Northwood University is now one of the first few institutions in the nation to receive approval for a reduced-credit bachelor’s degree.
Following approval from the Higher Learning Commission, Northwood will offer a Bachelor of Applied Science in Cybersecurity — a 90-credit program designed to provide students with a high-quality, career-ready education in less time and at a lower cost.
“Northwood University is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in higher education,” said Northwood University President Kent MacDonald. “This innovative program underscores our commitment to providing high-quality, affordable education that meets the needs of today’s students and competitive workplace. By offering an accelerated path to a cybersecurity degree, we are ensuring that students can gain the skills they need to enter this high demand market while reducing costs and time to completion.”
The new degree program, developed by Northwood’s leading management information systems and cybersecurity experts, Dr. Ann-Marie Horcher and Professor David Sanford, is expected to be a game-changer in preparing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.
“The reduced-credit cybersecurity program reflects our entrepreneurial spirit as an institution and provides students with choice in baccalaureate degree options,” said Northwood Academics Vice President and Provost Dr. Kristin Stehouwer. “Building on Northwood’s strengths, in particular our emphasis on experiential learning and career preparation, creates pathways for learners to complete their degrees with outcomes equivalent to a traditional 120-credit bachelor’s degree and embark on their careers more quickly.”
The 90-credit degree pathway also reflects Northwood’s commitment to supporting student success. The reduced-credit bachelor’s program has the potential to improve access to higher education, increase student persistence, reduce total student debt, and decrease time to degree completion.
“Moreover, graduates will be positioned to fill the growing demand for prepared cybersecurity professionals across multiple industries,” said Dr. Horcher, who was named Northwood’s cybersecurity program lead following a Fulbright fellowship at Kozminski University. A top-ranked business school in Central and Eastern Europe, Kozminski is a leader in the digital transformation movement.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects information security analyst will be the 5th fastest-growing occupation over the next decade, with an employment growth rate of 33% compared to the 4% average growth rate for all occupations.
“This transformative reduced-credit bachelor’s degree program will provide a highly trained, qualified workforce to meet job demand more quickly to ensure information security protection of data, systems, and, ultimately, people,” Horcher noted.
Northwood's approval from the Higher Learning Commission for an accelerated cybersecurity degree comes after the university has been actively involved in the College-in-3 Exchange, a national higher education innovation incubator with over 30 member institutions. Since 2021, members of the exchange have shared ideas and practices that promote innovation around the cost and quality of bachelor's degree.
“Northwood has been a pioneer in this national initiative, and the accelerated cybersecurity degree pathway is a testament to our ability to innovate while maintaining the academic quality and workforce preparation that students and employers expect,” Academic Dean Dr. Stacey Tetloff noted. “We are proud to be at the forefront of this movement and a leader in shaping the future of higher education."
Northwood’s faculty designed the Bachelor of Applied Science in Cybersecurity by carefully evaluating existing courses and aligning them with university-wide learning outcomes. Through this process, they identified essential coursework that ensures students gain cybersecurity skills while meeting Northwood's rigorous academic standards.
This streamlined approach maintains the same high-quality instruction, objectives, and contact hours — offering an efficient path to a degree without sacrificing depth or rigor.
Assistant Provost Mark Lund explained Northwood is committed to providing prospective and current students with customizable, individualized pathways.
“Students will work closely with Admissions counselors, academic advisors, and faculty to determine which degree path in the cybersecurity programming is best suited for their individual goals, particularly encouraging students to complete the 120-credit hour degree if they plan to attend graduate school,” Lund explained.
Regarding alumni and current and future students:
• Students who graduate with the 90-credit-hour degree may return at a later date to complete the requirements for a 120-credit bachelor’s degree.
• Students currently pursuing the 120-credit Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Cybersecurity may change to the 90-credit degree.
Academic advisors will help individuals in either of the above circumstances determine the pathway that best aligns with the student's goals and priorities.
For more information, visit https://www.northwood.edu/programs/cybersecurity/.
