WGU IT Software Engineering Degree Plan

Software Engineering Degree Plan

Here is a Software Development 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

Advantages of a Software Engineering 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/

Sophia ACE Guide

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/II or Workplace Writing II	3
Introduction to Systems Thinking	3
Technical Communication	3	Study.com	English 305: Advanced Technical Writing	3
Ethics in Technology	3
American Politics and the US Constitution	3	Sophia	U.S. Government	3
Introduction to Physical and Human Geography	3	Sophia	Macro/micro econ, US History I/II, Intro to Psychology, Intro to Sociology	3
Applied Algebra	3	Sophia	College Algebra or Calculus I	3
Applied Probability and Statistics	3	Sophia	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	2
Totals	30			27

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	Computer Science 108: Introduction to Networking	3
Scripting and Programming - Foundations	3	Study.com or Sophia	Computer Science 115: Programming in Java, Computer Science 109: Introduction to Programming Introduction to Java Programming	3
Web Development Foundations	3	Sophia	Introduction to Web Development	3
Business of IT - Applications	4	ITIL	ITIL Foundations Cert	4
Hardware & Operating Systems Essentials	3	CompTIA	A+	3
Totals	23			23

Additional Courses

Course	Competency Units Value	Course Provider	Course Name	WGU Credit
Data Management - Applications	4	Study.com	Computer Science 204: Database Programming	4
Advanced Data Management	3	Study.com	Computer Science 303: Database Management	3
Front-End Web Development	3	CIW	HTML5 and CSS3 Specialist or Web Design Professional	3
JavaScript Programming	3	CIW	JavaScript Specialist	3
Java Fundamentals	3
Java Frameworks	3
Data Structures and Algorithms	4	Study.com	Computer Science 201: Data Structures & Algorithms (Take Java first since the assignment is in Java)	4
Introduction to Python	3	Sophia	Introduction to Python Programming
Business of IT - Project Management	4	Sophia	Project Management	4
Mobile Application Development	3
Cloud Foundations	3	AWS	AWS Cloud Practitioner Note: is cheap, fast and easy to get.	3
IT Leadership Foundations	3	Sophia	Principles of Management
Software Engineering	4	Study.com	Computer Science 307: Software Engineering	4
Software Design & Quality Assurance	3
Software Security & Testing	3
User Interface Design	3	Coursera or CIW	Google UX Design or User Interface Designer	3
User Experience Design	3	CIW	User Interface Designer	3
Back-End Programming	3
Advanced Java	3
Version Control	1
Total	62			34

Non-Transferable Courses

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

Total Transfer Credit

Course	Competency Units Value	Course Provider	Course Name	WGU Transfer Credit
General Education Requirements	30			27
Core Courses	23			23
Additional Courses	62			34
Non-Transferable Courses	4			0
Total	119			84

*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.