Best Online Cybersecurity Degrees That Include Certifications (2027)

Certification exam fees usually come out of your own pocket, but at WGU sixteen industry certifications ride along inside the flat $4,425 six-month tuition, with CompTIA Security+, Network+ and A+ among them. You study for each exam as part of the course that covers it. It fits self-directed IT workers who want credentials stacked up early. With no live classes, you set your own testing schedule.

A single course here can point at an entry exam, since the degree is mapped to A+, Network+, Linux+ and Security+, with CISA and CISSP as longer-range targets. Labs are run by working security staff, and a $1,317 course keeps the cost of each credential step easy to see. It suits people who want a clear exam ladder. Digital Forensics is one of the concentrations you can choose.

Two courses are built around specific exams, one aligned to CompTIA Network+ and another to Security+, and both include lab exercises, so the first certifications arrive early in the plan. Cryptography and Cloud Computing Security come later. This is a good match for budget-minded adults who want exam-ready basics and a laptop included. DEAC accreditation is national, so check transfer rules before assuming credits will move on.

This is the pick if your target exams are the hands-on ones. Courses are designed around Security+, PenTest+ and CySA+, and you can rehearse in the Virtual Security Lab or try out for the competition team. A three-credit capstone, CMIT 495, closes the degree. It suits students who want an offensive and analyst-leaning set of credentials. Management-minded students may find the school's separate policy degree closer to their goals.

Excelsior's exam list is the widest of the group: Security+, Network+, CEH, CHFI, SSCP and more, so you can choose a credential path instead of following one vendor. Cyber Attacks and Defenses is where the ethical hacking material lives. It works for beginners, since no experience is required. Expect to hunt for your own practice environment, because the in-person lab sessions belong to the optional St. Petersburg hybrid format.

One certification leads here: the coursework is shaped around CISSP, the senior-level credential most degrees only mention in passing. Malware Analysis, Threat Analysis and Radiofrequency Analysis supply the technical depth, with labs on Windows and Linux. It suits a transfer student who already holds an associate degree and wants a defense-focused finish. CISSP itself requires years on the job, so the exam comes later.

Phoenix points its courses at three EC-Council exams, Certified Secure Computer User, Certified Ethical Hacker and Certified Network Defender, and offers discounts on third-party exam fees. A Computer Forensics Lab and two capstone projects round out the plan. Five- to six-week courses keep the pace brisk for working adults. Watch the cost: the $398 credit rate is joined by a $170 resource fee on every course.

Practical labs line up with the Cisco CyberOps Associate exam, which most degrees on this list never mention, and the coursework also touches Security+, CEH and CISSP fundamentals. Virtual labs and simulations mirror real incidents, so the exam prep is applied rather than purely textbook. A good fit for someone eyeing a security operations center role. Ask an advisor about tuition early.

Nine GIAC certifications are earned during the degree, and the $41,650 total includes the GIAC testing fees, which are normally a big separate bill. Courses such as Security Essentials and Incident Handling and Hacker Exploits feed GSEC and GCIH directly. Built for people who arrive with 70 transfer credits and want industry-recognized proof. If you are starting with few credits, the entry rule closes this door.

The credential stack is the classic entry ladder: CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+ and the Linux-focused LPIC-1. Ethical Hacking I and Hardening Systems supply the security content, and a 150-hour work experience course puts it on a resume. A fit for someone moving up from help desk. Budget beyond tuition at $465 a credit, because a $350 technology fee lands every semester.

Certification is the whole organizing idea here: five exam-style courses on access control, cryptography, architecture, operations and disaster recovery qualify you to sit for the CISSP, and an ISOL 699 project closes the degree. Nothing is optional or split into tracks, which keeps the path simple. Choose it if you already work in IT and want one senior credential. Beginners need a gentler entry point than this.

Few master's programs hand you a credential as part of the bill, and this one does: CISSP certification is included in tuition, and a separate preparation course points toward the EC-Council Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator exam. The $100 lab and $125 technology fees each term are not in that price. It fits a working professional who wants a certificate on the resume within a year.

Five industry certifications come bundled with the degree, with CompTIA Security+ and CySA+ among them, so you can collect exam passes while you clear course assessments. Because you move on whenever you pass, a person who already holds some of this knowledge can cut through quickly. It suits disciplined self-starters. Anyone who needs weekly deadlines or live classmates to stay on track will find it lonely.

If you already hold a certification, Franklin turns it into credit: a current CEH lines up with the Ethical Hacking course, and CISSP, CRISC and CSSLP each earn 4 credit hours as well. Courses also cover cryptography and advanced network security. That makes it the pick for experienced certificate holders who want to convert them into a master's faster. You'll need programming and networking background first.

Security+ prep is an elective course here, not a bundled voucher, so this is a degree first and a certification stepping stone second. The real draw is the six-credit capstone internship in a professional setting, plus electives like Applied Cryptography and Biometrics. It suits a computing graduate with a 3.00 GPA who wants employer contact and a public-university price. Total tuition is $17,040 out of state.

As an official CompTIA Authorized Academic Partner, Saint Mary's teaches directly toward Network+, Security+ and CySA+, then up to CISSP and CISM. Because both embedded certificates, Technology and Management, count inside the 33 credits, you pick a technical or leadership direction as you go. Good for an IT generalist planning a stack of exams over a year. It expects a networking course before the first class.

Cloud-based labs here are built around the exams people actually chase: CISSP, CEH, AWS Certified Security Specialty, Certified Network Defender and OSCP. Seven-week courses keep each topic short, and the degree can wrap up in as little as 18 months at $805 a credit. You need a computer science, cybersecurity or similar bachelor's, so a career changer may need a foundational course first.

Completing the coursework makes you eligible to apply for two credentials that rarely appear together, the CISSP and certified forensic computer examiner. That pairing suits someone drawn to both defense and evidence work. A thesis or capstone finishes the degree, and simulation exercises with outside organizations give practice. Only fall and spring starts exist, and IT experience is expected, so plan ahead.

Capitol treats certifications as a foundation, not a deliverable: CCNA, Security+, SSCP or CISSP help you prepare but aren't required. What you get instead is a curriculum mapped to the NSA's cyber defense knowledge units and labs in malware analysis, vulnerability assessments and penetration testing. It fits someone who already holds an entry certificate and wants hands-on depth. The $55 fee per credit adds up.

Network+ and Security+ are the exams this degree prepares you for, which makes it a gentler certification path than the CISSP-heavy programs. You pick a Computer Information Systems track or a Computer Science track, then take most courses from the business or engineering college. Class can be asynchronous or a weekly synchronous meeting. Expect about two years and 30 credits, with GRE not required.

Certification study here comes with a place to apply it. The CyberBit-powered Cyber Range lets you defend against staged attacks while you work toward Security+, Network+ and Linux administration credentials. At $579 for each three-credit course, you can test the waters one class at a time before committing to the whole degree. Ask an advisor about the credit total and class meeting format first.

Baltimore County residents pay $124 a credit, which makes this an easy place to build a certification stack on a small budget. Faculty in the security course will steer you toward Security+, the Linux course toward Linux+, and the networking sequence toward a Cisco CCNA certificate. Students from other Maryland counties pay $246 a credit, double the county rate, and that takes much of the bargain away.

Pick this when you hold a few certifications already and want them to count. Challenge exams convert them, plus job experience, into credit toward the 17 courses. What's left covers Tech+, A+, Network+, Security+, AWS Cloud Practitioner and Azure Fundamentals. It's broader than security alone, and each five-week course asks for steady attention, so a heavy work schedule can make the pace feel tight.

St. Petersburg has the widest mix of vendor exams in this chunk, because students may sit for A+, Security+, Certified Ethical Hacker, CCNA CyberOps and even the older Cisco CCENT. A Florida resident pays an estimated $10,148 for the whole program. Ask for the plan of study early so you can see which semester each exam fits into.

Wilmington suits a beginner who wants a certification starter pack in order: A+ and Network+ first, then Linux+ and Security+, with EC-Council's Certified Ethical Hacker at the top. You take 60 credits in eight-week classes, so about 20 courses in total, and you can enter at any of the rolling starts. Because credits move into the bachelor's, you avoid retaking material if you keep going.

NOVA's list of target exams runs from Network+, A+ and Linux+ to Security+, plus CISSP and CEH for later. If you already hold Security+, you can gain credit for coursework you've mastered. Courses such as Malware Analysis and Computer Forensics go past exam basics. Virginia residents pay $232.05 a credit with fees, and the $22.50 textbook charge can be opted out.

Sheridan states outright that its courses map to Microsoft Technology Associate Security Fundamentals, A+, Linux+, Cloud+, Security+ and CySA+. That's an unusually explicit list for a two-year degree, so you can plan exams course by course. Tuition is $168 a credit across 61 credits, about $10,248, though lab and course fees add to that. Pick it if you like checking each class against an exam blueprint.

Anne Arundel is the choice if your certification goal is Magnet Certified Forensic Examiner alongside Security+ and Network+. County residents pay $135 a credit against $317 for other Maryland counties, so your address matters. CCNA alignment helps if you pick the Networking concentration. Be ready for proctored exams at a testing center, which online-only students sometimes don't expect.

Northcentral spreads Security+ preparation across a three-part course sequence instead of one cram class, which works well if you learn slowly and retain more. Footprinting and Social Engineering, Vulnerability Analysis and Cryptography fill in the practical side. Wisconsin tuition and fees total $10,587 for 61 credits, with 16-week semesters. The program lists only Security+ as its certification target, so people chasing a longer exam list may want more.

Exam costs are the story here: the Tech+, Network+ and Security+ attempts are bundled into tuition, and CySA+ is available as an optional extra. That helps anyone who has struggled to pay for retakes. The 95-credit program takes 72 weeks and ends with a 90-hour in-person externship. A Marshall University articulation agreement leaves room for a bachelor's afterward.