Western Governors University Questions and Answers / Threads related to WGU

jeffbates2002

@erpadmin

Thank you for the clarification--'Cheating' was never my desire nor intent. I appreciate your patience and understanding. Reading these posts is a big help. I've about decided to go the bachelors & get the certs as you suggest.
I'll probably schedule my intake interview this week.

Kind regards,

earweed

So many here are doing quite well in IT with non IT degrees and such. If I were you I would get the certs on my ownand get , if you don't have one now, an IT job. Then enroll in the IT masters program if you want a Masters. A masters without IT experience would be kind of pointless and so many people have done well ihn IT without an IT degree (a lot without a degree at all)

eansdad

earweed wrote: »

So many here are doing quite well in IT with non IT degrees and such. If I were you I would get the certs on my ownand get , if you don't have one now, an IT job. Then enroll in the IT masters program if you want a Masters. A masters without IT experience would be kind of pointless and so many people have done well ihn IT without an IT degree (a lot without a degree at all)

So many have done well but how many are from the last year or so? I have a friend with a B.S. in History that is a Systems Admin at a major university but he's been there for awhile.

If he's going into the IT management program then the Comptia Trio would be fine (just so he knows what is going on) along with maybe a Project+ but if he's looking at the IA track then I would say go for the B.S. first.

ryoder

I'm planning on doing the masters soon. I have a LOT of industry experience and I am still planning on this not being a cake walk.
If you have no experience or schooling a masters makes no sense to me.

Its like trying to get a masters in microbiology with an undergrad in political science.

But if you really want to then I would recommend what you said earlier. Go get an A+ book and test out of that. Then move up to network+ and pass that one. At the same time build a computer, install some OSs and some VMs, setup a basic at home router, setup and configure IIS, apache or some other type of web container like weblogic. Practice tracert, dns, dhcp, SSL etc.
Also wouldnt hurt to learn java or c# and pick up a certification there.

This at-home track will probably take a year to complete but will be relatively cheap to do since most of the materials can be picked up at the local library.

Good luck and pm me if you need any further help. I started out in the industry being self taught and just now am finishing a BSBA CIS.

Oh yeah and those certs you get will transfer to Thomas Edison's BSBA CIS program as well. A+, Network+ will get you 2 credits CIS elective each.
I got 7 for MCSD also.

jeffbates2002

@ryoder

Thank you for your thoughtful response! While I have already built a PC or two, installed OS's and set up a home network, it does seem odd to jump into the masters without a lot of job experience. Now I'm leaning toward the Bachelors...

I would love to get the Masters, but, as you and others have suggested, it is no cake walk! I would be better positioned for a job in the industry with the certs in the Bachelors program, I bet. Applied knowledge is power!

Thanks again!

jeffbates2002

@earweed

Thanks for your help! By IA track do you mean information assurance and security?

Thanks,

erpadmin

Jeff,

Have you tried finding a job in the IT field? A couple of years in the trenches of IT would make a nice precursor to a Masters in IT (whether it's in IA (Information Assurance/Cyber Security) or perhaps an MBA in Information Technology.

I know some people want to work on a second Bachelors after they find that they can't get a job with their BA in Basketweaving, or whatever non-IT major, but as I've said from the very beginning, if you already have a Bachelors, that carries alot of weight...more than you may realize.

Remember, a BA/BS shows prospective employers that one can start something and finish it. Even if one's BA/BS was in Basketweaving.

jeffbates2002

@erpadmin

Thank you for your insight and comments on the value of a degree.

I appreciate your candor and perspective. While I have a degree in 'basketweaving', it still feels like I'd be duplicating effort to get another BS degree--even if in an unrelated field. (Am I crazy or just gen. ed. adverse? I know most should transfer in--but still...)

Perhaps a job in I.T. first might be good to get ready for a MS degree later...

Thank you!

earweed

@jeffbates2002
I'd also like to chime in that there is a time limit on how long those credits from your first degree will transfer in. Depending on when you got your degree you might have to complete ALL the non-IT classes.

erpadmin

This is the latest information for anyone interested in either transferring to WGU or starting a second Bachelor's program (PDF is included in this post):

Transfer Credit Evaluation - For Students who Begin WGU on or after February 1 2011


A transcript evaluation is completed once official transcripts from all previously attended institutions have been received by WGU. Please note that transcripts must be sent to WGU directly from the issuing institution to be considered official. WGU does not perform unofficial evaluations or accept unofficial transcripts. The transfer guidelines (see PDF documents listed to the right of this article) will provide a good indication of expected transfer credit. Official transcript evaluations will occur in the month prior to your start and are performed in the order they are received. Students will not be able to begin their program until all official transcripts from all previously attended institutions have been received by WGU. We do not award transfer credit for transcripts received after the initial term start date. No transfer credit will be awarded once a student begins studies at WGU.


Courses accepted by transfer:

• Must be college level from an accredited institution (accrediting agency recognized by Council on Higher Education Accreditation).
• Must have been awarded a grade of C- or better (Pre-licensure Nursing program must have a grade of C or better).
• May not be used to fulfill more than one course of study.
• Must meet the competency unit and content equivalency.
• May not be used to fulfill upper division requirements, except in certain cases to meet the maximum number of transfer unit’s available specific to the program.

General Education Core transfer guidelines for undergraduate students entering with an AA, AS, BA, or BS:
For undergraduate students entering with an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) in the United States, WGU will transfer or apply a 'Requirement Met' (RM) to the foundations assessments and all liberal arts general education requirements. In certain cases, the degree must be in a specific field of study.

Career or professional degrees (i.e. Associate of Applied Science, Associate of Business Administration, or Associate of Occupational Studies) will not be accepted to receive the requirement met for general education requirements. Undergraduate students entering into a College of Information Technology program (only) may receive requirement met for general education requirements with an Associate of Applied Science.
The Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education, Bachelor of Arts in Special Education and the Bachelor of Science Nursing (Pre-licensure) programs are excluded from this policy and all courses in these programs must be reviewed individually per the transfer guidelines.

Please refer to your specific program transfer guidelines to determine which assessments can be met by an Associate or Bachelor's degree (see PDF documents in the column to the right of this document).

jeffbates2002

@earweed

Wow, thanks--I now have that on my radar... I'll ask my enrollment advisor about that too.

All the best!

jeffbates2002

@erpadmin

Thanks for all the detail on transcripts. WGU has most or all my transcripts. It will be easier to make a decision once I know how many credits transfer and what classes are left to complete. Maybe I'll know something later this week.

Thxlbx

Question guys: I am getting ready to take my first non-cert WGU exam (CLC1), and will be using the online proctoring camera. I have it hooked up to my laptop, and the laptop says the drivers installed correctly, but I was wondering if there was a way to test it to ensure that it is working? Thanks!

eansdad

Thxlbx wrote: »

Question guys: I am getting ready to take my first non-cert WGU exam (CLC1), and will be using the online proctoring camera. I have it hooked up to my laptop, and the laptop says the drivers installed correctly, but I was wondering if there was a way to test it to ensure that it is working? Thanks!

You can go to the webassessor link to set up and test the web cam.

Thxlbx

eansdad wrote: »

You can go to the webassessor link to set up and test the web cam.

I am not seeing the link for it, where is it in the student portal? Thanks!

Psoasman

erpadmin wrote: »

This is the latest information for anyone interested in either transferring to WGU or starting a second Bachelor's program (PDF is included in this post):

Thanks for the information. After looking through it, I can probably knock off 30 or so CU's, when I start next year.

NickDog

Ok, So I am supposed to talk to a rep tommorow. I have a associates from a previous college but have been out of the game for awhile. Just started getting back into IT with a new job. My biggest concern is cost. Even though WGU is inexpensive, what types of financial aid did you get? IM looking more at grants then loans. Thanks!

erpadmin

NickDog wrote: »

Ok, So I am supposed to talk to a rep tommorow. I have a associates from a previous college but have been out of the game for awhile. Just started getting back into IT with a new job. My biggest concern is cost. Even though WGU is inexpensive, what types of financial aid did you get? IM looking more at grants then loans. Thanks!

Whatever aid you can get from the Federal Government at a regular school will be available for you to use at WGU. (If your income will get you grants, they can be applied.)

I do have loans, but I plan on paying them back after 1-2 years post-graduation. OR....I may backend them going for graduate studies....haven't really decided.

jeffbates2002

@NickDog

One thing I have learned investigating schools and financial aid is that if you have already received a bachelors, you do not qualify for Pell grants. That seems to be universal--confirmed as I spoke with several schools financial aid departments... You might still qualify for state or school grants, however.

WGU financial aid office is very helpful:

https://www.wgu.edu/tuition_financial_aid/financial_aid.asp

Hope this helps... all the best.

NickDog

Thanks all! As of right now I just have an Associates in IT. That being said I went to a not so swell college for a high price (TTI spelled backwards). I was unemployed for a couple months from retail. I ended up getting a job at a datacenter and that being said I refound my passion for IT. SO, getting to the point, I want to get some certs as well as get that degree. Currently my only hold back is cost as I dont want to take another loan out. From looking around I think the Pell offers somewhere in the neighborhood of $5800/term. So as Im not expecting to go for free, (unless there are some generous posters on here) I am hoping to go for cheap. Another guy who worked at that datacenter he paid somewhere around $200/yr after grants. Again, not holding anybody to anything, just trying to get some guidance from those who know.....

NickDog

Also, if I bite, would anybody wanna refer a friend me?

erpadmin

@NickDog,

You can always try FastWeb.com for some scholarships....they seem to do a good job at matching up with organizations that might give you some dough. Might have to write an essay or two, but it might be worth it.

flash23

erpadmin wrote: »

This is the latest information for anyone interested in either transferring to WGU or starting a second Bachelor's program (PDF is included in this post):

So with this info if I am going to transfer in with a general studies associates degree I should only have to take the IT courses is what I get from the PDF can anyone verify if I am correct

flash23

Also working full time anyone know a reasonable amount of time that it takes to finish the degree I know it varies from person to person but there must be some sort of estimate

earweed

When they evaluate you it'll be verified. They don't always evaluate everything the same.

IRONMONKUS

Thxlbx wrote: »

I am not seeing the link for it, where is it in the student portal? Thanks!

You should have received an email with instructions on accessing webassessor with a username and password to login with. Sometimes it takes a few days to get emailed out to you.

petedude

flash23 wrote: »

Also working full time anyone know a reasonable amount of time that it takes to finish the degree I know it varies from person to person but there must be some sort of estimate

How much are you transferring in (especially years-wise)?

If you're transferring an associate's, you can plan on a year as supposedly an associate's will wipe out three years' worth of general ed and leave you with just the concentration (major) requirements. (And before anyone raises eyebrows, there are at least a handful of other regionally accredited schools in the US that will also do this-- and I believe one in Canada.)

flash23

well I've taken more classes than just the ones that were used for my assoc probsbly about 2 1/2 years

jblake1986

OK so I am ready to take on the MBA IT management at WGU. I have spoke to my enrollment guy and he says it is all papers. No tests. So with the 12 classes I imagine it is 12 papers. I applied last night and got all my stuff to take the assessment that I will be taking this weekend and then transcripts from my previous school. Has anyone finished this degree in 6 months? I really think I could do 2 papers per month. I can allocate some serious time at work and would love to have the MBA tag. Either way the funny thing is a feel very energized about this. It seems like I am ready to bust through these classes and would love some insight from anyone who has done this before.

jblake1986

flash23 wrote: »

Also working full time anyone know a reasonable amount of time that it takes to finish the degree I know it varies from person to person but there must be some sort of estimate

This all depends on prior experience, credits transferred in, current work load, and amount of time you can give to studies. I have seen on here students finishing a degree in 6 months, but you also want to make sure you retain the information.