Has anyone received any degree from Western Governors University and then became employed?
At this very moment, I'm finishing my last class for my MBA in Healthcare Administration. A year ago, I was hired as a practice manager for a small medical office, and my salary doubled what I was making just prior. My boss' decision to hire me was weighed heavily on the fact that I was so close to finishing an MBA from a reputable school. My husband and I have been pursing the same degree from WGU, and we did a lot of homework and searching before finding WGU. It is highly respected, and if you do things right, a Master's degree should give you the boost you need for a better job. Now, although I do not work in education, I did for a period of time a few years ago, and I also do know it is a highly competitive field, so you might still find difficulty finding a job immediately, but the degree from WGU is highly worth it to give you that boost to make you more competitive. I can honestly say my education at WGU has been high quality and has truly prepared me for a career in the real world. The tuition is affordable, and the learning is tailored to your needs. Their programs are truly quality.
How has your experience been with Western Governor's University? Was it worth it?
I finished my B.S in Software Development at WGU in two years, after completing two years at a technical college. I thought the course was not as rigourous as it could have been and some of the tests required excessive memorization of content rather than concepts. That said, your education is mostly what you make of it. Simply completing the required work will not set you apart whether you go to WGU or elsewhere.Personally, I would have preferred a traditional university because I really enjoy the social aspect and being around lots of people who want to discuss what you're all learning at the same time. However, I chose WGU because it was much more affordable.The education I received at WGU was okay, but I didn't get as much out of it as I would have liked. Part of the problem was that some of the courses are becoming outdated (it was a software course after all), I also experienced software bugs in the pre assessment coaching reports (it gave wrong answers to test questions), and I didn't get to socialize with people in my degree plan. They do have ways for students to connect via Microsoft Teams, but I really missed going to lunch and hanging out after class with friends like at my previous college. The biggest issue, for me, was that I wasn't learning the tools I wanted to (web stacks). Of course, there are other important things to learn besides specific tools.Was it worth it? Yes. I had a lot of help from financial aid, so my biggest payment was in time. I wasnt working for most of my tenure, which meant I could have accelerated my degree, but due to my unique circumstance I chose to keep a steady pace and learn other tools outside of what WGU was teaching. I graduated a couple months early, and have a job lined up with a company I interned for while attending WGU. I will not be using any of the tools in my new job (Java, Linux, Android), that I learned at WGU, but the concepts I learned about networks, operating systems, algorithims, data structures, etc.. Will always stay with me. So too will the sense of accomplishment and the nifty piece of paper that says I chose a path and stuck with it.
Can you get your CPA if you graduate from Western Governors University?
I believe in Texas you have to have 150 hours to sit for the CPA exam. But since WGU doesn't do the hours thing, can you become a CPA going there? Very interested in becoming an accountant, but don't want to attend WGU if I can't eventually become a CPA.
Which is a better school, Western Governors University or UMUC?
Considering they are both regionally accredited, they should be on equal footing, academically, with all other regionally accredited schools in that area. What matters here is that work done at this school can be transferred to other schools if you so desire to move. Regional accreditation facilitates that by saying to the new school, “Look, this student has completed these courses which map to your courses here, and the level of education is equivalent to your own, so give him the appropriate credit.”Even if you’re not planning on changing colleges or universities, it helps employers know that the education you received was genuine and not merely a piece of paper out of a diploma mill.Finally, you can know that your education is equivalent to what someone down the street is getting and compare the value of that education in quantifiable terms.With both of these so accredited, determine which programs, costs, delivery options work best for you. I haven’t attended UMUC, so I can’t compare them personally.
Is the IT degree at Western Governors University a good and reputable degree?
I graduated from WGU a couple years ago with an IT degree (software engineering focus). I found the program to be a much better fit for me than traditional schools that I have been to. No one I have ever interviewed with really cared where I got my degree, so long as they can tick the "college degree" box and move on. I will occasionally be asked how I liked it and what I learned.I also found the people I was working with at WGU to be very helpful and competent. I didn't run into any of the lengthy delays mentioned in another comment. I was in and going in less than a month - similar to the amount of time I needed to get into a traditional school, with the exception that there is a "semester" starting every month, so I was able to start it on my own schedule.So, in my experience WGU is treated well by employers and recruiters (outside of academia). Honestly, if it isn't an ivy league school, generally few people will care where you got your degree.
Switching from UOP to Western Governors University?
Hello, First, both the University of Phoenix and Western Governor's University are real colleges: both are regionally accredited ~ which is the same type/level of accreditation enjoyed by Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. If you're not happy at Phoenix (many are not) then transfer as soon as possible. Questions to ask amy transfer school: 1) How many of my credits earned to date will you accept in transfer? This is a key question: don't transfer until you have a solid answer. If you lose credits in transfer, you lose time and money; 2) WGU is actually a very different type of college than UofP. At WGU you study for and take "comepetency modules" to earn credits and progress through the degree. Whereas at U of P you were taking straight up traditional courses. Some people find the self study toward competency exams a difficult process, more so than taking traditional courses; explore this option carefully; 3) Lastly: Explore how your financial aid may or may not transfer. You won't be able to "transfer" your aid at U of P directly to WGU: the aid people will have to recalculate need based on nerw costs and a new plan of study. In terms of reputation, both are "newer" schools; however WGU is less expensive (by far!) as it is a supported by tax dollars and also WGU, unlike U of P, does not have a "bad reputation." U of P has a bad rep out there, especially among employers. You'd do well to avoid them if you can. You don't say what kind of degree you are working on but these days well over two thousand colleges offer online degrees so you have a lot of choices out there. For the record: U of P is among the most expensive options as they are a for profit with a lot of legal bills to pay for student aid violations and other related court actions from prior students.
What are the real pros/cons of Western Governors University, & how hard is it to get a job with their degree?
It is okay. There are Pro's and Con's to it. I have been with them since Sept 05. I am getting my BA in secondary science for teaching. The mentors are great. Very helpful. You get to complete as many hours as you can in a semester. Tests can be somewhat hard. You have to get a 70 to pass most of the tests. A 70 is apparently considered a B at WGU. They have changed some policies that I don't really like. You get to take a test if you do not pass it the first time. Until a two months ago, you to see how many points you got for each question. They took that right away for some reason. I'm talking to some higher ups there about this right now to see if I can get it fixed.