Norwich Online BS in Cyber Security... Thoughts?

SoCalGuy858

I just found out that Norwich now has an online BS in Cyber Security:

http://online.norwich.edu/cyber-security-bachelors/overview

It's new as of April of this year. I'm just about to finish my AAS from Thomas Edison, and had always kept the Fast-Track BS in IT from Northeastern University at the top of my list... but having just discovered Norwich's new BS in Cybersecurity, I may be having a change of heart. I'm definitely a fan of the fact that it's a NSA-CAE, and really like their concentrations (Information Warfare & Security Management, and Digital Forensics & Vulnerability Management.

Does anyone else have any thoughts on this? Particularly from those that can comment on the quality of a Norwich education?

KClark831

Hey mate!

I am currently a Cyber Security student at Champlain College and saw this new program recently from Norwich. I contacted them and had a rather lengthly conversation with the admission counselor. They seem to have a great program for the most part, they have a pretty long history in online education with their Masters program and where one of the original 7? maybe 9? to achieve NSA-CAE. Overall seems like a really great program, but i decided to stay at Champlain. I based it solely on the curriculum, Champlain's program has nearly 17 directly related courses to Security and only a few general education requirements. Also Champlain's program is NSA-CAE and won a bunch of awards from SC magazine, and its Computer and Digital Forensics program has held a lot of respect over the years. I am very interested in Norwich's concentrations, but at least Champlain offers an embedded Undergrad Certificate in a few different "Concentrations".

Before you assume I am just completely Bias towards my current school I can tell you this. I am a UAS Operator/Intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army, and many of the smartest and coolest people I have met went through Norwich Military Academy side. I also worked alongside a lot of the IT guys who were fighting for spots in the newly formed Cyber Command and feel comfortable with what it would take to be successful in Cyber. Since you already have/will have you AAS and have some solid fundamentals and seems your killing it in the cert world, Norwich might be a lot better suited for you than it is for me.

Hopefully this will help a little and definitely call Norwich and talk them up, they are wonderful people.

Very respectfully,
Kc

SoCalGuy858

Kc,

Thank you for your input! It is much appreciated.

I am currently awaiting a review of my transfer credits, certs, and work experience, but I'll definitely take a look at Champlain, as well!

One of the things that I appreciate about Norwich besides the NSA-CAE status is their standing as one of the DoD's 6 Senior Military Colleges. My dream as a kid was to go into the military in any capacity, but lo and behold, medical reasons are keeping me out. Despite this, I greatly appreciate the history that the university has, and while I won't be enjoying it in person, it's something I'll certainly be proud of! I just wish that I knew about this years ago, otherwise I could have competed for a $20,000 scholarship while I was a Civil Air Patrol cadet. Ah well...

LSagee

Hello. I am a long time lurker of this forum and have finally decided to give a little back (even if it's on a 6 month old thread. haha)

I am currently enrolled in Norwich's BS in Cyber Security. I am finishing my 3rd class in my second semester. I would like to contribute my thoughts as this degree is relatively new and there isn't any good reviews that I have found so far:

Admissions & Administration - They were very generous in taking my previous credit as I had over 80 from a CC that were geared toward the CS field. My credits were from 1998-2001 and they still accepted them though they were 10+ yrs old. I was able to transfer in low & high level language programming, database design and a few others that fulfilled core curriculum requirements. There was some General Ed classes that had to be completed and I had the option of taking them through Norwich, but chose to use Straighterline instead (completed 7 SH in about 3 weeks); they happily accepted them. I now have about 11 courses left to graduate. Courses are 8 wks long and each semester is broken up into a Session A & B.

The student advisor for the program enrolls you in all of your courses and maps your degree plan. She is extremely professional and responsive to inquiries. Though you can't go into your account and choose the classes you want to take, the student advisor will work with you if you send an email.

Outside of the normal SH tuition rate, you pay a $115 technology fee per semester and $100 resource fee per class. I was a little irked by this until I discovered that the $100 per class fee covers your books which they ship a month early to you. Some of the books I have received retail for over $200 and I have found them to be extremely relevant for certs I am planning to acquire in the next few months (Sec+, CASP). On a side note, I have been using Darril Gibson's Sec+ book a lot as a quotable reference in the class I am currently taking.

Classes - Most of the classes I have taken have been managerial and / or broad knowledge based so far. I have taken 1 technical class which was Windows Server Administration. It is based off a 70-411 study book and includes lab time. I was not trying to take the 70-411 test, but I feel I would have been prepared had I dedicated myself to it. As far as I know, Norwich does not gear their classes specifically to gain a cert or include vouchers which is a little bit of a disappointment (I wasn't thinking about that when I enrolled).

As for the other 2 classes I have taken, I tested the knowledge I have gained against sample questions for various CEH certs , Sec+, CASP, and CISSP. I have correctly answered many questions on the practice tests that were specifically discussed ad nauseam during the course that I did not have prior knowledge of (The cyber law and cyber crime class I took was especially helpful).

As I said earlier, some of these classes are managerial and they are essay heavy (and ARE time consuming). The class I am in now requires 4-2k word essays in APA format with citations and the midterm & final is multiple questions with a total word count of 2-3k+ words in memorandum format with citations. I feel like this is a small taste of what the course load is like in their MSIA program. Other classes you would think require a lot of writing actually do not outside of the weekly discussion and have weekly quizzes in lieu of essays.

So far, I have found the course work to be very manageable and informative (but not overly difficult). The instructors are responsive to questions and have a solid understanding of the material (all my instructors have impressive credentials and it shows). The course work is definitely geared towards successfully obtaining security related certs, though not directly.

Unfortunately, it is not till later this year that I get to start taking some of the more technically exciting courses that are in my concentration path (vulnerability testing and computer forensics). I can post my thoughts on them when I get to it if anyone is interested.