If you do the MSISA at WGU and then decide to go for the MSITM, can you skip courses?

So there are 3 classes shared between the MSISA and MSITM degrees at WGU:

Risk Management
Current and Emerging Technology
Cyberlaw, Regulations, and Compliance

Now I am wondering what happens if you ever decide to do another Masters at WGU and have previously completed 3 of the courses from the previous curriculum.

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nathandrake

Nyblizzard wrote: »

So there are 3 classes shared between the MSISA and MSITM degrees at WGU:

Risk Management
Current and Emerging Technology
Cyberlaw, Regulations, and Compliance

Now I am wondering what happens if you ever decide to do another Masters at WGU and have previously completed 3 of the courses from the previous curriculum.

I don't know the answer, but I would assume they would transfer over. It would be a good thing to know for sure. When I first enrolled for the MS program at WGU, I was in the MS Network Management (which I don't see on their website anymore). I switched after one term to the MSISA. If they transfer over, I would already have these classes done:
Cyberlaw, Regulations, and Compliance
Risk Management
Current and Emerging Technology
Technical Writing
Disaster Recovery Planning, Prevention and Response

I may look into this after I finish the MSISA program next term.

Nyblizzard

That's almost half the classes! Definitely interested in finding out as this would persuade me to eventually go for both

srabiee

WGU doesn't allow you to obtain 2 masters degrees from the same school. You can, however, obtain a masters from the school of IT and a masters from the school of business. But not two masters from the school of IT.

aspiringsoul

srabiee wrote: »

WGU doesn't allow you to obtain 2 masters degrees from the same school. You can, however, obtain a masters from the school of IT and a masters from the school of business. But not two masters from the school of IT.

srabiee is correct. So you could go for an MBA: IT Management and the MS:ISA if you wanted...

WilliamK99

I have always been taught you get degrees from different universities, ie. Bachelors / Masters/ any other degree all from different schools. Even if allowed I would not reccomen d you do it as it won't help your resume at all.

aspiringsoul

WilliamK99 wrote: »

I have always been taught you get degrees from different universities, ie. Bachelors / Masters/ any other degree all from different schools. Even if allowed I would not reccomen d you do it as it won't help your resume at all.

That might be true for those who are considering a career in academia.

Outside of Academia though, I doubt it matters...

cyberguypr

That "get degrees from different universities" myth has been debunked here many times over. As aspiringsoul said, other than academia and perhaps an idealist or two out there, essentially no one cares.

cshkuru

According to the student handbook you should be able to do both the MSITM and MSISA

The WGU policy on second degree matriculation dictates that:

Students wishing to matriculate into a WGU baccalaureate degree program, who already hold an associate or baccalaureate degree from a regionally, nationally or U.S. Department of Education recognized accredited institution, may only do so if the WGU degree will require a minimum of 30 CUs;
Students wishing to matriculate into a WGU master’s degree program who already hold a BA or BS degree from WGU may only do so if the WGU degree will require the completion of at least one domain of study in addition to any required clinical or capstone work;
Students wishing to matriculate into a WGU master’s degree program who already hold a WGU master’s degree or a master’s degree from a regionally, nationally or U.S. Department of Education recognized accredited institution may only do so if the WGU degree will require the completion of at least one domain of study in addition to any clinical or capstone work;
Students who completed a licensure degree program in teaching at WGU or a regionally accredited institution may not matriculate into an initial licensure baccalaureate, post-baccalaureate or MAT degree program (see also the policy on Licensure Requirements for Admission to the Teachers College, and note that students who have graduated from a WGU post-baccalaureate program may return to complete the corresponding MAT degree provided all degree content requirements are met for the current catalog program version at the time of enrollment);
Students may not complete two MBA, two MSN, two MAT, or two MED degree programs;
Students may not complete more than two graduate degrees from the same college;
Students may not complete both the BA and MS in Special Education; and
Students may not matriculate into two WGU programs simultaneously.

So assuming that they actually read and follow the policies they have published (which has not always been my experience) you could conceivably complete the MSISA, MSITM, and MBA ITM

srabiee

"Students may not complete two MBA, two MSN, two MAT, or two MED degree programs;
Students may not complete more than two graduate degrees from the same college"

Can't do it. It's written there plain as day.

cshkuru

None of those apply. More than two graduate degrees from the same college and none of the degree types listed apply to the College of IT

MAT = Masters of Teaching MED = Masters of Education MSN = Masters of Science Nursing MBA = Masters Business Administration. Not saying that WGU will let you do it but according to their rules it should be possible.

srabiee

In that case you may be able to make a strong argument for it as it relates to the school of IT. I will call the continuing education department tomorrow and inquire about this.

cshkuru

I'm sure they will tell you it is a mistake and change the handbook

but right now there is a loophole. My secret plan is to do everything in the MSITM except the capstone then tell them I want to change to the MSISA so I get all the classes even if I do only get the one degree. Then I may or may not do the MBA.

cshkuru

In case anyone is interested here is the overlap between the 3 IT Masters

WGU masters.jpg

srabiee

Spoke to a WGU rep, they said as far as they understand, students are permitted to obtain both the MSISA and MSITM degrees. 4 classes overlap, so 10 CU's total would transfer over (33% of the degree program).

nathandrake

srabiee wrote: »

Spoke to a WGU rep, they said as far as they understand, students are permitted to obtain both the MSISA and MSITM degrees. 4 classes overlap, so 10 CU's total would transfer over (33% of the degree program).

That's good to know. I should finish the MSISA in Dec. I may take a few month break to finish up some certs and then enroll in the MSITM since I have about half of the courses done already from a first term program change and overlap of MSISA.

Nyblizzard

srabiee wrote: »

Spoke to a WGU rep, they said as far as they understand, students are permitted to obtain both the MSISA and MSITM degrees. 4 classes overlap, so 10 CU's total would transfer over (33% of the degree program).

This is great news! Thanks for asking as this should definitely influence what I do going forward.

Doyen

srabiee wrote: »

Spoke to a WGU rep, they said as far as they understand, students are permitted to obtain both the MSISA and MSITM degrees. 4 classes overlap, so 10 CU's total would transfer over (33% of the degree program).

Thank you very much for verifying that this was possible! +rep

colemic

srabiee wrote: »

Spoke to a WGU rep, they said as far as they understand, students are permitted to obtain both the MSISA and MSITM degrees. 4 classes overlap, so 10 CU's total would transfer over (33% of the degree program).

That must have changed. (And I would get that in writing!!!)

I was specifically told I could NOT complete two degrees from the same school (MSISA and MSNM). I started the MSML from the Business School, and I love learning about leadership, but that specific program wasn't mature enough for me.

cshkuru

colemic wrote: »

That must have changed. (And I would get that in writing!!!)

I was specifically told I could NOT complete two degrees from the same school (MSISA and MSNM). I started the MSML from the Business School, and I love learning about leadership, but that specific program wasn't mature enough for me.

That is (the) one of the major complaints about WGU. Just about everyone seems satisfied once the are in their program but getting accurate consistent enrollment information is impossible. It varies from counselor to counselor.

N2IT

@ Colemic.

I was told this as well, a year ago. I hope WGU doesn't turn into a degree mill.

aspiringsoul

I can confirm that is it possible to enroll in the MS:ITM program after completing the MS:ISA program.

I spoke with an enrollment counselor earlier. At first, he said it's WGU's policy to not allow a student to enroll in two programs from the same college. He checked with his supervisor and (to his surprise), he confirmed that students are allowed to pursue the other degree track after completion of a program. Looks like the IT college is an exclusion to the rule that applies to the other colleges.

It's similar to dual majoring at other Universities (going after two Masters at once)...but you're only allowed to pursue one program at a time with WGU.

This looks like a pretty sweet deal since it would effectively eliminate 4 of the 10 required courses. I'm considering doing this when I complete the MS:ISA.

colemic

Well THAT is just irritating.

srabiee

I agree, the enrollment process and the involved headache is the worst part about WGU.

colemic

Sucks for me, because by completing the first term of the MSML, I lost the advantage of leveraging classes I had already taken. (same number completed as I would have been able to 'transfer'

aspiringsoul

colemic wrote: »

Sucks for me, because by completing the first term of the MSML, I lost the advantage of leveraging classes I had already taken. (same number completed as I would have been able to 'transfer'

That's a shame Colemic, would you consider enrolling in the MS:ITM program at this point?

colemic

I'll definitely give it some thought.

So it looks like I would have 3 classes done for MSITM, 2 classes for MBA ITM.

wgu-social-media

Sorry for the delayed response, but we wanted to triple-check the various components of this question against the relevant policies and departments to make sure that we get you the right answer. Yes, a graduate of the MSISA program can enroll in the MSITM program, as long as these are the first and only two IT master's degrees you've earned from WGU. Our policy prevents a graduate from earning more than two graduate degrees from the same college, and there must be substantial difference in the domains of study between the two programs. When enrolling in the MSITM program, a returning graduate would have a transcript review in which our transcripts team would look at the courses you completed in the MSISA program, ensuring that the version of the course you completed was recent enough that it covers the competencies required in the current version of MSITM program. Completed courses that are deemed to overlap with course requirements in the new program would be waived.

colemic

Thanks for responding! Hope you guys hang out here more, there is a substantial WGU presence here.

If I am understanding you correctly, I may be further along than I thought, since it sounds like it doesn't have to be a one-for one, explicit matchup on the course names.

srabiee

I agree, it's good to see WGU faculty on these forums.

Nyblizzard

Awesome to get an official response!