Advice on Masters programs- all advice wanted

I'm looking at starting my masters career this fall in information security. I have the Security+ CE, and am sitting for CISSP July 16th. Just as an FYI, here's a couple of schools I'm looking at:

WGU
Bellevue University (in NE)
University of Nebraska - Omaha (Where i got my BS in MIS)

What are your opinions on the above? I'm very attracted to WGU because of the online classes, and the curriculum to aqcuire 6 industry certifications (that i wanted to get anyway, best of both worlds). However as most know, its only regionally accredited, and not nationally. The other two are nationally accredited.

Bellevue University offers a masters in cybersecurity and is nationally accredited (could transfer to any school anywhere) but is not an NSA Center for Academic Excellence (CAE). However it is completely online, and due to my schedule online classes provide the best possible means for me to finish the fastest. I would like to work for STRATCOM (DoD) here in nebraska, and bellevue university is in (obviously) Bellevue, and is the same location of STRATCOM, so I would assume they have ties.

University of Nebraska - Omaha is starting their new Masters of InfoSec and Assurance this fall (they already have an IA/IS bachelors) and they are an NSA Center of Academic Excellence in IA school. However almost all are sit-in physically there classes, and as stated before, due to my obscene schedule, would provide the hardest to schedule/longest to complete solution.

And so i'm curious, how in depth, or how much do employers look at the colleges, and how often does it carry weight? With WGU being only regionally accredited but with 6 certifications, would it cause me to miss opportunity that I would otherwise have with a nationally accredited school, but with out certifications?

I know I probably rambled through most of this so please allow me to clarify if anything does not make sense.

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Lemonade727

The WGU Masters program is nationally accredited, just like their bachelor programs. The regional accreditation holds more weight anyways though, but they're both there.

"Nationally accredited—by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC).
Regionally accredited—by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The Northwest Commission is also responsible for the accreditation of other major universities such as the University of Washington, University of Oregon, Gonzaga University, and the University of Utah, to name a few."

That's pulled straight from the MS:IS page. However, I do think that others would recommend attending a B&M school for your Masters just to make sure there's not much criticism on the employer's end if they don't particularly agree with a degree from WGU. I will personally be looking into B&M locations for my Masters once I finish my Bachelors degree for this sole purpose, as they really only concentrate on the last place you went to school at.

veritas_libertas

jdchilders wrote: »

I'm looking at starting my masters career this fall in information security. I have the Security+ CE, and am sitting for CISSP July 16th. Just as an FYI, here's a couple of schools I'm looking at:

WGU
Bellevue University (in NE)
University of Nebraska - Omaha (Where i got my BS in MIS)

What are your opinions on the above? I'm very attracted to WGU because of the online classes, and the curriculum to acquire 6 industry certifications (that i wanted to get anyway, best of both worlds). However as most know, its only regionally accredited, and not nationally. The other two are nationally accredited.

Bellevue University offers a masters in cybersecurity and is nationally accredited (could transfer to any school anywhere) but is not an NSA Center for Academic Excellence (CAE). However it is completely online, and due to my schedule online classes provide the best possible means for me to finish the fastest. I would like to work for STRATCOM (DoD) here in nebraska, and bellevue university is in (obviously) Bellevue, and is the same location of STRATCOM, so I would assume they have ties.

University of Nebraska - Omaha is starting their new Masters of InfoSec and Assurance this fall (they already have an IA/IS bachelors) and they are an NSA Center of Academic Excellence in IA school. However almost all are sit-in physically there classes, and as stated before, due to my obscene schedule, would provide the hardest to schedule/longest to complete solution.

And so i'm curious, how in depth, or how much do employers look at the colleges, and how often does it carry weight? With WGU being only regionally accredited but with 6 certifications, would it cause me to miss opportunity that I would otherwise have with a nationally accredited school, but with out certifications?

I know I probably rambled through most of this so please allow me to clarify if anything does not make sense.

If you can sit in a classroom than by all means do so! If you cannot than go ahead and pursue an online degree. As a WGU student I'm partial, but I'm probably going to do UMUC's MS in Cybersecurity. I believe it helps to attend a university (preferably public) that is in your region of the country. Utah is a quite a distance from South Carolina.

MickQ

I'm looking at an MSc in Advanced Networking (course E51 then F56) from the Open University MSc Adv. Net.
I'll be picking up a postgrad Dip in Adv. Net. and a CCNP along the way.

instant000

Until I retire and stop making myself available to move for the best career opportunities, I'll continue to take my college classes online, thank you very much!

Once I retire, I'll go to a brick and mortar school

jdchilders

In regard to the NSA CAE certification:

From what I understand NSA certification is a two part process
part 1 is getting the CNSS to certify curriculum
part 2 is mapping coursework to an NSA list to get the complete CAE

WGU has part one of this complete, and from what i understand, working on part 2. For me at least this is a big plus. And i also believe WGU would hold more weight than bellevue or another online degree, because of the required proctored exams (for certifications), where as bellevue, i suppose it would be questionable to whether or not the candidate actually did the work?

Thoughts?

erpadmin

instant000 wrote: »

Until I retire and stop making myself available to move for the best career opportunities, I'll continue to take my college classes online, thank you very much!

Once I retire, I'll go to a brick and mortar school

There is nothing wrong with either choice, my friend. Whether it's online, pure B&M or online at a B&M; it's all about what you're comfortable with and what you're trying to do.

I have my first open house for a Masters at a B&M on Saturday. Being accepted to this particular institution will be a great test for the worth/value of a WGU BS. I'm shooting for a conditional acceptance (pending required GMAT scores, but they're so low I don't think I'll have a problem).

At this point, whether or not I do online or not, the program I get into has to be doable within 3 years on a part-time basis. I don't mind a MS or MBA taking that long, even if I have to summers.

Zartanasaurus

Some nice gentleman started a thread some time ago listing schools offering online degrees. Several on the list offer IS/IA degrees.

http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/53985-master-list-b-m-colleges-offering-online-degrees.html

BTW don't let the names fool you, regional (and some times program specific like AACSB for business) accreditation carries more weight than national accreditation. It's the regionals that cover schools from your state U to Harvard and Stanford.

Timberwolf5578

Personally, I think Capella University has some of the best and most technologically advanced online IT degree programs out there. I attend Capella myself.

colemic

I think WGU tends top be be the leader in technology, since you are not learning fluff, but working torward real industry certifications. Capella is also (guessing here, but I don't think I am far off) 6-8 times the cost of WGU. For many of us, that's a total dealbreaker. I could do Harvard online and pay a similar rate, I am pretty sure.

-Foxer-

I'm doing the MS:ISA program at WGU, and three main things led me there. First, it is online. I just don't have the time to go to a traditional B&M school. Second is the cost. At only $3000 a semester, it really can't be beat in terms of cost. Last, is that I'm not only getting my masters degree, but I also have several certifications as well.

jdchilders

Ya Foxer, i've been psuedo following you around the forums here, and watching your progress. Another question for ya.

I've been told by 3 different 'enrollment counselors' that the books/materials for the CERTIFICATION classes will all be physical textbooks/materials shipped to you. While i inquired on one user who is int he same program and just took the CEH and stated he just links to like 8 different pdf's/ebooks.

Thoughts?

Timberwolf5578

colemic wrote: »

Capella is also (guessing here, but I don't think I am far off) 6-8 times the cost of WGU. For many of us, that's a total dealbreaker.

You are entitled to your opinion, and I am entitled to mine. I think Capella University is superior to WGU.

I am not a bargain hunter when it comes to my education. In my opinion, I think in this specific case you truly get what you pay for.

-Foxer-

jdchilders wrote: »

Ya Foxer, i've been psuedo following you around the forums here, and watching your progress. Another question for ya.

I've been told by 3 different 'enrollment counselors' that the books/materials for the CERTIFICATION classes will all be physical textbooks/materials shipped to you. While i inquired on one user who is int he same program and just took the CEH and stated he just links to like 8 different pdf's/ebooks.

Thoughts?

I know they are moving away from physical books. During my bachelors degree several of the classes had physical books that were sent to me. None of my MS classes had actual books that they sent me, they were all online/ebooks.

The CEH books for example were through coursesmart.com, and you could either access it online, or they'd send you a single offline ebook. I opted for the online version because they also have an iPad/iPhone app that can be used to access it. EDRP used the same system.

Many of the books were also available through books24x7, which you have access to through the school.

The only books I actually purchased were for the G2700 exam because you can take those to the exam with you. The same books are available online through books24x7 though as well.

Basically, you should have to buy many books, unless you want to get additional books that aren't provided. But even if you want to do that there are many, many books available with your books24x7 subscription. And if you don't like reading on the computer, the iPad was extremely useful for me, because I basically used it like an ebook reader.

geek4god

In my opinion anyone looking at a degree in Information Assurance should take a hard look at a university that is a National Centers of Academic Excellence in IA Education. Here is the blurb about it and a link to the site that has all of the universities. Some, like Capitol College where I am going, have an online program.

NSA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) jointly sponsor the National Centers of Academic Excellence in IA Education (CAE/IAE) and CAE-Research (CAE-R) programs. The goal of these programs is to reduce vulnerability in our national information infrastructure by promoting higher education and research in IA and producing a growing number of professionals with IA expertise in various disciplines. Designation as a CAE/IAE or CAE-R is valid for five academic years, after which the school must successfully reapply in order to retain its CAE designation.

Students attending these designated schools are eligible to apply for scholarships and grants through the Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship Program and the Federal Cyber Service Scholarship for Service Program. Designation as a Center does not carry a commitment for funding from NSA or DHS.

CAE/IAEs and CAE-Rs receive formal recognition from the U.S. Government as well as opportunities for prestige and publicity for their role in securing our Nation's information systems.

National Centers of Academic Excellence - NSA/CSS

jtoast

jdchilders wrote: »

In regard to the NSA CAE certification:

From what I understand NSA certification is a two part process
part 1 is getting the CNSS to certify curriculum
part 2 is mapping coursework to an NSA list to get the complete CAE

WGU has part one of this complete, and from what i understand, working on part 2. For me at least this is a big plus. And i also believe WGU would hold more weight than bellevue or another online degree, because of the required proctored exams (for certifications), where as bellevue, i suppose it would be questionable to whether or not the candidate actually did the work?

Thoughts?

I just started the WGU MS:ISA program this term. I have spoken with several different representatives who said that WGU has submitted the package for NSA CAE certification but won't know if they made the cut until June.

jdchilders

Yep- in accordance to the above....

I have heard they tried a couple times in the past. Its a two step process and they have completed the first step. They resubmitted for the 2nd part and are to hear back in June.

colemic

Timberwolf5578 wrote: »

You are entitled to your opinion, and I am entitled to mine. I think Capella University is superior to WGU.

I am not a bargain hunter when it comes to my education. In my opinion, I think in this specific case you truly get what you pay for.

...so what is the point of your post above? You think otherwise, big deal. I really don't care that you think my school sucks and yours is better. If you aren't going to explain why you think Capella is superior, then keep your opinions to yourself, instead of sounding so condescending.

WGU is less than 3K a term. I just looked up Capella's tuition for the MSIT-IAS, and it is 48 credits at $570 each = $27,360. I plan on being done in 2 terms, so it is still $21,000 cheaper. And faster. With industry certs.

So Capella is superior in what way?

-Foxer-

Yeah, if you think it's superior, please explain.

I'm in the WGU program, and I think it's pretty good, but honestly I have no idea how it compares to Capella because I haven't really looked at Capella. I think it'd be useful for everyone if you explain why.