EC-Council (Certified Ethical Hacker) has a University (DEAC & CHEA) I found an old thread from 2006, and when I visited their website today, it looks like they've got a few online programs (undergrad / grad / certs) and a cool proprietary hacker lab for their courses. Admission into their BS requires an associate degree *or* 60 credits. A bit pricey from my unqualified assessment ($465/cr) because you're looking at no less than $30,000 assuming you've done a good job using resources for your first 60 that didn't exceed $3,000 (totally doable). It looks like they also bundle many (expensive) certifications in with their program at no additional cost. https://www.eccu.edu/student-services/ec-council-certifications-and-certification-comparisons/ So, someone in this field help me understand this program - are these guys an elite program with a strong reputation that trumps their NA status, or are they clowns peddling an over-priced credential? https://www.eccu.edu/
There are enough well-established programs around at this point that there's no need to take chances on places that are questionable. I don't know that this place is clownish but I don't know that it's not. Being DEAC gives them some credibility but... https://www.reddit.com/r/AskNetsec/comments/66zet2/eccouncil_university/ https://www.thecollegemonk.com/ec-council-university/c/683
In the category 'special purpose degree-granting institution devoted entirely to cybersecurity / information security,' SANS Technology Institute seems likely to have greater mainstream acceptance than EC-Council University. Sans Technology Institute is regionally accredited (Middle States), offers undergraduate and graduate certificates and master's degrees, and operates separately from but is a subsidiary of the larger cybersecurity / information security training and service provider the SANS Institute.
Take the reddit postings with a grain of salt. I've seen groups on reddit claim Western Governors is garbage and has a bad rep when I know the opposite is true. No matter what, there will always be a band of critics for every school you can mention. Heck, I just saw Union Institute & University on a quackwatch list and while that school is no academic wonder, a quackwatch listing is stretching things pretty far. Every student should research what the school offers, how it delivers, talk with some staff, and get a feel for themselves about how things will go. Of course, IF every channel you check says the school is bad, well, then you might want to listen to that.
That would be my understanding. OTOH, Certified Ethical Hacker credential has some recognition, and is somewhat different in focus from SANS certificates - so perhaps ECCU does have it's niche. In general, yes, SANS Institute appears to have an edge. Having said that, MCIT degree from UPenn is $25K, and would look way better on a resume, even for a compsec practitioner.
Last I looked, you could download (i.e. steal) the entire text of the C.E.H program (illegally) from dark corners of the Internet - and the instruction videos as well. Perhaps doing that is some kind of hacker's entrance exam...
Imagine going to an exam centre and seeing the following on-screen: "Congratulations. Your final grade is 88%. You have successfully completed the Penetration Testing / White-hat Hacking Exam. You may now fake a log-on through the "back door" and steal your diploma...."
