UMass-Lowell vs. Western Governors University

Hi Everyone, new here and eager to get some opinions regarding the B.S. I.T. programs at these 2 schools. I am interested in software development and just completed my first semester at UMass-Lowell (Second Bachelor's program, with 90 credits transferring in). I have only 9 more courses before I receive a B.S.I.T. The problem is, there is very little guidance offered within the department (I emailed my academic adviser 3 times and never heard from her the whole semester!), no preparation for industry-standard certs offered and no real focus on software development. At Western Governors, I would be pursuing the B.S.I.T. -- Software Emphasis, and graduating with 18 certifications and an incredibly well-rounded education in IT. I know, sounds like I'm answering my own question -- UMass-Lowell would be a much easier path for me, whereas WGU would be far more difficult but with more bang for the buck!

Both degrees are offered entirely online, and would take me approximately the same time to complete, with WGU being slightly less expensive figuring transfer credits. Any advice/opinions about these 2 schools would be greatly appreciated!

 

I really like WGU, but if you are already at UMass, stay there. Don't worry about certs if you are in the software development field. Certs don't mean anything in software development, unlike the networking and security fields. Also, UMass-Lowell has a better reputation, simply by not advertising as much as WGU does. WGU SOMETIMES gets inaccurately lumped in with for-profits, even though they are not.

Also, as a student of UMass-Lowell, take advantage of their career center for help breaking into the software development field.

 

Thanks for your advice! UML and WGU are both really good schools, IMO -- I am trying to find the right fit for me and will be making my final decision this week before the spring semester starts.