Western Governors University Reviews of Master's in Special Education

Most disappointing experience in education I have ever experienced. More than 90 days after being accepted and completing orientation I am still waiting to begin classes and have my financial aid released. Save yourself the headache and go to a real university. The degree on the wall will be worth much more. UPDATE: After 3 months of promises and jumping through hoops WGU dismissed me from my program. Ironically, with 5 Master's degrees under my belt, all from Tier-Level universities, I find WGU... Read More an absolute disgrace and waste of time. Do not bother with them. There are much better options available.

I had an existing bachelors, so I initially enrolled into the MA in Teaching. I really wanted to focus on special education, but since I wasn't already licensed, I couldn't enroll in the MA special education program. I decided to get my bachelor's in special education at WGU. I am highly qualified to teach in my county. There is some inclusion, but most of the special education content was limited. It was more about general education and then self-study to complete the praxis content area in the... Read More special education content areas. My internship at the elementary level was in an inclusive environment. Then, the second half of my internship at the middle school level was resource, so inclusive as well. I ended up with a teaching position in a self-contained classroom. I have personal experience that made me feel confident in my field as a special education teacher. Then, I returned to WGU for my master's in curriculum and instruction. I was teaching in a classroom where the students were following the elementary integrated curriculum, but the content had to be modified (a lot). I wanted that degree to create and design a curriculum for students in the area of functional life skills. I had an incredible experience with WGU. It's definitely a self-study program, so it's important to be really motivated. I had the same undergraduate mentor for the entire 2 years (since I already had a bachelor's, some of my credits transferred). Then, during my master's program, I had the same mentor for the 2 years. I went part time (not full time). Both mentors were informative, supportive, and encouraging. The program was definitely rigorous for me. I have been researching doctorate programs in special education because I want to teach at the university level and WGU offered a PhD program in my area of interest, I'd sign up for it, too. Financial aid had some glitches, but I was always able to speak to a live person. The taskstream format to submit assignments had clear expectations and the grading system was fair. It was tough...I can't emphasize how much I felt challenged and almost burned out towards the end of my master's program. The grading instructors have no problem sending an assignment back for revision. My weekly calls with my mentor helped me stay on track and feel I wasn't alone, when I really was alone it was nice. I had to go to a testing center because the webcam didn't work with my Mac, but that was fine. Scheduling an exam was not difficult. I wanted to write a review because I'm reading a lot of reviews for the PhD programs that I'm interested in and I felt it was important to share my positive experiences. And, in my county, WGU had an established relationship with the district, so getting an assignment to complete my internship was easier than I expected. The organization at the school is fantastic. I liked the competency based program. I like studying at my own pace. There were communities to connect with others, but I didn't use them much. I didn't have any problems with certification/licensure in my state and district. I'm in Maryland. I love WGU and highly recommend the school of education. I made a great choice and I keep in touch with my mentors. The school really wants to help you succeed if that is what you want for yourself.