Best Online Cybersecurity Programs in Colorado (2027)

• Bachelor's

  Top Score55.2 out of 100

  Colorado Technical University

  Bachelor of Science in Computer Science - Cybersecurity Engineering Concentration

  Colorado · B.S.

  Colorado Technical University's B.S. Review
• Master's

  Top Score46.8 out of 100

  Colorado Christian University

  Master of Science in Cyber Security

  Colorado · M.S.

  Colorado Christian University's M.S. Review
• Associate

  Top Score30.7 out of 100

  Pikes Peak State College

  Cybersecurity, Associate of Applied Science

  Colorado · A.A.S.

  Pikes Peak State College's A.A.S. Review

Colorado has a small but varied set of online cybersecurity programs. Four schools offer five of them, and the mix covers three levels. Pikes Peak State College in Colorado Springs and Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood are public colleges with resident pricing.

Colorado Technical University's Colorado Springs campus and Colorado Christian University in Lakewood are private. There is no doctorate-level program based in the state, so students who want one look to out-of-state schools.

The Front Range clusters most of this activity. Colorado Springs has two of the four schools, and Lakewood has the other two. That matters if you want a local option for labs, clubs or a regional employer connection, because most of these schools also run campus or community resources you can use even while taking classes online.

Resident pricing is the biggest Colorado-specific lever. Pikes Peak State College lists $301.85 per credit for residents using the College Opportunity Fund stipend, $417.85 without it and $460.30 for non-residents. Red Rocks charges Colorado residents $417.85 for its bachelor's. If you live in Colorado, confirm your stipend eligibility before you compare any other numbers.

We included every online cybersecurity degree we could verify from the school's own pages where the school is based in Colorado. Each program is compared on cost, graduation outcomes, how much of the degree is online, how current the curriculum looks, credential alignment and the school's track record.

Residency-based pricing is labeled as such. Sponsored placements never change a program's position. The full scoring method is on our methodology page.

• School based in Colorado, program delivered online
• In-state rate shown when the school publishes one
• Scored on the same seven factors as every list and ranked inside its degree level

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

How Colorado Residency Changes What You Pay

Residency is the first thing to check, because it moves the price more than any other detail on this list. Pikes Peak State College publishes three online rates: $301.85 per credit for a Colorado resident using the College Opportunity Fund stipend, $417.85 for a resident without it and $460.30 for a non-resident. Across 60 credits, that is the difference between $18,111 and $27,618.

Red Rocks Community College lists its bachelor's at $417.85 per credit for Colorado residents, excluding fees, and notes that the stipend brings it to $301.85. Confirm the stipend and fee details with the college before you plan around either number.

The two private schools do not change price by residency. Colorado Christian University charges $628 per credit, and Colorado Technical University charges $340 per credit for its bachelor's. CCU adds a $51 technology fee and $20 for textbooks and materials on each credit hour, so plan for more than the base rate.

Choosing Between a Community College Path and a Private University

The two public colleges are built as steps. Pikes Peak State College gives you an associate degree with Linux Fundamentals, Network Security Fundamentals and a 3-credit internship, and it states that you can earn Security+ and Cisco CCNA certifications while you complete it.

Red Rocks then offers the bachelor's, but only after you finish a qualifying associate degree in cybersecurity or secure software development.

That sequence is cheaper, but it takes planning. Ask Red Rocks in writing whether the specific associate degree you intend to finish will count toward its bachelor's, and ask what happens to credits that do not transfer.

The private route is simpler to start. Colorado Technical University's bachelor's has no associate requirement and runs 5-week courses, and Colorado Christian University's master's takes you one course at a time. The trade-off is price per credit and, at CTU's bachelor's, a long 183-credit program.

The federal graduation rate reported for CTU's Colorado Springs campus is 19 percent, compared with 64 percent at Colorado Christian University, 32 percent at Red Rocks and 21 percent at Pikes Peak State College. These are school-wide figures, so use them as a prompt to ask about support, not as a verdict on one program.

What to Ask Before Starting a Colorado Master's in Cybersecurity

Both Colorado master's programs expect technical groundwork. Colorado Christian University asks for a bachelor's degree, a minimum 2.5 undergraduate GPA, a resume and about five years of professional experience or the equivalent, and it lists programming as required. Colorado Technical University adds two foundation courses, CS503 and CS505, if your bachelor's is not in computer science or computer engineering.

The two degrees point in different directions. CCU's courses include Ethical Hacking and the Cyber Kill Chain, Malware Analysis and Vulnerability Assessment, Digital Forensics and Security Policy and Governance, with lab exercises in a virtual environment. CTU's offers a Cybersecurity Engineering concentration alongside Software Engineering and General Track options, and it ends in a 4-credit computer science capstone, CS698.

Timing also differs. CTU starts a new term about every five weeks, while CCU lists one start per year and a pace of as little as 15 months. If you miss the CCU window, you wait a full year.

Verifying Security Designations and Certifications

Several Colorado schools mention national cybersecurity designations, and they are worth checking yourself. Pikes Peak State College states that the National Security Agency recognizes it as a Cyber Security Center of Academic Excellence.

CTU says the Department of Homeland Security and the NSA recognize it as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. We list both as the schools' own claims.

Certifications work the same way. Pikes Peak states Security+ and Cisco CCNA prep, and Red Rocks lists CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ and Cisco CCNA. Red Rocks also says it established a Northrop Grumman cybersecurity apprenticeship program in 2019, which is worth asking about if you want paid experience while you study.

Before you enroll, ask each admissions office which exams its courses prepare you for, whether the exam fee is included and how many students sit for them.