachelor's route costs less per credit, and most of it is credit you already hold. Northwest Missouri State charges $1,104 per course, the same for in-state and out-of-state students. Franklin charges $398 per credit across 124 credits. Norwich averages 18 months to finish, helped by large transfer limits.

If you are unsure, test before you commit. Boise State's nine-credit graduate certificates stack toward the degree, so you can stop after two semesters with something real to show.

Making Your Old Credits and Training Count

Career changers often hold more credit than they think. Community college courses, military training, professional certificates and exam scores can all shorten a bachelor's, and the rules differ by school.

Norwich accepts up to 90 credits and also grants credit for ACE-reviewed military or professional training, other reviewed training and CLEP scores. SANS requires 70 transferable credits before you start, and it lists accredited colleges, Sophia Learning, StraighterLine, CLEP, JST and AP as sources. Its total tuition of $41,650 covers the 50 credits earned at SANS, including textbooks and GIAC certification tests.

Mississippi State is narrower. It accepts only students who already hold an Associate of Applied Science or Technology degree, and up to 60 credit hours from a community college may apply, with 45 of them allowed as technical credit.

That is a clean path for a technician, and a closed door for anyone without that associate degree. Every online student pays in-state tuition of $452 per credit, plus a $25 per credit hour support fee.

Franklin takes up to 94 transfer credits, but its Cybersecurity Capstone cannot be transferred in. Ask for a written credit evaluation before you pay a deposit anywhere.

Building Hands-On Skills Without an IT Background

Employers hiring for security roles want proof you can do the work, and a degree from another field does not show that. Choose a program that puts you in labs early.

Mercyhurst uses online cyber ranges and teaches Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing, Digital Forensics and Cloud Security. Its courses map to Security+, the entry-level security exam from CompTIA, along with CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker). Norwich partners with Hack The Box and lists certifications from CJCA at the entry level up to CPTS and CAPE for penetration testing.

SANS starts at the foundational GFACT exam, then moves to GSEC, GCIH and GCIA, and a virtual internship closes the degree. Norfolk State lets online students use its Cybersecurity Complex simulation lab virtually. Boise State includes free access to Cisco Networking Academy, Palo Alto Academy and VMware IT Academy resources.

The University of Dallas offers an optional CISSP Review elective. That exam is aimed at people with work experience, so treat it as a later goal.

Checking Prerequisites Before You Apply

Open to any field does not always mean open to everyone. Read the admission line for your track before you spend an application fee.

Brown's Computer Science track asks for a STEM or social science degree plus math and introductory computing coursework. Its Policy track takes any undergraduate degree, which suits you if your goal is privacy, policy or government work. Both tracks ask for three recommendations and a resume, with no GRE. Brown also has only two starts a year.

Mercyhurst prefers a 3.0 GPA and asks for transcripts, a resume, a 500 to 750 word personal statement and one letter of recommendation. The University of Dallas asks for a U.S. bachelor's from a regionally accredited college in good standing, with no GMAT or GRE. Northwest Missouri State asks only for a 2.0 GPA.

When a page says advisors help you choose courses, as Boise State's does, take them up on it. Ask which courses assume networking or scripting knowledge, and whether you can take them later in the sequence.