MS ISA: WGU vs Capitol vs DSU

Wolvendeer

I've nearly completed my B.S IT - Security at WGU, and I'm considering getting a master's degree in Information Security Assurance from one of the above three universities. My deciding factor for this degree isn't cost or speed at which I can complete (although cost is definitely an issue), but rather, I want to go through a program that will help me learn as much as possible about the ISA discipline.

Being a student at WGU, that was obviously my first consideration, but I have heard from a few people that they did not consider the ISA material to be strong enough for a masters degree. Considering that the CEH is one of the certifications that one would get as part of the program (last time I checked), I definitely give weight to those complaints. So, for someone whose primary focus is learning, rather than just getting that piece of paper (which is what my focus is for my B.S. degree), could anyone give recommendations on WGU vs Capitol and DSU?

da_vato

I am about to finish the MSISA through WGU and would personally put that at the bottom of your list unless you have years of experience and just need the degree to check a box.

Of the two remaining I have spoken with the staff at Capitol-College because I am anticipating enrolling in their doctoral program next year. The staff that I have spoken with are really knowledgeable and you will learn a lot from them. In the IA arena I have heard great things about the school overall.

DSU... there are a couple on this forum that have/are enrolled in the program. I am sure they will eventually chime in. I do know their program is priced very competitively so if price is somewhat an issue this could be put higher on your list. Plus this school is ranked fairly high nationaly where Capitol is unranked (to my knowledge anyways).

Personally I would recommend this order Capitol > DSU > WGU.

cyberguypr

I just started the WGU MSISA program and having checked the material I have to agree with da_vato. What he describes is exactly my case. I was debating DSU vs. WGU for a while but since the masters is just a check box for me it didn't make any sense to spend more money and invest more time. I do see myself doing a Capitol, SANS, or similar masters down the road.

If money and time are not factors, I would say WGU is not even a contender.

exspiravit

I went to Capitol and I really learned a whole lot. My background is technical, my BS in in Telecommunications Engineering Technology, but I have brushed up and gotten involved in some aspects of security while I was in the Navy. So, the MSIA was to fill in the gaps of my patch-work knowledge and the school is rated high enough to gather attention on my resume. The knowledge I gained from the program also made the CISSP a no brainer for me (I did take a week long CBK review but I don't think it was necessary). YMMV though. All the professors were experienced and currently practice the field, which was important to me as I wanted both.

If you contact them, they do allow you to sit in on a class and you can experience a session for yourself. I'd suggest the 3rd class of any given class as things are rolling by then. Forensics is fun and anything by Professor Cayot is also recommended.

There are labs, and they are "hands-on". So, for forensics you get to use Access Data via a VMI, and perform data carving on sanitized images, you use with Wireshark, Nessus, etc. (any decent MS program should though). Some stuff I knew, some I did not.

Feel free to ask my any questions.

zxbane

Electronbee,

That sounds very interesting. How were they price wise and did you pay out of pocket? The part that sounds appealing is getting the hands on practice compared to simply reading about concepts and tools.

BradleyHU

wtf is DSU?

anoeljr

BradleyHU wrote: »

wtf is DSU?

Dakota State University.

BradleyHU

anoeljr wrote: »

Dakota State University.

oh ok....i had no idea. only DSU i know of is Delaware State Univ...

Doyen

I have tossed that idea around for a while now. If you were interested, I would recommend reading this thread for another outlook similar to your own.

Wolvendeer

Thanks for linking that thread, Doyen. It answers a few questions that I've had about how Capitol works.

AM-3

electronbee wrote: »

I went to Capitol and I really learned a whole lot. My background is technical, my BS in in Telecommunications Engineering Technology, but I have brushed up and gotten involved in some aspects of security while I was in the Navy. So, the MSIA was to fill in the gaps of my patch-work knowledge and the school is rated high enough to gather attention on my resume. The knowledge I gained from the program also made the CISSP a no brainer for me (I did take a week long CBK review but I don't think it was necessary). YMMV though. All the professors were experienced and currently practice the field, which was important to me as I wanted both.

If you contact them, they do allow you to sit in on a class and you can experience a session for yourself. I'd suggest the 3rd class of any given class as things are rolling by then. Forensics is fun and anything by Professor Cayot is also recommended.

There are labs, and they are "hands-on". So, for forensics you get to use Access Data via a VMI, and perform data carving on sanitized images, you use with Wireshark, Nessus, etc. (any decent MS program should though). Some stuff I knew, some I did not.

Feel free to ask my any questions.

Hi Electronbee,

Getting your MSIA from Capitol College along with a week review of CBK allowed you to pass the CISSP? I ask because I have about 3 years IT experience and am also looking to enroll in there MSIA program with the hopes of taking the CISSP after I graduate.

What electives did you take?

revned

I am starting my first semester at Capitol College next month in MSIA. I chose the school based on my goal to work in the federal government. The school being listed on the NSA website is a big plus coupled with this forum having alumni's from the school helped me in my decision. The price per credit which is $554 is great too and a 10 percent discount if you are a IEEE member which you can have for $35 with student status. Before choosing CC, I looked into Regis University and Utica but the school just didnt provide the curriculum I wanted. Also if you are close by, they have a Cyber Lab which I heard allows you to work on simulations. I attended a recent virtual info session and spoke to the Chair of the program and virtual access to the Cyber Lab is in the works so that will be great for us folks who are not close to Maryland.

Wolvendeer

Another question I have is this: I've heard people talking about getting a master's degree that actually hurt them in the job market. I'm assuming that this is at lower levels where they suddenly became 'overqualified' for a position. At what point does a master's degree stop hurting you and start helping you?

zxbane

revned wrote: »

I am starting my first semester at Capitol College next month in MSIA. I chose the school based on my goal to work in the federal government. The school being listed on the NSA website is a big plus coupled with this forum having alumni's from the school helped me in my decision. The price per credit which is $554 is great too and a 10 percent discount if you are a IEEE member which you can have for $35 with student status. Before choosing CC, I looked into Regis University and Utica but the school just didnt provide the curriculum I wanted. Also if you are close by, they have a Cyber Lab which I heard allows you to work on simulations. I attended a recent virtual info session and spoke to the Chair of the program and virtual access to the Cyber Lab is in the works so that will be great for us folks who are not close to Maryland.

This is very interesting and makes me consider CC even more so with the addition of the cyber lab especially since I live in Southern MD and could drive up to utilize the lab. I also work for the DoD currently so it would fall right in line with my experience. How many credits does the program require in total? Just trying to figure out the end cost at $554 per credit (not counting the 10% discount)

I am set to finish up my MBA in March and have found myself wanting to pursue a MSIA more and more

Wolvendeer

From what I'm reading on their site, it's a 36 credit hour degree program.

Jamm1n

So I don't have to start another thread about schools, anyone ever attend CITYU of Seattle MS IA program?

da_vato

Wolvendeer wrote: »

Another question I have is this: I've heard people talking about getting a master's degree that actually hurt them in the job market. I'm assuming that this is at lower levels where they suddenly became 'overqualified' for a position. At what point does a master's degree stop hurting you and start helping you?

I would say when your experience matches or exceeds your education. If you have 5-10+ years experience, your education is an enhancement.

BradleyHU

Wolvendeer wrote: »

Another question I have is this: I've heard people talking about getting a master's degree that actually hurt them in the job market. I'm assuming that this is at lower levels where they suddenly became 'overqualified' for a position. At what point does a master's degree stop hurting you and start helping you?

remember, you dont have to put your masters on your resume. its really that simple...

Wolvendeer

I'm about to reach that 7 year mark, so by the time I complete this degree I should have 9-10 years of experience. Guess that'll put me in the right spot for the degree. I'm also trying to transition into management, so I'm thinking that it shouldn't matter as much as it would if I was trying to stay in a line level position. Of course, the correct answer might be that a masters degree hurts you if it puts you in a position where you have more education than your manager. That's something that I've always heard from people who have been in corporate IT for a while.

Edit - That's true, Bradley. As long as I still have a job, however, it'll be staying on there. I don't really want to work for a company if being intelligent and well educated is going to hurt me. If I get in a position where I'm unemployed and looking for a job, then I'll have to start considering whether or not I want to leave it on or take it off for a specific job posting.

markulous

None of these master's programs offer certs within their degree plan, correct? I'm still completing my bachelor's with WGU, but I'm debating going into my master's program a year or two after I graduate.

Wolvendeer

markulous wrote: »

None of these master's programs offer certs within their degree plan, correct? I'm still completing my bachelor's with WGU, but I'm debating going into my master's program a year or two after I graduate.

Not in the way that WGU does. I've heard that CC prepares you pretty effectively to take your CISSP (not sure about DSU's curriculum), but they don't offer certifications as part of the degree.

markulous

Wolvendeer wrote: »

Not in the way that WGU does. I've heard that CC prepares you pretty effectively to take your CISSP (not sure about DSU's curriculum), but they don't offer certifications as part of the degree.

But WGU doesn't offer them either for their master's right?

Wolvendeer

For their MSISA they do offer CEH and CHFI. For the rest they don't. I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually removed those certs, as they seem to be phasing the certifications out of the masters degree programs. They used to have a lot more than just those two.

exspiravit

https://www.capitol-college.edu/academics/graduate-academics/information-assurance-ms/professional-competenciesI used my Post 9/11 Bill to pay for my MSIA. As I took some of the MSIA classes as electives for my BS from CC I was able to take all of the IAW courses plus three of their MSIE classes. I really liked the MSIE ones as you get to become familiar with OpNet and other aspects of networking that one may not normally get. I did have some basic, military, networking experience.

Their website does a pretty good job of describing how they focus the curriculum of the program.

In theory, one can get the MSIA, depending on the electives up to three graduate certs, and the CNSSI/NSTISSI domains. They have recently updated the program as they did not have the IAE-500 and CS-620 core courses. But, they also have some others that I like, IAE-630 for ICS and SCADA and the software centric ones. I'm really jealous now.