BS in Applied Cybersecurity (BACS)
A degree-completion bachelor's in applied cybersecurity, built entirely from SANS courses and GIAC exams, which awards nine GIAC certifications alongside the accredited degree itself.
Type: Degree & academicStudentsCareer changers
Offered by SANS Technology Institute (SANS.edu)
The facts
- Cost
- $41,650 total program cost for the 50 credits taken at SANS.edu, plus a $75 application fee. The program requires roughly 70 transfer credits completed elsewhere first, which are an additional cost not included in that figure.Figure read 2026-09-12 from www.sans.edu/cyber-security-programs/bachelors-degree
- Prerequisites
- It is a degree-completion program: about 70 transferable credits are required on entry, so this is not a route from a standing start.
- Format
- 100% online, or live online, or in-person immersion courses. Coursework is SANS courses with GIAC exams attached.
- Length
- Two years at SANS.edu for the 50 credits, after the transfer credits.
- Renewal
- No renewal or recertification requirement is published for this entry.
- Accreditation
- Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE); SANS.edu records accreditation reaffirmed in June 2018 with the next review in 2027. Separately designated an NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense and approved against DoD 8140.
- Who it suits
- Someone with substantial existing college credit who needs both an accredited degree and a certification stack, and can fund it or has GI Bill or employer support.
- Audience
- Students · Career changers
Strengths
- The only program in this directory that delivers an accredited bachelor's degree and nine industry certifications from the same coursework.
- Regionally accredited by MSCHE, so the degree satisfies degree-required job postings and federal-agency hiring rules that certifications do not.
- Fully online option, which makes it workable alongside employment.
- NSA CAE-CD designation is a checkable third-party signal.
Limitations
- Requires about 70 transfer credits first, so the $41,650 is the second half of the bill, not the whole of it.
- The nine GIAC certifications are security-focused; this is a cybersecurity degree that touches forensics, not a digital forensics degree.
- SANS.edu's own employment and salary outcome figures are self-reported by the institution and are not independently audited.
- Considerably more expensive than several accredited public-university options covered elsewhere in this directory.
Sources
Costs, prerequisites and exam formats in this field change often, and several providers price by region, cohort or employer agreement. Every figure on this page carries the date it was read and a link to the page it was read from. Confirm current terms with the provider before you spend anything.