seeking degree planning advice in Cybersecurity Bachelors for High School Student

[dfrecore]

SNHU also appears to be pretty affordable at about $320 per credit hour and you can transfer up to 90 credits into the program

If you're considering SNHU, then maybe take another look at WGU. Satisfactory academic progress at WGU is 12 CUs (equivalent to 12 semester credit hours) and tuition is $3,950 ($330 per CU for 12 CUs), while 12 credit hours at SNHU is $3,840. The difference is that WGU allows a full six months to complete the 12 CUs, so it's much easier to meet that minimum, or even fit in extra courses during that time. If you fit in even one extra course, the cost per CU drops to $263 or less. WGU also allows 90 CUs to be transferred, and there is a lot of information about the various courses on Reddit, Quizlet, and Udemy, so there is a good amount of studying that can done before enrolling at WGU.

Hi @OrigamiShuttle,

Is the minimum age limit to apply to SNHU and WGU 18 or can a minor (i.e. my son is 16) enroll there? Also, from a cost standpoint, it sounds like the least expensive path for a Bachelor's degree without a scholarship in Cybersecurity would be WGU @ $3950 plus the cost of taking as close to 90 credit hours from somewhere like Study.com, Modern States, CLEP (alternative ACE credit providers) so I would likely looking at a minimum cost for his Bachelors degree of around $4,500-5000?

Thanks,

Education Seeker

OrigamiShuttle is talking about cost per credit, and comparing WGU to SNHU.  If you only do 12cr at WGU, it would take 4 terms to complete 30cr, which would cost $15,800.

Remember, when you're considering WGU, you're looking at completing courses as quickly as possible.  For people who have years of experience in IT, they are usually doing 30cr in 1-3 terms.  For someone with no experience, I'm guessing it will take a MINIMUM of 2 terms, and closer to 3-4.

[origamishuttle]

Is the minimum age limit to apply to SNHU and WGU 18 or can a minor (i.e. my son is 16) enroll there? Also, from a cost standpoint, it sounds like the least expensive path for a Bachelor's degree without a scholarship in Cybersecurity would be WGU @ $3950 plus the cost of taking as close to 90 credit hours from somewhere like Study.com, Modern States, CLEP (alternative ACE credit providers) so I would likely looking at a minimum cost for his Bachelors degree of around $4,500-5000?

I'm not sure about minimum age, but I've seen reference to people as young as 16 attending the College of IT at WGU. I couldn't find anything in the admissions requirements, which are more focused on demonstrating a minimum amount of aptitude and/or experience in IT:
https://www.wgu.edu/admissions/it-requirements.html

You can always ask an enrollment counselor:
https://www.wgu.edu/contact.html

OrigamiShuttle is talking about cost per credit, and comparing WGU to SNHU.  If you only do 12cr at WGU, it would take 4 terms to complete 30cr, which would cost $15,800.

Remember, when you're considering WGU, you're looking at completing courses as quickly as possible.  For people who have years of experience in IT, they are usually doing 30cr in 1-3 terms.  For someone with no experience, I'm guessing it will take a MINIMUM of 2 terms, and closer to 3-4.

That's true - My comment was specifically about the comparison between WGU and SNHU. However, satisfactory academic progress is 12 CUs, so 2-3 terms is a reasonable expectation. This is 12-18 full months, or longer with breaks in between, if needed.

A big part of the challenge (and opportunity) at WGU is the IT certifications included with the degree. You can read all about the cybersecurity degree here:
https://www.wgu.edu/content/dam/wgu-65-a...BSCSIA.pdf
Note how many certifications are included in the degree program.

There are some others that can be transferred for CUs before enrolling:
https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/BSCSIA.aspx

You can also see some of the more popular options for transferring CUs to the degree:
https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.as...062&pid=78
https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.as...142&pid=78
https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.as...097&pid=78

A full 90 CUs would likely include multiple certifications, and it would leave some of the more challenging ones to complete at WGU. This comes down to how good a person is at studying and test taking, so consider that aspect carefully. I would guess that it would take at least 5 months and $1500 to get the 90 CUs, assuming at least 50 hours per week and a strong ability to absorb information and take tests well, although a full year and $2000 is more realistic. Generally the longer it takes, the more it costs, so you would want to be very certain that WGU is the right path.

[EducationSeeker]

The American Dream Academy
https://www.coursera.org/programs/americ...demy-jzjjt

He could take the IBM Cybersecurity Analyst course series for American Council on Education (ACE) credit as a start.

https://www.acenet.edu/National-Guide/Pa...0d3a58e694

The course is free.

Hi MichaelGates,

I am trying to look at registering my son for the free IBM Cybersecurity class on Acenet, but, I don't see an "Enroll" link? Do you know how you enroll? The Coursera course has a $50 monthly fee after the initial free 7 day trial and I am trying to look at free courses as possible.

Thanks,

Education Seeker

[carrythenothing]

The American Dream Academy
https://www.coursera.org/programs/americ...demy-jzjjt

He could take the IBM Cybersecurity Analyst course series for American Council on Education (ACE) credit as a start.

https://www.acenet.edu/National-Guide/Pa...0d3a58e694

The course is free.

Hi MichaelGates,

I am trying to look at registering my son for the free IBM Cybersecurity class on Acenet, but, I don't see an "Enroll" link? Do you know how you enroll? The Coursera course has a $50 monthly fee after the initial free 7 day trial and I am trying to look at free courses as possible.

Thanks,

Education Seeker

https://theamericandreamacademy.org/

[EducationSeeker]

The American Dream Academy
https://www.coursera.org/programs/americ...demy-jzjjt

He could take the IBM Cybersecurity Analyst course series for American Council on Education (ACE) credit as a start.

https://www.acenet.edu/National-Guide/Pa...0d3a58e694

The course is free.

Hi MichaelGates,

I am trying to look at registering my son for the free IBM Cybersecurity class on Acenet, but, I don't see an "Enroll" link? Do you know how you enroll? The Coursera course has a $50 monthly fee after the initial free 7 day trial and I am trying to look at free courses as possible.

Thanks,

Education Seeker

https://theamericandreamacademy.org/

@Carrythenothing

I appreciate you listing the American Dream Academy website. It mentions that a person needs to be 18 and have a High School diploma. My son is 16 and will be in 10th grade. I would imagine I could register for him and he could take the content, but, I would want him to get credit for the courses. I would like him to be able to college credit for this course however. Do you recommend Coursera (is there a free option) or American Dream Academy that would be suitable for a High School Student?

Thanks,

Education Seeker

[rachel83az]

Coursera doesn't directly have a free option, but a hard-working individual should be able to complete everything in 1-2 months. Some people have even been able to complete Coursera courses during the free trial week.

[bjcheung77]

Here's the wiki link in regards to Coursera and applicable certs that have ACE recommendation for credit. It's not going to "break the bank" if you use 1 month on each of these... very affordable and can grant "some" college credit for the free electives if the college takes them. https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Coursera

[EducationSeeker]

Coursera doesn't directly have a free option, but a hard-working individual should be able to complete everything in 1-2 months. Some people have even been able to complete Coursera courses during the free trial week.

@Rachel83az
Even at the $40-50 per mo membership Coursera fee is pretty cheap for the IBM Cybersecurity Analyst course. The American Dream program seems to be available for someone with a High School degree who is 18 years old. I have no problem paying the $49 fee for 1-2 months each but I am wondering if a High School student who is 16 could take this course and get credit? I am less concerned about my son getting college credit and more concerned about the skills he would learn. I do think WGU mentioned they would accept the American Dream IBM Security course.

Thanks,

Education Seeker

[carrythenothing]

Coursera doesn't directly have a free option, but a hard-working individual should be able to complete everything in 1-2 months. Some people have even been able to complete Coursera courses during the free trial week.

@Rachel83az
Even at the $40-50 per mo membership Coursera fee is pretty cheap for the IBM Cybersecurity Analyst course. The American Dream program seems to be available for someone with a High School degree who is 18 years old. I have no problem paying the $49 fee for 1-2 months each but I am wondering if a High School student who is 16 could take this course and get credit? I am less concerned about my son getting college credit and more concerned about the skills he would learn. I do think WGU mentioned they would accept the American Dream IBM Security course.

Thanks,

Education Seeker

https://www.coursera.support/s/article/2...strictions?

You must be 13 years of age or older to use Coursera, unless you are a learner from the European Economic Area (EEA)

I'm sorry for missing the minimum age requirement for the American Dream Academy when I linked it!

IBM's Cybersecurity Analyst Professional isn't currently included on WGU's page of transferable IT certifications, but that doesn't necessarily mean it won't be accepted: https://www.wgu.edu/admissions/transfers...tions.html

[bjcheung77]

Even at the $40-50 per mo membership Coursera fee is pretty cheap for the IBM Cybersecurity Analyst course. The American Dream program seems to be available for someone with a High School degree who is 18 years old. I have no problem paying the $49 fee for 1-2 months each but I am wondering if a High School student who is 16 could take this course and get credit? I am less concerned about my son getting college credit and more concerned about the skills he would learn. I do think WGU mentioned they would accept the American Dream IBM Security course.

Thanks,

Education Seeker

Being 16 years of age is fine for Cousera, most providers require students to be 13 because of privacy laws (COPPA). Study.com requires students to be sweet 16. These can be restrictive when students not hitting their teens yet want to study early, and there are ways around it, when a parent grants the student permission to access these, and by paying for the courses. Having said that, there are other providers that may want them to be a certain age, 18 as per the Dream Academy rules, since you can't deviate from all the rules, you can skip the Dream Academy and just get the ACE credits directly from Coursera.