Best Online Cybersecurity Programs in Ohio (2027)

• Bachelor's

  Top Score69.8 out of 100

  Franklin University

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  Ohio · B.S.

  Franklin University's B.S. Review
• Associate

  Top Score38.9 out of 100

  Zane State College

  Cybersecurity (Associate of Applied Business)

  Ohio · A.A.B.

  Zane State College's A.A.B. Review

Ohio's online options split cleanly by school. Franklin University is a private nonprofit in Columbus with eight start dates a year for its associate and bachelor's degrees, and it holds the state's only online master's.

Zane State College is a public community college in Zanesville with three associate degrees. The University of Cincinnati is a public research university with the only ABET-accredited online bachelor's in the state.

The pieces connect. Zane State has a 3+1 pathway with Franklin University toward a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity, and Franklin offers its own associate, bachelor's and master's in one place.

The median in-state rate across our Ohio programs is $398 per credit, which is also the lowest, because Franklin sets the rate and Zane State and Cincinnati print totals or different formats.

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

Prices are the ones the schools print, and sponsored placements never change a program's position. The full scoring method is on our methodology page.

• School based in Ohio, 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.

Choose Between Franklin, Zane State, and Cincinnati by Format

The three Ohio schools ask different things of your week. Franklin's bachelor's uses 6- and 12-week courses with eight start dates a year, so you can begin when your schedule opens up. Hands-on exercises run in a virtual environment, and a student-run ACM chapter has a Cybersecurity group that competes in the National Cyber League.

Cincinnati's bachelor's works differently. Five semesters of full-time paid co-op in the IT industry alternate with classroom semesters, and a two-semester senior design project is presented at the annual IT Expo. That is real work history, but the school lists the delivery as online with onsite requirements, so ask what the co-op blocks demand before you plan around a current job.

Zane State's three associate degrees are fully online and pair with an internship program with local firms.

Compare What Each Ohio Degree Costs in Total

Franklin's per-credit rate is simple: $398 for the associate and bachelor's degrees, with a $100 resource fee each semester. The 60-credit associate degree comes to $23,880 in tuition, and the 124-credit bachelor's comes to $49,352 at full price. Current service members pay $250 per credit.

Transfer credit changes that math. Franklin accepts up to 45 credits into the associate degree and up to 94 into the bachelor's, though the capstone must be taken at Franklin. A student with an unfinished degree may pay far less than the sticker price.

Zane State prints $14,235 for its 65-credit degrees and $14,016 for the 64-credit Foundations concentration, which is the lowest total in the state. Request a current per-credit estimate from Cincinnati.

Use the Zane State to Franklin Path to Save on a Bachelor's

Zane State College and Franklin University have a 3+1 pathway toward Franklin's Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity. Two of the Zane State pages we used describe it, for the main degree and for the Data Analytics concentration. It lets you start at a public community college, then finish the bachelor's at a school with an NSA-designated program.

The three Zane State tracks differ in focus. The main program lists preparation for Security+ and CEH certifications. The Data Analytics concentration leans toward spotting patterns in security data. The Foundations concentration starts hands-on labs in week one in a virtualized environment you can reach from anywhere.

The degree is an Associate of Applied Business, so confirm in writing how many credits Franklin or any other school will count before you enroll.

Plan the Master's Around Prerequisites and Credentials

Franklin's master's is the only graduate option in Ohio. It has 36 credits, 6- or 12-week courses you can take in any order, five start dates a year, and no GRE. Applicants need a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree from an accredited school, plus programming and networking prerequisite or corequisite courses. Those may add courses before the core work starts.

Courses include Ethical Hacking, Cryptography, Advanced Network Security, Information Risk Management and Information Security Policy & Governance. If you already hold CEH, CRISC, CISSP or CSSLP, each earns 4 credit hours toward specific courses. New students also receive an automatic $2,000 Smart Start Scholarship.

The NSA designated the M.S. in 2024. For other graduate choices, see the online master's in cybersecurity list.