Student Experiences at Western Governors University (WGU)

This thread is intended for students to write about their experiences at Western Governors University.

Please keep it civil, and do not spend your time bashing the school, and its policies. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if you have a problem you need to take it up with your professor or mentor. Please no Flaming on this thread.

You can ask for help with a referral (used to avoid paying the application fee) on the following thread: http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/55634-wgu-refer-friend-thread-those-seeking-referral.html

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Comments

omichael003

mindcrank wrote: »

I think your credits should transfer fine, as far as S+,P+ and L+... The vouchers are included in your tuition so - it's up to you. If you want to get your degree faster and be proactive at the cost of the exams then go for it, otherwise just wait and when you talk to your student mentor ask about front loading the classes that require CompTIA certifications so you can get them out of the way.

Thanks for the information

Chrisbari14

I'm Starting the WGU IT Network Administration Course. All of my Community College credit transferred over and my Comtpia Network Plus Cert Transferred over as well. I'm excited to start this program. I only have 13 courses to take to receive my Bachelor's !! The only courses I have are all IT related.... Goal is to graduate within a year!

Winzer

I haven't done maths since high school. College Algebra C278 is harder than I expected.

mindcrank

Winzer wrote: »

I haven't done maths since high school. College Algebra C278 is harder than I expected.

Make sure to check out "Khan Academy" or just YouTube the formula or idea you are working on. That's how I made it through all my math course's when I had started college back up and there are heaps of online resources these days!

HolyPuck

Thinking about starting at WGU in the BS IT-Sec. My background is in this area, and I have already cleared about 50 credits. Still debating between this and CISSP. Any thoughts?

TLeTourneau

HolyPuck wrote: »

Thinking about starting at WGU in the BS IT-Sec. My background is in this area, and I have already cleared about 50 credits. Still debating between this and CISSP. Any thoughts?

I'd do both focusing on the one that gets the best ROI to start with. For me it was the degree as it impacted my wage increase with promotions, I'll hopefully be passing the CISSP exam in a few weeks.

HolyPuck

Thanks,

This is exactly what I'm struggling with. I know the CISSP will help me in the shorter term, and look very good. I also know longer term that the bachelors degree will come into play when\if I look for a new job.

TLeTourneau

HolyPuck wrote: »

Thanks,

This is exactly what I'm struggling with. I know the CISSP will help me in the shorter term, and look very good. I also know longer term that the bachelors degree will come into play when\if I look for a new job.

Without knowing any specifics I think you have answered your own question. The CISSP will help you in the short term and have a more immediate impact so you may want to focus on that first and then pursue your bachelors degree.

As always, just an opinion.

LinuxRacr

thaiguy314 wrote: »

So I'm interested in going to WGU Texas for my second bachelor's to finally cement my jump into I.T. and I had two questions:

1. is WGU Texas any different from the WGU? (Should I be weary of WGU Texas and just enroll in the original WGU)

2. The inclusion of certs into your degree plan interested me. How does that work? Do they basically teach you according to the cert curriculum and basically give you a voucher have to take the cert or is it somehow included in your online module/coursework?

Thanks ahead of time.

thaiguy314,

1. Several states have partnered with WGU to offer affordable schooling. Not much difference, and the accreditation stands. I just finished WGU Texas in the last couple of weeks, and am telling you, go for it!

2. The inclusion of certs was a big draw for me as well. I loved the fact that I would be learning industry-respected information, and would get to prove myself by getting the certifications. Yes, you get a voucher when you are ready to test. That being said, if you can, get as many certs as you can before starting. It is cheaper. $3k for the semester vs. the price of the materials and to test. Whatever certs you get, make sure they transfer in.

ratbuddy

The reason for the state branches is so students can take advantage of state tuition assistance programs, the school can qualify for state education initiatives, etc. If they didn't open those branches, only Utah students could take advantage.

HolyPuck

So I recently sent in an appeal for a course, and got the worst response ever after a thoughtful reply.

Here is the original reasoning from the transcript dept:

In regards to Business of IT Applications in order to meet the transfer requirements the course must cover the use of IT hardware and software in a business setting. The course submitted is a business course that cover non IT related issues. Due to those reasons this course can not be used to meet the requirements for Business of IT Applications.

Here is what I sent:

Hello,

I'm still having a hard time understanding the differences between these two courses, even with the explanation below from the evaluation department...

Here is the course description of Business of IT Applications:

This course introduces IT students to information systems (IS). The course includes important topics related to management of information systems (MIS), such as system development, and business continuity. The course also provides an overview of management tools and issue tracking systems.

Here is the course I have taken at *:

the study of applications which are part of the daily operation of a computer installation

describe the impact of information technology on business strategy and success;
describe the role of the systems analyst in an information technology department;
apply the principles of SDLC to various business applications;
use data flow diagrams, data dictionaries, process descriptions and other systems analysis tools within an information system; and
translate business requirements into information systems that support the organization’s long- and short-term objectives.

My Thoughts:

MIS systems are the types of applications analyzed at *, and the role a systems analyst has managing those systems.

System Development is principles of SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle). Contrary to the email below, I would gladly argue the fact that IT-hardware has little (if any) impact on this course.

Business Continuity was covered in full detail as part of business strategy and success.

The course description reads at WGU: Introduces students to information systems and topics related to management. At * the course introduces business requirements to information systems. The wording might be slightly different, but (to me at least) the are the same thing. The email below also states that the course is a business course at * and not IT related, but if this is case why is the course description:

describe the impact of information technology on business strategy and success

Seems pretty IT related to me. Essentially above is a goal of both courses.

Please help me understand the reasoning behind this.

Thanks,

Here is the reply I got back.

Thank you for following up on your transfer evaluation.

In regards to the WGU course Business of IT Application the course covers IT hardware, software and operating systems. The course submitted is not advanced enough and does not include everything necessary to meet the competencies of the WGU course. Unfortunately due to this we can not take that course to cover Business of IT Application.

Should you have any additional questions, please contact your enrollment counselor.

I wanted to say gee thanks. It just really bothers me that I write I thoughtful email with many supporting factors and can get the same in return. This return email just feels so pre-baked with no thought, it really kind of bothers me.

Sorry for the rant guys.

SpetsRepair

My experience is most likely different than most students, however, I found the WGU model very difficult to follow and stay dedicated.

JGDaily

I need 80 credits out of 120. Starting 12/01/16. Man, hoping for a good experience!

blham56

It took forever for them to "approve" my enrollment into the MS in Cyber Security and Information Assurance program. I met all of the requirements(had and IT BS degree, CISSP certification, CEH certification, CCNA certification, and more than 18 years of IT work experience) but they still told me that I had to submit a resume so they could review my ability to understand the course content. Then when the resume template came in the email, it asked me to show how all of my background would fit inline with the CISSP CBK's. I really wanted to just put my CURRENT CISSP number and leave the rest blank.

ratbuddy

That woulda been hilarious. Probably woulda worked, too.

mzx380

A lot of students here for MISA. I'm starting the MBA ITM degree and December and would love to know how long its taken other people to complete it.

Winzer

Oh ffs... I was gonna finish studying for College Algebra tonight, take the pre-assessment tomorrow and hopefully schedule the exam for Monday night.

But Hawkes Learning is under maintenance until Sunday night 6pm.

Really wish I would've been warned about that. I'm working a lot lately and can only put hours in during the weekend.

cshkuru

HolyPuck - I went thru the same thing with a javascript class. If you can go to the school and ask for a detailed course description, the type they use for accreditation purposes and submit that. Also ask to have it elevated to the Dean. That's what worked for me.

Spetsrepair - I got my Bachelor's at WGU no problem but I am having the same issue with my Master's. In part it's because they have made it much harder to interact and get any sort of answer. I don't need a ton of guidance but when I do I want to be able to talk to someone without going thru 70 layers of anonymous bullshit first.

Finally - I don't know if anyone is interested but here are the results of the IG audit that WGU was caught up in back in January http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/auditreports/fy2016/a05p0013.pdf

Dodedodedo22

Hi first time here, I'm thinking about wgu does anyone know what they expect to enroll? It seems like a lot of the degrees require expert level coursework in IT, now I wouldn't really call the degree itself expert level so I'm at a loss to what kind of "expert level " courses they expect you to have taken to enroll ? Personally I don't have any certifications or experience beyond freelancing but I live in NYC and there's a lot of routes to get certified around I'm just wondering because meeting the enrollment standards with an A+\Net+\CCNA will take much less time than getting a CCIE before I can enroll

ksijur

I got in with A+. Your best bet is to give them a call.

8bp

I am starting 1/1/17 and need 90 credits to go. I'm confident that I will knock plenty of those out in the first two terms.

amcnow

I just applied for readmission into WGU to complete the Master of Science for Cybersecurity and Information Assurance (MSCIA) program. I completed half of the old Master of Science for Information Security and Assurance (MSISA) program before having to withdraw just before the summer of last year. Buying a home early on in my progress took more time and energy than I expected. Family sh*t later on didn't help either.

I'm hoping my CUs from MSISA will transfer over to MSCIA. I'm hoping to knock this thing out before 2018. First, I need to get past the readmission process...

EDIT #1: WGU has reviewed my request and deemed me eligible for readmission. Next step is meeting eligibility for the MSCIA program and financial aid. Neither will be a problem. I requested March 1st as my start date. We shall see.

EDIT #2: Held a call with my success coach to discuss the readmission process. I then emailed all documents needed to prove eligibility for the MSCIA program. I'm now waiting on WGU to determine which of my previously completed courses (from the MSISA program) will transfer into this program.

SoCalGuy858

Took the leap last week and reached out to an enrollment counselor to complete my undergrad! I'll be going for the BSIT: Security. After quite a few headaches with Thomas Edison, I stopped at my associates. Between that and multiple certs, I'm hoping I may have enough credits to get the rest of the degree done in one term. Shooting for a February 1st start date, so we'll see!

gespenstern

My recent progress and impressions on BS: IT Sec.

Data management (SQL development) -- arguably the hardest so far, despite real world experience it took me a while to complete the assessment;
Critical thinking and logic -- killed 1.5 months for this extremely liberal biased course in order to "learn" how to answer their questions "right". Now I hate Linda Elder with passion and wish her to relocate to some nice socialist country to live there and experience this BS first hand. Wrote a very negative feedback in after-course survey and hope that they will get rid of it. Passed with 84% AFAIR.
Programming and scripting foundations (Python) -- easy, passed with 92% after practicing a little on codecademy, didn't listen to lectures much, but for those who aren't good with programming I'd advise to listen as lectures seemed to be pretty good.
Now heading to Probability and Statistics.

TSaL

Just completed my BSIT. Finished 27 CU in the last semester to finish 1 semester early. Java was not as hard for me as everyone talks about. Started the process to do MSITM and start in March.

*hint for Java* Watch the cohort for the project and it will get you through 80% of the code you need to write. The other 20% you can find on github.

amcnow

Good news! I was formally readmitted to WGU for the MSCSIA program. Life I said in my previous post, I was half finished with the old (MSISA) program before having to withdraw.

My transcript evaluation was completed late last week. I was credited 16 of the 30 CUs for MSCSIA. 5 of the 8 courses I completed in the MSISA program carried over to MSCSIA. This leaves me with 5 courses to complete the program.

Cyberwarfare
Secure Network Design
Secure Software Design
Disaster Recovery Planning, Prevention and Response
Capstone Project

Looks like March 1st (re)start date is a go. I just need a student mentor assigned to me. I'll likely tackle these courses in the order listed with the goal of completing them before year's end.

TLeTourneau

amcnow wrote: »

Good news! I was formally readmitted to WGU for the MSCSIA program. Life I said in my previous post, I was half finished with the old (MSISA) program before having to withdraw.

My transcript evaluation was completed late last week. I was credited 16 of the 30 CUs for MSCSIA. 5 of the 8 courses I completed in the MSISA program carried over to MSCSIA. This leaves me with 5 courses to complete the program.

Cyberwarfare
Secure Network Design
Secure Software Design
Disaster Recovery Planning, Prevention and Response
Capstone Project

Looks like March 1st (re)start date is a go. I just need a student mentor assigned to me. I'll likely tackle these courses in the order listed with the goal of completing them before year's end.

Congratulations and good luck!

Qord

SpetsRepair wrote: »

My experience is most likely different than most students, however, I found the WGU model very difficult to follow and stay dedicated.

Same here. I don't have any legitimate complaints about WGU, but I did discover that I'm not nearly as motivated/dedicated as I thought I was...

JamesKurtovich

The shorter the class, the easier it is to stay on task. It's hard to see the finish line otherwise. I think that's why ICND1 and ICND2 were by far the most difficult for me in regards to motivation despite being interested in the material.

coreyb80

Looking forward to starting on 3/1. Looking to complete 120 credits in a couple of years or less. Bachelors in Network Administrator is the goal.