WGU IT Software Development Degree Plan

Note

WGU has updated their degree and it appears that Software Development has been replaced with Software Engineering.

Software Development Degree Plan

Here is a Software Development Degree plan for Western Governors University (WGU) as of approximately November of 2021. Please make sure that the suggestions are still valid before beginning to follow this plan.

The alternative credit courses were handpicked using experience from previous students as to what courses will be the easiest and quickest courses to take. In places with multiple courses listed, the first course is assumed to be the fastest/easiest course to take.

Doing Certifications at WGU vs Transferring Them In

Certifications are free at WGU, so it's optional if you want to pay the fees to transfer in certifications.

You would want to do certifications outside WGU if:

• You wanted to maximize the 90 credits of transfer credits
• You were trying to do a WGU degree in 1 term or few terms as possible

Use this It Certification Exams Equivalent Guide to find certifications that will transfer to this degree program. (For example, adding CompTIA A+ & ITIL Foundation certs will add 12 transfer credits to this degree)

Advantages of a Software Development Degree

• Made for software engineers
• Easier and quicker than Computer Science degree, very little math required
• Flexible degree that can be used for a large variety of careers such as coding or IT

Tips on Order in Which to Complete Courses

Start with Sophia, do English Composition first. Unfortunately, Sophia only allows 2 courses open at one time, so after you start English Comp, do a course that doesn't have any touchstones (written assignments). Once done with Sophia, start doing Study.com courses, starting with non-CS courses. Once those are completed, do CS courses leaving Java/Intro programming and Data Structures for last.

How Long Will It Take To Complete This Degree Once I Finish All the Alterative Credits?

How long to complete depends on various factors such as experience, time commitment, the efficiency of studying, etc. However, considering you spend at least 20 hours a week on your studies, completing this degree should take 1-2 terms. 

Source of Credit

This degree plan was made using this source to map out all the alternative credits.

https://partners.wgu.edu/

General Education Requirements

Course	Competency Units Value	Course Provider	Course Name	Course Id	WGU Credit
English Composition I	3	Sophia	Foundations of English Composition, English Composition I	SOPH-0019, SOPH-0015	3
Critical Thinking and Logic	3	Study.com	Humanities 201: Critical Thinking & Analysis	SDCM-0243	3
Technical Communication	3	Study.com	English 305: Advanced Technical Writing	SDCM-0058	3
Introduction to Communication	3	Sophia	Communication at Work, Pubic Speaking	SOPH-0034, SOPH-0024	3
Introduction to Humanities	3	Sophia	Visual Communications (Lots of other options from Sophia)	SOPH-0009	3
Ethics in Technology	3
American Politics and the US Constitution	3	Study.com	Political Science 102: American Government	SDCM-0042	3
Introduction to Geography	3	Sophia	US History II (Lots of other options from Sophia)	SOPH-0025	3
Applied Algebra	3	Sophia	College Algebra	SOPH-0001	3
Applied Probability and Statistics	3	Sophia	Foundations of Statistics, Introduction to Statistics	SOPH-0017, SOPH-0005	3
Integrated Physical Sciences	3	Sophia	Environmental Science	SOPH-0016	3
Totals	33				30

Core Courses

Course	Competency Units Value	Course Provider	Course Name	Course Id	WGU Credit
Introduction to IT	4	Sophia	Introduction to Information Technology	SOPH-0023	4
Data Management - Foundations	3	Study.com or Sophia	Computer Science 107: Database Fundamentals, Introduction to Relational Databases	SDCM-0212, SOPH-0047	3
Network and Security - Foundations	3	Study.com	Computer Science 108: Introduction to Networking	SDCM-0213	3
Scripting and Programming - Foundations	3	Study.com	Computer Science 115: Programming in Java, Computer Science 109: Introduction to Programming	SDCM-0199, SDCM-0214	3
Web Development Foundations	3	Sophia	Introduction to Web Development	SOPH-0043	3
Business of IT - Applications	4			-
Hardware and Operating Systems Essentials	3
Totals	23				16

Additional Courses

Course	Competency Units Value	Course Provider	Course Name	Course Id	WGU Credit
Data Management - Applications	4	Study.com	Computer Science 204: Database Programming	SDCM-0218	4
Advanced Data Management	3	Study.com	Computer Science 303: Database Management	SDCM-0164	3
Web Development Applications	6
Scripting and Programming - Applications	4
Data Structures and Algorithms	4	Study.com	Computer Science 201: Data Structures & Algorithms (Take Java first since the assignment is in Java)	SDCM 0217	4
Business of IT - Project Management	4	Sophia	Project Management	SOPH-0013	4
Mobile Application Development	3
Organizational Behavior and Leadership	3	Study.com	Business 107: Organizational Behavior	SDCM-0009	3
Software Engineering	4	Study.com	Computer Science 307: Software Engineering	SDCM-0220	4
Software Quality Assurance	3
User Experience Design	3
User Interface Design	4	Coursera	Google UX Design Professional Certificate		4
Software I	6
Software II	6
IT Foundations	4			-
IT Applications	4			-
Total	65				26

Non-Transferable Courses

Course	Competency Units Value	Course Provider	Course Name	Course Id	WGU Credit
Software Development Capstone	4
Totals	4				0

Total Transfer Credit

Course	Competency Units Value	Course Provider	Course Name	Course Id	WGU Transfer Credit
General Education Requirements	33				30
Core Courses	20				16
Additional Courses	65				26
Non-Transferable Courses	4				0
Total	122				72

*To copy this degree plan, hold down left mouse button, drag to select tables, then copy/paste (CTR+C/CTR+P) to Sheets or Excel.