Degree plan help for preferably an IT/ Cybersecurity degree

[RyanNeedsAnITdegree]

Your Location: US Government overseas (AZ resident)
Your Age: 29
What kind of degree do you want?: BS in IT/ IT Management/Cybersecurity/etc. My friends scoff at getting anything but a BS but I'm open to suggestions.
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 
Community College of the Air Force
AAS Applied Science in Cybersecurity and Information Systems Technology

PHE1000 PHYSICAL EDUCATION/WELLNESS 4

EDP1139 COMPUTER SYSTEM FAMILIARIZATION 3
SEDP1601 CYBER SURETY 1
COM1400 ELECT COMM THEORY 5
COM1713 TELEPHONE FUNDAMENTALS 3 
COM2725 CABLE CONST AND INST 2 
EDP1118 PRIN OF COMPUTER SYSTEMS 1
EDP1139 COMPUTER SYSTEM FAMILIARIZATION 5
EDP2183 ADVANCED COMPUTER NETWORKING 2
CYB1101 CYBER DEFENSE & COUNTERMEASURES 1 
CYB1102 INTRO TO CYBER LAWS & ETHICS 1
CYB1104 TELEPHONY NETWORK SECURITY 4
CYB1105 COMMUNICATION NETWORK SECURITY 4
CYB1106 BATTLEFIELD NETWORK SECURITY 3 
CYB1107 NETWORK SYSTEM CONFIGURATION 4
CYB1108 NETWORK TRAFFIC ANALYSIS 3 
CYB1109 CYBERSECURITY LABORATORY 2 
CYB1110 OPERATING SYSTEM FOUNDATION 5
LMM1101 LEADERSHIP/MANAGEMENT I 4
LMM1102 MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATIONS I 3 
LMM110 MILITARY STUDIES I 2
CYB1101 CYBER DEFENSE & COUNTERMEASURES 2 
CYB1102 INTRO TO CYBER LAWS & ETHICS 1
CYB1107 NETWORK SYSTEM CONFIGURATION 1 
CYB1108 NETWORK TRAFFIC ANALYSIS 1 
CYB1110 OPERATING SYSTEM FOUNDATION 2
CYB1111 FUND OF PROGRAMMING & SCRIPTING 2
CYB1101 CYBER DEFENSE & COUNTERMEASURES 1
CYB1107 NETWORK SYSTEM CONFIGURATION 1
CYB1108 NETWORK TRAFFIC ANALYSIS 2 
CYB1110 OPERATING SYSTEM FOUNDATION 2
CYB1101 CYBER DEFENSE & COUNTERMEASURES 4
CYB1102 INTRO TO CYBER LAWS & ETHICS 1
CYB1105 COMMUNICATION NETWORK SECURITY 3
INT5000 JOURNEYMAN 8
INT7000 CRAFTSMAN 4

University of Arizona
CYBV  385 Intro to Cyber Operations

Clep:
A HISTORY OF THE VIETNAM WAR SY473
PRINCIPLES OF SUPERVISION SY532
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR SY531
COLLEGE COMPOSITION ECBT
ANALYZING AND INTERPRETING LIT
COLLEGE MATHEMATICS

Any certifications or military experience? Comptia A+, Sec+ certification, 8 years Cyber Security in the Air Force


Budget: Not a concern within reason.
Commitments: working full time in a rough part of the world, so I don't go out much and have a lot of free time.
Timeline: As fast as possible
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: I have a GI bill I can use/ self pay


I'm currently doing IT work for US government but I would like to move away from IT. I'm working towards a federal law enforcement job that I very much qualify for, except bachelors.

My priorities are how fast and how difficult the classes are. I've been looking at all the universities talked about here and on the wiki but feel like I don't fully understand it. I reached out to get my credits evaluated at TESU but then I read a thread that I would have trouble transferring credits to the Cybersecurity program. I'm interested in WGU but I don't really want to spend the time earning certs if I plan to leave IT. 

Any advice would be appreciated.

[rachel83az]

You can't do WGU anyway if you're overseas and not active military, so they're probably out. (Unless you are active military? In which case, they do have a degree in Cybersecurity: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/WG...egree_Plan )

Otherwise, you've got two main choices, IMO:

Purdue University Global BS in Information Technology: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/PU...egree_Plan or Cybersecurity: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/PU...egree_Plan PUG will involve a lot of writing and may not be the quickest option.

If you'd prefer to avoid writing, there is the TESU BA in Computer Science and/or BSBA Computer Information Systems. The downside of TESU is that most of your Cybersecurity credits will "go to waste". They'll be good for free electives, but probably not usable in the AoS. Still, if you're planning on moving away from IT, this may be a good generic choice to show that you're able to do the work. There are multiple degree plans on the wiki for TESU, if that interests you.

It's not talked about much, but there is another option: a degree from Peirce College: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Peirce_College They have a BS in Technology Management that you might be interested in. If your budget is essentially "unlimited", this may be a good choice. They probably won't be very fast, because they're more of a traditional school. IMO, the biggest downside of Peirce, aside from the cost, is that they are a college. This won't matter for (most) American-based companies. But it might matter for international companies. In other countries, a college is usually a technical school and is lower/less than a "real" university. The US doesn't really have that distinction.

In the same vein, there is no real difference between BA and BS degrees. The difference, as far as American institutions are concerned, is generally in what gen ed classes you take. For instance, the BS in IT at TESU requires students to take chemistry or physics classes, with labs. Does chemistry or physics make one better at IT? I really don't think so! Otherwise, BS degrees at TESU require exactly the same number of UL credits as the BA degrees do. The AOS classes vary by degree, not BA/BS, so BA degrees and BS degrees both require roughly the same number of credits to be in the major. The only real difference is in the gen eds.

One final note: for federal law enforcement, you might be interested in UMPI's Criminal Justice degree. This would arguably be the fastest & cheapest option. You can see a degree plan and if the topics interest you here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/UM...egree_Plan

[allvia]

If fast as possible is your goal it seems to me that your existing AAS would allow you to move into a BAS-MIS at UMPI (you have to apply for a BLS-MIS through YourPace first, then request the change) - Here is the wiki page for the BOG AAS to UMPI BAS,  https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/UM...egree_Plan, since you already have an AAS you'd really be looking the SOPHIA courses for the UMPI GECs (not the technical). You'll have to tweak it to fit your existing, but it is a good resource to start from.  You could always add another minor that isn't IT related is you wish - actually, you may be able to add criminal justice (I believe it is offered as a minor, hopefully someone else here can clarify that). This would not only be quick and it would be cheap too.

[bjcheung77]

@RyanNeedsAnITdegree, Welcome to the board, I usually get people to work on the trifecta of certs, degree, experience.  Hmm, have you researched a few institutions for a degree of your choice?  There are a few institutions, various methods of getting a degree, here's an example: UMGC Bachelors of Science in Applied Technology, you can transfer in 90 credits and complete 30 credits for residency purposes.

Link: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Resistance
Link: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...CS-at-SNHU
Link: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...A-Military