What university would you recommend for someone interested in completing their Bachelors Degree?

2019-12-22T02:12:59-05:00

Pursuing a degree in Cybersecurity, currently have CompTIA’s Security plus as well as 45 college credits.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Dec 22 at 2019 5:19 PM

2019-12-22T17:19:56-05:00

I see you are in ROK. I'd recommend you go to one of the Universities that offers on-Post education classes in the degree major you want, Cybersecurity. An important question: in your chosen career field is a BS more valuable than current Certifications? My grandson does computer security for a major company in Chicago. He got the job not because of his Associate Degree, but because he had the certifications they were looking for. He got most of his cyber security certifications on line, not from the local Community College or University. IMO if your goal is a commission or civilian management position after your current commitment is up, then go for the BS. If you want to work as a cyber security tech, then go for the certifications.

Response by PO2 Edward Kratzer made Dec 22 at 2019 11:54 PM

2019-12-22T23:54:32-05:00

University of Texas at San Antonio has a widely recognized Cybersecurity degree with some really great professors, in my opinion. I will be graduating from the program in May. They offer an in-person track as well as a completely online track (or a mixture of the two), if that is more your style. One caveat I might note is that the degree is technically a business degree (Bachelor of Business Administration), so you would need to take some business classes (Economics, Management, Finance, Statistics, etc.), but I've found that they've helped my career prospects rather than hindered them.

Response by MAJ Monique Ruiz made Dec 23 at 2019 6:19 AM

2019-12-23T06:19:15-05:00

Where are you located? There are other organizations to help get more certifications at no cost to you. Look up Onward to Opportunity with Syracuse University. Send me a message if you would like to know more, I can email you some links.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 23 at 2019 9:12 AM

2019-12-23T09:12:32-05:00

Any of the schools on these lists:

https://www.nsa.gov/resources/students-educators/centers-academic-excellence/cae-co-centers/

https://www.iad.gov/NIETP/reports/cae_designated_institutions.cfm

Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations

View the list of schools and universities that are centers of academic excellence.

Response by SrA John Monette made Dec 23 at 2019 1:28 PM

2019-12-23T13:28:16-05:00

Post University has an excellent on-line program and is very military/veteran friendly

Response by LTC Eugene Chu made Dec 23 at 2019 1:51 PM

2019-12-23T13:51:30-05:00

Look for reputable public or traditional private college/university. Some for-profit schools may offer cybersecurity program, but are not recognized or respected by outside sector

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 23 at 2019 2:19 PM

2019-12-23T14:19:20-05:00

I very much recommend Thomas Edison State College for a Bachelor. They have great programs, they accept a good chunk of non-traditional credit, and most of the people in their online classes are current or former military and the teachers are very military friendly. They also have a lot of computer science classes all the way up to the 400 level, as well as certificates

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 23 at 2019 6:15 PM

2019-12-23T18:15:25-05:00

Western governors university. The cyber security program gives you 10+ comptia /cisco certainly upon graduation

Response by SFC Clifton Brown made Dec 23 at 2019 9:46 PM

2019-12-23T21:46:15-05:00

Find one that will not only allow you to transfer your current college credits, but one that will give you college credits for your military training (i.e., JTS -AARTS Transcripts) as well as for the CompTia Sec+ or any other agency-neutral certifications that you have in your arsenal. Depending on the remaining length of your tour in ROK, you may want to consider accredited online school enrollment.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 28 at 2019 12:32 AM

2019-12-28T00:32:01-05:00

I'll have to agree with the SPC whom mentioned Western Governors University. TA does not fully cover their course cost, however as an E-5 you're all but guaranteed to be approved for the PELL Grant.

I'm currently attending for a B.S. in Network Operations and Security, and the competency based program is incredible. I'm able to finish classes in anywhere from a week to a month, it's entirely dependent upon the individual.

The staff are incredibly helpful, and you can reduce costs by completing classes quickly. You'll get a set of 3-4 courses per 6 month term, should you complete them early you can add more for free, however if you fail to complete them within that term you'll have to pay. They'll also evaluate any certifications or previous schooling you have, as well as AIT and credit you for it. I believe I skipped about 7 classes, so it's worth looking into.