Seeking Advice on Pursuing an Affordable and Accredited Online Master Program

[KingRagnarrr]

Hello everyone,
I’m a 32-year-old cybersecurity professional from Belgium, working full-time in the field. Although I have solid work experience and certifications, I never completed my bachelor’s degree in IT due to personal and health challenges during my studies. As I matured, I realized that many employers in Belgium, especially in the public sector, prioritize having a recognized degree. Since a bachelor’s degree is mandatory for public service roles and often required by consulting IT companies due to client demands, I’ve been exploring ways to obtain an accredited qualification.
My Educational Background and Efforts

1. Master in Cybersecurity (Propio):
   • In 2022, after extensive research on forums and other resources, I pursued a Master in Cybersecurity (60 ECTS, título propio) through Structuralia in partnership with Universidad Isabel I (UI1).
     
   • At the time, this appeared to be the fastest and most practical option to gain a degree. The program included a final master’s project, and I was admitted based on my unfinished bachelor’s studies, certifications, and work experience.
     
   • I paid approximately €4,000, which included a physical copy of the diploma.
     
2. MBA through ENEB (Propio):
   • I also completed an MBA (60 ECTS, título propio) through ENEB.
     
   • Thanks to a discount code, I only paid €199 for the program.
     
3. Unfinished Bachelor’s Degree:
   • I have 77 ECTS credits from my earlier bachelor’s studies in IT, which remain incomplete.
     

Challenges with Degree Recognition

• NARIC Belgium Refusal:
  • When I applied for equivalency for the Master in Cybersecurity, NARIC Belgium denied the request, citing several reasons:
    • Structuralia is not listed in the RUCT (Registro de Universidades, Centros y Títulos), meaning it is not officially accredited in Spain.
      
    • The partnership with Universidad Isabel I (UI1) was deemed irrelevant because the program itself (título propio) does not carry the same accreditation as degrees listed in the RUCT.
      
  • Despite arguing that similar degrees had been evaluated positively by NARIC Belgium in the past (e.g., one as a bachelor and another as a master), this did not influence their decision.
    
• Legal Efforts:
  • I hired a lawyer and spent over a year challenging the decision in court. Although I highlighted inconsistencies in NARIC’s evaluation process, such as why similar degrees were recognized previously without changes to the law, the court ultimately sided with NARIC.
    
  • Escalating to the Supreme Court is an option, but it would likely result in NARIC re-evaluating the case and issuing another negative decision, making the effort costly and potentially futile.
    
• Other Attempts:
  • I applied to NARIC France and Luxembourg but received similar negative results, reinforcing the challenges with gaining recognition for título propio degrees in the EU.
    
  • While Validential evaluated my Master in Cybersecurity as a regionally accredited master, this does not meet the standards for NARIC equivalency in the EU.
    

Open University UK: A Speculative Option
One option I’ve considered is pursuing an MSc in Cybersecurity from The Open University UK.

• The full program consists of 90 ECTS and costs approximately £14,000.
  
• Since I already hold a Master in Cybersecurity (60 ECTS, título propio), there is a possibility that I might receive some credit transfer, which could reduce the total cost.
  
• However, I am not 100% certain whether Open University would accept my título propio for admission or grant credit transfer, making this idea speculative at this stage.
  
• Even with potential credit transfer, the remaining cost would likely still be a significant financial burden, as I am still paying off loans related to my legal efforts.
  

What I’m Looking For
I am seeking an affordable, online master’s or bachelor completion program that:

• Accepts my existing degrees and credits (77 ECTS from my bachelor’s, 60 ECTS from my Master in Cybersecurity, and 60 ECTS from my MBA),
  
• Is fully accredited and recognized, and
  
• Would be evaluated as at least a bachelor’s degree in Belgium or other EU countries.
  

Having a recognized degree is critical for my career progression. The lack of a formal, accredited qualification is now a significant barrier—not only for public sector roles but also for opportunities in consulting IT companies, as many of their clients require employees to hold at least a bachelor’s degree. My ultimate goal is to complement my work experience and certifications with a degree that meets regional equivalency standards.
If anyone has suggestions for affordable online programs that align with these criteria—or any advice on alternative paths—I would be extremely grateful for your input.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I look forward to hearing your recommendations and insights



UPDATE:
Budget:I don't really have a budget, as I'm honestly looking for the cheapest option possible. Also because I'm still paying off loans I took for the lawyer and court which costed 6000€+-
Study habit: I work fulltime and also go to the gym, so I will be studying mostly late nights and weekends.
Certifications: EITCA security academy (24 ECTS of courses as they claim) , Azure fundamentals, ISTQB foundation, Certified White Hat Hacker-Global Tech Council, Cyber Threat Intelligence-Coursera (if this counts?)

[newdegree]

Why not consider getting a Bachelor in Computer Science from Thomas Edison State University? See if you can get your master's degree evaluated, and maybe you can transfer the credits into a bachelor's of computer science. Also, you can do some Sophia, Study.com, and Coursera certificates to fill in the gaps for the missing credits to make 120 credits. I see you have 77 credits from your bachelor's. Maybe you can get those evaluated with your two master's degrees to make enough credits to minimize the cost and amount of work you need to complete. Thomas Edison State University accepts up to 114 transfer credits.

https://tesu.smartcatalogiq.com/en/curre...TkxMzE1MzY.

https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...%20to%2090.

https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...ience_Plan

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I just wanted to add a side note they also offer a bachelor's degree in Cyber Security
https://www.tesu.edu/degrees-programs/ba...curity.php

[karehiro]

Heriot-Watt University - MSc in Computer Science for £8,995 tuition: https://www.coursera.org/degrees/msc-com...eriot-watt
Ball State University - Master of Science in Computer Science for $18,000: https://www.coursera.org/degrees/ms-comp...ball-state
University of Colorado at Boulder - Master of Science in Computer Science for $15,750: https://www.coursera.org/degrees/ms-comp...ce-boulder
Wrexham University - MSc in Computer Science for £6,000: https://online.wrexham.ac.uk/msc-computer-science/

All of the above are accredited and don't require a Bachelor's degree. I don't believe they'll accept your credits as transfers however.

[bjcheung77]

Welcome to the board, great initial post, but it's missing some of the info requested in the addendum and template, such as your budget, commitments, study habits, etc. You currently don't have an undergrad, what if prospective employers would want to see a progression from undergrad to graduate studies, you'll end up with questions... I highly recommend updating us with these info, plus anything else you can think of: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

[spohara]

A side note: the CU MSCS does not require a bachelors, it is pure performance based admission. But an even cheaper route potentially, would be trying to knock out the TESU BACS quickly then going for one of the GA Tech degrees. I believe the CS is like $200/credit. Cyber might be a bit more, but still not bad.

[lincolnlawyer]

I gather from your post that you intend to work in the public sector in Belgium.
In that case, before going for a master’s that doesn’t require a bachelor’s degree, perhaps you should look into whether the public sector has a bias against those without a bachelor’s degree.

As many have mentioned on this forum, even employers in the private sector can have that sort of preference.

If there is indeed a preference for a bachelor’s degree, you might want to evaluate your ENEB degree as a bachelor’s in the US and transfer those credits to one of the undergraduate programs frequently mentioned here.

[KingRagnarrr]

I gather from your post that you intend to work in the public sector in Belgium.
In that case, before going for a master’s that doesn’t require a bachelor’s degree, perhaps you should look into whether the public sector has a bias against those without a bachelor’s degree.

As many have mentioned on this forum, even employers in the private sector can have that sort of preference.

If there is indeed a preference for a bachelor’s degree, you might want to evaluate your ENEB degree as a bachelor’s in the US and transfer those credits to one of the undergraduate programs frequently mentioned here.

I definitely think there would be bias if I were to obtain a master’s degree without first earning a bachelor’s degree, especially in Belgium. Here, it typically takes 4–5 years to complete a master’s program, and people might perceive it as unfair if I achieved one in just a year. However, on the other hand, NARIC is a government institution, and if they were to equate my master’s degree to a Belgian master’s degree, there wouldn’t be much that private or public organizations could say about it. Unfortunately, Belgium is somewhat outdated in this regard compared to countries like the UK, Germany, Poland, and the US, where master’s programs often accept students on an individual case-by-case basis.
On a side note, I was also admitted to an advanced master’s program in European Integration (not related to IT) at the University of Brussels, which costs €6,000. The only issue is that it requires attending certain classes, which I cannot manage with full-time work. I applied primarily to test whether a legitimate Belgian university would accept my master’s degree, and they did! They even granted me a 3-ECTS credit transfer for a cybersecurity course at the bachelor’s level.
This shows that universities recognize my degree as legitimate, even if NARIC doesn’t.

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Welcome to the board, great initial post, but it's missing some of the info requested in the addendum and template, such as your budget, commitments, study habits, etc.  You currently don't have an undergrad, what if prospective employers would want to see a progression from undergrad to graduate studies, you'll end up with questions... I highly recommend updating us with these info, plus anything else you can think of: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

Noted! Added it in an update in original post.

---

Why not consider getting a Bachelor in Computer Science from Thomas Edison State University? See if you can get your master's degree evaluated, and maybe you can transfer the credits into a bachelor's of computer science. Also, you can do some Sophia, Study.com, and Coursera certificates to fill in the gaps for the missing credits to make 120 credits. I see you have 77 credits from your bachelor's. Maybe you can get those evaluated with your two master's degrees to make enough credits to minimize the cost and amount of work you need to complete. Thomas Edison State University accepts up to 114 transfer credits.

https://tesu.smartcatalogiq.com/en/curre...TkxMzE1MzY.

https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...%20to%2090.

https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...ience_Plan

---

I just wanted to add a side note they also offer a bachelor's degree in Cyber Security
https://www.tesu.edu/degrees-programs/ba...curity.php

Thank you for the info. I will definitely check both out and see what the possibilities are for me.

---

A side note: the CU MSCS does not require a bachelors, it is pure performance based admission.  But an even cheaper route potentially, would be trying to knock out the TESU BACS quickly then going for one of the GA Tech degrees. I believe the CS is like $200/credit.  Cyber might be a bit more, but still not bad.

A bachelor's degree in Computer Science from TESU would be sufficient for my needs since I primarily require an "official" degree, regardless of the field. Given my background, IT seems like the fastest option due to the possibility of credit transfers.

---

Heriot-Watt University - MSc in Computer Science for £8,995 tuition: https://www.coursera.org/degrees/msc-com...eriot-watt
Ball State University - Master of Science in Computer Science for $18,000: https://www.coursera.org/degrees/ms-comp...ball-state
University of Colorado at Boulder - Master of Science in Computer Science for $15,750: https://www.coursera.org/degrees/ms-comp...ce-boulder
Wrexham University - MSc in Computer Science for £6,000: https://online.wrexham.ac.uk/msc-computer-science/

All of the above are accredited and don't require a Bachelor's degree. I don't believe they'll accept your credits as transfers however.

Thank you so much, I noticed Wrexham Uni also has a MsC in Cyber for the same price £6,000. So far this is the cheapest option. I will try to contact and see If i can get any credit transfers.

[karehiro]

If you only need an official accredited Bachelor's degree regardless of the field, then University of Maine at Presque Isle could be both cheapest and fastest for you: https://www.umpi.edu/yourpace/yourpace-programs/

With your type of credits I'd go for a Business Bachelor's with a Management Information Systems focus: https://www.umpi.edu/yourpace/academic_p...n-systems/

With the right strategy and discipline, you can finish in 1 or 2 terms and then decide to pursue any of these Masters options in addition if your situation calls for it.

[KingRagnarrr]

If you only need an official accredited Bachelor's degree regardless of the field, then University of Maine at Presque Isle could be both cheapest and fastest for you: https://www.umpi.edu/yourpace/yourpace-programs/

With your type of credits I'd go for a Business Bachelor's with a Management Information Systems focus: https://www.umpi.edu/yourpace/academic_p...n-systems/

With the right strategy and discipline, you can finish in 1 or 2 terms and then decide to pursue any of these Masters options in addition if your situation calls for it.

If i would be able to get a bachelor in 1 term for 1750$ that would be a dream, but not sure how realistic that would be since it's 120 US credits equal to 240 ECTS? That would mean 8 weeks to finish the whole program.

[karehiro]

If you only need an official accredited Bachelor's degree regardless of the field, then University of Maine at Presque Isle could be both cheapest and fastest for you: https://www.umpi.edu/yourpace/yourpace-programs/

With your type of credits I'd go for a Business Bachelor's with a Management Information Systems focus: https://www.umpi.edu/yourpace/academic_p...n-systems/

With the right strategy and discipline, you can finish in 1 or 2 terms and then decide to pursue any of these Masters options in addition if your situation calls for it.

If i would be able to get a bachelor in 1 term for 1750$ that would be a dream, but not sure how realistic that would be since it's 120 US credits equal to 240 ECTS? That would mean 8 weeks to finish the whole program.

I would apply there if I were you and see what they evaluate for your credits since the application is free; you'll just need to pay the fees to get your current credits to get evaluated by a NACES or AICES member first. The deadline to apply for the upcoming term is Feb 7. A number of students were able to complete 10 or more classes in 1 (8-week) term if you perform a search here, check Reddit, or look at their Discord channel, and 10 classes (30 credits) at UMPI are the residency requirement to graduate so long as you fulfilled all the degree requirements.

In the meantime you can start taking Sophia/Study.com classes for the classes which you know you don't have among your current credits while they evaluate your application and transcripts. Many on this forum apply to UMPI once they have 90 credits and only need 10 classes left, and they get their credits from alternative sources like Sophia/Study.com where a number of classes can be passed in days.