Western Governors Univesity... Any Thoughts?

Can anyone tell me about their experience with WGU. I am interested because they offer a BS.IT and I can also earn Certifications along with the degree. I believe that is quite valuable especially for someone like me with no I.T. background. I work as an accountant but I plan on changing careers to an I.T. Analyst of some sort (??) I am currently attending GGU for the BBA.IT degree but its very expensive and the courses are traditional (16 weeks),not all but most courses are. I'm looking at other options. The video below caught my interest as I was browsing the site.

WGU | Online University | Online Degree

 

I don't think this is for you....

Who the program is for:
■Established IT professionals who need a bachelor’s degree and additional certifications to advance their careers.
■Experienced professionals with “real world” experience who seek a broad foundation of IT skills and the IT certifications to get ahead.

 

I don't think this is for you....

Who the program is for:
■Established IT professionals who need a bachelor’s degree and additional certifications to advance their careers.
■Experienced professionals with “real world” experience who seek a broad foundation of IT skills and the IT certifications to get ahead.

 

I am referring to the BS.IT- Network Administration. The WGU website quotes■Individuals who wish to become network server administrators and need the training and credentials to open doors.


Bachelor Degree in IT Network Administration | WGU College of Information Technology Online

 

Good program. I'm an alum of it.

Careerwise you're better off staying with accounting unless you're miserable. Better upside to the career path.

You will not get a job as a network or server admin without experience and will end up working help desk jobs before getting there.

 

I don't know about the Bachelors there, but personally I'm eyeing the Information Security and Assurance Masters for when I'm done with my Bachelors at Empire State, that seems like a valuable degree.

Also, I gotta agree with ITJD, getting into a good IT position is often a real trial by fire.

 

Go to the forums on TechExams.net a lot of the people on that forum absolutely love WGU. Seems like there are a large number of students who post on that forum, but it seems expensive. I echo what others have said about getting into IT. You are better off with accounting, or an engineering degree. If you "love computers" keep it as a hobby and get your living doing something with more value.

Good luck.

 

What I'll add now that I'm at a proper keyboard:

Depending on what you bring into the program in terms of certifications, it's either a very cheap program or a middling program in terms of cost. What I used to like about the program is that you could if motivated, blow out a metric ton of objective exams and paper submissions in a weekend and take as many assessments as you wanted during your six month term.

I know they've since changed it to lock in the amount of work you're responsible for, and that's been why I haven't gone back to WGU for a masters, that and as you take higher level degree programs, you need to be conscious of the name brand of your school.

I recommend the UG programs, but I'd steer clear of the grad programs unless you already have a grad degree from a name brand school.

ITJD

PS. If given the choice again, after seeing 15 years plus in IT, I'd have gone into law or remained in bail enforcement over being an IT guy. Your mileage may vary.

 

I'd say if your background is in accounting and you want to look at WGU, you should look at one of their business programs. Their IT program is now tailored to more closely fit the needs of experienced IT professionals (not that I'm completely enamored with that change, but it is what it is).

 

I am curious about WGU's undergrad programs. From what I heard, they don't have courses but rather modules. What does that mean? Do their Bachelors degree transfer to outside Masters programs? That is my concern. I don't want to earn a BS degree if the credits don't transfer. I also heard that you don't recieve a GPA.

 

The reason I picked I.T. is because I do like working with computers and everytime I read about jobs with the most openings, I.T is always in the top 10. Technology will be in our future forever. I know they outsource a lot but they still need I.T. professionals here to actually work with the system and trouble shoot.

 

I agree with Petedude. Accounting seems to be a profession where you can usually find a well-compensated job. I rarely talk to someone who is an out-of-work accountant. However, I do have some friends that have some IT experience who are having employment difficulties. Of course, as Petedude suggests, a good paying job is not such a great thing if I causes you to be miserable. Only you can know those things, but from a strictly monetary point of view, accounting would probably be the best choice. Also, I have been told that there are more university teaching opportunities for accounting professors than there are for IT professors, if you are ever interested in teaching.

 

I have been trying to get into a Masters in teaching program at WGU. I have read mostly good reviews on the school. They have had great customer service and response times so far. They have taken all my transfer credits from TESC, I just need 4 more courses in areas I never took. They are willing to take CLEP or DSST for these credits which will probably be fastest for me.

I am not in IT, but some of my friends in IT are the people who have been out of work the most often and the longest over the last couple of years. If you want a job in the next several years go into teaching high school science. Chemistry and Physics teachers are in extremely high demand and the pay, benefits and summers off are not bad either.

 

I approached WGU regarding their Math degree and found them very eager to be of assistance. I have not taken them up on their offers yet but see them as being on a very short list of potential schools for me.

 

It's not modules, it's domains. WGU's competency based model requires that students demonstrate competency in given subject domains in order to complete their degree. That may mean a paper, a presentation, a project or an exam-- it depends on the subject matter involved.

Bachelor's degrees don't "transfer", they qualify you to enter a given program. WGU's Master's programs are regionally accredited, so it's likely that all but a few Ivy League schools will be fine with a WGU diploma.

You don't get a GPA at WGU, but then Brown University and a few others don't track GPAs, either. WGU stated policy is to design competency requirements such that they would approximate a "B" grade at another institution, and they will happily supply a letter to that effect. In other words, if you finish a bachelor's at WGU, you will have effectively a 3.0 average. Again, most Master's programs will be fine with that.

 

1. You take assessments that are either objective proctored exams or submitted papers. Each objective exam or deliverable set counts as one "class" or "module" or "domain" and has a prescribed number of credit hours attached to them. Pass the exam or assignment and you get credit. Each six month semester usually requires you to pass a certain number of credits to stay in good academic standing and it's usually somewhere around 12 credits. I found that I was averaging 18 credits per term.

This stated, WGU has since locked down the number of credits you may attempt.

2. You will run into issues if you attempt to transfer WGU credits to another bachelors program. You will not run into any issues if you graduate with a WGU degree unless your goals are unrealistic.

Example: Boston University offered zero credit for undergrad credits earned at WGU when I was looking at transferring to MET. Same deal with Northeastern continuing ed.

I had no problem finishing the BS at WGU and getting into UMass Amherst's MBA program and I was accepted into BU Law the same year, but opted for the MBA program as I wanted to continue to work full time. I'd argue that my undergrad at Northeastern would have made the WGU degree a non-factor, but as I was simply testing the waters with BU Law I didn't put the NU degree on my application.

3. WGU's transcripts state that passing a domain or finishing the degree confers an equivalent GPA of 3.0. It is not a formal GPA but you may use it as such, the transcript supports it with text on the reverse side.

So what I'd say is, if you start it, finish it, and don't assume you'll get into an Ivy with just a WGU degree. You'll be fine.

ITJD

 

I posted about my friend that wanted to get into IT a month or so ago. He had no experience and was not able to enter any of the IT programs they had. I just called and you need a two year degree or some work experience to enter.

 

ITJD,
I'm curious, did Boston U. give you a reason for declining WGU's credit?
Since they they're Regionally, Nationally, and DETC accredited I can't see why another school wouldn't accept them.

I'm also surprised about locking down credits. No one's mentioned anything along those lines to me (in my 2nd term there.)

 

I've heard about RA colleges not accepting WGU's credits in transfer. WGU's emphasis on "competency units" as opposed to credit hours is difficult for some schools to work with. Worse, since the numbers assigned to "competency units" vary all over the map and don't line up with ACE recommendations, that makes gauging credit hours even more difficult for the destination school.

I seem to remember someone posting on some board (this one?) that a university in Washington state accepted their WGU credits.

Personally, my suggestion for WGU students is that if they're going to dive in, they need to stick with it until they finish.

 

1. BU stated that they could not effectively translate WGU domains of competency to classes within their programs. Therefore the credits were not transferable.

2. Try this test. When you hit a semester where you've completed all of your credits early and have a month or two left in it.. ask to open more before the semester's over.

It used to be that mentors could open new domains at any time. I've heard they can't open domains past the second or third week of the semester now.