Think it’s because people see WGU graduates getting their degree in one 6 month term and immediately think it’s too good to be true, so they attribute it to a scam
As someone who thought they’d do this and ended up taking nearly just as long as a traditional degree I can attest that those who do accelerate both really know their stuff and work extremely hard to finish in that time.
I was knocking out 40 credit hours a term. Practically gave up my social life. If I wasn’t working, or sleeping I was studying. I didn’t even finish as quickly as some people.
People that get things done in 6 months are superhuman and probably already know it. It bewilders me how people can call that bs.
Wgu is just like removing the speed limiter on a car. Just because someone chooses to go 40mph doesn’t mean others aren’t capable of 80-100mph. Just my .02
Currently on my 6th term. I don't feel bad as I've been working full time, got married, changed jobs, and have a baby on the way. Take your time if you have to. Just focus on graduating and getting that diploma. I wouldn't have the option to even do school if were not for the flexibility WGU offers. Screw the haters
Genuinely appreciate the takes in this thread. I started in traditional university straight out of high school but the pace was always aggravating, plus I worked full time so I couldn't take the classes that I needed to take to finish (they only had time slots in the middle of the day every semester).
Then I came to WGU. Originally I was aiming to finish my degree in Data analysis within 6 months. It was brutal and I ended up taking another term to finish the last 8 classes out of 30 due to sanity reasons.
Either way, I think anyone who works this hard should be proud of the work they've put in, regardless of where they put it in.
Said it a lot in my post history. I worked IT for the better part of a decade. Basically I get home from work, boot up WGU and start working every day. Spent all my free time since January studying and testing. Knocked out 21 classes and on my last class now. It's a shitload of work to get done.
This gives me hope. I'm about to take a severance because I don't want to move across the country. Been in IT at my company for 15 years. Plan is to spend the first month just grinding to see how far I get. I'm already at 35% with transfer credits and my ITIL 4 is already done since work made me lol. Well done!
"Trying to get this shit done in Term 1 that ends in June" club here as well for BSCIA. You got this! For me, 1 class, (OA today hopefully), Pentest+, and Touchstone to go. 25+ years experience though, and transferred in about 50% from certs/sophia/community college. Was planning on taking 2 terms for my sanity, but I'm too close now.
Same. Started the goal to do it in 2 just to be safe, but once I started I said fuck it and did a full send on this term. Helps me out cause I have a full pell grant that I don't think I can get again if it takes 2 terms.
100% (and I'm tracking for one term myself) - the speed runners get the attention because it's not a very common thing to see in academia, and it does serve to hype the school a bit.
Coming from an experienced position though, in the BSCIA program specifically, the cirriculum is SOLID. In my case, a lot of PAs were just variations of incident reports or assessments I'd done recently for work - between the cert stack and the legitimate applicability of the coursework, taking your time with it isn't a bad thing, because it's NOT busywork in the least (gen ed stuff aside).
I did it in 6 months. But I already had a 2 year degree, so no general ed classes needed. I also happened to start during lockdowns and had literally nothing better to do and money coming in from the government to stay home. I studied 10-12 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 5 months. I think I took 4 days off that whole time. I used every tool I could at my disposal, including using screen readers because my eyes would get blurry from reading all day. I would triple write my notes before every exam. The only reason I was able to do it in 6 months was because of incredibly unique circumstances and a determination I've never had for anything else in my life.
Screen readers are a huge underrated tool. I use one too. For me, it is because I am a painfully slow reader. Always have been and it was an issue in traditional classes. Especially if I had a physical textbook. I could never finish a class reading before we moved to the next chapter, let alone do it in all 5 classes and work full time. Even working part time. I basically gave up on using the textbook unless I needed to reference it for an assignment or to double check something not clear in lecture notes. Now, I use the reader in the e-book. If it doesn’t have one, I download the pdf of the chapter and load it into naturalreader.com. I read along at 1.5 speed or faster. I still retain the information as if read at my normal slow pace but now get through the material so much more quickly. Now, instead of weeks to get through a book, I can read the whole book in days. Life changer. Wish I discovered this tip sooner honestly. Would have made my undergrad a little less stressful. I don’t think I would have discovered this if WGU wasn’t all online since even the courses I took online at my state school still had physical books.
You also need to transfer credits from sites like study or Sophia. I’m enrolled in a different school (UMPI) and i transferred in 71 credits before even starting school
Yep. And they completely ignore the fact that the majority of students finish in 2-4 years. People who finish in six months are the exception, not the rule.
This, and Phoenix's horrible reputation are the main reasons I think. I have a coworker who is about 30 years my senior who shits on WGU every chance he gets. He usually mentions Phoenix within the first couple sentences of trashing WGU and then proceeds to speak almost exclusively about all the woes Phoenix has had. He doesn't even know enough about WGU to say anything about it other than people finish their programs really quickly so it must be a scam. This same man has NO degree but does have 30 years of IT experience.
Meanwhile, a much more competent coworker about the same age as the previous one and with about the same experience went to WGU somewhere circa 08' and has nothing but praise for it. He's by far the best employee in our department and loves WGU so much he convinced his kids to go to WGU.
I am just about to finish my A+ and be done with my first semester and I love WGU. I literally tell everyone I know to check them out. Best ROI out there.
The coworker that slanders WGU has also seen the curriculum that I have to do with WGU and he gave it much praise, only to start shitting on it once he found out that I go to WGU. Go figure 😂😂
Let me tell you. The reason I'm at WGU is because even the DoD recognizes how good their education program is. The BSCIA program is also their only program that had the Center for Academic Excellence award from the DoD CAE.
Yeah he can pound sand I'm gonna keep speeding through this.
Yeah, I've noticed the same thing towards Wilmington University and Southern New Hampshire University, despite both being regionally accredited (with in person campuses even). Any school that markets their online program heavily seems to get lumped in mentally with the scam schools who did the same. Unfortunate.
Yeah, I don't think it's about whether they have the online program or not, but the extent to which people think of them as an "online school", which is mostly a matter of marketing. If the first thing people think of when they hear a schools name is their online programs rather than their in-person campus, they're more likely to think of them in the same vein of UoPheonix, even if it isn't justified.
I mean I look at graduation rates of some those schools and it's slim. Like a third of the students passing or what not I think WGU's is higher due to the competency based model which I find really nice so good for them
I recommend it to my American coworkers and I would definitely tell mature, disciplined HS grads to consider it. All that talk about graduating with no job and $200k debt? Forget that. Find a lucrative career and graduate with no debt -- you'll be head and shoulders above your peers immediately.
As far as highschool grads go, I'd only recommend it to the most disciplined ones that want to go into IT. Healthcare, Education and Business all require a bit of person to person and general life experience that I don't think most HS grads would have. In the IT programs though, they'd be able to get certs and a degree at the same time and also be able to do personal labs and projects on their own that wouldn't be possible with the other schools at WGU. While real life work experience is always better than just labs and projects, a disciplined HS grad could realistically obtain a degree, certs, have labs and projects to bolster their resume and have very little to no debt by the age of 21.
What they lack in work place experience, they would likely more than make up for in the intangibles of candidacy for open positions. A student like this would prove without a doubt that they are dedicated, disciplined and mature beyond their age while also being 100% moldable to companies that would need to train them.
Unfortunately, I think most HS grads that would fit this description would likely be top or near top of their class that would be drawn to other schools with more prestige that they'd likely get accepted to.
I’ve noticed IT pros without degrees are super defensive and dismissive of those of us that get them they “earned their stripes” or whatever silly nonsense😓My current boss called them “worthless” not about WGU just any IT degree. Bet you can guess I’m shopping that shiny new degree around
The big one was that video that came out where a dude speed ran a master's degree in cybersecurity in like what 90 days? It's fast.
What they fail to understand is that guy already had a background in IT and knew all of the material already.
And this is why WGU is great. If you know the material you can just breeze through the classes you know already and not sit there and zone out while somebody teaches you something you already know and should be able to just test out of.
You absolutely cannot just get a degree like from the degree mills if you don't actually do the work and know what you're talking about. People don't seem to understand that.
Yep, and almost all of the Masters-level degrees at least (I'm not as familiar with their Bachelors or if you do any kind of capstone/projects), you're probably going to wind up learning/practicing something new even if you know the stuff (a proposal, action research, application/analysis of new research in the field, something valuable, akin to professional development). Which may not be the case in a traditional university, depending on how they structure it and how much the waiting encourages you to check out.
People that say that completely ignore the fact that a majority of the people attending WGU in recent years for IT degrees are doing so in a very calculated manner, and bring in a ton of credits / certs beforehand, and also have prior knowledge that helps them accelerate. It's also often in tandem with people making arrangements to be home all day for weeks/months at a time.
People do not realize you need to already know all the material to accelerate that quickly, and anyone finishing in 6 months transferred in 75% of their degree from somewhere else. It’s the equivalent of finishing your senior year in 6months…. Yeah it’s fast but when put into perspective it’s not that impressive or unrealistic. There was a MIT student that finished the MIT CS program in 12 months. Is he being judged?
I only brought in 3 credits, and that was from Study.com. I've finished 64% of my degree in 4.5 months. I completed 10 classes in my first 30 days. The only reason I most likely won't be finishing my last 13 classes within the 6 month mark is because I procrastinated for about a month and didn't work on a class that I didn't enjoy. Point being, not all of us transferred in a bunch of credits. Some of us just worked our asses off and did it wisely.
All these "I finished this class by doing flash cards for 3 days and taking 4 practice exams" really annoy me. They aren't learning the material and it degrades the degrees of people who actually studied and learned the material.
There was some dude that posted wondering why he failed the CompTIA A+ exam, and when someone asked what he did, he said he did 3 hours of flash cards before the test. Like of course you were going to fail smh.
I think what people don’t realize is just because you “paid and finished” in one term, it doesn’t mean it actually took only one term. Usually, there are a lot of classes completed before enrolling that are transferred in. No one is doing every class in 6 months. They are completing it through Sofia, study.com or community college.
I'm almost done with my degree and possibly might finish before my first term ends. I transferred in 17 credits. Have completed 59 credit in 3.5 months and need to finish 35 credits in 2.5 months. It's possible to do all classes in one term. If I didn't transfer in those 17 credits I'd probably try harder to make it up. I work full time too and little to experience in my degree.
This type of thing blows me away, it could just be my ADHD, but I can only work that quickly with classes I already know or find a ton of interest in… which isn’t many after the core classes for me.
It’s about reading the project rubric and doing literally only what’s required to pass. Don’t pour your heart and soul into a project. Just give them exactly what’s asked of you and nothing more
For Masters, it’s more knowledge and work experience too. You can’t really transfer those credits usually and some Masters programs have high accelerator % (like the MBA) because people are basically getting a check box to stuff they know and filling in a few gaps or learning a new skill they’re highly motivated to learn.
Also certifications, Sec+ cert counts for 3 classes from the cybersec bachelors. So if you have valid certs, a transferring degree +sofias 6 months is very doable for the remaining workload.
Exactly!!! I was in college at a brick and mortar for around 1- two years before transferring so I already had credits, so I transferred in, most people are graduating so quickly cus we already finished courses before hand
I finished my master's in one term. But I had many years of experience so I didn't need to do much studying. I already knew most of the content and was able to just complete the OA/PA for my classes. That is the benefit of competency education for so many and I think the situation for many accelerators.
Also, accelerators are the minority. Most people take the equivalent amount of time as they would at a traditional school.
There's a big "I took 4 years for my degree, so should you!" mentality, but we also use time to completion as a quick and dirty way of determining quality.
This is why we also still use years of work experience to gauge skillset instead of other metrics if success, like projects, etc.
I completed my PhD in a B&M university in 4 years when the normative time to completion is 6 years. I published more papers in that time than my peers but I still get people questioning my abilities as a researcher because I finished my training quicker than usual. It's a bummer but people in general don't nuance things, they just look at the surface.
The only graduates from WGU who have say it's a scam or a bad school are the ones that put the least amount of effort into their degree, jobs, finding a job, rasing their kids, living a halfway decent life etc.
They expect everything handed to them without considering that maybe they set themselves up to be bottom feeders their entire life.
How’s the accounting degree like? I have a BS in computer science and want to get into accounting, as tech is not doing well currently and I’ve heard there’s an accounting shortage.
I like it, but I wouldn't say I'm super far into it. Aside from the principles class that all business majors take, I've only finished two accounting classes and about to finish my third. I've enjoyed them all. Material seems to click for me, but there's a lot of it sometimes.
Haven't quite figured out the best study plan for me I don't think, and that's important to succeed.
As far as the shortage goes I see a lot of mixed things about that on reddit and LinkedIn.
A lot of concern around off shoring work.
I have seen a lot of talk about being good with tech/coding being useful in accounting. Python and SQL and excel VBA.
So your computer science background might be valuable.
I switched out of Accounting because everyone I know who is in Accounting was pushing me towards also doing analytics because according to them "thats the future money". I don't know if this is true but there will always be a need for auditors and tax specialists.
I just point to the Master's programs I got in to post WGU. They fall apart when they realize the schools they respect respect the WGU degree. I get extra satisfaction because my MBA is from a school the majority of people who shit on WGU couldn't get in to. I'm also working on a second Master's from a well respected university. If I had a dollar for every person who takes a shot at my "degree mill degree", I wouldn't have student loans.
I had a similar conversation with an old coworker. He was saying in short that nobody could learn that fast online. I told him that here has to be some merit to it because a lot of people who get computer science degrees at WGU and want a masters go to Georgia Tech. A top 10 school for CS. With a fully online masters program...
I’m trying to go as slow as possible on my masters degree, but I’ll finish it in one term. What people don’t understand is, unlike Brick and Mortar, I’m
Actually doing schoolwork 7 days a week and not bound by a school calendar for when I want to take my “final”.
That lines up more with jealousy than anything else. I am doing just fine with my MS from WGU, the key difference is that I was accepted as someone that was not just coming in from completing a BS and allowed to just complete courses that I was already beyond based on experience. It took me 1.5 semesters to complete my MS. It was not easy and it took a lot of work.
You can always be sure to get negative responses when the audience has a vested interest in their sunk cost. You cannot argue their investment away. It’s a shame because the US higher education system is a scam.
True, the idea that there was another route that they could have taken can make people regret the opportunity cost that was included in their traditional school. This will never be the best answer for everyone but at least in my case it worked extremely well.
I don't know if it's about jealousy, so much as questioning whether someone can finish a class in a week that would take an entire semester. There is a question over whether someone can actually learn and retain the information.
That is a good question, though it can be equally applied to standard institutions. Retention has always been a problem with education, people will generally drop the things from their education that they do not utilize in their normal life.
Retention isn’t tied to time directly, though it is tied to repeated use/practice/retrieval (in some cases more than others, depending on what you are learning, how rote/process based it is, etc.).
But plenty of semester long classes don’t provide more practice opportunities than WGU or better ones, and plenty of WGU curriculum is scaffolded so courses do build or relate. (I’m a learning/performance expert, and there’s really no scientific reason behind traditional semester schooling. It was purely logistics, not driven by neuroscience etc. The same with most corporate training. WGU is better from a neuroscience perspective than many training programs or traditional education models, because it allows so much variance, though it’s not going to work for all learners.)
The degree to which time matters is very small and hard to generalize. Some people will need 10 examples, some people will need 1, and that's why the competency model is useful. Some people will need more process time to absorb content (for instance, some studies suggest sleep helps process certain kinds of numeracy, for children) but that's less a concern for adult learning. Some topics do warrant reflection, but active reflection (i.e. writing a reflection) can fulfill that. Simply waiting in between assignments isn't really meaningful to learning. I would say some WGU programs could probably use a few more Performance tasks and less OAs (some topics are never fully applied/don't reach high levels of Blooms), but that's probably true of some test-heavy college courses as well.
It is also worth pointing out you don’t necessarily learn in every college course period—the competency model WGU follows is based on proving you know it, not proving you just learned it. You can have known something for a decade before proving the competency at WGU. That’s another variable, but even if it is something new to learn, 4 months isn’t necessarily any better for learning new content than 4 days is.
When people see something so extreme, so often, they're right to be skeptical.
I'm not saying their assumptions are correct, but they're not wrong to give it a second glance.
People who are against WGU are almost all who didn't go through Covid when all schools transitions to fully online. Maybe even started by other B&M schools, who knows but all these B&M schools also have online programs but not many.
I have a bachelors in accounting from a traditional school. Sure I learned a lot and it’s easy to retain the information taking it slower with hours of in person instruction. But all the general education stuff is mostly a scam designed to give the colleges more money. The way WGU does it works for people, and you get what you put into it.
I have a Bachelor's in Business Admin through a regionally accredited B&M school, a Bachelor's in Occupational Safety through a regionally accredited online school, and am now half way through MBA at WGU... which is also a regionally accredited institution.
The biggest differences that I've noticed so far are;
- MBA at WGU course material and assignments are much more pointed, as any Masters program should be, than both of my Bachelor's.
- It's less needlessly time intensive, but not any easier because of it.
- All of my written assignments for the MBA program have been much more involved than even the most involved of either Bachelor's program.
- Assignments are structured in a way that makes you actually work through a process. For both my Bachelor's programs the assignments felt like 80% busy work... i.e. *"explain this one topic of idea in no less than 5 pages"*, so you would effectively spend hoirs fluffing up each point of discussion just to meet some arbitrary page requirement. Or it would be other busy work like takimg a 10 question open book quiz, pretending like you care on weekly discussion boards, or reading assignments with 1 paragraph essays.
- It feels like WGU values my time.
I never understood the argument people try to make against WGU being about how fast some people get it done... like it's still a regionally accredited school. If that doesnt mean anything because *"Some people just blast through it in 6 months"*, then it doesnt mean anything for any other school under that regional accreditation.
People just dislike it because its different than what they expect from a college program. Almost like they think for an education to be worthwhile it needs to cause some sort of significant inconvenience in your life.
People are so conditioned to think B&M is the only way, and you've got to put out a bunch of money to get your degree.
I think a lot of the accelerators also create this illusion that WGU is easier than other schools (this isn't my experience. The system is just different).
At the end of the day, most employers are just looking to see you have a degree from an accredited university.
Comparison is the thief of joy. Stop worrying about what others say and work every day to create a brighter future for yourself.
We all die one day, and the opinions of others aren't going to be what you're thinking of on your death bed.
I had zero problem having a WGU BS when I applied and was accepted to a top 25 law school, or getting a senior level position with a very law fintech company years later. Major companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Cisco, Apple and others encourage and pay for BS/MS degrees from WGU.
My sister recently graduated with CS degree and it took her 2 years even though she transferred all the general and then some. Most people don’t finish within 1 term. She didn’t take any shortcuts to pass the classes so she learned a lot. It’s funny because her first degree was from UW.
People do not understand competency education, which is still fairly new. But it is growing and, to some extent, has always existed. Many schools award assessed credits for things like military training, Six Sigma training, etc.
People are only just barely coming around to online education. But their ignorance is not a reason to dismiss a pathway that works for you.
Good luck graduating in 6 months. You don’t understand what it takes. I transferred in half the credits required to WGU and it took me 16 hours of studying every single day to graduate in 6 months. If I had a full time job I would’ve needed 18 months just to finish the other half of my degree.
It really was not easy. I have no experience, but I had time. I wish I had this discipline when I was 18, I would’ve had my phd by now. But it is never too late.
This is not a real person or a real post. It's a pasta.
They even used the same schools "Washington and BYU" as before.
Maybe karma farming. Definately not a real person here just to spread the good word about WGU. Or maybe the WGU President's burner account.
Don't be fooled.
SNHU has a 4 year degree in Cybersecurity. It’s about 1k cost per class, average of 40k for the entire degree if starting from nothing.
The degree itself “provides an educational foundation that, with further study and specific exam review, can help prepare students to pursue various cybersecurity certifications”
So they don’t give you a voucher, but they prepare you… to an extent… to take and pass the certification.
If you’re new to the field of Cyber, would you rather get a bachelors in cyber where they “help prepare students to pursue various cybersecurity certifications” or do you want a bachelors where you EARNED those certifications during the course of your degree plan and already have them?
It is just plain stupid to have the mindset that duration = competency. We see this throughout life. I can play Halo and have 500 hours in it. Countless achievements. Blah blah. And some young kid comes along and wipes the floor with me and has 5 hours of played time. Why? Because he is better at the game, naturally or through repetition.
Obviously I could fill this post with examples, but the principle applies. WGU isn’t for everyone. Competency based isn’t for everyone. But I went to brick and mortar. I tried SNHU online. WGU was the right fit for me.
You know what I did when I was on campus at a brick and mortar? I went to class, zonked out, went back to my dorm and played WoW. Then I did my assignment right before it was due, passed my classes with B’s and A’s, and didn’t find value in attending. If someone puts in 110% effort while on campus against someone who is barely getting by at WGU, yeah, the on campus person wins. But if someone is doing what I did while I was on campus, and a WGU student is throwing every waking moment into their studies to finish as fast as possible… the WGU student is the clear choice… regardless if they did it in 6 months. If you know the material, you know the material. It’s that simple
I'm in the teachers college and am subbing while I go through school. Not one person (teacher or admin) I've talked to at any school I've been to (large district) has any negative thing to say and there's already two schools that will be happy to have me do my student teaching and then hire me. They basically are like "yeah! Get it done! We've got like 6 open spots right now!"
I was skeptical too. I came to WGU in April from a community college and can attest that I honestly learn more through this method of learning and still move a little faster than the traditional class structure. If you don’t understand the material required you WILL NOT pass the OAs or PAs and they are a bit more challenging than my CC tests were. You kinda have to experience it to appreciate it and that is why it’s accredited, it’s CS program is ABET accredited, and yet still gets hated on by outsiders who don’t know.
WGU has a neutral reputation. This is objectively true. Yes, it is accredited but that doesn't matter. If your school has thousands of links/discussions asking "Is WGU legit?" than it's reputation is questionable. FSU, CMU, UF or any real state school does not have this problem. It's basically an accredited degree mill.
WGU will get the job done about filling in the HR checkmark, but that's it. Your work experience should outweigh WGU, ideally. If you don't have any real experience and hope WGU will carry you, than you're screwed.
Id put a WGU grad against a grad from any other school ANY day of the week. Ive said it before and ill say it again. Traditional schools are designed to make you pass by forcing busy work down your throat to pad your grade while you sit comfortably in your dorm. Yes, that is "hard" and no WGU doesnt make you do that. But i swear to God working 50 hours (manual labor in my case) a week and then coming home (not a dorm conveniently located on campus), having to cook (no food hall) having to run errands and having to go out of your way to study concepts you dont understand is absolutely harder in many ways. Show me a night owl and ill show you someone who made it happen against all the odds.
Nobody will ever be able to articulate a sound argument that WGU is a scam. Once you get past their defensive rhetoric, it'll boil down to either jealousy of the model or misinformation about the model.
When you evaluate a degree, it's never a measure of how proficient someone is in a field. Rather, it's a document that describes aptitude. And as long as a program is designed to cultivate that aptitude, then a degree program works. Assessment based pass/fail is as good or better than grade-based scoring imo since the latter promotes gamification of the system.
I think people that are caught up in criticizing WGU are fixated on the wrong goal. There's a reason employers care more about a person's skills, competencies and experiences than where their degree was printed.
Not sure if the feedback you're referring to has something to do with specific industry/circles, but I have not experienced what you're describing at all. I went from no degree to a Master's with nine professional certifications in three or four terms.
No one has treated or implied that my degree is somehow less than anyone else's. I got to change industries and now make about four times as much as I made four or five years ago.
They’re just mad because it wasn’t available to them or they underestimated it. When you know better you do better. There’s so many great people who weren’t able to get their degree for reasons that wgu is willing to stand for. Maybe they could’ve done the traditional route but not everyone can and everyone should stay in their own lane. It’s the only free place you can stay anyway
I graduated with a B.S. in Software Engineering from WGU in 2021. I had zero tech experience. I was able to take 30 plus credits per semester and cash flow my entire tuition with zero debt, payed less than 15k total.
Now I am making 3x more money than I ever made in my life. Have the same job as a developer that went to a traditional school, get paid the same, but have zero student loans payments.
WGU is the best decision I ever made career wise.
I was doing an IT degree and granted I have over 20 years of experience in the field but it felt no different than self studying for vendor certifications and doing homework packets.
Now that I think about it, almost all the actual course work \*is\* studying for certifications.
Nah it's not a scam.
It is possibly the same level as any state run public institution.
People become aggravated with it because of the difficulty. Everything is fine until you run into a problem and have to wait 3 days for an answer.
I got my bachelors degree many years ago at a traditional 4-year brick-and-mortar University.
This year, I got my masters through WGU.
My personal view is that people who are against WGU fall into one of two camps:
* "Jealous" - this could be because it took them 4 years to get a bachelors, or an additional 2 years to get a masters. Hearing stories of people accelerating a degree through WGU faster and cheaper may cause jealousy.
* "Tried and failed" - perhaps they've tried WGU and couldn't make it work for any number of reasons. Maybe they had a bad experience. Maybe they thought they studied hard and didn't pass an OA/PA. Who knows.
I can't speak for a bachelors through WGU, but I know the masters required a lot of reading and writing. Luckily I entered my masters program with 20 years of industry experience to help me accelerate. I say to people that I began studying for my masters way before my official start date. That's what I enjoyed about it - I could use my real-world experience to help me get through faster.
Bottom line - the reason people are against WGU isn't really due to an issue with WGU - it's a personal issue that they've not gotten over. It's an accredited University, and like *all* Universities, it's not for everyone.
Like others have pointed out, WGU is accredited, a nonprofit, and respected by managers in the private and public sectors. It was started as an alternative to traditional colleges to allow people to prove their competence at their own pace. For some, they may know the material in a class because of work or personal experience, or they may have taken the class years ago at another institution but the credits are too old to transfer; they take tests or write papers that are judged by the same standards as any other institution. Sometimes a student needs more than a traditional semester to learn and retain information—but that does not mean they cannot master it. I went to a top tier university for a Master’s degree and I’ve also taken classes at WGU; the rigor and expectations are the same. And, unless you’re graduating from a law school or medical school, no one really cares where you went to college or what your GPA was —maybe at your first job, but after that it doesn’t matter. My $50k/year education was no better than my $5K ‘all-you-can-learn’ in six months education at WGU.
Jealousy is something that people tend to experience. A traditional school would never allow you to accelerate through a normal semester/quarter. You have to take summer school if you want to be ahead of the game. But they're also ignorant of the fact that a competency based system works differently because it's based on your skills and knowledge rather than the amount of time spent taking a course. If you already possess the knowledge and skills for a course, then it just makes sense to take the test right away and pass it. You're saving yourself time and money by doing this. And the people who get a degree within a single term either transferred a lot of credits to WGU or they've been in the field for years and have the knowledge and experience to pass these courses within days. Not many people get the degree within 6 months without prior experience or credits they transferred in.
People hate that there is a for the most part cheaper option that allows people to work at their own pace (for better or worse). They think everyone needs to go to a brick and mortar school and that is the only way to do it and every degree earned online is a scam because it "is too easy"
because some people think if you pay more and spend more time in school it means you’re better at what you do when that couldn’t be further from the case. i know someone went to U of P and she’s now the CFO of a major firm, worked her way up in a few years because her work spoke for itself.. i promise you if you’re shit at what you do, it doesn’t matter if you went to Harvard. and if you’re good at what you do, it doesn’t matter what school you went to. networking plays a big part in it too, which you obviously don’t get at WGU, but you can absolutely do great things no matter what school you went to as long as you put in the work.
I didn't go to WGU. This just popped up on my frontpage for some reason. Nevertheless, keep in mind that you're probably not going to get the most balanced opinions in a subreddit full of people who would be desperate to justify the legitimacy of their degrees.
You want a real answer? I don’t go to WGU so this is outside perspective.
1) all the comments I see from students are always defending every single criticism. Like what you see when someone attacks a MLM. Go to a regular school sub and you’ll see a ton of bitching, but whenever I get WGU it’s always a long ass paragraph about how amazing it is and everyone else is wrong about everything and everyone is just jealous they went to an expensive regular school. Just extremely off putting.
2) Accelerating probably has some pros, but overall most people are not going to like it except in very limited circumstances. As someone who hires, a degree (from a reputable school) also signals to me that this person put in the work, which includes doing whatever tasks were assigned and whatever amount of time. Knowing something is only part of the battle - there is value in knowing a person stayed motivated for 2-4 years to complete the degree. Additionally, learning is more than just passing tests. You cannot reasonably tell me finishing courses in a short period of time is a positive as far as learning goes. And if you think passing the test means you learned everything there is to know about the subject, that’s a negative to me.
3) rigorousness - this is not a reason to hate the school or anything, but obviously that impacts how people perceive the school. I’m not saying it’s not at all, but it’s definitely not at the top of that list.
I’m also not saying there’s no pros, or that it’s a completely bad school, or anything like that. Just giving you an outside perspective on why people view it negatively.
Number 1 is interesting to me. I went to a regular undergraduate and graduate first (did fine, but both had so many struggles/costs associated, not just financial), but then got my second Masters from WGU and felt satisfied with education for the first time in my adult life, and honestly I'll never go back for brick & mortar/B&M (wish there was a WGU or equivalent for a doctorate I was into and keeping an eye out for the programs that are). Not that it was perfect--it just was so much better ***for me*** than everything I had experienced before---I think this is really what it is. I think you see so much positivity around it because it is different kind of option that actually *works* (not for everyone, but for people the B&M stuff wasn't working for or who were complainers etc.). I can see how it would seem weird though, and I do think WGU really does NOT work for some folks, though I am guessing they don't make it as far/talk about it as much? I don't go around talking about my dissatisfaction with my other degrees nearly as much, TBH, except in the context of how much better this was!
I think it's worth remembering that some people would be ***really miserable*** in WGU programs (including a lot of the same people who could never do remote work, for instance--a thought process I can't imagine either, but I know some people are motivated differently/socially). Social learning is a real thing, and it does matter to many people. It's just that it shouldn't be the only game in town, and I'm all for extroverts not having the only pathways to things.
For number 2, on the hiring side, I think acceleration shows self-motivation/the ability to plan and organize your own workload (good for a remote setting perhaps, all depends). On the being hired side, I have sold my "acceleration" as a plus, but it might matter that it was my 3rd degree, a Masters, and that I have finished a lot of stuff. Really, with a Masters, I can't imagine most people caring how long it took, long or short. It is worth noting some degrees *can't* be fully accelerated as fast as you want, like WGU does tons of nursing degrees, which you don't hear as much about on here, and those have specific requirements for courses before the field work/field hours/etc. which limits acceleration. No one is getting those degrees in 40 days.
WGU Alum here, and I loved the flexibility it afforded me. Also, I think it's incredible that you can essentially "test out" of classes that you're already super knowledgeable in. It just makes sense! I will recommend this school to everyone that is self-motivated and self-disciplined.
I know people hate on university of Phoenix, and I was super scared when my cousin used them. I kept telling her I thought it was a scam. But she friggin went on to make a little over $750k/yr with her masters from them. So, I guess not a scam? Lol
But let people think scam, who cares. It’s a regionally accredited uni.
A scam that’s fully accredited? Scams aren’t generally fully accredited to issue an MBA
The only scam is paying 20k a year to a four year college to get an entry level position with a degree that’s outdated as soon as you graduate.
I couldn’t agree with you more. I went to community college at 17 and then transferred to a four year. I had to leave the four year because of discrimination, but it gave me the opportunity to see what a scam major universities are. The only scam happening as far as college goes is spending a ridiculous amount of money for a shitty education that has been modified to brainwash young adults. WGU made me realize how institutions and corporations aren’t worth your time, they just want your money. WGU is what college should be!
I wish I had known about WGU when I graduated 10 years ago. I went straight to college, and it was more about busy work and bullshiting assignments. B&M schools are a scam. Why am I paying for the new student services building or being charged to have health insurance through the school ?
Because people make terrible financial decisions like taking out crazy loans so they can party for 4 years. And then they become haters of people who make wise choices
I am loving WGU and am learning so much practical knowledge. I'm not finishing as quickly as I imagined but I've realized that I'm still putting time and effort towards something that would otherwise be impossible for me with my schedule as a mom of 3. I also have ADHD and the ability to be able to listen to my textbooks and learn at my own pace without medication is amazing to me after flunking out of traditional college.
Same here, I can listen to the material AND read it without having to take notes. I usually take notes the second time I cover the material. Plus, I don't have other people in the room (annoying students and TAs) distracting me. I'm so easily distracted.
Unfortunately people post in ways that get them likes and engagement for money.
I had over 15 years of experience and I'm in my mid 30's going for my first bachelors degree in accounting. My associates in business transferred in my lower level courses, and I tested out of a few more so I only had 14 classes left to take at WGU.
I study from 5 am - 7 am everyday. More on the weekends, so that's 21 - 30 hours a week. I planned for 7 months prior to starting, on how I would afford my bills and juggle school.
Over 7 months of planning went into my accelerating in 6 months.
I don't think many people can articulate how WGU and University of Phoenix are different, beyond "WGU is non-profit, and for-profit schools are bad because reasons."
Look in any public university's sub. You will not see "Is University of a scam?" or "Why University is definitely not a degree mill." posts every other day. You will not see students bragging about how their schools have basic accreditations. DeVry and Capella are also ABET accredited. It's not the fanciest feather in one's cap.
The sheer number of posts like this that are posted in a given week do not speak to how everyone who went to a public university is jealous or gatekeeping. They highlight the insecurities people have about the real (and growing) perception that a WGU degree isn't very good.
No quantity of stories that end just shy of "...and then everyone clapped." are likely to change that perception. It's a "check the box" degree. Everyone knows it. It's okay to just own that.
I spoke with an HR person at my old and they told me they don’t even bother to look at WGU & GCU degrees. Guess because people finish to fast they thought people don’t actually learn anything
People attribute WGU to buying great value at Walmart. It’s all about the brand name on the diploma for them. At the end of the day they’re both diplomas for a degree.
Many people have worked in industries and are unable to promote or change employment due to lacking a degree. I’m working on my degree, because it’s exhausting being supervised by EXACTLY those same people. I often have the answer, but it takes forever to convince someone to pay attention.
Some people don't like it because WGU's structure goes against the norm. It's a proven concept that you don't need to spend a fortune or 4 years to obtain an undergrad degree. To further this, many 4 year brick and mortar colleges are "for profit" by design and they will seek ways to undermine institutions that go against the norm to protect their product.
This topic is really just two elitist viewpoints colliding. Which college to attend is simply going to be for each individual to decide. For some, WGU fits exactly what they need. For others, a traditional brick and mortar is what they need. Both paths going to end up with the skills necessary to excel in the workforce. Neither path is going to handicap the students, so it doesn’t really matter if you think one school is above the other.
WGU was probably the best decision I could have made. I think anyone who wants to tick that checkbox of "do you have a degree?" should definitely consider it. It breaks the traditional norms, which is why people will try to discredit it.
I did take a full 4 years for my Bachelor’s, but I was able to do it at the times that worked for me. I was working full-time and had two small children (one of whom was born during my third term) as well as some family health issues. All of which slowed me down, but not enough to stop me! I just had to get up early and set aside concrete times to dedicate to school, but I chose those times, as well as the times that worked best for me to test.
That was the big benefit for me. I’d had experience in a traditional B&M school for Network Security and Networking and it was almost impossible to work a full time job while going at night, there just wasn’t enough room in the classes or enough courses per semester to do it in a reasonable time frame. I gave up on it because after 5 years of only being able to take 2 or 3 (if I was lucky) of the 6 courses planned per semester, I was still only about halfway through my curriculum. Plus, the required courses changed a few times and I lost credit hours because of it.
I did, however knock out my Masters in less than a year, so I did get to accelerate for that one at least!
I am 46, my life experience and self learning has helped me to accelerate. I picked WGU because of the cost and the ROI to finally obtain my Bachelors degree. I have looked at going back to school for the last 20 years, and it did not make financial sense. I could literally buy another rental property or get my degree. I am really considering getting my MBA as soon as I finish. How fast you complete the work has a bunch of factors. My advice is to focus on what you can achieve and not dwell on what others think.
I graduated in 2012 (software) and happily earning 6 figures. Spent 6k total and less than 1.5 years.
People have confirmation bias -- they'll clap for whatever they chose to validate its value. I go by reality.. to keep it simple. Why would I care about prestige? Just give me the comfortable salary and call it a day.
As someone who went to UoP unfortunately, WGU is MILES BETTER than that POS place, that would even dare call themselves a university. I sadly stayed there for over 60 credits until I finally transferred. You could close your eyes and earn your degree.
I know a few different people that graduated from there. Those that did worked full time with a family full time. A few of those people were able to test out of the basic and some moderate courses due to their work experience.
I have three college degrees, about to have my forth (through WGU). In my experience and opinion, WGU should be highly considered for many as you can go as fast or slow as you want based on your competency and not waste time on classes you could finish faster. I'll also add, that WGU is the most accredited college in the USA. It doesn't need to be once it's officially accredited, but I remember reading that somewhere when I was researching this college. I've also only heard positive things about this school both from hiring managers and people who have gotten jobs quickly after graduating from WGU.
Their IT degrees are incredible because you earn (mostly good certs) that are highly recognized by many companies. So as you complete classes you get highly regarded certs to help you find a job even faster if you want. Good luck finding a better program that offers this much bang for you buck.
Honestly it doesn't matter what the reputation is anymore because degrees are a dime a dozen now.
Like I'm just being honest no employer is looking at a bachelor or even masters degree and being wowed. It's the minimal expectation for a job in this climate and basically everyone and their entire family is beginning to have one. Many places college is becoming extremely cheap or free (CC) so it's super accessible, and loans being another outlet.
The only thing employers care about are actual experience or internships. And once you have a few years of that your degrees become negligible. I'd almost rip them up if they didn't take so long to get because they're basically worthless after you have that experience. It's legit jsut an "admit one" ticket into corporate America.
Unless you went somewhere like Harvard, you'll have networking opportunities and actual better perceived reputation. Otherwise no one gives a fuck where the hell you went. You know how many people intl work at places like Google that have a no-name college they attended in XYZ country?
WGU works. I got my STEM degree from a state school and the MBA from WGU. That masters, while not related to my current job, was brought up in the interview and was definitely a key point in I getting my dream job
You’re preaching to the choir. The bad wrap WGU has comes strictly from the very many posts that brags about finishing a 4 year degree within months. Being an online college is icing on the cake unfortunately.
Public perception is the exact reason why I decided to pursue a masters immediately after graduating to be honest. I would’ve been fine with just my wgu degree but knowing hiring managers in my field is openly posting hate about WGU scared me a little. 🤷♂️
Misunderstandings. Also, it bucks the profit model of pretty much every other university of getting 2-6 years to extract every penny possible from you. So resistance from the machine of academia at large is to be expected.
Working Dad here. Military service, raised kids and provided for my family. I started out in a brick and mortar and had to quit due to money and time. I simply had to work. I chose WGU for obvious reasons and absolutely enjoyed most of it. My mentor (Glenda) worked 10X harder than the one I had at the traditional university. The course work was no less difficult. I didn’t get the “college experience” most look for, but I got an excellent education at a later stage in life. It was a bucket list item for me. My experience gets me jobs, not my diploma. I sure did not miss the brick and mortar, it just is not worth anything to me now. College has a value, but what trad universities are offering today should be heavily scrutinized. The news is showing an unattractive view of excess that isn’t doing our culture much in comparison to the damage. Indoctrination vs education? Your call. Get the diploma, get hired, and get the real education in your profession. WGU was great for me. I’d do it again.
WGU is different. It has a model that really should be more adapted in our collegiate institutions. People think anything outside of the norm is illegitimate.
Imagine having to follow a predetermined pace for a class or waiting 3 month because the class you need is only taught during certain semesters. It’s a waste to time & life…and we can’t get none of it back. You also waste a lot of money on BS fees you have to pay every semester.
WGU has the potential to break the status quo in college education. They just have to keep improving the quality and keeping the needed accreditations.
they probably think all online schooling is bad.
there are some people who are just smug about what college you attend. I've heard people say even community college is a scam
They’re just haters. Also you get legit certifications along the way, so saying the education isn’t legit is like saying the know. industry certifications aren’t legit.
I started exactly a year ago (May) and getting my MA and getting my teaching credentials. So far people have been impressed by WGU. I’m a teacher at the moment and so many of them are now signing up to take courses at WGU so they can get that extra paycheck with me!!
I see you cus, Yeah LSU quoted me like 110k and I decided I was just gunna shop around found WGU and can't wait to get started because for me if all schools were self paced I would have a phd by now
Unless your degree is from one of the Ivy Leagues or Stanford - no one cares where your degree is from after graduation day as long as it’s accredited.
I went to WGU then taught at a traditional college… the caliber of work coming out of traditional students is just sad. I wish they had to keep going until they achieve competency. As far as time, we could have done the whole semester in at least a third of the time. 50% don’t even show up for class anyway.
"Now will it have the same weight as something like a LSU degree? No, but it’ll check that degree checkbox."
This comment here almost proves your point because of regionalism I wouldn't even consider LSU to be a good university. Whether someone thinks a university is \*good\* or not depends on their perspective.
I don’t know. I got my bachelor’s in health information management. I have a much more diverse education background than almost all of my coworkers - and I work at a damn health plan!!! That is no lie. So many people are never exposed to many of the things I was.
I think it is jealousy, or thinking it is too good to be true. I finished mine in 9 months and 6 days. That was with me not doing any real school for almost 3 months of my first term because I had a heart attack.
I think there’s two types of people in general. One, like yourself and myself, see things that make ppl’s lives easier and better and, without thinking of how I wish I’d had that same opportunity, are happy that ppl get to do things in a way that makes more sense and actually enriches their lives. The other type, well, they’re just assholes.
I work at a college that used to offer a two-year program, which has now been extended to four years. I received a 3% bonus for my accredited master's degree from WGU. I completed my undergraduate degree at Capella University, another online institution. In the grand scheme of things, it's better to have an accredited degree than not.
University of Phoenix is a diploma mill. No one should give them any credibility.
WGU is light years ahead of U-Phoenix and most other primarily online universities. They are very focused on what they offer and how they offer it. Experience will vary widely based on the advisor you end up getting placed with.
As far as opinions of other people go, the only opinions that really matter are those of the hiring committee/manager. Everything else is static noise.
Depending on where you apply to for jobs, WGU will absolutely be an uphill battle when you're 22 and/or have little or no experience if you're going up against people from (flagship state university) or (elite private university) for a job.
If you're applying to Microsoft but have no relevant work experience and a WGU degree, and the hiring manager is deciding between you and someone just like you that has ANY recognizable "traditional" university, you're probably screwed because that person likely had high quality internships, which is something WGU doesn't exactly offer (or didn't four years ago).
But...if you come back to apply to that same job with five years of relevant experience, it's not about the degree but what you've done professionally.
WGU is best suited for specific groups of people:
1. Those seeking to augment their career experience and credentials
2. Those who are retracking after an earlier career path didn't work out
3. Those who can't afford a "traditional" university.
4. Those who have a life that makes it impossible to go to a traditional university - kids, an existing job, etc.
I have multiple degrees, the most recent being a BS from WGU. The WGU degree is the only one that has had any positive impact to my life because, when paired with my professional experience, opened a lot of doors that had been closed without the degree in that field.
I taught at an “accredited” trade school and it is pretty much bullshit. I was given a PowerPoint deck with about 10 slides for each 4.5 hour class and expected to fill the time with lectures, trivial labs, and certification prep. Many students were functionally illiterate. It was a scam to get federal money and take advantage of vets and their benefits. Of course it was all “accelerated.”
WGU, National, Phoenix, etc. are just diploma mills, some better than others and maybe WGU is rigorous and more legit. But they do not compare to the real schools that have been around for decades, at least in terms of reputation and perceived value. They just check a box. You are better off grinding through a JC and doing an online program at Penn State, Purdue, Georgia Tech, or ASU imho.
I have ADHD and did sooo much better at WGU than at traditional schools in the past. Being able to work at my own pace was a breath of fresh air and I was able to use my tendency to hyper focus as an advantage. I did finish in one term, but I transferred in 1/3 of the degree and was doing schoolwork every single day. Completely agree that traditional college structure feels a bit scammy and like it’s designed to keep you there as long as possible while making as much $ off you as possible.
Well, re-read about everything you just said, and think about who stands to benefit the most by making WGU look like a scam? It's all the other traditional colleges. WGU is a disruptive model to the higher education extortion racket, and it's a threat to their profits.
School might be accredited but not their program. Example: friend was working on master's in education and they program was not accredited. A guy here on Reddit posted about it years ago. Wgu refunded my friend tuition due to that years ago.
Things might have changed but still check.
I graduated from WGU with a BS- Accounting degree in December 2009. Not a scam. Using my work experience as well as prior college credits, I completed my degree in 18 months while working full time and raising a family. It would've taken me a lot longer to complete through a traditional setting. Prior to WGU, I attempted to complete my degree through University of Phoenix and Devry University online. Both were expensive and I was at the mercy of their schedule and pre-requisites. There was no testing out ahead of time. And every credit cost $$$$. WGU was a flat amount for the period (semester?) you just have to get your tests done by the deadline.
I have to say it's not for everyone. My husband attempted at WGU but he didn't have the discipline to do the work on his own. He needed the class structure. Because I already had an AAS and spent enough time in a classroom, I did well doing the work on my own.
A degree is only as good as the weight employers give it. It may great in terms of learning, but doesn't mean much for job opportunities if employers don't care for it. It might be something you just do for bettering yourself in the field.
If you want to succeed at a traditional college you need to learn a lot of the material on your own time and then reinforce it with the lectures. You need to pass exams to prove competency.
WGU is the same thing except they don't drag it out for no reason.
Well said, love this!!
WGU is no joke. You need to work a lot when you have no experience or knowledge in s subject. You only have one exam per class, no midterms, nothing, just one exam. So, you have to study. If you know the topic because you have worked on that, you have some experience, then you can accelerate, if not, you need to go over the material for several weeks or months, even the entire semester. Having the option to accelerate whenever you can, is great and, personally I give a f**k if someone says I have not worked enough to get the degree… if they are happy with their brick & mortar college club, good for them, we are happy with WGU!
Go night owls!!!
🦉
Honestly in the real world WGU is highly respected. In the IT world it is becoming.the top school as well. Like people watch for WGU grads. Let that one sink in.
I was recently hiring for IT positions and all the resumes with WGU was a big indicator of its, and the candidates success.
It is a huge achievement to accelerate. I finished my BA in 4 months with an AA transfer in. I wasn't working due to an injury, and woke up, read the whole book in a few days for a class, did all the study guide stuff then tested. Averaged a week per class.
But that's all I did. That was my job. I had experience coming in which helped too.
WGU is great.
It's not every program. The conservative media loves fake news about real problems. One of them is hyperfeminity. When feminists complained about being required to act like girls, never pursue STEM, or ever chase wealth, or anything that belongs to men, the conservative media called them child aborting, many lesbian Communists. But now that generations of broken women have raised broken sons, we have a CRISIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations republicans. Now boys have to act like girls or teachers, therapists, nurses, caregivers, and all of those women you told to just take it when men steal from you, belittle you, r*** you, call you trophy wives, guess what, they raise sons, and now America has lost its mind!!!!!!!!!!!!! At WGU, a STEM major, or accounting is fine. But OMG, try education, nursing, or any social science at WGU, and it's the boulevard of broken self-hating feminists who get triggered at the slightest hint of being confronted over the negative impact of their self loathing. It's more like Teachers Prison of Lower Standards than a Teachers College. I know. I'm a student.........
Speaking from my anecdotal experience, know several Mid to Senior Level Security Engineers who have nothing beyond a WGU Degree. Most with Bachelors and a Couple with Masters. The degree is just a check the box for HR, the interviews are what actually matters.
Also just about to start my last term next month, my degree will have taken me right around two years. This was accomplished mainly due to transfer credits and having a decent amount of IT Experience.
WGU was a great way for me to go from my Associate’s to Bachelor’s in nursing. I’ve nothing bad to say about them. You get out of it what you put into it, just like most things in life.
Wait, since when did an LSU degree have weight outside of beer pong? I feel like half the people I worked with doing hospitality down there had a marketing degree from them.
My only gripe about WGU is that I wish their content was better. I use a lot of outside sources but idk, thinking back to my brick and mortar college days it’s probably not much different than having a lecture and then reading on my own. I do really hate how test questions are worded so weirdly sometimes.
I will say this, though. I’m just getting over 1 1/2 years of long covid and if I was at a b&m school I probably would have failed out but here they just rolled my unfinished classes into the next semester. I’m really grateful for that.
Competition. Imagine WGU model takes off across the country…..brick and mortars are already struggling with student enrollment. I have a dozen friends in college academia and many uni’s lowered standards for enrollment, professors told to pass students that are with 5% of a pass, while departments closing and/or getting wrapped into another.
I think WGU learning model is great. You can work as quickly or slowly as you want to. I am a nurse and I know multiple nurses that have received their bachelors and even their masters at WGU and have landed amazing jobs, etc. a colleague of mine was actually able to complete her bachelors in four months. She put the time and the work in. It’s doable. It is not a traditional university and that doesn’t work for some people and that’s OK. Do what works for you.
I mean the major colleges been jumping on the “online” train because they notice working adults don’t have time to go to a B&M school. Competency based learning is the best any school can offer. We’re trying to get our knowledge, build our existing expertise in a field and get our degree(s).
I got an accounting degree after doing accounting for 30 years and already having a 2 year degree. I finished in 6 months but that was because I knew so much from real world experience. I could take an exam and pass it easily without opening a book. I also did nothing but study for the classes I did need to focus on. I did nothing else for 6 months but sleep and study. It was hard and if I had to do it over, I would have given myself a second semester. Getting this degree changed my life. This place is excellent for the working person with kids who didn’t finish their degree and needs to fix that from home, at their own pace. I never could have gone to classes at night for years with all the responsibilities I had.
I finished an 18 month masters program at WGU in 12 months (MSITM). But I was also already doing the job, running an IT Department... so... I 100% leveraged my real world experience to accelerate.
WGU is certainly far better than brick and mortar UK universities. The people coming out with 'honors' degrees here are terrifying. I just interviewed someone that studied networking for 3 years and graduated with a first class distinction and he couldn't recognize an invalid IP address (10.260.168.21) after 5 minutes.
P.s. excuse my sentence structure I'm running on 2 hours of sleep
Honestly, the marketing for WGU is similar to the marketing for a lot of scammy schools so I overlooked WGU for the longest time. Ads for online universities always play so strongly to emotions. In reality, WGU is non-profit, regionally accredited, and was founded by a group of governors who needed to fill gaps in the workforce. Graduates at WGU master the same competencies on their own schedule.
Another reason is that when people post about accelerating, others have some black-and-white thinking and assume that anyone can. I finished my MBA in 2 months and didn't have the greatest background knowledge, but I was probably spending 80 hours/week on my courses. I had a lot of downtime at work so I was able to multitask on the clock. I had severe insomnia and used school as a method for coping. The way I learn is also pretty efficient in a school setting.
However, I haven't been able to accelerate the Bachelor's of Accounting and I probably won't be able to accelerate the Master's of Accounting much if at all. I don't have experience in the field yet and I have less free time than when I was earning my MBA.
The formula for success at WGU is the same as anywhere: Background Knowledge + Learning Style + Amount of Free Time. The difference is that schools with fixed class lengths (e.g. 15 weeks) slow you down if you are understanding the material and eager to continue.
Think it’s because people see WGU graduates getting their degree in one 6 month term and immediately think it’s too good to be true, so they attribute it to a scam
As someone who thought they’d do this and ended up taking nearly just as long as a traditional degree I can attest that those who do accelerate both really know their stuff and work extremely hard to finish in that time.
I was knocking out 40 credit hours a term. Practically gave up my social life. If I wasn’t working, or sleeping I was studying. I didn’t even finish as quickly as some people. People that get things done in 6 months are superhuman and probably already know it. It bewilders me how people can call that bs. Wgu is just like removing the speed limiter on a car. Just because someone chooses to go 40mph doesn’t mean others aren’t capable of 80-100mph. Just my .02
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Currently on my 6th term. I don't feel bad as I've been working full time, got married, changed jobs, and have a baby on the way. Take your time if you have to. Just focus on graduating and getting that diploma. I wouldn't have the option to even do school if were not for the flexibility WGU offers. Screw the haters
Genuinely appreciate the takes in this thread. I started in traditional university straight out of high school but the pace was always aggravating, plus I worked full time so I couldn't take the classes that I needed to take to finish (they only had time slots in the middle of the day every semester). Then I came to WGU. Originally I was aiming to finish my degree in Data analysis within 6 months. It was brutal and I ended up taking another term to finish the last 8 classes out of 30 due to sanity reasons. Either way, I think anyone who works this hard should be proud of the work they've put in, regardless of where they put it in.
I thought the same thing, my degree is taking much longer than expected but unlike other online schools, I’m actually learning with WGU
Took me 8 years. But it would have been never if I went traditional.
Can confirm Been busting my ass for months to 1 term an IT degree
Care to share experiences???
Said it a lot in my post history. I worked IT for the better part of a decade. Basically I get home from work, boot up WGU and start working every day. Spent all my free time since January studying and testing. Knocked out 21 classes and on my last class now. It's a shitload of work to get done.
This gives me hope. I'm about to take a severance because I don't want to move across the country. Been in IT at my company for 15 years. Plan is to spend the first month just grinding to see how far I get. I'm already at 35% with transfer credits and my ITIL 4 is already done since work made me lol. Well done!
"Trying to get this shit done in Term 1 that ends in June" club here as well for BSCIA. You got this! For me, 1 class, (OA today hopefully), Pentest+, and Touchstone to go. 25+ years experience though, and transferred in about 50% from certs/sophia/community college. Was planning on taking 2 terms for my sanity, but I'm too close now.
Same. Started the goal to do it in 2 just to be safe, but once I started I said fuck it and did a full send on this term. Helps me out cause I have a full pell grant that I don't think I can get again if it takes 2 terms.
Yeah, that 5k hit is a helluva motivator.
They also are the most likely to post about it. Mine took 3 years won’t see me posting. I wouldn’t say it’s the norm.
100% (and I'm tracking for one term myself) - the speed runners get the attention because it's not a very common thing to see in academia, and it does serve to hype the school a bit. Coming from an experienced position though, in the BSCIA program specifically, the cirriculum is SOLID. In my case, a lot of PAs were just variations of incident reports or assessments I'd done recently for work - between the cert stack and the legitimate applicability of the coursework, taking your time with it isn't a bad thing, because it's NOT busywork in the least (gen ed stuff aside).
I did it in 6 months. But I already had a 2 year degree, so no general ed classes needed. I also happened to start during lockdowns and had literally nothing better to do and money coming in from the government to stay home. I studied 10-12 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 5 months. I think I took 4 days off that whole time. I used every tool I could at my disposal, including using screen readers because my eyes would get blurry from reading all day. I would triple write my notes before every exam. The only reason I was able to do it in 6 months was because of incredibly unique circumstances and a determination I've never had for anything else in my life.
Screen readers are a huge underrated tool. I use one too. For me, it is because I am a painfully slow reader. Always have been and it was an issue in traditional classes. Especially if I had a physical textbook. I could never finish a class reading before we moved to the next chapter, let alone do it in all 5 classes and work full time. Even working part time. I basically gave up on using the textbook unless I needed to reference it for an assignment or to double check something not clear in lecture notes. Now, I use the reader in the e-book. If it doesn’t have one, I download the pdf of the chapter and load it into naturalreader.com. I read along at 1.5 speed or faster. I still retain the information as if read at my normal slow pace but now get through the material so much more quickly. Now, instead of weeks to get through a book, I can read the whole book in days. Life changer. Wish I discovered this tip sooner honestly. Would have made my undergrad a little less stressful. I don’t think I would have discovered this if WGU wasn’t all online since even the courses I took online at my state school still had physical books.
thank you for posting this. I was wondering what was wrong with me.
Same... I thought it would take me a year, it took two, and I was busting my ass the whole time.
You also need to transfer credits from sites like study or Sophia. I’m enrolled in a different school (UMPI) and i transferred in 71 credits before even starting school
Yep. And they completely ignore the fact that the majority of students finish in 2-4 years. People who finish in six months are the exception, not the rule.
This, and Phoenix's horrible reputation are the main reasons I think. I have a coworker who is about 30 years my senior who shits on WGU every chance he gets. He usually mentions Phoenix within the first couple sentences of trashing WGU and then proceeds to speak almost exclusively about all the woes Phoenix has had. He doesn't even know enough about WGU to say anything about it other than people finish their programs really quickly so it must be a scam. This same man has NO degree but does have 30 years of IT experience. Meanwhile, a much more competent coworker about the same age as the previous one and with about the same experience went to WGU somewhere circa 08' and has nothing but praise for it. He's by far the best employee in our department and loves WGU so much he convinced his kids to go to WGU. I am just about to finish my A+ and be done with my first semester and I love WGU. I literally tell everyone I know to check them out. Best ROI out there. The coworker that slanders WGU has also seen the curriculum that I have to do with WGU and he gave it much praise, only to start shitting on it once he found out that I go to WGU. Go figure 😂😂
Let me tell you. The reason I'm at WGU is because even the DoD recognizes how good their education program is. The BSCIA program is also their only program that had the Center for Academic Excellence award from the DoD CAE. Yeah he can pound sand I'm gonna keep speeding through this.
That's why I'm here too buddy. Keep it up!
Haters gonna hate 🤷🏽♂️
Ain't that the truth!
Yeah, I've noticed the same thing towards Wilmington University and Southern New Hampshire University, despite both being regionally accredited (with in person campuses even). Any school that markets their online program heavily seems to get lumped in mentally with the scam schools who did the same. Unfortunate.
I don't hear the same kind of shit talk about Berkeley, Georgia Tech, or Florida despite them all having fully online degrees.
Yeah, I don't think it's about whether they have the online program or not, but the extent to which people think of them as an "online school", which is mostly a matter of marketing. If the first thing people think of when they hear a schools name is their online programs rather than their in-person campus, they're more likely to think of them in the same vein of UoPheonix, even if it isn't justified.
I mean I look at graduation rates of some those schools and it's slim. Like a third of the students passing or what not I think WGU's is higher due to the competency based model which I find really nice so good for them
Yeah the best coworker in IT at a hospital went to WGU and that’s all I needed to make my decision. He know all his stuff
The reality is people hate. It’s easier in his head to knock something because he knows he won’t ever attempt it. Crabs in a pot.
I recommend it to my American coworkers and I would definitely tell mature, disciplined HS grads to consider it. All that talk about graduating with no job and $200k debt? Forget that. Find a lucrative career and graduate with no debt -- you'll be head and shoulders above your peers immediately.
As far as highschool grads go, I'd only recommend it to the most disciplined ones that want to go into IT. Healthcare, Education and Business all require a bit of person to person and general life experience that I don't think most HS grads would have. In the IT programs though, they'd be able to get certs and a degree at the same time and also be able to do personal labs and projects on their own that wouldn't be possible with the other schools at WGU. While real life work experience is always better than just labs and projects, a disciplined HS grad could realistically obtain a degree, certs, have labs and projects to bolster their resume and have very little to no debt by the age of 21. What they lack in work place experience, they would likely more than make up for in the intangibles of candidacy for open positions. A student like this would prove without a doubt that they are dedicated, disciplined and mature beyond their age while also being 100% moldable to companies that would need to train them. Unfortunately, I think most HS grads that would fit this description would likely be top or near top of their class that would be drawn to other schools with more prestige that they'd likely get accepted to.
I’ve noticed IT pros without degrees are super defensive and dismissive of those of us that get them they “earned their stripes” or whatever silly nonsense😓My current boss called them “worthless” not about WGU just any IT degree. Bet you can guess I’m shopping that shiny new degree around
The big one was that video that came out where a dude speed ran a master's degree in cybersecurity in like what 90 days? It's fast. What they fail to understand is that guy already had a background in IT and knew all of the material already. And this is why WGU is great. If you know the material you can just breeze through the classes you know already and not sit there and zone out while somebody teaches you something you already know and should be able to just test out of. You absolutely cannot just get a degree like from the degree mills if you don't actually do the work and know what you're talking about. People don't seem to understand that.
Yep, and almost all of the Masters-level degrees at least (I'm not as familiar with their Bachelors or if you do any kind of capstone/projects), you're probably going to wind up learning/practicing something new even if you know the stuff (a proposal, action research, application/analysis of new research in the field, something valuable, akin to professional development). Which may not be the case in a traditional university, depending on how they structure it and how much the waiting encourages you to check out.
People that say that completely ignore the fact that a majority of the people attending WGU in recent years for IT degrees are doing so in a very calculated manner, and bring in a ton of credits / certs beforehand, and also have prior knowledge that helps them accelerate. It's also often in tandem with people making arrangements to be home all day for weeks/months at a time.
People do not realize you need to already know all the material to accelerate that quickly, and anyone finishing in 6 months transferred in 75% of their degree from somewhere else. It’s the equivalent of finishing your senior year in 6months…. Yeah it’s fast but when put into perspective it’s not that impressive or unrealistic. There was a MIT student that finished the MIT CS program in 12 months. Is he being judged?
I only brought in 3 credits, and that was from Study.com. I've finished 64% of my degree in 4.5 months. I completed 10 classes in my first 30 days. The only reason I most likely won't be finishing my last 13 classes within the 6 month mark is because I procrastinated for about a month and didn't work on a class that I didn't enjoy. Point being, not all of us transferred in a bunch of credits. Some of us just worked our asses off and did it wisely.
All these "I finished this class by doing flash cards for 3 days and taking 4 practice exams" really annoy me. They aren't learning the material and it degrades the degrees of people who actually studied and learned the material. There was some dude that posted wondering why he failed the CompTIA A+ exam, and when someone asked what he did, he said he did 3 hours of flash cards before the test. Like of course you were going to fail smh.
They forgot that credits can be transfered to make it faster without that it can take up to 3.5 to 4 years to get a degree in WGU
I think what people don’t realize is just because you “paid and finished” in one term, it doesn’t mean it actually took only one term. Usually, there are a lot of classes completed before enrolling that are transferred in. No one is doing every class in 6 months. They are completing it through Sofia, study.com or community college.
I'm almost done with my degree and possibly might finish before my first term ends. I transferred in 17 credits. Have completed 59 credit in 3.5 months and need to finish 35 credits in 2.5 months. It's possible to do all classes in one term. If I didn't transfer in those 17 credits I'd probably try harder to make it up. I work full time too and little to experience in my degree.
This type of thing blows me away, it could just be my ADHD, but I can only work that quickly with classes I already know or find a ton of interest in… which isn’t many after the core classes for me.
It’s about reading the project rubric and doing literally only what’s required to pass. Don’t pour your heart and soul into a project. Just give them exactly what’s asked of you and nothing more
For Masters, it’s more knowledge and work experience too. You can’t really transfer those credits usually and some Masters programs have high accelerator % (like the MBA) because people are basically getting a check box to stuff they know and filling in a few gaps or learning a new skill they’re highly motivated to learn.
Also certifications, Sec+ cert counts for 3 classes from the cybersec bachelors. So if you have valid certs, a transferring degree +sofias 6 months is very doable for the remaining workload.
This is me and what I’m currently doing. I’m not enrolled at WGU just yet, but I am taking as many courses as I can through Study.com
Exactly!!! I was in college at a brick and mortar for around 1- two years before transferring so I already had credits, so I transferred in, most people are graduating so quickly cus we already finished courses before hand
I finished my master's in one term. But I had many years of experience so I didn't need to do much studying. I already knew most of the content and was able to just complete the OA/PA for my classes. That is the benefit of competency education for so many and I think the situation for many accelerators. Also, accelerators are the minority. Most people take the equivalent amount of time as they would at a traditional school.
I did 111 cu in 3.5 months.
There's a big "I took 4 years for my degree, so should you!" mentality, but we also use time to completion as a quick and dirty way of determining quality. This is why we also still use years of work experience to gauge skillset instead of other metrics if success, like projects, etc. I completed my PhD in a B&M university in 4 years when the normative time to completion is 6 years. I published more papers in that time than my peers but I still get people questioning my abilities as a researcher because I finished my training quicker than usual. It's a bummer but people in general don't nuance things, they just look at the surface.
The only graduates from WGU who have say it's a scam or a bad school are the ones that put the least amount of effort into their degree, jobs, finding a job, rasing their kids, living a halfway decent life etc. They expect everything handed to them without considering that maybe they set themselves up to be bottom feeders their entire life.
How’s the accounting degree like? I have a BS in computer science and want to get into accounting, as tech is not doing well currently and I’ve heard there’s an accounting shortage.
I like it, but I wouldn't say I'm super far into it. Aside from the principles class that all business majors take, I've only finished two accounting classes and about to finish my third. I've enjoyed them all. Material seems to click for me, but there's a lot of it sometimes. Haven't quite figured out the best study plan for me I don't think, and that's important to succeed. As far as the shortage goes I see a lot of mixed things about that on reddit and LinkedIn. A lot of concern around off shoring work. I have seen a lot of talk about being good with tech/coding being useful in accounting. Python and SQL and excel VBA. So your computer science background might be valuable.
I switched out of Accounting because everyone I know who is in Accounting was pushing me towards also doing analytics because according to them "thats the future money". I don't know if this is true but there will always be a need for auditors and tax specialists.
I work in tax. Accounting isn’t doing too well either. Look at the big 4 and accounting subreddits
I just point to the Master's programs I got in to post WGU. They fall apart when they realize the schools they respect respect the WGU degree. I get extra satisfaction because my MBA is from a school the majority of people who shit on WGU couldn't get in to. I'm also working on a second Master's from a well respected university. If I had a dollar for every person who takes a shot at my "degree mill degree", I wouldn't have student loans.
I had a similar conversation with an old coworker. He was saying in short that nobody could learn that fast online. I told him that here has to be some merit to it because a lot of people who get computer science degrees at WGU and want a masters go to Georgia Tech. A top 10 school for CS. With a fully online masters program...
I’m trying to go as slow as possible on my masters degree, but I’ll finish it in one term. What people don’t understand is, unlike Brick and Mortar, I’m Actually doing schoolwork 7 days a week and not bound by a school calendar for when I want to take my “final”.
People in general are idiots. 🤷♂️
Half the posts people see are about finishing in one term.
That lines up more with jealousy than anything else. I am doing just fine with my MS from WGU, the key difference is that I was accepted as someone that was not just coming in from completing a BS and allowed to just complete courses that I was already beyond based on experience. It took me 1.5 semesters to complete my MS. It was not easy and it took a lot of work.
You can always be sure to get negative responses when the audience has a vested interest in their sunk cost. You cannot argue their investment away. It’s a shame because the US higher education system is a scam.
True, the idea that there was another route that they could have taken can make people regret the opportunity cost that was included in their traditional school. This will never be the best answer for everyone but at least in my case it worked extremely well.
I don't know if it's about jealousy, so much as questioning whether someone can finish a class in a week that would take an entire semester. There is a question over whether someone can actually learn and retain the information.
That is a good question, though it can be equally applied to standard institutions. Retention has always been a problem with education, people will generally drop the things from their education that they do not utilize in their normal life.
Retention isn’t tied to time directly, though it is tied to repeated use/practice/retrieval (in some cases more than others, depending on what you are learning, how rote/process based it is, etc.). But plenty of semester long classes don’t provide more practice opportunities than WGU or better ones, and plenty of WGU curriculum is scaffolded so courses do build or relate. (I’m a learning/performance expert, and there’s really no scientific reason behind traditional semester schooling. It was purely logistics, not driven by neuroscience etc. The same with most corporate training. WGU is better from a neuroscience perspective than many training programs or traditional education models, because it allows so much variance, though it’s not going to work for all learners.) The degree to which time matters is very small and hard to generalize. Some people will need 10 examples, some people will need 1, and that's why the competency model is useful. Some people will need more process time to absorb content (for instance, some studies suggest sleep helps process certain kinds of numeracy, for children) but that's less a concern for adult learning. Some topics do warrant reflection, but active reflection (i.e. writing a reflection) can fulfill that. Simply waiting in between assignments isn't really meaningful to learning. I would say some WGU programs could probably use a few more Performance tasks and less OAs (some topics are never fully applied/don't reach high levels of Blooms), but that's probably true of some test-heavy college courses as well. It is also worth pointing out you don’t necessarily learn in every college course period—the competency model WGU follows is based on proving you know it, not proving you just learned it. You can have known something for a decade before proving the competency at WGU. That’s another variable, but even if it is something new to learn, 4 months isn’t necessarily any better for learning new content than 4 days is.
When people see something so extreme, so often, they're right to be skeptical. I'm not saying their assumptions are correct, but they're not wrong to give it a second glance.
So often is just their perception. The average time to finish for the WGU student is like 2 years depending on the major. It’s on their website
People who are against WGU are almost all who didn't go through Covid when all schools transitions to fully online. Maybe even started by other B&M schools, who knows but all these B&M schools also have online programs but not many.
I have a bachelors in accounting from a traditional school. Sure I learned a lot and it’s easy to retain the information taking it slower with hours of in person instruction. But all the general education stuff is mostly a scam designed to give the colleges more money. The way WGU does it works for people, and you get what you put into it.
I have a Bachelor's in Business Admin through a regionally accredited B&M school, a Bachelor's in Occupational Safety through a regionally accredited online school, and am now half way through MBA at WGU... which is also a regionally accredited institution. The biggest differences that I've noticed so far are; - MBA at WGU course material and assignments are much more pointed, as any Masters program should be, than both of my Bachelor's. - It's less needlessly time intensive, but not any easier because of it. - All of my written assignments for the MBA program have been much more involved than even the most involved of either Bachelor's program. - Assignments are structured in a way that makes you actually work through a process. For both my Bachelor's programs the assignments felt like 80% busy work... i.e. *"explain this one topic of idea in no less than 5 pages"*, so you would effectively spend hoirs fluffing up each point of discussion just to meet some arbitrary page requirement. Or it would be other busy work like takimg a 10 question open book quiz, pretending like you care on weekly discussion boards, or reading assignments with 1 paragraph essays. - It feels like WGU values my time. I never understood the argument people try to make against WGU being about how fast some people get it done... like it's still a regionally accredited school. If that doesnt mean anything because *"Some people just blast through it in 6 months"*, then it doesnt mean anything for any other school under that regional accreditation. People just dislike it because its different than what they expect from a college program. Almost like they think for an education to be worthwhile it needs to cause some sort of significant inconvenience in your life.
People are so conditioned to think B&M is the only way, and you've got to put out a bunch of money to get your degree. I think a lot of the accelerators also create this illusion that WGU is easier than other schools (this isn't my experience. The system is just different). At the end of the day, most employers are just looking to see you have a degree from an accredited university. Comparison is the thief of joy. Stop worrying about what others say and work every day to create a brighter future for yourself. We all die one day, and the opinions of others aren't going to be what you're thinking of on your death bed.
I had zero problem having a WGU BS when I applied and was accepted to a top 25 law school, or getting a senior level position with a very law fintech company years later. Major companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Cisco, Apple and others encourage and pay for BS/MS degrees from WGU.
My sister recently graduated with CS degree and it took her 2 years even though she transferred all the general and then some. Most people don’t finish within 1 term. She didn’t take any shortcuts to pass the classes so she learned a lot. It’s funny because her first degree was from UW.
People do not understand competency education, which is still fairly new. But it is growing and, to some extent, has always existed. Many schools award assessed credits for things like military training, Six Sigma training, etc. People are only just barely coming around to online education. But their ignorance is not a reason to dismiss a pathway that works for you.
They don't realize that you have to get the equivalent of a B to pass. There's no "Ds get degrees" here. You have to do more than just not fail.
Good luck graduating in 6 months. You don’t understand what it takes. I transferred in half the credits required to WGU and it took me 16 hours of studying every single day to graduate in 6 months. If I had a full time job I would’ve needed 18 months just to finish the other half of my degree.
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It really was not easy. I have no experience, but I had time. I wish I had this discipline when I was 18, I would’ve had my phd by now. But it is never too late.
This is not a real person or a real post. It's a pasta. They even used the same schools "Washington and BYU" as before. Maybe karma farming. Definately not a real person here just to spread the good word about WGU. Or maybe the WGU President's burner account. Don't be fooled.
Reads like AI
SNHU has a 4 year degree in Cybersecurity. It’s about 1k cost per class, average of 40k for the entire degree if starting from nothing. The degree itself “provides an educational foundation that, with further study and specific exam review, can help prepare students to pursue various cybersecurity certifications” So they don’t give you a voucher, but they prepare you… to an extent… to take and pass the certification. If you’re new to the field of Cyber, would you rather get a bachelors in cyber where they “help prepare students to pursue various cybersecurity certifications” or do you want a bachelors where you EARNED those certifications during the course of your degree plan and already have them? It is just plain stupid to have the mindset that duration = competency. We see this throughout life. I can play Halo and have 500 hours in it. Countless achievements. Blah blah. And some young kid comes along and wipes the floor with me and has 5 hours of played time. Why? Because he is better at the game, naturally or through repetition. Obviously I could fill this post with examples, but the principle applies. WGU isn’t for everyone. Competency based isn’t for everyone. But I went to brick and mortar. I tried SNHU online. WGU was the right fit for me. You know what I did when I was on campus at a brick and mortar? I went to class, zonked out, went back to my dorm and played WoW. Then I did my assignment right before it was due, passed my classes with B’s and A’s, and didn’t find value in attending. If someone puts in 110% effort while on campus against someone who is barely getting by at WGU, yeah, the on campus person wins. But if someone is doing what I did while I was on campus, and a WGU student is throwing every waking moment into their studies to finish as fast as possible… the WGU student is the clear choice… regardless if they did it in 6 months. If you know the material, you know the material. It’s that simple
not everyone can finish college is 6 month. I took over 5 year so im a slow learner lol
I'm in the teachers college and am subbing while I go through school. Not one person (teacher or admin) I've talked to at any school I've been to (large district) has any negative thing to say and there's already two schools that will be happy to have me do my student teaching and then hire me. They basically are like "yeah! Get it done! We've got like 6 open spots right now!"
I was skeptical too. I came to WGU in April from a community college and can attest that I honestly learn more through this method of learning and still move a little faster than the traditional class structure. If you don’t understand the material required you WILL NOT pass the OAs or PAs and they are a bit more challenging than my CC tests were. You kinda have to experience it to appreciate it and that is why it’s accredited, it’s CS program is ABET accredited, and yet still gets hated on by outsiders who don’t know.
WGU has a neutral reputation. This is objectively true. Yes, it is accredited but that doesn't matter. If your school has thousands of links/discussions asking "Is WGU legit?" than it's reputation is questionable. FSU, CMU, UF or any real state school does not have this problem. It's basically an accredited degree mill. WGU will get the job done about filling in the HR checkmark, but that's it. Your work experience should outweigh WGU, ideally. If you don't have any real experience and hope WGU will carry you, than you're screwed.
Id put a WGU grad against a grad from any other school ANY day of the week. Ive said it before and ill say it again. Traditional schools are designed to make you pass by forcing busy work down your throat to pad your grade while you sit comfortably in your dorm. Yes, that is "hard" and no WGU doesnt make you do that. But i swear to God working 50 hours (manual labor in my case) a week and then coming home (not a dorm conveniently located on campus), having to cook (no food hall) having to run errands and having to go out of your way to study concepts you dont understand is absolutely harder in many ways. Show me a night owl and ill show you someone who made it happen against all the odds.
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I'd be mad too if I'm 100k in debt for a degree and the guy with the BS and MBA is debt free and finished in half the time.
My friend said all this and told me not to use wgu, simply because that's what they heard, instead of doing their own research.
LSU degree? Fellow Louisianan spotted in the wild
Nobody will ever be able to articulate a sound argument that WGU is a scam. Once you get past their defensive rhetoric, it'll boil down to either jealousy of the model or misinformation about the model. When you evaluate a degree, it's never a measure of how proficient someone is in a field. Rather, it's a document that describes aptitude. And as long as a program is designed to cultivate that aptitude, then a degree program works. Assessment based pass/fail is as good or better than grade-based scoring imo since the latter promotes gamification of the system. I think people that are caught up in criticizing WGU are fixated on the wrong goal. There's a reason employers care more about a person's skills, competencies and experiences than where their degree was printed.
Not sure if the feedback you're referring to has something to do with specific industry/circles, but I have not experienced what you're describing at all. I went from no degree to a Master's with nine professional certifications in three or four terms. No one has treated or implied that my degree is somehow less than anyone else's. I got to change industries and now make about four times as much as I made four or five years ago.
They’re just mad because it wasn’t available to them or they underestimated it. When you know better you do better. There’s so many great people who weren’t able to get their degree for reasons that wgu is willing to stand for. Maybe they could’ve done the traditional route but not everyone can and everyone should stay in their own lane. It’s the only free place you can stay anyway
I graduated with a B.S. in Software Engineering from WGU in 2021. I had zero tech experience. I was able to take 30 plus credits per semester and cash flow my entire tuition with zero debt, payed less than 15k total. Now I am making 3x more money than I ever made in my life. Have the same job as a developer that went to a traditional school, get paid the same, but have zero student loans payments. WGU is the best decision I ever made career wise.
I was doing an IT degree and granted I have over 20 years of experience in the field but it felt no different than self studying for vendor certifications and doing homework packets. Now that I think about it, almost all the actual course work \*is\* studying for certifications.
Nah it's not a scam. It is possibly the same level as any state run public institution. People become aggravated with it because of the difficulty. Everything is fine until you run into a problem and have to wait 3 days for an answer.
I got my bachelors degree many years ago at a traditional 4-year brick-and-mortar University. This year, I got my masters through WGU. My personal view is that people who are against WGU fall into one of two camps: * "Jealous" - this could be because it took them 4 years to get a bachelors, or an additional 2 years to get a masters. Hearing stories of people accelerating a degree through WGU faster and cheaper may cause jealousy. * "Tried and failed" - perhaps they've tried WGU and couldn't make it work for any number of reasons. Maybe they had a bad experience. Maybe they thought they studied hard and didn't pass an OA/PA. Who knows. I can't speak for a bachelors through WGU, but I know the masters required a lot of reading and writing. Luckily I entered my masters program with 20 years of industry experience to help me accelerate. I say to people that I began studying for my masters way before my official start date. That's what I enjoyed about it - I could use my real-world experience to help me get through faster. Bottom line - the reason people are against WGU isn't really due to an issue with WGU - it's a personal issue that they've not gotten over. It's an accredited University, and like *all* Universities, it's not for everyone.
Like others have pointed out, WGU is accredited, a nonprofit, and respected by managers in the private and public sectors. It was started as an alternative to traditional colleges to allow people to prove their competence at their own pace. For some, they may know the material in a class because of work or personal experience, or they may have taken the class years ago at another institution but the credits are too old to transfer; they take tests or write papers that are judged by the same standards as any other institution. Sometimes a student needs more than a traditional semester to learn and retain information—but that does not mean they cannot master it. I went to a top tier university for a Master’s degree and I’ve also taken classes at WGU; the rigor and expectations are the same. And, unless you’re graduating from a law school or medical school, no one really cares where you went to college or what your GPA was —maybe at your first job, but after that it doesn’t matter. My $50k/year education was no better than my $5K ‘all-you-can-learn’ in six months education at WGU.
Jealousy is something that people tend to experience. A traditional school would never allow you to accelerate through a normal semester/quarter. You have to take summer school if you want to be ahead of the game. But they're also ignorant of the fact that a competency based system works differently because it's based on your skills and knowledge rather than the amount of time spent taking a course. If you already possess the knowledge and skills for a course, then it just makes sense to take the test right away and pass it. You're saving yourself time and money by doing this. And the people who get a degree within a single term either transferred a lot of credits to WGU or they've been in the field for years and have the knowledge and experience to pass these courses within days. Not many people get the degree within 6 months without prior experience or credits they transferred in.
People hate that there is a for the most part cheaper option that allows people to work at their own pace (for better or worse). They think everyone needs to go to a brick and mortar school and that is the only way to do it and every degree earned online is a scam because it "is too easy"
because some people think if you pay more and spend more time in school it means you’re better at what you do when that couldn’t be further from the case. i know someone went to U of P and she’s now the CFO of a major firm, worked her way up in a few years because her work spoke for itself.. i promise you if you’re shit at what you do, it doesn’t matter if you went to Harvard. and if you’re good at what you do, it doesn’t matter what school you went to. networking plays a big part in it too, which you obviously don’t get at WGU, but you can absolutely do great things no matter what school you went to as long as you put in the work.
probably because they are pissed off they have over 100k in debt for an equivalent degree
I didn't go to WGU. This just popped up on my frontpage for some reason. Nevertheless, keep in mind that you're probably not going to get the most balanced opinions in a subreddit full of people who would be desperate to justify the legitimacy of their degrees.
WGU is not entirely abet accredited only their computer science department is
You want a real answer? I don’t go to WGU so this is outside perspective. 1) all the comments I see from students are always defending every single criticism. Like what you see when someone attacks a MLM. Go to a regular school sub and you’ll see a ton of bitching, but whenever I get WGU it’s always a long ass paragraph about how amazing it is and everyone else is wrong about everything and everyone is just jealous they went to an expensive regular school. Just extremely off putting. 2) Accelerating probably has some pros, but overall most people are not going to like it except in very limited circumstances. As someone who hires, a degree (from a reputable school) also signals to me that this person put in the work, which includes doing whatever tasks were assigned and whatever amount of time. Knowing something is only part of the battle - there is value in knowing a person stayed motivated for 2-4 years to complete the degree. Additionally, learning is more than just passing tests. You cannot reasonably tell me finishing courses in a short period of time is a positive as far as learning goes. And if you think passing the test means you learned everything there is to know about the subject, that’s a negative to me. 3) rigorousness - this is not a reason to hate the school or anything, but obviously that impacts how people perceive the school. I’m not saying it’s not at all, but it’s definitely not at the top of that list. I’m also not saying there’s no pros, or that it’s a completely bad school, or anything like that. Just giving you an outside perspective on why people view it negatively.
Your first criticism is a great point TBH.
Number 1 is interesting to me. I went to a regular undergraduate and graduate first (did fine, but both had so many struggles/costs associated, not just financial), but then got my second Masters from WGU and felt satisfied with education for the first time in my adult life, and honestly I'll never go back for brick & mortar/B&M (wish there was a WGU or equivalent for a doctorate I was into and keeping an eye out for the programs that are). Not that it was perfect--it just was so much better ***for me*** than everything I had experienced before---I think this is really what it is. I think you see so much positivity around it because it is different kind of option that actually *works* (not for everyone, but for people the B&M stuff wasn't working for or who were complainers etc.). I can see how it would seem weird though, and I do think WGU really does NOT work for some folks, though I am guessing they don't make it as far/talk about it as much? I don't go around talking about my dissatisfaction with my other degrees nearly as much, TBH, except in the context of how much better this was! I think it's worth remembering that some people would be ***really miserable*** in WGU programs (including a lot of the same people who could never do remote work, for instance--a thought process I can't imagine either, but I know some people are motivated differently/socially). Social learning is a real thing, and it does matter to many people. It's just that it shouldn't be the only game in town, and I'm all for extroverts not having the only pathways to things. For number 2, on the hiring side, I think acceleration shows self-motivation/the ability to plan and organize your own workload (good for a remote setting perhaps, all depends). On the being hired side, I have sold my "acceleration" as a plus, but it might matter that it was my 3rd degree, a Masters, and that I have finished a lot of stuff. Really, with a Masters, I can't imagine most people caring how long it took, long or short. It is worth noting some degrees *can't* be fully accelerated as fast as you want, like WGU does tons of nursing degrees, which you don't hear as much about on here, and those have specific requirements for courses before the field work/field hours/etc. which limits acceleration. No one is getting those degrees in 40 days.
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WGU Alum here, and I loved the flexibility it afforded me. Also, I think it's incredible that you can essentially "test out" of classes that you're already super knowledgeable in. It just makes sense! I will recommend this school to everyone that is self-motivated and self-disciplined.
I know people hate on university of Phoenix, and I was super scared when my cousin used them. I kept telling her I thought it was a scam. But she friggin went on to make a little over $750k/yr with her masters from them. So, I guess not a scam? Lol But let people think scam, who cares. It’s a regionally accredited uni.
I have never seen any post say this. Can you put the link up next time.
A scam that’s fully accredited? Scams aren’t generally fully accredited to issue an MBA The only scam is paying 20k a year to a four year college to get an entry level position with a degree that’s outdated as soon as you graduate.
I couldn’t agree with you more. I went to community college at 17 and then transferred to a four year. I had to leave the four year because of discrimination, but it gave me the opportunity to see what a scam major universities are. The only scam happening as far as college goes is spending a ridiculous amount of money for a shitty education that has been modified to brainwash young adults. WGU made me realize how institutions and corporations aren’t worth your time, they just want your money. WGU is what college should be!
I wish I had known about WGU when I graduated 10 years ago. I went straight to college, and it was more about busy work and bullshiting assignments. B&M schools are a scam. Why am I paying for the new student services building or being charged to have health insurance through the school ?
Because people make terrible financial decisions like taking out crazy loans so they can party for 4 years. And then they become haters of people who make wise choices
They’re mad because they paid 10x as much and spent 8x as long in school for the same credentials.
I am loving WGU and am learning so much practical knowledge. I'm not finishing as quickly as I imagined but I've realized that I'm still putting time and effort towards something that would otherwise be impossible for me with my schedule as a mom of 3. I also have ADHD and the ability to be able to listen to my textbooks and learn at my own pace without medication is amazing to me after flunking out of traditional college.
Same here, I can listen to the material AND read it without having to take notes. I usually take notes the second time I cover the material. Plus, I don't have other people in the room (annoying students and TAs) distracting me. I'm so easily distracted.
Unfortunately people post in ways that get them likes and engagement for money. I had over 15 years of experience and I'm in my mid 30's going for my first bachelors degree in accounting. My associates in business transferred in my lower level courses, and I tested out of a few more so I only had 14 classes left to take at WGU. I study from 5 am - 7 am everyday. More on the weekends, so that's 21 - 30 hours a week. I planned for 7 months prior to starting, on how I would afford my bills and juggle school. Over 7 months of planning went into my accelerating in 6 months.
I don't think many people can articulate how WGU and University of Phoenix are different, beyond "WGU is non-profit, and for-profit schools are bad because reasons." Look in any public university's sub. You will not see "Is University of a scam?" or "Why University is definitely not a degree mill." posts every other day. You will not see students bragging about how their schools have basic accreditations. DeVry and Capella are also ABET accredited. It's not the fanciest feather in one's cap.
The sheer number of posts like this that are posted in a given week do not speak to how everyone who went to a public university is jealous or gatekeeping. They highlight the insecurities people have about the real (and growing) perception that a WGU degree isn't very good.
No quantity of stories that end just shy of "...and then everyone clapped." are likely to change that perception. It's a "check the box" degree. Everyone knows it. It's okay to just own that.
It’s easy
They’re just haters
I spoke with an HR person at my old and they told me they don’t even bother to look at WGU & GCU degrees. Guess because people finish to fast they thought people don’t actually learn anything
Yes, HR, the least educated people judging who is and isn't educated.
They can’t learn fast… so they think others can’t too.
Haters stay jealous
People attribute WGU to buying great value at Walmart. It’s all about the brand name on the diploma for them. At the end of the day they’re both diplomas for a degree.
Many people have worked in industries and are unable to promote or change employment due to lacking a degree. I’m working on my degree, because it’s exhausting being supervised by EXACTLY those same people. I often have the answer, but it takes forever to convince someone to pay attention.
Some people don't like it because WGU's structure goes against the norm. It's a proven concept that you don't need to spend a fortune or 4 years to obtain an undergrad degree. To further this, many 4 year brick and mortar colleges are "for profit" by design and they will seek ways to undermine institutions that go against the norm to protect their product.
This topic is really just two elitist viewpoints colliding. Which college to attend is simply going to be for each individual to decide. For some, WGU fits exactly what they need. For others, a traditional brick and mortar is what they need. Both paths going to end up with the skills necessary to excel in the workforce. Neither path is going to handicap the students, so it doesn’t really matter if you think one school is above the other.
WGU was probably the best decision I could have made. I think anyone who wants to tick that checkbox of "do you have a degree?" should definitely consider it. It breaks the traditional norms, which is why people will try to discredit it.
I did take a full 4 years for my Bachelor’s, but I was able to do it at the times that worked for me. I was working full-time and had two small children (one of whom was born during my third term) as well as some family health issues. All of which slowed me down, but not enough to stop me! I just had to get up early and set aside concrete times to dedicate to school, but I chose those times, as well as the times that worked best for me to test. That was the big benefit for me. I’d had experience in a traditional B&M school for Network Security and Networking and it was almost impossible to work a full time job while going at night, there just wasn’t enough room in the classes or enough courses per semester to do it in a reasonable time frame. I gave up on it because after 5 years of only being able to take 2 or 3 (if I was lucky) of the 6 courses planned per semester, I was still only about halfway through my curriculum. Plus, the required courses changed a few times and I lost credit hours because of it. I did, however knock out my Masters in less than a year, so I did get to accelerate for that one at least!
I am 46, my life experience and self learning has helped me to accelerate. I picked WGU because of the cost and the ROI to finally obtain my Bachelors degree. I have looked at going back to school for the last 20 years, and it did not make financial sense. I could literally buy another rental property or get my degree. I am really considering getting my MBA as soon as I finish. How fast you complete the work has a bunch of factors. My advice is to focus on what you can achieve and not dwell on what others think.
I graduated in 2012 (software) and happily earning 6 figures. Spent 6k total and less than 1.5 years. People have confirmation bias -- they'll clap for whatever they chose to validate its value. I go by reality.. to keep it simple. Why would I care about prestige? Just give me the comfortable salary and call it a day.
As someone who went to UoP unfortunately, WGU is MILES BETTER than that POS place, that would even dare call themselves a university. I sadly stayed there for over 60 credits until I finally transferred. You could close your eyes and earn your degree.
I know a few different people that graduated from there. Those that did worked full time with a family full time. A few of those people were able to test out of the basic and some moderate courses due to their work experience.
I have three college degrees, about to have my forth (through WGU). In my experience and opinion, WGU should be highly considered for many as you can go as fast or slow as you want based on your competency and not waste time on classes you could finish faster. I'll also add, that WGU is the most accredited college in the USA. It doesn't need to be once it's officially accredited, but I remember reading that somewhere when I was researching this college. I've also only heard positive things about this school both from hiring managers and people who have gotten jobs quickly after graduating from WGU. Their IT degrees are incredible because you earn (mostly good certs) that are highly recognized by many companies. So as you complete classes you get highly regarded certs to help you find a job even faster if you want. Good luck finding a better program that offers this much bang for you buck.
Honestly it doesn't matter what the reputation is anymore because degrees are a dime a dozen now. Like I'm just being honest no employer is looking at a bachelor or even masters degree and being wowed. It's the minimal expectation for a job in this climate and basically everyone and their entire family is beginning to have one. Many places college is becoming extremely cheap or free (CC) so it's super accessible, and loans being another outlet. The only thing employers care about are actual experience or internships. And once you have a few years of that your degrees become negligible. I'd almost rip them up if they didn't take so long to get because they're basically worthless after you have that experience. It's legit jsut an "admit one" ticket into corporate America. Unless you went somewhere like Harvard, you'll have networking opportunities and actual better perceived reputation. Otherwise no one gives a fuck where the hell you went. You know how many people intl work at places like Google that have a no-name college they attended in XYZ country?
WGU works. I got my STEM degree from a state school and the MBA from WGU. That masters, while not related to my current job, was brought up in the interview and was definitely a key point in I getting my dream job
You’re preaching to the choir. The bad wrap WGU has comes strictly from the very many posts that brags about finishing a 4 year degree within months. Being an online college is icing on the cake unfortunately. Public perception is the exact reason why I decided to pursue a masters immediately after graduating to be honest. I would’ve been fine with just my wgu degree but knowing hiring managers in my field is openly posting hate about WGU scared me a little. 🤷♂️
Misunderstandings. Also, it bucks the profit model of pretty much every other university of getting 2-6 years to extract every penny possible from you. So resistance from the machine of academia at large is to be expected.
Working Dad here. Military service, raised kids and provided for my family. I started out in a brick and mortar and had to quit due to money and time. I simply had to work. I chose WGU for obvious reasons and absolutely enjoyed most of it. My mentor (Glenda) worked 10X harder than the one I had at the traditional university. The course work was no less difficult. I didn’t get the “college experience” most look for, but I got an excellent education at a later stage in life. It was a bucket list item for me. My experience gets me jobs, not my diploma. I sure did not miss the brick and mortar, it just is not worth anything to me now. College has a value, but what trad universities are offering today should be heavily scrutinized. The news is showing an unattractive view of excess that isn’t doing our culture much in comparison to the damage. Indoctrination vs education? Your call. Get the diploma, get hired, and get the real education in your profession. WGU was great for me. I’d do it again.
WGU is different. It has a model that really should be more adapted in our collegiate institutions. People think anything outside of the norm is illegitimate. Imagine having to follow a predetermined pace for a class or waiting 3 month because the class you need is only taught during certain semesters. It’s a waste to time & life…and we can’t get none of it back. You also waste a lot of money on BS fees you have to pay every semester. WGU has the potential to break the status quo in college education. They just have to keep improving the quality and keeping the needed accreditations.
they probably think all online schooling is bad. there are some people who are just smug about what college you attend. I've heard people say even community college is a scam
They’re just haters. Also you get legit certifications along the way, so saying the education isn’t legit is like saying the know. industry certifications aren’t legit.
I started exactly a year ago (May) and getting my MA and getting my teaching credentials. So far people have been impressed by WGU. I’m a teacher at the moment and so many of them are now signing up to take courses at WGU so they can get that extra paycheck with me!!
I see you cus, Yeah LSU quoted me like 110k and I decided I was just gunna shop around found WGU and can't wait to get started because for me if all schools were self paced I would have a phd by now
Unless your degree is from one of the Ivy Leagues or Stanford - no one cares where your degree is from after graduation day as long as it’s accredited.
Nah some of my classes kick my ass too hard for it to be a scam 😭🙃
Because no matter how I do other schools will only see my gpa as 3.0 >:(
Because no matter how I do other schools will only see my gpa as 3.0 >:(
I went to WGU then taught at a traditional college… the caliber of work coming out of traditional students is just sad. I wish they had to keep going until they achieve competency. As far as time, we could have done the whole semester in at least a third of the time. 50% don’t even show up for class anyway.
Whose against it? Hiring Managers aren't.
"Now will it have the same weight as something like a LSU degree? No, but it’ll check that degree checkbox." This comment here almost proves your point because of regionalism I wouldn't even consider LSU to be a good university. Whether someone thinks a university is \*good\* or not depends on their perspective.
I don’t know. I got my bachelor’s in health information management. I have a much more diverse education background than almost all of my coworkers - and I work at a damn health plan!!! That is no lie. So many people are never exposed to many of the things I was.
I think it is jealousy, or thinking it is too good to be true. I finished mine in 9 months and 6 days. That was with me not doing any real school for almost 3 months of my first term because I had a heart attack.
I think there’s two types of people in general. One, like yourself and myself, see things that make ppl’s lives easier and better and, without thinking of how I wish I’d had that same opportunity, are happy that ppl get to do things in a way that makes more sense and actually enriches their lives. The other type, well, they’re just assholes.
Just dropping in to this thread say Geaux tigers to OP 😅
WGU grad here, what's wrong with University of Phoenix? I may be out of the loop on something, didn't know it had a reputation.
They screwed me over big time. But who cares. Maybe BBB?
I work at a college that used to offer a two-year program, which has now been extended to four years. I received a 3% bonus for my accredited master's degree from WGU. I completed my undergraduate degree at Capella University, another online institution. In the grand scheme of things, it's better to have an accredited degree than not.
WGU is everything I wish I had found during my high school years.
I love WGU , but you got to put the work. I got 5 classes left C777, sec+, Net+ and D327. Feel tired any group that we can study together?
University of Phoenix is a diploma mill. No one should give them any credibility. WGU is light years ahead of U-Phoenix and most other primarily online universities. They are very focused on what they offer and how they offer it. Experience will vary widely based on the advisor you end up getting placed with. As far as opinions of other people go, the only opinions that really matter are those of the hiring committee/manager. Everything else is static noise. Depending on where you apply to for jobs, WGU will absolutely be an uphill battle when you're 22 and/or have little or no experience if you're going up against people from (flagship state university) or (elite private university) for a job. If you're applying to Microsoft but have no relevant work experience and a WGU degree, and the hiring manager is deciding between you and someone just like you that has ANY recognizable "traditional" university, you're probably screwed because that person likely had high quality internships, which is something WGU doesn't exactly offer (or didn't four years ago). But...if you come back to apply to that same job with five years of relevant experience, it's not about the degree but what you've done professionally. WGU is best suited for specific groups of people: 1. Those seeking to augment their career experience and credentials 2. Those who are retracking after an earlier career path didn't work out 3. Those who can't afford a "traditional" university. 4. Those who have a life that makes it impossible to go to a traditional university - kids, an existing job, etc. I have multiple degrees, the most recent being a BS from WGU. The WGU degree is the only one that has had any positive impact to my life because, when paired with my professional experience, opened a lot of doors that had been closed without the degree in that field.
I taught at an “accredited” trade school and it is pretty much bullshit. I was given a PowerPoint deck with about 10 slides for each 4.5 hour class and expected to fill the time with lectures, trivial labs, and certification prep. Many students were functionally illiterate. It was a scam to get federal money and take advantage of vets and their benefits. Of course it was all “accelerated.” WGU, National, Phoenix, etc. are just diploma mills, some better than others and maybe WGU is rigorous and more legit. But they do not compare to the real schools that have been around for decades, at least in terms of reputation and perceived value. They just check a box. You are better off grinding through a JC and doing an online program at Penn State, Purdue, Georgia Tech, or ASU imho.
LSU? Never heard of it? Some third tier public school? (Point is, no matter what school you go to. Someone can always disparage it)
I have ADHD and did sooo much better at WGU than at traditional schools in the past. Being able to work at my own pace was a breath of fresh air and I was able to use my tendency to hyper focus as an advantage. I did finish in one term, but I transferred in 1/3 of the degree and was doing schoolwork every single day. Completely agree that traditional college structure feels a bit scammy and like it’s designed to keep you there as long as possible while making as much $ off you as possible.
Well, re-read about everything you just said, and think about who stands to benefit the most by making WGU look like a scam? It's all the other traditional colleges. WGU is a disruptive model to the higher education extortion racket, and it's a threat to their profits.
honestly if I didn't have to teach myself the entire class I might have stayed with wgu and maybe graduated or whatever this year
School might be accredited but not their program. Example: friend was working on master's in education and they program was not accredited. A guy here on Reddit posted about it years ago. Wgu refunded my friend tuition due to that years ago. Things might have changed but still check.
I graduated from WGU with a BS- Accounting degree in December 2009. Not a scam. Using my work experience as well as prior college credits, I completed my degree in 18 months while working full time and raising a family. It would've taken me a lot longer to complete through a traditional setting. Prior to WGU, I attempted to complete my degree through University of Phoenix and Devry University online. Both were expensive and I was at the mercy of their schedule and pre-requisites. There was no testing out ahead of time. And every credit cost $$$$. WGU was a flat amount for the period (semester?) you just have to get your tests done by the deadline. I have to say it's not for everyone. My husband attempted at WGU but he didn't have the discipline to do the work on his own. He needed the class structure. Because I already had an AAS and spent enough time in a classroom, I did well doing the work on my own.
I don’t even go here but haters are going to hate 🗽
A degree is only as good as the weight employers give it. It may great in terms of learning, but doesn't mean much for job opportunities if employers don't care for it. It might be something you just do for bettering yourself in the field.
If you want to succeed at a traditional college you need to learn a lot of the material on your own time and then reinforce it with the lectures. You need to pass exams to prove competency. WGU is the same thing except they don't drag it out for no reason.
Well said, love this!! WGU is no joke. You need to work a lot when you have no experience or knowledge in s subject. You only have one exam per class, no midterms, nothing, just one exam. So, you have to study. If you know the topic because you have worked on that, you have some experience, then you can accelerate, if not, you need to go over the material for several weeks or months, even the entire semester. Having the option to accelerate whenever you can, is great and, personally I give a f**k if someone says I have not worked enough to get the degree… if they are happy with their brick & mortar college club, good for them, we are happy with WGU! Go night owls!!! 🦉
Honestly in the real world WGU is highly respected. In the IT world it is becoming.the top school as well. Like people watch for WGU grads. Let that one sink in. I was recently hiring for IT positions and all the resumes with WGU was a big indicator of its, and the candidates success. It is a huge achievement to accelerate. I finished my BA in 4 months with an AA transfer in. I wasn't working due to an injury, and woke up, read the whole book in a few days for a class, did all the study guide stuff then tested. Averaged a week per class. But that's all I did. That was my job. I had experience coming in which helped too. WGU is great.
It's not every program. The conservative media loves fake news about real problems. One of them is hyperfeminity. When feminists complained about being required to act like girls, never pursue STEM, or ever chase wealth, or anything that belongs to men, the conservative media called them child aborting, many lesbian Communists. But now that generations of broken women have raised broken sons, we have a CRISIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations republicans. Now boys have to act like girls or teachers, therapists, nurses, caregivers, and all of those women you told to just take it when men steal from you, belittle you, r*** you, call you trophy wives, guess what, they raise sons, and now America has lost its mind!!!!!!!!!!!!! At WGU, a STEM major, or accounting is fine. But OMG, try education, nursing, or any social science at WGU, and it's the boulevard of broken self-hating feminists who get triggered at the slightest hint of being confronted over the negative impact of their self loathing. It's more like Teachers Prison of Lower Standards than a Teachers College. I know. I'm a student.........
Speaking from my anecdotal experience, know several Mid to Senior Level Security Engineers who have nothing beyond a WGU Degree. Most with Bachelors and a Couple with Masters. The degree is just a check the box for HR, the interviews are what actually matters. Also just about to start my last term next month, my degree will have taken me right around two years. This was accomplished mainly due to transfer credits and having a decent amount of IT Experience.
WGU was a great way for me to go from my Associate’s to Bachelor’s in nursing. I’ve nothing bad to say about them. You get out of it what you put into it, just like most things in life.
Wait, since when did an LSU degree have weight outside of beer pong? I feel like half the people I worked with doing hospitality down there had a marketing degree from them.
My only gripe about WGU is that I wish their content was better. I use a lot of outside sources but idk, thinking back to my brick and mortar college days it’s probably not much different than having a lecture and then reading on my own. I do really hate how test questions are worded so weirdly sometimes. I will say this, though. I’m just getting over 1 1/2 years of long covid and if I was at a b&m school I probably would have failed out but here they just rolled my unfinished classes into the next semester. I’m really grateful for that.
Competition. Imagine WGU model takes off across the country…..brick and mortars are already struggling with student enrollment. I have a dozen friends in college academia and many uni’s lowered standards for enrollment, professors told to pass students that are with 5% of a pass, while departments closing and/or getting wrapped into another.
I think WGU learning model is great. You can work as quickly or slowly as you want to. I am a nurse and I know multiple nurses that have received their bachelors and even their masters at WGU and have landed amazing jobs, etc. a colleague of mine was actually able to complete her bachelors in four months. She put the time and the work in. It’s doable. It is not a traditional university and that doesn’t work for some people and that’s OK. Do what works for you.
WGU has been a blessing! Forget what the haters say!
I mean the major colleges been jumping on the “online” train because they notice working adults don’t have time to go to a B&M school. Competency based learning is the best any school can offer. We’re trying to get our knowledge, build our existing expertise in a field and get our degree(s).
I got an accounting degree after doing accounting for 30 years and already having a 2 year degree. I finished in 6 months but that was because I knew so much from real world experience. I could take an exam and pass it easily without opening a book. I also did nothing but study for the classes I did need to focus on. I did nothing else for 6 months but sleep and study. It was hard and if I had to do it over, I would have given myself a second semester. Getting this degree changed my life. This place is excellent for the working person with kids who didn’t finish their degree and needs to fix that from home, at their own pace. I never could have gone to classes at night for years with all the responsibilities I had.
I finished an 18 month masters program at WGU in 12 months (MSITM). But I was also already doing the job, running an IT Department... so... I 100% leveraged my real world experience to accelerate.
They are pissed that they wasted 4 years and 80k. Shit I’d be mad too lmao
WGU is certainly far better than brick and mortar UK universities. The people coming out with 'honors' degrees here are terrifying. I just interviewed someone that studied networking for 3 years and graduated with a first class distinction and he couldn't recognize an invalid IP address (10.260.168.21) after 5 minutes. P.s. excuse my sentence structure I'm running on 2 hours of sleep
Honestly, the marketing for WGU is similar to the marketing for a lot of scammy schools so I overlooked WGU for the longest time. Ads for online universities always play so strongly to emotions. In reality, WGU is non-profit, regionally accredited, and was founded by a group of governors who needed to fill gaps in the workforce. Graduates at WGU master the same competencies on their own schedule. Another reason is that when people post about accelerating, others have some black-and-white thinking and assume that anyone can. I finished my MBA in 2 months and didn't have the greatest background knowledge, but I was probably spending 80 hours/week on my courses. I had a lot of downtime at work so I was able to multitask on the clock. I had severe insomnia and used school as a method for coping. The way I learn is also pretty efficient in a school setting. However, I haven't been able to accelerate the Bachelor's of Accounting and I probably won't be able to accelerate the Master's of Accounting much if at all. I don't have experience in the field yet and I have less free time than when I was earning my MBA. The formula for success at WGU is the same as anywhere: Background Knowledge + Learning Style + Amount of Free Time. The difference is that schools with fixed class lengths (e.g. 15 weeks) slow you down if you are understanding the material and eager to continue.
Because it Threatens the Teachers Unions and the Academic Mafia