Northern Michigan University ranks 22nd nationwide on a 2026 listing of affordable cybersecurity bachelor's degree programs compiled by Cybersecurity Guide, a resource referenced by leading cybersecurity professionals in academia, industry and beyond.
The rankings are based on the overall projected degree cost divided by the number of credits required to graduate, representing a blend of opportunities. All institutions in the rankings must also hold a Center for Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (CAE-C) designation.
NMU's bachelor's degree program in information assurance and cyber defense provides an on-the-job perspective by offering courses dealing specifically with cybersecurity as well as business and computer information systems. Graduates leave with the knowledge of not just how to protect vital business information, but what information needs protecting most.
Northern is the first Upper Peninsula institution to be designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE), a program jointly sponsored by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security. The goal of the CAE-CDE program is two-fold: to reduce vulnerability in the nation's information infrastructure by promoting higher education and research in cyber defense; and to produce a growing number of professionals with expertise in the discipline, contributing to the advancement of state-of-the-art cyber defense knowledge and practice.
Students also have access to a cyber lab where they learn to apply skills in a hands-on environment and learn computer networking using the same equipment that networking professionals install in large enterprises. The cyber lab houses a private cloud infrastructure that lets them perform ethical hacking on systems designed to replicate real-world business systems.
Northern also offers a related academic minor, associate degree and certificate program. All help students learn fundamental computer networking skills and understand how complex information systems work and how to protect individuals and organizations from criminals.
For more information about NMU's cyber defense programs, visit nmu.edu/business/cyberdefense.