WGU or Capella

Jibbs

Hey guys,
I've been looking at both WGU and Capella University for a B.S. in IT with a security emphasis. I was just wondering what college is better or if there is really a difference. I know they are both regionally accredited, however, WGU offers certifications throughout the time of your degree, the only thing about WGU is that they don't offer any form of GPA based programs. I feel that if i wanted to go get my Master's from another college later on then this may end up hurting me in the end. Would love to get some input from others, whether you have gone to either college or not. Thanks.

dynamik

bruno1114@hotmail.com wrote:

...the only thing about WGU is that they don't offer any form of GPA based programs.

This is one thing that really rubs me the wrong way about their programs. There are a few of us trying to determine what the actual implications of this are. My understanding is people don't have trouble taking graduate work as long as they complete the degree, but they would have trouble transferring the actual credits if they wanted to complete the degree elsewhere.

Does any other respectable college offer non-GPA programs? This was the first I'd heard of such a thing.

JDMurray

I think even UoP and DeVry have the concept of GPA. And the certs are just a marketing gimmick to get people to enroll.

And why do you want to get a BSIT online? It's much more expensive than going to a state university. I recommend online for an MSIT, but I can't see spending that kind of $$$$$ for just an undergrad degree. Are you paying for it all or is your employer kicking in a percentage?

Jibbs

Well actually WGU would be cheaper for me and much quicker for me to complete rather than going back to a state university. I already graduated from a state university in an unrelated field, if I were to go back to a state school it would take close to 2.5 to 3 years to complete another degree, where as, WGU would not take as long. As far as the cost of the degree's, WGU would be about the same if not a little cheaper for me, I have looked and interviewed at a number of state schools close me and they are a little more expensive actually, especially if it took me as long as they are telling me it would take.

Jibbs

One other thing I didn't mention in my last reply was the fact that I don't have the time to go back to a state university and take sit down classes. I need to find a program where I can go at my own pace and at my convience, a state university would be extremely difficult for me right now.

JDMurray

Well, if you need the convenience of online, and WGU is in your budget and not a diploma mill, it sounds like the right solution for you.

shednik

What is you undergrad in?? If I were you I may just consider a masters if you already have a Bachelors.

Jibbs

Actually my undergrad is in Exercise Science with a minor in psychology. I have talked to a few colleges about going and getting masters and they all seem to say that it would take just as long to go back and take all the prereqs i would need to start my masters as it would to just go back and get a bachelors.

dynamik

Have you looked at the masters at Capella and WGU? I'm still a bit away from that myself, but I'm wrapping up a Psychology BA, and I didn't see anything that would prevent me from going into one of the masters that I wanted. Not sure about WGU, but here's Capella's admission requirements: http://www.capella.edu/inc/pdf/admissions_requirements.pdf

What was your undergrad, JD?

shednik

Jibbs wrote:

Actually my undergrad is in Exercise Science with a minor in psychology. I have talked to a few colleges about going and getting masters and they all seem to say that it would take just as long to go back and take all the prereqs i would need to start my masters as it would to just go back and get a bachelors.

I'm not sure it all depends on what school you goto, I mean dynamik is getting his BS in Pysch and will get a masters of IT. So it wouldn't be out of the question, you may be in that situation for a masters of computer science or computer engineering. I think the masters may be a better option, but thats just me.

JDMurray

dynamik wrote:

What was your undergrad, JD?

BA in Cultural Anthropology with emphases in Archeology and Ethnomusicology. I was a music major (composition, bass clarinet) before that. I took a few computer science classes too.

MCPWannabe

Jibbs,

I'm in a very similar situation. I graduated from a state University with a degree in Philosophy. I then got a Master's degree in Business. This caused a few problems in my job search.

Without experience, a degree in a computer related field and a few certs is the easiest way to land a good job.

I lost about 20K extra a year because I didn't have a bachelors in IT or Computer Science.

Finally, after having enough, I decided that to change some things. Having been through one Master's degree while working, I know what it takes to work full-time and get a Master's degree. It's not easy. I won't be surprised if it takes me 3 to 4 years to complete my Master's degree, especially when considering that someone needs to keep up with certifications. That's a lot of extra studying.

During that time without a formal degree in a computer related field, I realized that I could be losing a lot of money as there would be an entire class of lucrative jobs that I would be excluded from getting.

So, what I've done is decide to delay my Master's program start date from January to September. In the meantime, I contacted WGU and they told me that if I bust my tail, I could complete the Bachelor's degree in IT in 6 months. That makes for a total cost of $2800 for a Bachelor's degree.

However, after one to two years of experience, I become eligible to get quite a nice raise in the job market while not having to kill myself rushing to get my second Master's degree (Software Engineering, which will be ABET approved meaning that I can go to an Engineering PhD program afterwards if I like).

So, my advice.. if you just need a degree that is fully accredited and that you can get quick (so you get paid), go for it. WGU is waiving a bunch of my credits based upon the pre-existing certs and the other degree.

After that, I'm going to bust tail and complete my second Master's degree.

Oh and one more thing.. Having an accredited undergraduate degree can sometimes be faster than taking the prerequisites to get in a Master's program. In my case, I actually save one semester on my Master's program because I don't have to take the extra courses. I found that out quite by surprise.

So, I'd say go for it.

Slowhand

JDMurray wrote:

dynamik wrote:

What was your undergrad, JD?

BA in Cultural Anthropology with emphases in Archeology and Ethnomusicology. I was a music major (composition, bass clarinet) before that. I took a few computer science classes too.

I read that on the internet, somewhere.

Jibbs

Thanks MCPwannabe, I appreciate the post. As of right now if all goes as planned I think I am not going to go to WGU. I contacted a University close to me "James Madison University" and they offer a online Master's Degree in InfoSec that I had looked at before WGU but thought that since I had a B.S. in an unrelated field I could not get in the program. However, after talking to their department chair they told me that even if I didn't have a B.S. in IT or computer science I could still get accepted to the program and just have to take 4 prepatory courses to prepare me for the core classes. All in all the program would take me right about 2.5 years to complete and I would come out with a master's of course and a few certifications as well. JMU is a great school with a great IT program, my brother recently graduated from there and loved it. It is going to be a little expensive, however, I am lucky enough to work for a company that is going to help pay for more that half of the program.

Dan1963

Grad school admissions folks have been ok with a pass/fail degree in my case because my LSAT and GRE scores are very good. Some schools don't like online degrees period. However, letting them know that WGU has regional accreditation and is a NON-PROFIT seems to make a big difference.

This is my first ever post so I hope I did ok.