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I recently started a Master’s degree program at WGU, and though I’m not the type to write reviews usually, in this case I feel the need to warn people away. I earned my Bachelor’s from WGU a few years ago, so I’m quite familiar with the school and how it works, but I was shocked how much the quality has nosedived in the intervening years. I know people are prone to complaining that something is bad because it was too difficult; that is not this review. I started in the IT Management program and one... Read More of the first courses was Technical Writing. The course was not about technical writing but about regular business writing (memos, reports, and the like). In fact technical writing was not mentioned until about halfway through the material and I passed the course never having done any. Disillusioned by this, I changed programs to Cybersecurity, thinking that more concrete subject matter would be more logically presented. Sadly that program was even worse. As an example, the first course was about secure network design, something with which I am familiar over nearly 2 decades of IT work, but there was no recognizable organization to the readings, videos, or labs. Topics seem to have been assembled randomly, with no consideration of building from simple to more advanced concepts. The OSI model (one of the most basic networking concepts) was not mentioned until something like section 14, and another section wanted students to watch more than 20 hours of video about a certification which is covered in it’s own entire course later in the degree program. The labs were also given with little to no context, so instead of reinforcing concepts they became a simple exercise in following directions. The fact that multiple terrible courses were not only conceived and designed, but actually approved and delivered, in more than one degree program, speaks to deep institutional failures that need to be addressed before anyone considers attending WGU.

WGU is a competency-based college. The goal
is to leverage your expertise and knowledge to apply and demonstrate it in the coursework. The structure is self-paced and those who are self-motivated, disciplined in their ability to dedicate hours to the process will succeed. If you need a more structured environment, this may not be the college for you. Instructors don’t hold your hand and while they give good feedback, the expectation is you follow the outlined rubric and study on your own.

Thankfully... Read More this was perfect for me and allowed me to graduate in one 6-month term.

I chose WGU because I needed a degree quickly after I got some bad medical news and was told I'd be medically retired soon. I work in cyber for the military so I have gotten training and have a handful of certifications. WGU was largely based around CISSP with a class about CEH and one about CHFI. They've recently updated the curriculum. I loved how WGU works. My mentor was hands off after I finished 4 courses in a month, but was always on-call when I was ready to start my next course. The mentors... Read More are really just there to make sure you're on track to graduate and get you enrolled in courses, they have degrees in completely different feilds. When I reached out to a course instructors they responded in less than a day most times. This is a very independent program because you just get a stack of e-books to read, but if you already work in cyber or study before hand (reddit has study tips for every course) you'll be fine. The papers you write are pretty accurate and are decently realistic for the business world. For about $4,700 and 5 months I got a master's, another certification, and made finding a great job that much easier. I didn't use tuition assistance because of all the requirements for officers and I was told that TA would slow me down. No one has questioned the credibility of my degree because WGU has four regional accreditations and is recognized by the DHS and NSA--that and a number of people I work with are also going to WGU.

First of all, please read the other 4 reviews on this page. Both negative and positive have good points (except, "WGU Student"). The concept behind WGU is excellent and there are some good Bachelor programs there. Once you get to the Masters level, things tend to decline. As some mention, you need to be self-motivated. What this really means is: there is a lot of information missing or incorrect in the assignments. FAR beyond motivation, you have to search Reddit for clues, push the instructors to... Read More divulge more, perform lots of stress management and expect a lot of frustration. Figure out your learning style before registering. If you are like the commenter, Siva, the challenge should be good, especially if you have a lot of security experience. If you need any of the following, look elsewhere: 1) Paper or eReader textbooks for easier reading/bookmarking - does not exist 2) Related to #1 - very few mechanisms to study large blocks of information (paper or electronic flashcards/summaries-rather than sifting through hundreds of screens) 3) Technical videos directly related to the course material - almost non-existent 4) The ability to work with other students in the program - Reddit is the main way to contact others (and can sometimes be outdated). There are sometimes other groups like Facebook but very limited - a moral support tool 5) Freedom to take the classes in any order you want - no I will rate the school as recommended (only because the good bachelors program and you may have the right skill set as mentioned earlier).

I completed my bachelors program through WGU in late 2017, early 2018. I had small gripes here and there about how the college worked but felt my bachelors experience was generally positive overall. I cannot say that for my Masters Degree experience which resulted in me leaving the program 10 days in for the reasons below: 1. The intake process consists of you meeting with a counselor who discusses aspects of the degree you're interested in, telling you about the program courses, financial aid and... Read More information WGU needs to get you in the door. The person I was assigned borderline harassed me week after week with unscheduled calls asking me if I had all the information I needed. I felt that process could have been managed better. My reason for leaving the program will ultimately come back to this first point. 2. The bachelors program allows a lot of flexibility with the order of classes you choose as you progress through the program terms which I really enjoyed about my bachelors experience. The masters program provides no flexibility here outside of the first term where your classes are preselected but you may change the first term class order. WGU appears to claim the terms are setup in a prereq fashion to build you up for the next classes which is not only dishonest but just flat out false. There is little to no correlation whatsoever between the classes offered in the program I was pursuing. This inflexible class structure was never discussed in early in take process which would have saved me amount of time and money. It actually doesn't even make any sense that the masters has less flexibility over a bachelors program. It should be the other way around if anything. 3. You are charged and expected to pay tuition starting the 1st day of the month your term starts in, but are typically not assigned a mentor or able to access and start studying for the first 3-5 days of your term. I can't wait to see how WGU screws me over on the refund aspect. Their policy is they do not refund application, program or resource fees. I never enrolled for any classes and therefore did not access and resources or interact in the program. If cost is your driving motivation for obtaining an accredited online degree WGU is a good option. The courses are somewhat challenging and achievable but averagely bland overall. Expect to be routinely frustrated by an inefficient, wonky structure that makes little sense.

This school is meant for people who are extremely self-motivated. If you expect that the school will spoon feed you, you will be very disappointed. Each course is like a big puzzle and, if you can crack it, you will love the courses. I start every course with great fear that I may not be able to complete it but, after making progress by going through all their helping guides and course materials, I will feel little confident and once the course is through, I get all my energy back to start the next... Read More one. It is like challenging us to overcome our own fear since the journey is going to be mostly alone and, based on your own personality, either it would be very refreshing or frustrating. After going through the pain, I would recruit anyone from this college as far as cybersecurity goes since these jobs require a commited, self-motivated and very patient persion, which is a rare commodity.

I recently graduated from WGU. My overall experience was great. This is one of the best online school that offered quality education with affordable tuition. Being a IT professional, I found their degree programs are very competitive and allighn with real life/project situation. The information I learnt in his program helped me immensely In solving issues. So program met the quality standard. However, this program is not suited for all individual. This program is definitely for the one who are self... Read More motivated, inspirational, dedicated and have good time management skill sets. I was able to complete this program before my term ends. This is because my professional experience helped me get through those course fast enough. People who don't have any experience will face challenges but it can be overcome with hard work and dedication. However, I found course mentors are not as effective as I thought before enrolling in the program. My first semester was little bumpy as I was hoping course mentor would review my paper and point out my problems. Rather they asked me where I need help. I was dumbfaced because I didn't know what I was doing wrong to tell them where I need help. That gave a lesson in positive way. Research and analyze your problem on your own rather waiting for other to help. This analogy helped me to get through my remainder courses because I already knew I am on my own. If one know how to follow the task rubrics and touches the points outlined in the rubrics, paper would never sent back for revision. All My tasks for last three courses, including the capstone were passed in first time. So I never had to work on revision of my task. One thing I hate about WGU is they don't have GPA scale for their courses. I wish if they have it. Most of colleges asses your accedimic standings based on GPA. But WGU has only pass/fail result. Thus, it Is not good approach in showing your true merit. Hope they change this in future. I recommend them to add more video tutorials from any sources in the course to guide the students in right directions.

I learned early on that everyone at WGU was there to help me succeed. Shortly after I sent my initial application in, I was contacted by my admissions mentor Tim. He helped my finish my application and everything I needed to get admitted into my masters program. Admittedly I was frustrated because my first application was rejected, but Tim was patient and worked with me. My second application was accepted and I was on my way. Once I was accepted into my program I was assigned a student mentor. My... Read More student mentor Lisa was there to keep me on schedule for graduation. I thought nothing of it at first but once I started classes and checking in with Lisa every week, I realized I was getting more work done than I did when I took traditional online classes during my undergrad. Having Lisa to be accountable to really pushed me. Overall, I think very highly of Western Governors University. Every email Ive every sent was responded to in less than 24 hours. Your student mentor is there to help you from start to finish, and each class has a course mentor (SME) there to answer any questions related to the class you may have. I would recommend WGU to anyone that asked and hope they expand their curriculum someday.

I am currently in my second term of the Cyber Security program and WGU and am working full time in a demanding job. So far the material has been directly relevant to my current job in IT networking and security. The material has given and excellent basis in cyber related law, policies, and best practices. I feel confident applying for senior level security positions after just one semester. It is a bit like drinking from a fire hose at first but the material and assessments are practical and focused... Read More on deliverables that would be expect in the day to day job of a Senior information systems security professional or security manager. I highly recommend this program.