Western Governors University Reviews of Bachelor's in Information Technology

I am a current student at WGU. This college is not for students pursuing a degree in a field in which they are not currently employed. The material that is provided is very technical. In the IT program you are evaluated on your ability to pass national certifications. This can be fairly tough for a student, as myself, who is just entering a new field. One is required to dedicate hours of study time, which is difficult for the working adult. I sit at work all day and study and at home and feel like... Read More it is not enough time in a day for the material. The mentors...well I can only speak for my mentor, but I feel as though every time we speak that it is a recording. When he/she asks whether he/she can do anything to help and you explain whatever problem you have and are told that you need to speak to your course mentor. I feel as though the mentor that calls every week is useless. I miss the forum interactions and the class setting; this college certainly makes you feel like you are alone. I plan to do as many courses as I can in my six months and attend another institution for the remainder of my studies. Also many of the entry level jobs and internships, CSX and Boeing to name a few requires the pursuing of a bachelors with a GPA of at least 3.2 and since this school is pass or fail, well this makes that difficult.

Nothing is wrong with WGU, and no I am not a "plant", whatever that means. I am married, pay my own bills, etc. and attended a 2 year tech school, but never graduated. I have been enrolled at WGU since 2013 and will be graduating in 2017. I had no problems with transferring my credits, even though only about 24 of them transferred out of maybe 46. I am enrolled in the BSIT program and have had about 3 degree plan changes, which isn't a big deal imo. Some courses were dropped and replaced by more... Read More relevant ones which I thought was a good thing. WGU is a self-study, self-paced online school where you must be responsible for your time! They have a low graduation rate because people can't handle taking care of themselves. You have to find motivation to work on your classes because there are no teachers to hold your hand. It is taking me the full 4 years to complete my degree, but that's not because I am slacking off, it's because I am a slow learner and try to understand everything before attempting the assessments. If you can find motivation on your own, and not waste your time or are not lazy, I would recommend WGU to you. If you need assistance every step of the way when it comes to learning, then please save yourself the trouble and go to a traditional college, which by the way is much, much, much more expensive. WGU terms are a total of $3035 every 6 months, and you get to add the typical amount of 12-16 "credit hours" worth of classes in each term, BUT if you finish all of your classes quickly, you are allowed to add more classes into your term without paying anything extra as long as you are able to complete them within that term. Many of the classes in the IT Security degree are based on certification exams, mostly CompTIA, and CISCO. Basically if you pass the certification exam then you pass the class. As for the general education classes and the other non-technical classes, you submit tasks (assignments) through a service called taskstream and you get graded based on a rubric that is presented to you for each assignment or objective assessment. There are no homework assignments by the way, only the final assignment and/or test. I have had no problems with task stream in the past, people tend to complain about how long it takes, but they don't give them a fair chance. I always received my results within 2-3 days. One other thing is that you keep in contact with WGU through a student mentor whom calls you every week when you're a new student through your first term, and then calls you every couple weeks depending on a schedule you set with your mentor. Many people complain about this as well, yet I have no clue why. Overall WGU is a great online college that is very affordable. I do recommend this school easily.

After working in the IT field for 18 years, I reached a point that I was not going to be able to advance further in my organization without a degree. Brick-and-mortar schools never worked for me. They are too slow. I decided to try WGU because it would let me work at my own pace for a fixed cost (~$3k per 6-month term). I have not been disappointed! My previous schooling, certifications and experience resulted in 45 transfer-in credits, with 86 remaining. WGU required students to complete 12 units... Read More per term. Since starting, I have complete the following number of units per term: 21, 17, 16, 16, 16. One class took me a couple months because I just couldn't wrap my head around it. Several classes took me between 1 - 5 days because it was stuff I have been doing for years and just needed to brush up and take the test. This is truly an at-your-pace program. WGU works well for just about anyone that doesn't need the classroom interaction of a professor and other students. Study and quiz times are completely up to you. All materials are completely online, and absolutely everything you need is provided within the cost of the term. There is no required homework or quizzes. All that matters is the final. In some programs, like IT, many of the "finals" are major industry certification tests, for which you get the certification in addition to the completion of the course. The mentors are pretty good about keeping you on track and motivated. How often, and which mentors you choose to work with is up to you. You are required to work with your primary mentor, especially during your first term. If you are a self-starter and absorb course material well, that may be all you need. I haven't really utilized the course-specific mentors at all. If you do need a little topic specific assistance though, the course mentors are there for you, and often offer online group coaching. WGU is a great school and well worth looking into. I will always recommend them. Without WGU and the format they offer, I would have had a very hard time completing my degree.

Graduating from WGU has added a tremendous amount of value to my resume! I say this confidently as one whose career is in the realm of talent acquisition as a recruiting lead for a fortune 500 company. I would genuinely recommend WGU to anyone who does not have the time to sit in a classroom for 4+ hours each day, but sees the importance of an accredited Bachelors degree in today's ultra competitive market. One thing to note, however, is the coursework was extremely challenging so do not expect a... Read More cakewalk. You really must study for at least 20+ hours each week in order to be successful as there is either a pass or fail grade in each course -- which leaves absolutely no room for mediocrity. That being said, the course mentors assigned to each task are awesome in guiding you and are available during standard office hours. I would genuinely recommend WGU for a quality education that means something, unlike that other online for-profit university we all heard of :)

This school is regionally accredited and very affordable. I appreciate the move-at-your-own-pace aspect of this institution. For the IT program, almost all of the upper division courses involve you doing online training and then taking a Certification Exam. If you pass the Certification Exam, you pass the course and you have one class down and another Certification under your belt. There is no homework and everything is Pass/Fail. You either complete the course or you don't, so if you're looking... Read More for a GPA to be proud of, that will not be possible at WGU. There are some down-sides as well. You have to speak to a 'Student Mentor' on the phone once every week to give status updates. If you miss too many calls, they will suspend your status at the school until you get that fixed. After the first term, you may be able to switch to every two weeks, but that is still very annoying. Additionally, if the end of the term is approaching, you cannot enroll in any new courses. Terms are six months long, so if it's nearing the end of your fifth month in the term and you want to enroll in a new course, your Mentor will likely not allow it. This is because you cannot take a course that spans multiple terms. This is quite frustrating considering that continual enrollment is required and it's supposed to be move-at-your-own-pace. This aspect puts a damper on things near the ends of your terms.

There are fallacies with every school, you just need to find the one with the least amount for your personality. CREDITS / CLASS: So yeah, WGU has a weird credit system, 6 credit classes that I can literally study 1 night and pass the test while there are some 3 credit classes that take me 2 weeks. But it balances itself out in in the long run if you think about it. MENTORS: I had a mentor I didn't get along with and requested another, Boom! just like that I was given the worlds coolest mentor and... Read More we get along great. I've even had more of a motivation to work ahead (13 credits last term with old mentor, over 23 and still counting this term with new one.) The actual class mentors are helpful in a way where they want to see you succeed the first time and give you the recommended shortest path of least resistance for the average student. GRADING: This one is a bit unorthodox... 3rd party grading system that seems a bit robotic. There isn't much depth to the grading method, and it's all surface presentation. For example, this is my assumption of my grading method if I were a grader. Task: Write a paragraph explaining why 1 and 1 is equal to 2? Answer: Blah Blah blah not worth reading, (now the key words) IT IS EQUAL TO 2 BECAUSE MATH, blah blah blah (more in-depth stuff not really worth reading.) I'm basically saying, without those key words, no matter how in-depth you answer, your work will most likely get sent back. BUT this method works out well if you understand it. Since my first hiccup with this, I haven't had any work sent back because it's pretty easy not to mess this up. Those that keep failing, just don't get it. As far as the tests go, just study and don't underestimate the post test. I haven't failed anything yet and I'm no smarter than the average Joe. PASS/FAIL: You either pass, or quit the school. GPA is a straight 3.0 from day 1 to the last day which is the minimum most colleges look for when applying for a Masters Degree. TUITION: It's simply amazing. I pay for less than what I'm learning, It almost feels like stealing. REAL WORLD APPLICATION: As far as information technology goes, a select few of the degree programs truly get you ready for the job market especially in the private Dept. of Defense sector of government contracting. We've hired a good few people from WGU due to the certifications they bring with them.

I enjoyed my time at WGU I received my BS in IT Network Design and Management. This school is not for everyone, if your not a self starter you will no do well at this school. If you have a hard time learning information by yourself, by reading books and watching videos good luck! But if this doesn't describe you, and your in the field that your getting your degree in this is the right school. I finished my degree in one year(I have never been to college before starting WGU). I saved a lot of time... Read More and money by going to this school. I truly believe this is the future of learning, a self pace program that you can show off your ambition and determination.

WGU helped me get my Bsc. in IT without going to a brick and mortar college. At that time I had 3 children, working full time and my wife was also working full time and I could not attend a brick and mortar college. The degree helped me to get a better paying job before I graduated and after graduation it also helped me get a promotion. Just like any other college you will find one or two things you might not like but in general I liked the school and they are constantly improving the way they do... Read More business.

The program is tough but well worth it in the end. You get a lot of certifications that help advance your career. Do not let anyone tell you that certifications do not matter. They do in the IT world. WGU incorporating them into the programs are great. The weekly phone calls with your program mentor can be annoying if you are an advanced learner but if you procrastinate or feel you are getting behind, they can be a real asset. I have graduated with my BSIT and now reenrolled for my MSIT - ISA degree... Read More with them. The course mentors are great but I feel email and phone contact should be exteneded to maybe a webex type of interaction. WGU learning is more solo work so if you like working in group type events, this might not be for you.

This school is for self-starters. If you are looking to learn IT by attending this school you will have a hard road ahead of you. If you are already an IT professional then this is the school for you. I see people complain about not having enough support. If you ask they will give you all the support you need. It is online learning you will be using your computer for everything. Physical book are not supplied and if you are the type who needs a physical book this will not be the program for you.... Read More I started this program with zero credits and sixteen years of IT experience. The general education was the hardest part and mostly because I don’t like to write papers. Nothing that will make a true difference in your life is easy and neither was completing this degree.

One of the best changes I ever made! I work in IT, had my Associates and a few IT Certifications. Was time to get a Bachelors, choose a very good brick and mortar school in my area. I work full time, and was discouraged as the only classes I had left remaining were just about all electives as my Associates covered my major. I was taking classes I didn't want, taking forever (so it seemed) and I felt like I was just paying to get a piece of paper and say I have a Bachelors. In comes WGU...after a... Read More colleague at work seemed very excited about this school he was going to. Fast forward.....I LOVE IT! One year in and I have done at WGU what would have taken me two at my previous school. I am taking classes in my major, learning new and updated information (AND CURRENT) in my area of work and study, LOVE being able to work at my own pace, quicker on topics I am familiar with, slower if a new area for me or really need a refresher. Having a mentor is one of the keys to this program...WGU make sure you remember how important your mentors are :). I hope they are recognized for their talent. As others have said, you must able to adjust to this, be self disciplined and work hard. This is not just a quick way to get a degree...be prepared to LEARN! I know, may sound strange, but there are plenty of schools out there that are just about the piece of paper, and some employers seem to push this. That is where the accreditation comes into play. Do some comparing. When reading about the history of WGU, they got it right. They are looking into the future....not a brick and mortar school trying to fit a square peg into a round hole....I.E.: Trying to make a traditional in-person class into an online class by mirroring it to the last detail. This was my experience prior to WGU and it doesn't work. Another friend's experience in taking online classes at a traditional brick\mortar was writing a paper for every class. EVEN MATH! Along with mandatory online check in AND forums postings 7 days a week. She was spending more time proving she was online and writing than she would have if she went to the class in person. In addition, WGU and the mentors offer so many opportunities for support and help to get you there. They ask for a commitment of 20 hours of study, and that commitment is key. Make a plan, keep to it and you will succeed.

The competency-based approach is much to be desired from other educational organizations, but the learning is still taking place. Overall I feel that I received a better education as all my assignments applied to my work and weren't accepted until they were correct. There were times that I went through multiple revisions to complete an assignment which assisted with learning through my mistakes. While this may occur with the 4.0 grading scale, it's less forgiving. In addition to the competency, commercial... Read More certifications are part of the curriculum.

Normally, colleges will tell you that you have to select a Science course, a Math course, an Arts course, etc. and then provide you a list from each category. You can then choose the specific course that either most closely aligns with what you want to do or is just more your speed. For example, I do better at Chemistry than Biology simply because my chosen course of study has nothing to do with the human body or plants or anything like that. If I were going into medicine I might prefer Biology over... Read More Geology, and so on. WGU doesn't allow you this type of choice. The program is given assumptive courses from the categories, often not making any sense. I had two Biology courses in an IT program. Why? What's more, I had 6 total Science courses, 4 Math courses, three English courses - unlike other schools where you only have one of each. There weren't enough courses around my desired course of study (IT!) The pacing of it all and the competency-based model are fine. But the handling of the GE courses is just poor all around.

As a student who is just about to pass from Western Governor's, I feel obligated to let any prospective students what to expect from a Western Governor's degree program in IT - Network Design and Management. The idea of the college is great, it is a performance based program that tests you on your competencies. For someone who has been in IT Networking/Architecture for 19 years, this is a perfect situation. In general the program has it's pros/cons like any other school, however, the Microsoft aspect... Read More of this program is a different story. When initially registered, the Microsoft tests were proctored through Microsoft's certification program. This is a problem, because if you read the requirements of each test is requires a few years experience and hands-on experience. Not something that should be a college level test. WGU acknowledged the issue and brought the exams in house. The problem is that the tests are more difficult! I score higher with the Microsoft version of the exam than I do with WGU's internal test which seems to have quite a few technical errors. To compound the issue, as I mentioned I am a Network Architect with engineering background, but Microsoft is not networking but a systems technology. (For anyone disagreeing on this point, just ask yourself: Can a network exist without a router or a switch? How about a windows server, can it do switching and routing? (and please do not try the RIP approach, it is deprecated)) I have studied for each test for at least 250 hours per exam and still am hobbling through the tests. On the whole, if anyone is considering this degree program, consider whether or not you have Microsoft mastery. If the answer is, "no", then try some other school. If the answer is yes, than this may be a good fit. Just also be aware that the goal of WGU is to save the student on hours in the classroom, but the student makes up for it in homework and studying. There are not many "cake walk" classes in this program, and work at your own pace may mean spending 4-5 months on the same course (the 6 credit courses are brutal)

My experience at Western Governor's was very positive. An on-line degree program is not for everyone. But, for myself, I was already working in the IT industry and am an adult learner. The information and experience I gained from my courses and capstone project had a direct impact on my real world work projects. My mentor was instrumental in keeping me on track and graduating on time. Without his help I may not have ever graduated. I graduated a month late. I already had an associates agree at a... Read More community college. My degree has helped my career and is worth every bit of effort I put in to it.