Western Governor's University - MS Information Security and Assurance

ssiphone@sbcglobal.net

qwertyiop wrote: »

That sounds great, if you need anything from me or any other WGU students just let us know

I will for sure! Glad to know that there are others interested. I talked to Gwen about the current administrations desires to expand cyber security. I am a CISO in the utility sector and we are finally dealing with new standards related to critical infrastructure and getting a lot of traction on cyber security with the monies in the stimulus bill to demonstrate SMARTgrid technologies. This all means there is a strong link in industry to the federal government; let's add the credibility that comes along with COE designation.

theICE

Everything ssiphone posted is correct, I think some people that put down WGU are just misinformed.

ssiphone@sbcglobal.net

theICE wrote: »

You do not get credit for experience, but only for some classes if you have certain certs, please get the facts straight before you put down WGU.

Exactly! I just posted a little longer of a response below to the folks on this post that seem to pontificate and thought we needed a little balance in the facts.

Online education is not for everyone, just like B&M is not for everyone. Personally, the B&M method just grates on my nerves. As a working professional, I am not interested in dealing with the sycophants. I hated it when I was "that" age and now I really hate it today.

veritas_libertas

veritas_libertas wrote: »

Yeah, I have a feeling what you are saying is what is going on at WGU.

I just wanted to reconfirm for you all my earlier comment. I talked to my counselor again this evening and he said that they are indeed planning on getting NSA certified by the end of the year.

ssiphone@sbcglobal.net

veritas_libertas wrote: »

I just wanted to reconfirm for you all my earlier comment. I talked to my counselor again this evening and he said that they are indeed planning on getting NSA certified by the end of the year.

Gwen Britton and I have a con call tomorrow evening to go over some MSISA program information as well as to get to the bottom of this question for sure. Gwen is the head of the MSISA program. She is definitely an advocate for certification. It was her work that added the certs to the MSISA program.

qwertyiop

ssiphone@sbcglobal.net wrote: »

Gwen Britton and I have a con call tomorrow evening to go over some MSISA program information as well as to get to the bottom of this question for sure. Gwen is the head of the MSISA program. She is definitely an advocate for certification. It was her work that added the certs to the MSISA program.

Well goodluck. I hope you'll let us know how it goes

shednik

theICE wrote: »

Everything ssiphone posted is correct, I think some people that put down WGU are just misinformed.

No I just don't agree with giving credit because you have a certification...the standard BS usually requires 120-126 credits I think to earn a degree you should have to earn all of them by taking some sort of class. I am in no way saying you have to go the traditional route but their program just makes me wonder....no GPA and giving credit for certifications. Maybe I'm just more for a more traditional program be it online or in class, I looked into their program and was turned off by how they did things. Definitely not what I was looking for, but for some it may work. I chose to get my degree at a local school for the curriculum and the name, both I felt would do me better then any other school.

veritas_libertas

I think most of what you are saying has already been addressed in this thread. As far as certs go, I know of other schools and community colleges that will do that. For that matter don't forget that you can test out of many classes, in fact most classes in a traditional college.

dynamik

veritas_libertas wrote: »

I think most of what you are saying has already been addressed in this thread. As far as certs go, I know of other schools and community colleges that will do that. For that matter don't forget that you can test out of many classes, in fact most classes in a traditional college.

This is true. Brown College, for example, basically helps you earn certs and allows you to test out of courses. I could have tested out of 3/4 of the required courses. They still wanted me to pay full tuition for each credit though, so I told them to go fly a kite.

qwertyiop

ssiphone@sbcglobal.net wrote: »

Gwen Britton and I have a con call tomorrow evening to go over some MSISA program information as well as to get to the bottom of this question for sure. Gwen is the head of the MSISA program. She is definitely an advocate for certification. It was her work that added the certs to the MSISA program.

How was it?

veritas_libertas

qwertyiop wrote: »

How was it?

Yes, what did you find out? :

ssiphone@sbcglobal.net

veritas_libertas wrote: »

Yes, what did you find out? :

So Gwen and I did connect on Wednesday...this is the first I have been able to login.

They WILL be seeking the NSA certification, just not until 2010. There is some more work left to do on the courseware that needs to be worked out before they can apply. Adding the EC-Council and SANS certs to the program was a big step forward as those courses are already approved within the NSA process. There are five or six of the WGU created assessments that are still being developed. (There are 18 total needed to graduated.) Additionally, there are requirements around the number of faculty and their status in the industry. One of the things is having published faculty...right now the only one they have is the new dude, Allen Clarkson.

Provided the remaining courseware is approved in 2010, she anticipates certification in 2011. I did talk to her about whether that designation would be retroactive to students that graduated prior and she was going to check on that and get back to me. I should be done no later than December 2010 so I sure hope the retro thing works out. There is a chance that they might have to change a course based on the process and that could be a limiting factor for the retro status.

Gwen and I talk often, and you can guarantee that I will stay on top of this subject. If anything changes, I will be sure to post to keep everyone informed!

Scott.

veritas_libertas

ssiphone@sbcglobal.net wrote: »

So Gwen and I did connect on Wednesday...this is the first I have been able to login.

They WILL be seeking the NSA certification, just not until 2010. There is some more work left to do on the courseware that needs to be worked out before they can apply. Adding the EC-Council and SANS certs to the program was a big step forward as those courses are already approved within the NSA process. There are five or six of the WGU created assessments that are still being developed. (There are 18 total needed to graduated.) Additionally, there are requirements around the number of faculty and their status in the industry. One of the things is having published faculty...right now the only one they have is the new dude, Allen Clarkson.

Provided the remaining courseware is approved in 2010, she anticipates certification in 2011. I did talk to her about whether that designation would be retroactive to students that graduated prior and she was going to check on that and get back to me. I should be done no later than December 2010 so I sure hope the retro thing works out. There is a chance that they might have to change a course based on the process and that could be a limiting factor for the retro status.

Gwen and I talk often, and you can guarantee that I will stay on top of this subject. If anything changes, I will be sure to post to keep everyone informed!

Scott.

Thanks for the update Scott. I am glad to hear they are headed that way. It will benefit them for sure!

veritas_libertas

redroses wrote: »

Thanks Ed for the uplifting comment. It is good to know that somehow I could be of help although the thread is way old.

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dynamik

veritas_libertas wrote: »

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It's just spam. He matched the color of the link to the background

Alif_Sadida_Ekin

Question. If I start a program at WGU and I don't finish, will I be able to transfer what I've earned to a brick and mortar school, such as a state university? Or would I have to go back to WGU to finish my BS?

qwertyiop

Alif_Sadida_Ekin wrote: »

Question. If I start a program at WGU and I don't finish, will I be able to transfer what I've earned to a brick and mortar school, such as a state university? Or would I have to go back to WGU to finish my BS?

Its up to the school that your applying to and if they want to accept the transfer

snadam

dynamik wrote: »

This is true. Brown College, for example, basically helps you earn certs and allows you to test out of courses. I could have tested out of 3/4 of the required courses. They still wanted me to pay full tuition for each credit though, so I told them to go fly a kite.

I guess im kind of beating a dead horse here, but this has been my experience as well.

veritas_libertas

Just updating the thread...

http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/51675-wgus-ms-isa-has-been-certified-cnss.html

asurania

HAs anyone notices the changes to the degree. It now includes the CCNA

TheSuperRuski

asurania wrote: »

HAs anyone notices the changes to the degree. It now includes the CCNA

Yea there is a whole discussion about that in the WGU sticky threads. Apparently they changed around a few degrees. I was looking forward to getting CWSP but it makes sense as there is no CWNA course. They should have moved the Net+ to BS security and moved the CCNA:Security to the masters program or added CCSP.

I wonder how different it will be by the time i get there.

erpadmin

TheSuperRuski wrote: »

I wonder how different it will be by the time i get there.

From what I gathered before I started, they seem to change their programs a good number of times (at least once....unless of course you are one of those super one-term graduates.)

Whatever your program is when you start is what it will be. I think they give you the option of waiving courses and opting for the new stuff, or...they give you a certain date to get your old one. This is what I noticed when folks used to take the Vista exam for the MCITP:EA instead of Windows 7...by the time I started WGU, I now have to take the Windows 7 exam. (Vista won't fly for credit for me...as if it mattered. )

veritas_libertas

asurania wrote: »

HAs anyone notices the changes to the degree. It now includes the CCNA

Yeah, I think it's a good change.

PsychoFin

veritas_libertas wrote: »

Yeah, I think it's a good change.

And their Network Admin degree doesn't include the CCNA...

Syntax

Well that's good because I just got my CCNA a few months ago.

nbkripl

While I agree with taking Net+ off the Masters and adding the CCNA, its very saddening to see the CWNA and CWSP removed. I feel that together they both made up a strong portion of the masters degree. Now it is missing a wireless portion. It is supposed to me masked after the CISSP which does include a Wireless Domain. Now it has a better network portion witht he CCNA, but lacks a wireless portion. Not sure where they were going with this reasoning.

-Foxer-

Overall I'm pretty happy with the changes. I'm pretty glad they added the CCNA, because I was thinking of doing that anyway on my own after I finish.

I'm not sure how high of a demand for the CWSP there is, but isn't the class at WGU only half of the certification? You'd still have to take the other half on your own.

veritas_libertas

-Foxer- wrote: »

Overall I'm pretty happy with the changes. I'm pretty glad they added the CCNA, because I was thinking of doing that anyway on my own after I finish.

I'm not sure how high of a demand for the CWSP there is, but isn't the class at WGU only half of the certification? You'd still have to take the other half on your own.

This is a personal frustration so don't think it's aimed at you

WGU isn't looking at these certs as certifications, they are looking at them as tests of ones knowledge. They have decided to now focus on your knowledge of networking vs. lightly focusing on networking and wireless.

-Foxer-

veritas_libertas wrote: »

This is a personal frustration so don't think it's aimed at you

WGU isn't looking at these certs as certifications, they are looking at them as tests of ones knowledge. They have decided to now focus on your knowledge of networking vs. lightly focusing on networking and wireless.

Good point.

I was actually about to start studying for the CWSP class, but I guess I'll skip it now. Of course I could hurry and do it before the changes take place. Maybe I'll do that.

Anyway, while I think knowledge of wireless is good, I think a deeper understanding of networking is a better route to go. At the company I work for, we only have a few laptops that are wireless, but the vast majority of computers are wired. Even the laptops are usually plugged in to a docking station and are wired.

It just seems like overall a it's a better way. I could be wrong though.

kevin444

HMm quite tempting, I'll wait to my employer picks up the tab on tuition until than ill ride it out with certs.