WGU vs. State University

I just got an A.S. Degree in Information Technology at a community college. I'm just doing some leftover GE for me to transfer to a 4-year state university. I saw that some of you guys here went to WGU and my question is, which do you guys think is much better? A degree from WGU? Or a degree from a state university? I'm taking information systems btw for my BS degree.

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Essendon

I think folks on here chose WGU because:

1. Do-it-at-your-pace
2. Certifications are an integral part of a degree. So you get a degree, pass more than a few certs, become more marketable. Great, I reckon.
3. Do it from home.
4. Lower cost too (from what I remember).

Krones

Depends on your goals. WGU can be much cheaper, a little more than 3k per semester but it is a very solitary experience compared to the traditional format of state college. I went with WGU because of the cost but also flexibility and the fact that I would be earning certifications and earning a degree at the same time. I enjoy being able to work on one class at a time and at my own pace as well. If I need to miss a week or two of studying, I do not fall behind at all. If you want the traditional college experience, I would go with the state college. If you need a flexible, affordable program, that includes completing certifications as part of its course curriculum, WGU is a great alternative.

SteveLord

Many here are already seasoned IT pros. But not everyone wants to drone away in a classroom for 3-4 years just to check the degree of their bucket list and potentially move forward in their career. If you're competent in your field, why should you be forced to go at the classroom/professor's pace?

tpatt100

I couldn't sit in a classroom to go over stuff I am used to learning on my own. A classroom environment is great for those with less or no experience because it is more engaging in my opinion. "Engaging" depends on the instructor though.

ptilsen

"Better" is relative. WGU, for the reasons already described, can be a better choice simply because it is so much more practical to quickly get certs and a degree simultaneously, for a ridiculously low price, at your own pace, from home. WGU is cheaper than most of the community colleges around me, and I could probably get a four-year faster at WGU than a two-year at a local state school. Let's not forget that WGU also takes many two-year degrees as well as certifications for credit.

On the other hand, there are advantages to going to a state university. The education is certainly more well rounded, which in some ways is a bad thing, but it can be a positive as well. There are generally more choices for what classes you can take -- fewer IT classes, more more choices overall. There are also arguably better choices for a degree. An IT degree from WGU is fairly comparable to an IS degree from a state school, but will give you more hands-on skills. Neither degree, however, will provide the same foundation as a computer science degree or has as good of a reputation. On that note, WGU is more likely to be unheard of by prospective employers, who will have certainly heard of the local state schools. Similarly, whether it is fair or not, many people do not have good perceptions of online degrees.

The classroom aspect is something else to consider. Some people don't learn well outside of a classroom or aren't disciplined enough to do self-paced study. You have to be pretty disciplined to go through WGU, because it is all up to you. There are no deadlines on homework or tests or anything like that. You study until you're ready for the test.

I think you can be successful and get something from your degree (both in terms of employer perception and actual education) regardless of which you go to. Personally, I would probably not go into an information systems program with a traditional university. You'll actually get more useful knowledge in either a business degree, computer science degree, or an IT degree at WGU. That is not to say you can't succeed with an IS degree, but I think you'll ultimately do better with a different degree.

dasmoothride

Sorry to grave dig this thread. In terms of job marketability, do IT employers care where you graduate Because the reason why I want to go to a state university is for me to have a better job marketability. And right now, I just can't stand going to a class like stats and accounting in which I spend a lot of hours studying when I could be learning actual real IT stuff that's gonna help me build my skills even further in IT.

fiftyo

Depends on the enterprise entirely. In larger consulting firms with a high reputation, the schools name on the degree plays a big role. This might also be true for larger enterprises. Unfortunately a wgu degree will never out-weight a degree from say harvard/stanford/mit list goes on.. And to be fair I don't think WGU is a real 'university' as they do not offer postgraduate degrees, please correct me if I'm wrong.
In short if your plans are just working in IT, a WGU degree will help you get past a lot of HR departments, but not all of them.
To somewhat edit this statement:
A university differs per definition depends on which state in America it's located, however, I do not know the location of WGU, so my statement could very well be wrong.

YuckTheFankees

Fiftyo,

Saying WGU is not a real university is absurd. I understand people do not "believe" in online schooling but your main argument is that WGU lacks post-graduate degrees...a simple search could of answered that Let me google that for you . I do not get why people cannot research before they type.

My opinion: There are pro's and con's to both.

State school: You get to network, build social skills, and interact with classmates/teachers.

WGU: You get to go through your degree at your own pace (either slower or faster than the regular four years), and certifications are part of some degrees.

fiftyo

YuckTheFankees wrote: »

Fiftyo,

Saying WGU is not a real university is absurd. I understand people do not "believe" in online schooling but your main argument is that WGU lacks post-graduate degrees...a simple search could of answered that Let me google that for you . I do not get why people cannot research before they type.

You completely misunderstood what I wrote. When I say postgrad I mean Ph. D degrees. As per definition a university depending on what state in USA it's located differs. As for example: Some states, such as Massachusetts, will only grant a school "university status" if it grants at least two doctoral degrees. Source, http://www.mass.edu/forinstitutions/academic/documents/610CMR.pdf

Next time use google yourself..

YuckTheFankees

Let me google that for you

Post graduate: Denoting study undertaken after completing a first degree.

Cisco Inferno

Essendon wrote: »

I think folks on here chose WGU because:

1. Do-it-at-your-pace
2. Certifications are an integral part of a degree. So you get a degree, pass more than a few certs, become more marketable. Great, I reckon.
3. Do it from home.
4. Lower cost too (from what I remember).

I suggest you take a look at University of Maryland Online. Thats where I'm taking my A.A CIS degree to at the end of the year. It has all the same points listed here and is a STATE university with the same degree granted as if you did it in person.

I'm enrolling into the BS Computer Networks and Security degree plan which will hopefully let me graduate with my A+, Network+, Security+, CCNA, CCNP, CCDA and MCSA. (Thats their Cisco Track. They also have a Microsoft track that gives you an MCSE and more, as well as a pure Security track.)
I wouldn't suggest it to someone without experience nor self studying skills and motivation. They transfer in your degree by class which makes it much easier. If you are coming from a legitimate community college, you will have no trouble at all.
Theres not too many geneds, no more than what you did in your A.A/A.S.

Check it out guys and let me know what you think!

Major in Computer Networks and Security - Undergraduate School - UMUC

fiftyo

YuckTheFankees wrote: »

Let me google that for you

Post graduate: Denoting study undertaken after completing a first degree.

Yet again, you missed the point of per definition of state. I do not see WGU offering any doctoral degrees, which is required by some states in order to get a 'university' status.
I'm also wondering where can I find publications from wgu?

ptilsen

fiftyo wrote: »

Unfortunately a wgu degree will never out-weight a degree from say harvard/stanford/mit list goes on..

Kind of a pointless statement, isn't this? Replace "WGU" with any non-Ivy-league-or-otherwise-highly prestigious school and this statement is still true. Moreover, WGU and those schools really don't provide the same product. There is no true applied IT infrastructure at any highly prestigious school.

fiftyo wrote: »

A university differs per definition depends on which state in America it's located, however, I do not know the location of WGU, so my statement could very well be wrong.

This is technically true, but just barely. Accrediting institutions give university their legitimacy, followed by the Department of Education (which must recognize the accrediting institution), followed by any state laws. WGU is regionally accredited by the the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the regional accreditation institution responsible for many reputable brick-and-mortar schools, including many public schools.

demonfurbie

what drew me to wgu over other schools is the type of work, no turning in a paper by a set date or midterms. This let me go faster on most of the classes and slower on the ones i needed to... i dont do well with traditional terms

fiftyo

ptilsen wrote: »

Kind of a pointless statement, isn't this? Replace "WGU" with any non-Ivy-league-or-otherwise-highly prestigious school and this statement is still true. Moreover, WGU and those schools really don't provide the same product. There is no true applied IT infrastructure at any highly prestigious school.

Well, technically the statement will still hold true if the institute/university produces any kind of academic output by publications. I haven't found any publications from WGU yet.
And just to clarify, I'm not in any way trying to flame WGU nor its graduates. Although people seem to think that regardless of what you say when it isn't 100% positive. You should note that some enterprises will toss your resume in the trashcan if your degree comes from a school which is not prestigious enough.

Iristheangel

I think WGU has it's purpose. It's for the "OMG-I-have-adult-responsibilities-and-can't-stop-working" crowd while State or Ivy Leagues tend to be more for the people who have the financial resources or time off of working to finish their degree. I loved my time as an undergrad at WGU and I now have a degree but I wouldn't advice to my teenage sister to give up her dream to go to Stanford because WGU is cheaper/easier/etc. If you have the ability to not work for 4 years and the financial ability to go to a top-tier school, do it.

That being said, the longer you're in IT and with enough experience, it won't matter as much what school you went to or even what your major was. I've been in a position where I was offered a job over Stanford and UCI grads and I'm sure there were times when my resume was garbaged when other people with more prestigious were called into an interview. I think if you have the personality, drive and passion, a lot can be overlooked if you get as far as the interview and having a degree will help you get there.

ptilsen

fiftyo wrote: »

Well, technically the statement will still hold true if the institute/university produces any kind of academic output by publications. I haven't found any publications from WGU yet.

Publications are not required by the accreditation institution, and I'm unaware of any states. Anyway, your whole moot is pretty moot since it has the word university in the name and obviously isn't violating any laws by doing so. Clearly, the powers-that-be have decided it meets the definition.

I don't disagree that WGU does not have the reputation of many, maybe most brick & mortar institutions. And indeed, many employers will choose to either not interview or hire based on one's degree. However, it is a real university with, graduate degrees, and regional accreditation. And in IT, any degree is better than no degree, and no degree is enough to be gainfully employed. So for a lot of people in IT, WGU makes a lot of sense.

tpatt100

I want to pay for my son's college when he is of age to go to college. That is if he even wants to go to college who knows, he might want to go to a trade school for plumbing, electrician, whatever. Doesn't matter to me as long as he doesn't sit around the house playing Xbox.

I think there are a lot of prestigious schools out there and my wife works for one that seems to have a good reputation, where kids come every year and go into tons of debt because U of M sounds better than community college and transferring to Eastern Michigan which is right down the street from me and a lot cheaper.

The thing is there are so many variables one has to take into account when making a decision about which school to go to. Most of us go to or went to WGU because we already work in this field. Somebody who just graduated high school or is below thirty with no kids or not married I would probably tell them to go to a traditional college. They have less responsibilities and greater flexibility. Me? I had to take three months off of work to go to Kansas for military training a few years ago. I would have had to take an academic break where as WGU I could at least do some work and make progress in my off duty hours.

When my wife told me last year about a security auditor position at the university my first thought was "oh man they are probably all snotty traditional school types who will flag my application as spam".

Month later HR called me and said the academic department really wanted to meet me and wanted to know a good time for an interview. I really didn't care about getting the job at that point, I was just happy they even called me for a position that was openly advertised on their jobs site that was taking applications for more than a month. They chose a dozen applicants for interviews.

I didn't get the job but still to even get to sit and talk with them for two hours out of a pile of applicants gave me a big motivational and self confidence boost.

thegoodbye

Cisco Inferno wrote: »

I suggest you take a look at University of Maryland Online. Thats where I'm taking my A.A CIS degree to at the end of the year. It has all the same points listed here and is a STATE university with the same degree granted as if you did it in person.

I'm enrolling into the BS Computer Networks and Security degree plan which will hopefully let me graduate with my A+, Network+, Security+, CCNA, CCNP, CCDA and MCSA. (Thats their Cisco Track. They also have a Microsoft track that gives you an MCSE and more, as well as a pure Security track.)
I wouldn't suggest it to someone without experience nor self studying skills and motivation. They transfer in your degree by class which makes it much easier. If you are coming from a legitimate community college, you will have no trouble at all.
Theres not too many geneds, no more than what you did in your A.A/A.S.

Check it out guys and let me know what you think!

Major in Computer Networks and Security - Undergraduate School - UMUC

Inferno,

I just wanted to let you know that UMUC is not the same thing as the University of Maryland. While UMUC is part of the University System of Maryland, it's definitely not as reputable as UM. Here's a list of schools that are part of the University System of Maryland - University System of Maryland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . A degree from UMUC will say Univeristy of Maryland University College and bear the UMUC seal. Additionally, while UMUC's classes may teach you a lot of the base knowledge to attempt various certifications, the cost of attempting the certification is not part of your tuition (you'll pay out of pocket for the exam), nor is passing a certification required to pass a class. I just received verification of this from a friend who is an employee in the UMUC recruiting department.

I've looked at both WGU and UMUC and the biggest difference is that WGU allows you to accelerate your education (go faster, take more or less classes based on your time and approach), and WGU has certifications built into the cost of tuition and they're required to earn a pass on some classes.

Cisco Inferno

I am well aware of this. I am not from the DMV area though, so there isnt really a battle for which campus I take it at. I'm not pursuing an MBA or anything. I'm in Miami right now, and wish to move back to NYC. I highly doubt it is of that much importance when I move back. I used to attend City University of New York (CUNY) and have friends who went to State University of New York (SUNY) schools, So I know about how school systems and the prestige of their campuses work. It's better to go to a college that is in the system than isnt.

I'm not worried about the certification costs at all either. Nor am I worried about tuition. (Tuition reimbursement/Student Vouchers), If not I would still pay, as it is my education, something i wouldn't want to skimp out on. I've been riding Pell Grants for a while and was getting paid to go to school!Now I am much stabler in life and can afford these things.

I also know that I'll be studying at a faster more intense pace than the class. That way I'll pass the cert and the class.
I'll also not enroll for certain cert exam classes, so that it will get waived when I pass it on my own which saves me lots of money!! This is what I am doing with my Security+ cert right now before even receiving admission.

I'm only 23, so I have few responsibilities. Attending a state school is something I've been wishing to do.
I understand the need for family oriented working professionals to enroll into WGU and have nothing against them. I've thought about it plenty, but part of the reason I wish to go to UMUC is because the community college I'm at, as well plenty others nationwide have articulation and transfer agreements which give me peace of mind.

PurpleIT

Iristheangel wrote: »

I think WGU has it's purpose. It's for the "OMG-I-have-adult-responsibilities-and-can't-stop-working" crowd while State or Ivy Leagues tend to be more for the people who have the financial resources or time off of working to finish their degree. I loved my time as an undergrad at WGU and I now have a degree but I wouldn't advice to my teenage sister to give up her dream to go to Stanford because WGU is cheaper/easier/etc. If you have the ability to not work for 4 years and the financial ability to go to a top-tier school, do it.

I have been doing a lot of thinking about this lately and you listed a lot of the conclusions I have come to.

For me, WGU fit my needs and I am glad I am enrolled, but I would be very careful who I recommend it to. The self-discipline and motivation required for this type of schooling is tremendous and I think that GENERALLY working adults are more likely to have those traits.

There is no way I would suggest WGU for my teenage daughter; I don't think she would make it through the first class, but for a friend and former coworker of mine is a perfect fit.

As for the comparisons to "traditional" schools, especially Ivy League schools, I don't think there is one and to be honest, anyone trying to make those comparisons doesn't get the point of WGU. As you so succinctly put it, it "OMG-I-have-adult-responsibilities-and-can't-stop-working", but I want my BS and for the time and money invested WGU is a grand deal.

Do I wish I had completed my degree in my early twenties and had a diploma from a state school? Sure, but I didn't and I don't... and truth be known _I_ won't look at the WGU degree in the same way that I would if I had spent four years at _____ State University, but I will be plenty proud of what I have accomplished and while getting a degree at this stage of my career may not be a magic bullet it will do nothing but positive things for me.

dasmoothride

Thanks for all the replies, I enjoyed reading them. I'm currently undecided right now whether I shall go to WGU or not. I just received my admission letter to the State Uni that I've always been wanting to go to. What I don't like about their IS program is that they don't really put emphasis on the IS curriculum, I need to take stats, accounting, marketing and all that and just 21 units are dedicated to the real IS stuff that I'm going to need in this industry. Heck, after I finished getting an AS degree in IT at a community college and getting Net+ and Sec+, I thought I would be ready for the real world - and being an IT Help Desk right now, I just realized there are so much to learn, that I just think that instead of focusing my time on those non IT stuff, I could just use the time to focus on the real IT stuff, hence why I started this thread.

A bit of a rant here, but yeah education system needs changing.

100k

If you can go to a state school go. While WGU is great and all I have meet some of my best friends and have had some the best experiences at college. In addition the degree holds more weight. Work and go to school after your done you will get a really good job.

fiftyo

ptilsen wrote: »

Publications are not required by the accreditation institution, and I'm unaware of any states. Anyway, your whole moot is pretty moot since it has the word university in the name and obviously isn't violating any laws by doing so. Clearly, the powers-that-be have decided it meets the definition.

I don't disagree that WGU does not have the reputation of many, maybe most brick & mortar institutions. And indeed, many employers will choose to either not interview or hire based on one's degree. However, it is a real university with, graduate degrees, and regional accreditation. And in IT, any degree is better than no degree, and no degree is enough to be gainfully employed. So for a lot of people in IT, WGU makes a lot of sense.

I'm not arguing against whether wgu is a university or not, just simply asking questions, which you answered instead of trying to redirect me to google, much appreciated.
However, in terms of publications, they are necessary as they generate academic output. University rankings are based upon academic output, which later determine the schools prestige.
Now if your end career goal is working for some really high end consulting firm, a prestigious degree will unfortunately be a must in many, many, many cases. However if you are just looking to build a solid IT career a degree, the right certifications and experience will take you a long way. You should know that HR also take into account how prestigious the places you previously worked at, it's not only a degree/certification game.