WGU - Master's in Cyber Security and Information Assurance - Review

0:00 Intro to WGU and Various Programs
3:26 Master's Degree Overview, Courses, Cost
14:20 The types of assessments at WGU (Objective and Performance Assessments)
15:41 Sample Papers for Performance Assessments
21:03 My Experience w/ WGU and advice on getting through the Master's Program
25:28 Closing thoughts on WGU, the awesomeness of Mentor's and the overall program compared to "traditional college"
Learn about the WGU Master's in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance: www.wgu.edu/online-it-degrees...
Find me on LinkedIn: / wilson-security

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

0:00 Intro to WGU and Various Programs 3:26 Master's Degree Overview, Courses, Cost 14:20 The types of assessments at WGU (Objective and Performance Assessments) 15:41 Sample Papers for Performance Assessments 21:03 My Experience w/ WGU and advice on getting through the Master's Program 25:28 Closing thoughts on WGU, the awesomeness of Mentor's and the overall program compared to "traditional college"

[@TheHDStation]

If you put this in your description, it will divide the video into "chapters" in the player too.

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

@@TheHDStation done, thank you very much!

[@mrb2316]

Appreciate the in-depth review and first-hand experience that you bring. This has been the most useful review of the program that I've seen so far. I also appreciate your candor and advice in discussing the snag you hit with the CEH. I'm definitely going to sandbag that course/exam by reading the commercial test-prep book before enrolling.

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

Greatly appreciate it! Thanks

[@pbx7257]

Great video, thanks for posting. Lots of insight of what’s in store for me next year! Hoping to finish in 2 terms!

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

Good luck and just remember its definitely achievable in two terms, just put in the work every day and you'll do fine! :)

[@JennErmyMedia]

Great video. Thank you for the info.

[@Eric.Hansel]

Very informative. I am starting my journey for my BS in Cyber Security and Information Assurance soon. Wish me well.

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

Good luck, ice heard the bachelors program is good at WGU as well.

[@Anthonydp]

How is the experience so far, is it worth it?

[@VyLa549]

Any update?

[@georgejones5019]

Been looking WGUs cyber security degree. This was very informative and I can't wait to start.

[@durannavarro3126]

Did you graduate yet?

[@logicfirst7959]

Awsome video brother - just two questions, do we take the CEH and CHFI exams at the test centers externally or using WGU proctored exam, and does WGU put a page limit on your papers?

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

When I was in, the exams were taken via ProctorU. I think this is still true. I've never had a problem with them, always had a good experience with my proctors. You do not need to go to a testing center, WGU will send you a webcam and the exam is taken from your home (or wherever you prefer). You will spin the webcam around the room and show them that your desk is clean and no one else is in the room, etc. There are no limits on the length of papers (some are longer, others shorter). Basically if you meet all the requirements in the rubric you will be fine! The final Thesis is definitely the longest paper in the degree plan!

[@hagenrobles3582]

I’m finishing my bachelors in information technology. I am considering this for a masters degree option . Good information

[@stevennoriega1587]

How where your classes? I start oct 1st and transferred in my AS degree and was told I am half way done. I was told I need to pass comp tia certs to get degree at WGU

[@brianmedina4852]

Hi! Nice vid btw! I appreciate your experiences and input on being as a student in WGU. However what do you think about WGU for students that just graduate from high school? I've been hearing that people just don't recommend it at all because you NEED work expierence (based off the degree you apply to) to get through these courses. I'm planning on applying for a BA cyber security degree, however hearing that people just don't reccomend applying to this school without work expierence is kind of demotivating me to attend. I would really appreciate it if I got input on this, and it would help me be more comfortable on deciding on other options besides WGU. Thanks!!

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

I don't think that the bachelor's of security requires work experience. I would say it greatly depends on what type of experience you want to have. If you are already working full time or know that you want to go directly into IT, I think WGU can be great for a new working professional even coming directly out of high school. If you want the ability to accelerate or be done early, I think it is very much possible at WGU. However, I do believe traditional college has benefits too such as making friends or enjoying other experiences. The downside is you probably won't be able to graduate early (possible but you would have to work hard) but you would get 4 years of experiences that aren't possible elsewhere. Also obviously this has a lot to do with cost as well, if you want to take on large student debt or not, etc. Hope that helps and let me know if you want to talk about it to help with the decision making.

[@brianmedina4852]

@@WilsonSecurityGroup I can agree that with the pusuit of an online degree like WGU I will miss out of expierences that are like no other. I am still thinking on how I can balance both the life on an online WGU student and exploring out of state here and there to somewhat still compensate for those expierences. I will again thank you for your input and thoughts!! I appreciate it!!

[@cashlindontv7293]

Geesh...I need to get you to help write papers lol. Thats one thing i hate is the paper writing. Great vid

[@UncleTreCSE]

Great video!!!

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

Hey, it's the man the myth the legend!

[@tawrencesmith682]

@@WilsonSecurityGroup lol. That’s you big dawg!!!

[@DMDOGG]

Great video thanks! I start next month, CEH is scaring me.. Nice hiccups at the end :D

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

Thanks good luck!

[@timothygreer2400]

Hi Wilson, I'm looking at doing something at WGU. Some background, I have 0 college experience. But I'm working full time at a company that is willing to let me start working in the IT dept. So, I'm looking at the IT degree or this degree (bachelors). In your opinion, which would be the better route for someone who doesn't know the exact area in IT they would like to end up? I like many aspects of IT but I don't know enough yet to say where exactly I'd wanna be. Thanks in advance!

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

If you want to stay more broad in IT the IT Bachelor's of IT is probably a good fit. But if you want to be more focused in a niche area the Security or Networking degrees are good. Either way the Networking and Security degrees cover basic IT certs like the Network+, A+, and ITIL Foundations so it depends on what you would like out of the degree, and what type of job you would want at the end. Let me know if that helps!

[@timothygreer2400]

@@WilsonSecurityGroup Yes, it does! Thank you for the quick response. I believe I'll do the general IT since I don't know enough yet to focus on a specific area. Plus, if I decide later that I'd wanna do cybersecurity, I could always get my masters in this! I called WGU and they said I'll need to get my A+ cert (can get it through their WGU Academy) before starting the program. I'm gonna call again Monday to talk about enrollment. But I'm super excited!

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

@@timothygreer2400 congrats! Very cool, good luck with the A+ and enrollment

[@alikurdy2003]

Thanks for posting this awesome video. I'm currently in the process to get in WGU Masters of Cybersecurity program. I already have my CEH certification, and I'm trying to get CHFI done as well to give me some credits. You mentioned that you studied some good materials through Udemy to pass the CHFI. Would you please send the link to it, or give me more information about it? I'm very interested to get CHFI done ASAP. Thank you.

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

This is the Udemy course that helped me. www.udemy.com/course/forensic-investigator-practice-exam/ I do remember the WGU content being a bit more focused for the CHFI as opposed to the CEH.

[@alikurdy2003]

@@WilsonSecurityGroup Thank you so much I really appreciate it

[@darrenprotheroe5125]

Only for us residents

[@glorianartey3245]

Thanks very insightful. I have a question. If you have the certificate do you still have to write assessment before they waiver?

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

What exactly do you mean about write assessment? Are you talking about if you have the CEH and CHFI certifications?

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

If you already have the certifications needed for CHFI and CEH all you need to do is provide WGU your valid certificate and that would count as passing that course.

[@rayamoooooo685]

Could i do both the response paper and the test, or will i be locked out from one if i chose the other?

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

There is no choice between what assignments you do for a class. You either take an exam or you write a paper. You only do one course at a time, so there is no choice for what assignments you do. You can change the order that you take the classes, but for any given class you are required to do a test or a paper. For example, the CHFI class requires that you take the CHFI exam, a writing class requires that you write papers. There is no choice in how you pass a class.

[@MrFrock]

Do you remember how many courses had Objective vs Performance Assessments?

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

I don't remember the exact numbers, but I think the course capstone pushed the number in favor of performance assessment. I think it was 4 objective assessments (tests) and 5 performance assessments including the capstone

[@MarqDaddy]

Another question. Did you actually learn practical cyber security skills?

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

It depends on what you define as practical for your role and responsibilities. Will you learn to use ethical hacking tools hand-on in a lab environment or how to configure a router and switch? No. But it does give you a decent theoretical basis, and the process of assessing risk/planning projects can be practical depending on your role. The CEH and CHFI gives you knowledge of tools and what they could be used for. But it's not like you need to use them for the exam. Overall the program is more conceptual and not hands-on if that is what you are asking.

[@woogi268]

Is it just reading? Or lectures and videos for more visual learners?

[@woogi268]

What if I have no IT experience?

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

@@woogi268 There are some video content for the CEH and CHFI content, but most of it is reading and/or quizzes. So after you read a chapter there are often questions to answer to ensure you understood the content. I think it would be pretty difficult with no IT experience but it should be possible.

[@Poland4life14]

If you had to redo College again would you start with a bachelor's degree in WGU

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

Great question! If I was already a working professional, had children, or did not desire the "college experience" i would start over with WGU. I think some current college students who are not involved in other activities or are just taking courses online could benefit from WGU. With that said, at the same time I can't trade the experiences, friends, and fun times of the college experience. In terms of overall cost and value (certs obtained, etc.) the Cybersecurity Bachelors at WGU is probably the best value degree for the money on the market. If anything it demonstrates how expensive a traditional college is by comparison, and a 4 year degree for $50,000 (more or less depending) vs a 4 year degree for $30,000 through WGU with around $4000 worth of certs or more. The benefit of WGU is speed and flexibility, the benefit of traditional college is the experience, friendships and connections made with professors plus the universities reputation.

[@JR1481M1]

WGU is trash. Trust me these people are using students as promotional tools.

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

@@JR1481M1 I was not encouraged, paid or sponsored in any way to make this video on behalf of WGU nor requested their permission to make it before doing so. Thanks for the feedback. Sorry you seem to have not had a good experience.

[@ucty222]

@@JR1481M1 Your statement is based on nothing but opinion. A claim based on no logical premises and does not reflect anything but your own state of mind asserting what are baseless opinions. What you think is not relevant since WGU has this thing called "regional accreditation" and you cannot take that fact away but it means they are as legit as one can get and like it or hate it... "trash" does not obtain regional accreditation. Fact: WGU is regionally accredited and that alone makes it as legit an institution as any other in the USA. Take time to understand what accreditation really means and it does not matter if you like WGU but facts are stubborn things and fundamentally what an institution must have to be perceived as legit is regional accreditation which WGU has had for many years. This is fact not "trash." It is amazing that some have post their rants about WGU when all you need to do is ignore WGU if you have some odd reason for hating an institution that did what was required to gain regional accreditation. You do not know every single person that keeps WGU thriving so "these people" must be doing much more of what is considered right than someone's claim made without a single shred of empirical evidence to support the invalid conclusion that "these people" use students as "promotional tools." Take Logic 101. Form a coherent sentence and know how to support your claims with evidence not opinion. This earns respect. Factually incorrect statements such as yours do nothing but reflect what you feel and not the reality that exists beyond your own mind.

[@Chesu360]

@@JR1481M1 "People" in plural, as in more than 1 person, generally speaking do not take time out of their day, like making a video and not writing a 5 second silly comment, to promote "trash".

[@sammyta8119]

Will WGU consider any CompTIA Certification for transferable credits?

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

If it is one of the listed certs for the program, yes! They will honor that as a credit for that course.

[@sammyta8119]

@@WilsonSecurityGroup thank you! I do not see the one they listed for CompTIA CYSA+ which I’m holding. They do list CEH. Was wondering if the CYSA would do me any favor

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

@@sammyta8119 the masters degree is only ec council certifications. The bachelor's degree has much more comptia certs

[@farukm7627]

Capstone was 45 pages? My BSc (Hon) was 25000 pages!

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

Ouch. Could have been 1000 pages with a size 3 font 😅

[@Ophelia11]

Were you working while doing this program?

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

Yes, working full time 40 hrs a week

[@Lablank123]

Where is the faculty list for this program?

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

As far as I know there is no official "faculty list" as the instructors/course mentor can vary depending on when you take the course.

[@user.netizen11]

I wish I had programs like these in my country. I've zero interest in doing an irrelevant degree course.

[@Paul-ii9vu]

Was the CEH exam difficult?

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

For me it was the hardest part of the program and took 3 to 4 months to pass as well as multiple attempts.

[@Nepalimetalhead]

Capstone can be fake scenario?

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

It has to be based around a real scenario or real problem in a company or situation. But not all details need to be real, things can be anonymized but need to be based on data in terms of results. For example, you can make up a fake or anonymized company for the scenario but the results need to be based on real data or results.

[@darrenprotheroe5125]

Sadly only for us residents

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

Agreed!

[@OiVinn-eq1ml]

Where there any labs? No labs for cybersecurity are typically a red flag. Unless it's the program is purely academic based.

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

I believe there was some limited lab environment for the CHFI and CEH exams but I didn't utilize it. The CEH Practical is more along the lines of requiring a lab environment, while the normal CEH (which is provided by WGU) is more about answering quiz questions. Although I generally agree with labs being necessary for professional training, I've had mixed experiences with labs in academia for cybersecurity. I did undergrad at a big university and the labs were out of date and basically useless. I would say I didn't feel labs were necessary for WGU as it was mostly about risk analysis, policy writing, and applying security controls through writing remediation plans or projects. The CEH and CHFI definitely don't require labs to pass the exam. Not to say labs are not good, I love them, but there is way better and more content out there with HackTheBox, TryHackMe, and other sources than most universities can compete with.

[@jeanmersonjosaphat6425]

Hi

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

Greetings

[@qutaibabs1]

ec council certification is crap. it teaches nothing. where is the CISSP ? and where is strategic and road mapping course?

[@Chesu360]

Elaborate with your opinion because saying "it teaches nothing." is actually saying nothing.

[@JR1481M1]

Wow. WGU has been ramping up their student promotional videos! Talk about AGGRESSIVE MARKETING.

[@WilsonSecurityGroup]

I was not encouraged, paid or sponsored in any way to make this video on behalf of WGU nor requested their permission to make it before doing so. Thanks for the feedback.

[@TheMountainBeyondTheWoods]

@@WilsonSecurityGroup Ignore that troll, he goes on every... single... video on youtube about WGU and writes dozens of ultra negative comments on every single one. It's pathetic and ridiculous, but that's trolls for you.

[@WhoaItsMoeMoe]

Well if he is getting money then it's going in his pocket... but you wasting your energy and time! Use if for somthing...maybe he can inspire you to do somthing with your damn life!