Best Online Cybersecurity Degrees With No Programming Required (2027)

• Bachelor's

  Top Score62.8 out of 100

  Excelsior University

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  New York · B.S.

  Excelsior University's B.S. Review
• 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

A program makes this list when its own admissions or program page says programming experience is not required. We never infer it from silence: 10 master's programs say it is required, 2 recommend it, and the rest say nothing, so they stay off.

Within the list, programs are ordered by our shared scoring of cost, earnings, completion and online experience, with a cap of 10 per degree level. The methodology page explains each measure and where the data comes from.

• Programming listed as not required for admission
• Delivered online
• Ranked on the shared methodology

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

What No Programming Required Actually Means

Read the wording closely, because schools use it differently. Boise State says no math or technical background is required for its bachelor's degree. Excelsior says there are no experience requirements. Bellevue asks only for a high school diploma, a readiness survey and an application. These are the cleanest entries on the list.

Master's programs set a lower bar in a different way. Boise State's master's accepts any background and has advisors help you pick courses. Tulsa wants a regionally accredited bachelor's degree, an application and unofficial transcripts. Mercyhurst accepts any discipline but prefers a 3.0 GPA and asks for a resume, a short personal statement and one recommendation.

Programs outside this list tell a different story. The five University of Wisconsin campuses on the master's side expect an introductory computer science course with programming, plus calculus or statistics. Arizona asks for recent programming coursework or its Python Challenge, and Michigan-Dearborn asks for a STEM bachelor's with a programming course.

Where You Will Still Meet Code

A friendly admissions page doesn't empty the curriculum. SANS lists Automating Information Security with Python among its courses, and it also hands you real tools early, starting with Security Essentials and moving to Incident Handling and Hacker Exploits. Expect some scripting there even though the entry rule asks for none.

Other programs keep the work in tools rather than languages. Tulsa maps its coursework to Security+, PenTest+, CISSP and OSCP, and Mercyhurst offers Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing. Those courses use command-line tools and exploit frameworks more than they ask you to write programs, though you will read some scripts.

The practical fix is simple. Ask admissions which courses include scripting and how many credits they carry. Then take the introductory course early in the degree, not the week before a capstone.

Picking a Track When You Are Not Technical

Business and policy tracks suit most readers of this list. West Virginia teaches cybersecurity from the business school, with courses such as Business Cybersecurity Analytics and Information Security Assurance Management. Its capstone is a live project for a corporate partner, which gives a non-technical graduate something concrete to show employers.

Excelsior's master's reads as management too, with Global Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, and Security Policy and Compliance, and it targets the ISC2 CCSP, a cloud security credential. Bellevue splits its bachelor's into Protect and Defend for defenders and Oversee and Govern for managers. Pick the one that matches the job posting you actually want.

If you do want hands-on work, Boise State's technical track and Tulsa's Offensive Security and Defensive Security concentrations go deeper. Boise State also gives free VMware, Palo Alto and Cisco academy training, so you can add vendor skills without a separate fee.

Cost, Pace and Credit for What You Already Know

Total tuition spreads widely. At the bachelor's level, Bellevue's 127 credits at $459 each come to $58,293, Excelsior's 120 credits at $510 each come to $61,200 before its per-credit fees, and SANS charges $41,650 for the 50 credits earned there. For context, the median online cybersecurity bachelor's we track totals $54,780.

At the master's level, Excelsior's all-inclusive $715 per credit makes 30 credits $21,450, though textbooks are extra. Tulsa's 30 credits come to $26,520 and West Virginia's come to $31,890, with a $100 per credit discount for current and former service personnel. The median master's we track totals $25,488.

Pace varies too. Boise State runs seven-week courses with six start dates a year, Excelsior starts courses every 8 weeks, and SANS lets you apply by the 15th of any month. West Virginia starts only in fall and spring. SANS expects up to 70 transfer credits, which is why its total looks low.