WGU IT Cybersecurity Degree Plan

Cybersecurity Degree Plan

Here is a Cybersecurity Degree plan for Western Governors University (WGU) as of approximately June of 2023. 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

WARNING: THIS IS TOUGH DEGREE TO GET. I WOULD SUGGEST PAYING FOR SOME KEY CERTS SUCH AS CYSA+ and PENTEST+ TO PROVE YOU CAN HANDLE THE RIGOR OF THIS DEGREE

Advantages of a Cybersecurity Degree

• Lots of certs, is sort of like an upgraded IT degree
• 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.

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/

[1]Sophia ACE Guide

[2]Study.com ACE Guide

General Education Requirements

Course	Competency Units Value	Course Provider	Course Name	WGU Credit
Composition: Successful Self-Expression	3	Sophia	English Composition I	3
Critical Thinking and Logic	3	Sophia	Critical Thinking	3
Introduction to Systems Thinking	3
Introduction to Communication	3	Sophia	Pubic Speaking, Workplace Communication, Business Communication	3
Ethics in Technology	3
American Politics and the US Constitution	3	Sophia	U.S. Government	3
Applied Algebra	3	Sophia	College Algebra	3
Applied Probability and Statistics	3	Sophia	Foundations of Statistics, Introduction to Statistics	3
Health, Fitness and Wellness	4	Sophia	Introduction to Nutrition	3
Natural Science Lab	2	Sophia	Human Biology Lab, Introduction to Chemistry Lab, Microbiology Lab	3
Totals	30			24

Core Courses

Course	Competency Units Value	Course Provider	Course Name	WGU Credit
Introduction to IT	4	Sophia	Introduction to Information Technology	4
Data Management - Foundations	3	Study.com or Sophia	Computer Science 107: Database Fundamentals, Introduction to Relational Databases	3
Network and Security - Foundations	3	Study.com or CompTIA	Computer Science 108: Introduction to Networking, CySA+	3
Scripting and Programming - Foundations	3	Study.com	Computer Science 115: Programming in Java, Computer Science 109: Introduction to Programming	3
Web Development Foundations	3	Sophia	Introduction to Web Development	3
Business of IT - Applications	4	ITIL	ITIL Foundations Cert	4
Totals	20			20

Additional Courses

Course	Competency Units Value	Course Provider	Course Name	WGU Credit
Data Management - Applications	4	Study.com	Computer Science 204: Database Programming	4
Fundamentals of Information Security	3	Study.com	Computer Science 110 or Computer Science 202	3
Introduction to Programming in Python	3	Sophia	Intro to Python	3
Linux Foundations	3	LPI, CompTIA	Linux Essentials, Linux+	3
Business of IT - Project Management	4	Sophia	Project Management	4
Cyber Defense and Countermeasures	4	Study.com or CompTIA	Computer Science 331: Cybersecurity Risk Analysis Management, CySA+	4
Digital Forensics in Cybersecurity	4	Study.com	Computer Science 336: Network Forensics or	4
Introduction to Cryptography	4
Managing Cloud Security	4
Legal Issues in Information Security	4
Information Systems Security	4
Emerging Technologies in Cybersecurity	4
Managing Information Security	6
Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Analysis	4	CompTIA	Pentest+	4
Networks	4	CompTIA	CompTIA Network+	4
Network and Security - Applications	4	CompTIA	CySA+, CompTIA Security+	4
IT Foundations	4	CompTIA	CompTIA A+	4
IT Applications	4	CompTIA	CompTIA A+	4
Total	71			45

Non-Transferable Courses

Course	Competency Units Value	Course Provider	Course Name	WGU Credit
IT Capstone	4
Totals	4			0

Total Transfer Credit

Course	Competency Units Value	Course Provider	Course Name	WGU Transfer Credit 90 max
General Education Requirements	30			26
Core Courses	20			20
Additional Courses	71			45
Non-Transferable Courses	4			0
Total	122			91

*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.