Western Governors University vs Dakota State University: MS Information Assurance

aspiringsoul

Hey guys,

I'm new to the site. A bit about me, I'm currently employed as a Desktop Support/Network Administrator for a community bank. I hold the CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, and Server+ certifications as well as the 70-270. I'm currently studying for the MCSA 2012 exams and I will be attending a CCNA bootcamp in November for about $1,500 (includes materials and exam fees but does not cover hotel stay or food). I have an AAS from ITT Technical Institute (I regret that decision because of the cost but it did land me my current job), two certificates from the local community college in Microsoft Networking and Information Security, and I'm currently pursuing a BS in Business Information Systems with Indiana Wesleyan University.

I had been taking classes at the local community college after graduating from ITT Technical Institute (they accepted my ITT credits). I was told that if I received an AAS from the community college, I would be eligible to participate in the two plus two program and transfer to a 4 year school in the state to complete my BS. I was a semester away from receiving an AAS from the community college and sent my transcript out to a couple of the state schools but I was disappointed when I was informed that they would not accept the ITT credits and only my community college credits (I understand the reason for this, and the difference between national and regional accreditation but it was still very frustrating). I came across IWU and I was able to transfer in with over 90 credit hours. It's an accelerated program which allows me to get my BS in 2 years. I started the program a little over a year ago and have been somewhat satisfied with the program. I will graduate in April.

I've noticed that Western Governors University appears to be a very popular subject on these boards (for obvious reasons). I came across WGU several months after I started the program and I was kicking myself in the foot for not discovering it earlier. Even if it had taken me 3 years to complete the program, I could have saved some money and gained a couple more certifications in the process, but no sense in crying over spilt milk.

I've decided that I want to continue my education and I want to move into the security field. So, the MS in Information Security and Assurance looks very appealing to me. There are no Universities near my small town so distance education is my only option at this point unless I move. I've looked through the master list of B & M colleges in this forum and I'm trying to decide between Dakota State University and Western Governors University.

I'm leaning toward WGU because I would gain the CEH certifications in the process (and potentially complete the degree in less than 24 months). I like the idea of it being solitary (not requiring interaction with other students) and completely self paced. I basically teach myself and pass the assessments and I'm not required to post on discussion boards or deal with other students in group projects that do not carry their weight.

DSU is a tier 1 school though and so it may carry more weight on a resume. Right now, I'm trying to decide between these two programs. I don't think that is a wrong decision to make here, but I want the best quality education for the least amount of money and they are both very comparable in price.

Any advice would be appreciated. This web site is awesome by the way and I will most likely frequent these forums in the future and contribute as much as I can to the community.

Online IT Degree | MS in Information Security and Assurance
MSIA - Master of Science in Information Assurance - Dakota State University

Thanks,

dbrink

I was deciding between these two schools recently also and chose Dakota State. I'm starting the Graduate Certificate in Ethical Hacking this Fall and then will move into the MSIA program afterwards (hopefully). I did like the accelerated, self-paced setup of WGU but something just attracted me more toward DSU. Maybe it was the fact they participate in things like CCDC and have professors who have spoken at Blackhat/Def Con and I feel I might be able to learn more from them. I don't really think you can go wrong with either program but I do think DSU will probably cost more and take you longer to complete.

aspiringsoul

I'll check up with you this Fall to get your impression of the classes.

The graduate certificate is a certificate awarded by the college? It's not the industry certification?

Thanks!

widget101

It's a 9 credit hour graduate certificate program, so it's an academic credential. However, the courses would likely align with some of the security certifications. I believe Dakota State uses official EC-Council learning materials, so their Ethical Hacking course might actually prepare you for the CEH, but as someone who hasn't taken the courses I can't be certain.

dbrink

I'll try to write something throughout this semester on how the school and courses are. I'm going to be taking INFA 713 - Managing Security Risks this fall and it is also one of the core requirements for the MSIA so it will be one less class I have to take when I move to pursue the MSIA degree.

One thing I came across a few days ago is the Home Page | DSU Information Assurance Lab | Kyle Cronin which is a virtualized environment that students can use to setup environments for testing or just "playing". It is made up of 16 ESXi nodes with 1.5 TB of RAM and 144 TB of storage. Not bad.....