Online, accredited public university for $2,900/semester - anyone go to WGU?

[gurumama]

I'm thinking about getting my husband to finish his degree, and my possibly getting a master's degree through Western Governors University.

It's a public university, and it's online only. It's about $2,900 per semester, but you buy *time* (6 month semesters) and not credit hours. You then complete as many credit hours as you can in those 6 months.

Anyone gone there? Is it too good to be true? $5,800/year seems incredibly cheap - that's less than community college here!

[Super~Single~Mama]

My best friend is getting her masters in teaching from there - she loves it.  Other than that, I don't know anything about it.  She does her program online though b/c she lives on an island, with her husband and step-kids so she can't just move to attend school, yk?

[bobandjess99]

It's a decent choice, but depending on what you want your masters in, there are other places equally as cheap.  WNMU, AMberton, and APU are otyher great places to look for masters degrees.  :)  Bachelors can be done even cheaper using CLEP tests, comm college credit and cheap 4 year courses. 

[CrazyCatLady]

I keep looking into it for my teaching degree.  But then I chicken out because the reviews online about that school are just so mixed.  I can't decide how legitimate or worth it it would be in the long run.

I will be watching this thread to see what others say. :)

[BarefootGirl]

Didn't go to that school, but did get a masters online from another school.  Now I have thousands of dollars of debt and still don't have a decent job.  Maybe a teaching cert would be worth it.  I got a masters in human services/counseling studies.  I was hoping to get a job in college academic advisement (ironic, right?) but would have been happy to do social work as well.  But all those jobs disappeared when the economy went down the tubes, which was the same time that I graduated.  Things are starting to pick up a bit in my field, but now I've been out of school for years and still don't have any experience in my field which doesn't look good.  And I have a baby now and am going back to my low-pay clerical job next week.  I'm sticking with that job because of the health insurance and flexible hours, though I really wish I could SAH.  I can't see myself working in the social work field now that I have a baby because I don't want to work a high-stress job 40+ hours a week and be on call.  So now I wish I hadn't racked up all that debt on a degree I won't be using anytime soon (if at all).

[Emmeline II]

My BIL graduated from WGU a couple of years ago and dh has been attending about 9 months; both have used the MGIB. Dh's degree is information technology with a management emphasis and BILs is similar if not the same. One reason this school was a good fit for them is that they earn credit for certifications that are required for their work or beneficial for their careers. The tests for certs are taken at whatever testing center normally administers them (N+, S+, A+, Windows, etc.) and the results are sent to WGU).

I read a bunch of those complaints the last time I saw WGU come up here and they seemed to be primarily made by education majors; I don't know if it is a flaw in the program or the expectations of the students. Dh's counselor calls every week at his scheduled time without fail and answers e-mails in a reasonable time frame.

[littlemer]

Hey there, I'm not familiar with WGU so can't help you there - but as for some other online degree programs - definitely read some of the articles on http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.com - hope that helps!