WGU student materials

sbuckland1

Hello, I am new here. I am also new to WGU. Going for my B.S in I.T Hopefully starting April 1st. How do course materials(books, guides, etc) work at WGU. Do we order them through the bookstore like regular colleges? are the fees included in the tuition?

I have my A.A.S in Information Technology but no certs. Already have a job in the field(two years Feb 22) will the certs still benefit me? Is the CIW certs worth it?



Please be gentle.

Danielm7

All materials are electronic, cost is all included with your tuition. When you start a class (or usually before) you can access the ebooks, videos, labs, etc.

I don't think the CIW certs are worth anything, but you don't really have a choice as they are the exams for a lot of your courses.

sbuckland1

So Basically, you have to pass the exams to pass the class?

Danielm7

Correct. It's a competency based program, meaning if you pass the test you've proved that you're competent in that subject so you satisfy the class requirements. That's why people are able to go faster than a regular college, because if you know the material well enough you don't have to waste 16 weeks sitting there hearing about it if you can prove it by passing the final exam.

sbuckland1

If a transfer class "covers" a WGU class with a cert, I don't have to take the class right, even if i don't have that cert?

Danielm7

That I'm not sure of, just call them up and ask. As far as I remember on my transfer evaluation there were courses that were marked something like "waived with certification only" or something similar. From what I understand that just meant they didn't care if you had a class that really detailed security, if you also didn't have the Security+ cert, then you'd need to take the cert to waive the course.