A Cautionary Tale With LRCC's Cybersecurity Program

Spring 2025 - My Frustrating Experience with LRCC’s Cybersecurity Program: An Administrative Letdown

As a cybersecurity student at Laurel Ridge Community College (LRCC), I've maintained a 4.0 GPA and fulfilled nearly all requirements for my associate's degree. However, I'm writing today out of sheer frustration—frustration caused not by academic difficulty, but by administrative oversight and poorly managed course scheduling at LRCC.

The Missing Link

I was just two courses away from completing my associate's degree: ITN 270, a core prerequisite class that must be taken before ITN 298, my capstone. After careful planning, I expected this class would be offered this summer, allowing me to smoothly transition into my bachelor's program at Western Governors University (WGU). Unfortunately, LRCC decided not to offer ITN 270 this summer, despite it being a mandatory requirement.

I checked the entire Virginia Community College System (VCCS)—including Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC)—and found that not a single institution was offering ITN 270 this summer. This isn't merely inconvenient; it's a complete systemic failure affecting students' ability to graduate on time.

Poor Advisement and Communication

Throughout my time at LRCC, advisement and administrative guidance have been significantly lacking. Had the school made it clear from the beginning that ITN 270 would not be available during the summer, I could have adjusted my plans accordingly. Instead, I've been blindsided by inadequate communication and advisement that failed to foresee and prevent this situation.

Credit Transfer Disappointments

My frustration doesn’t end with course scheduling. Even more disappointing was seeing how little of my recent coursework from LRCC transferred to WGU. Despite completing nearly an entire associate’s degree in cybersecurity with a 4.0 GPA, only two LRCC courses were accepted into WGU’s cybersecurity program. In stark contrast, an AAS in Automotive Technology from 30 years ago at NVCC and just a few CompTIA CE courses were far more impactful on my WGU transfer evaluation (I transfered 60 credits to WGU - of those 60, only 6 credits came from LRCC's cybersecurity curriculum). That raises a serious question: What value do LRCC’s cybersecurity courses really hold if they’re not recognized by reputable out-of-state institutions like WGU? This is supposed to be an accredited cybersecurity program—so why is nearly all of it ignored in the transfer process?

The reality is simple: LRCC’s cybersecurity classes are structured more like vocational workforce training than academic equivalents, and without a completed degree or recognized certifications to back them up, WGU doesn’t count most of them. It’s not just a transfer issue—it’s a reflection of how little value these courses carry beyond LRCC.

Why This Matters

This isn’t merely personal frustration—it’s a matter of accountability in higher education. LRCC’s lack of foresight in course scheduling and inadequate advisement directly impacted my academic timeline, financial planning, and sense of progress. But beyond that, this experience raises a deeper concern: how much real value does LRCC’s cybersecurity program actually provide if its courses aren’t even recognized by major accredited universities like WGU? When students invest their time and money into an accredited program, they expect it to hold academic weight—not just locally, but nationally. If that isn’t happening, something is fundamentally broken.

Moving Forward

I've already transferred my credits to WGU and will be moving forward with my bachelor's degree there. While I’m disappointed not to finish my associate’s at LRCC, the bigger lesson here is clear: institutions must do better in communicating with students, planning their course offerings, and managing credit transfers fairly and effectively.

I want to acknowledge that some of the instructors at LRCC were excellent. Their classes were engaging and informative, and they clearly cared about student success. My final semester here, Spring 2025, all 4 of my professors were great. Unfortunately, all of my cybersecurity professors efforts were overshadowed by structural issues and a curriculum that, in the end, did not translate into recognized academic progress beyond LRCC. The fault, not theirs, but rather the administration above them and my own.

I hope my experience prompts meaningful reflection and change at LRCC. Future students deserve better. Until then, my advice to prospective cybersecurity students is clear: think twice about LRCC’s cybersecurity program if you’re aiming for a transferable degree. If you're seeking a path toward a bachelor’s degree, you’ll likely get more cyber transfer credit—and more value—out of earning a few recognized industry certifications like the ones I took at NVCC. Don’t waste your time chasing a credential that won’t move with you.

In retrospect, if i knew then what I know now, I'd have asked better questions of my faculty advisor in regards to critical class availability. Unfortunately, the Course Catalog is not always accurate. I've seen many instances in the catalog where it says a class is only available in the 'Spring'. Yet, it will be available in the Summer too (and sometimes even in the Fall; despite the warning in the catalog on limited availability).

The cyber associate degree itself is not without value. But it works and transfers better as a completed degree. If I had know I would leave LRCC without completing the associates degree, I would have stuck with NOVA's Continuing Education program and gathered even more certifications than I did (I managed to complete 3 CompTIA certifications from NVCC while simultaneously enrolled full time at LRCC). The certifications transfer better to a college that counts them for cyber course credit and/or experience credit. In addition to CompTIA's A+, Network+, and Security+ I could have completed CEH, Linux+ or RHCSA, and CISSP. And, without the constraints of the dual enrollment requiring all my time, I would have had them done now too.