Best online College for a Degree in IT...please advice!!!

pesinet

Hello guys,

I am looking for an online college for a Bachelor Degree in IT but i don't know which one to select, there are a lot of choice, so i need some advice. My reason: I am full time employee, my choice are DeVry University, Excelsior College, American Intercontinental University and University Of Phoenix but i don't know if the IT programs are good on those schools.

Thanks

Pesinet

veritas_libertas

pesinet wrote: »

Hello guys,

I am looking for an online college for a Bachelor Degree in IT but i don't know which one to select, there are a lot of choice, so i need some advice. My reason: I am full time employee, my choice are DeVry University, Excelsior College, American Intercontinental University and University Of Phoenix but i don't know if the IT programs are good on those schools.

Thanks

Pesinet

I am currently getting ready to start classes with Western Governors in January. I just looked at all your certifications and I think you would be crazy not to consider them.

Western Governors University

pesinet

Is your Degree online? is in IT? what about the university is a good one?

veritas_libertas

pesinet wrote: »

Is your Degree online? is in IT? what about the university is a good one?

My Associate degree is from a local community college. My plan (because of my current circumstances) is to take my online BS degree from WGU. Read through the web site and you will learn allot about them. Also check out: WGU Student Hall that is good place to talk to current WGU students. I believe there also are quite a few WGU students around TE.

pesinet

Thanks for the advice. Do you know any other online college with good programs reputation?

veritas_libertas

pesinet wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. Do you know any other online college with good programs reputation?

Capella is the other popular one on TE. Capella (In my opinion) is very expensive though.

bwcarty

veritas_libertas wrote: »

My Associate degree is from a local community college. My plan (because of my current circumstances) is to take my online BS degree from WGU. Read through the web site and you will learn allot about them. Also check out: WGU Student Hall that is good place to talk to current WGU students. I believe there also are quite a few WGU students around TE.

I'm doing the same. I had an AA and several Microsoft certs already, so WGU was an excellent fit for me. The tuition is very reasonable, the program is fully accredited, and the majority of the upper level courses translate to industry standard certs.

I'm in my first semester now, and so far, so good. The first few IT courses are determined for you (CIW Foundations, A+ Foundations/IT Technician, and CIW JavaScript Fundamentals) but after that, it seems like it's up you. There's a recommended order, but I've already talked to my mentor about moving the MS 70-293 course to the next slot so that I can finish my MCSE.

If you have any specific questions about how WGU works, let me know.

veritas_libertas

bwcarty wrote: »

I'm doing the same. I had an AA and several Microsoft certs already, so WGU was an excellent fit for me. The tuition is very reasonable, the program is fully accredited, and the majority of the upper level courses translate to industry standard certs.

I'm in my first semester now, and so far, so good. The first few IT courses are determined for you (CIW Foundations, A+ Foundations/IT Technician, and CIW JavaScript Fundamentals) but after that, it seems like it's up you. There's a recommended order, but I've already talked to my mentor about moving the MS 70-293 course to the next slot so that I can finish my MCSE.

If you have any specific questions about how WGU works, let me know.

Sounds like it is going well with you. How much longer do you have?

JomP

I agree with veritas_libertas I am going to WGU, and it is a great school. I have been going there for almost 2 years now and working full time. The tuition is reasonable and it is at your own pass, but not a "degree mill". I went to another online school before I went to WGU and ended up not even transferring the credits because the school was to easy, I felt like I would graduate and not know anything....

cablegod

August made one year for me. I will be finished by August of 2010. It was the only option for me, as I do NOT have the time to go sit in a classroom and couldn't fit class around my life. This way, I can fit my education around my life. Most of my upper-level classes were transfer credits from all of my certifications. Also, you can't beat the low tuition.

slideoff

+1 for WGU... been enrolled for over a year. Great option if your company will give you tuition reimbursement for a degree, but not for certs. WGU will give you a voucher for each exam including a retake if you fail. They also hook you up with learning resources for each cert, including a Books24x7 membership (they used to use safari, but they canceled it.. sucks). And to top it off, you are paying tuition per six month period, not per credit, so if you are really motivated and have the time, you can knock a bunch of stuff out quick.

bwcarty

I have Jan 2011 as my target completion date. Almost all of the non-IT courses were covered by my AA transfer credits. The first semester kicks off slowly since you have to do the required orientation course, wait for your mentor to contact you to go over your goals, expected timeframes, review the material from orientation, etc. before getting into your first official course.

I'm about a week away from completing the "boring" intro courses and get back into the stuff that matters to me. I started in August, and I'm on my 4th course now. I should be able to knock out 70-293 and Network+ by the end of December.

Piers

WGU looks like a great option, I've been looking around for a place that will not only accept my certs as credits, but also the two years I almost completed at a technical institute (almost made it because I was unable to program in C++ and Assembler ) look like they will count for something.. I've always felt that despite 14 years in the industry, my resumes are passed over due to lack of degree/diploma.

thenjduke

I am giving WGU alot of cosideration. The problem is I also like Devry program. I do have a question though does WGU do labs where you get practice? The thing that I really like about WGU is the fact they will take my present certifications for credit into play.

bwcarty

thenjduke wrote: »

I am giving WGU alot of cosideration. The problem is I also like Devry program. I do have a question though does WGU do labs where you get practice? The thing that I really like about WGU is the fact they will take my present certifications for credit into play.

For the classes that map to a standard cert/exam, WGU is more of a guided self study program. They'll generally give you access to a non-**** practice exam, possibly some CBT courses, and cover your first two attempts on each exam. The CIW courses include the official coursebook. You can talk to mentors or post on their community forums if you have specific issues with any of the material, but I haven't had to use those resources, yet.

As far as labs go, you're on your own, but for the Microsoft exams, you do get access to the MSDN Academic Alliance, which includes unrestricted copies of 2003/2008 Server, Exchange Server 2007, XP, Vista, Windows 7, Access, Project, OneNote, and Expression Web. You can use those plus any of the free virtualization options to build out your test labs.

Obdurate

pesinet wrote: »

Hello guys,

I am looking for an online college for a Bachelor Degree in IT but i don't know which one to select, there are a lot of choice, so i need some advice. My reason: I am full time employee, my choice are DeVry University, Excelsior College, American Intercontinental University and University Of Phoenix but i don't know if the IT programs are good on those schools.

Thanks

Pesinet

I am biased for the University of Phoenix -- no tests, but a brutal amount of papers to write each week.

I loved the school (I recieved my masters in information systems from UoP), mostly because I could go to class and study when it was best for me -- very early in the morning (usually 4 AM).

My favorite class was the Critical Thinking (you will never look at advertisments or news casters in the same light). My least favorite was the Java programming classes -- I had a very difficult time with those classes; I worked my job for 40 hours a week, and then I spent 30 hours a week trying to get my blasted programs to work. While I did very well grade-wise, I will never ever willingly do programming for a living.

Regards,

Obdurate~