Masters online cybersecurity options?

[edwardfurlong]

@deuce2w - Right now I am looking at cheap options first, $5,500 a year is my limit with one class a semester, or about $550 a credit hour.

@cookderosa - I read it also as you can apply anywhere, my concern is they specifically say the overwhelming majority will be in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. I just wonder how many jobs and how widespread they are outside of DC. Don't get me wrong the scholarship looks fantastic, it would probably still be worth it even if it would mean temporarily relocating.

[dfrecore]

Dumb question - even if you can't finish an entire program at WGU, wouldn't it be worth it to sign up for 1 class there (i.e. 1 term) and take as many courses as you can? Even if you don't completely finish, you're still way way ahead of just taking a single course at one of the other schools. It's under the limit for what your company will pay, and then you can probably put your degree on hold until a year is up and you can reenroll for another term and finish the rest of the courses (or as many as possible).

With something like 36cr (12 courses) as kind of the average, it will certainly take you a very long time to get through the program at any other school: 12 years is a long time, and I think most computer-related programs won't let you drag your degree program out that long, there's a time limit on most masters degrees, and computer degrees have an even shorter time-frame.

Just something to keep in mind. It just kind of looks like you're saying you won't take multiple courses at WGU because you can't finish an entire degree in a single term, but you're willing to take courses somewhere else 1 per year for 12 years. Maybe I'm looking at this wrong, but it just sounds weird to me.

[edwardfurlong]

Dumb question - even if you can't finish an entire program at WGU, wouldn't it be worth it to sign up for 1 class there (i.e. 1 term) and take as many courses as you can? Even if you don't completely finish, you're still way way ahead of just taking a single course at one of the other schools. It's under the limit for what your company will pay, and then you can probably put your degree on hold until a year is up and you can reenroll for another term and finish the rest of the courses (or as many as possible).

With something like 36cr (12 courses) as kind of the average, it will certainly take you a very long time to get through the program at any other school: 12 years is a long time, and I think most computer-related programs won't let you drag your degree program out that long, there's a time limit on most masters degrees, and computer degrees have an even shorter time-frame.

Just something to keep in mind. It just kind of looks like you're saying you won't take multiple courses at WGU because you can't finish an entire degree in a single term, but you're willing to take courses somewhere else 1 per year for 12 years. Maybe I'm looking at this wrong, but it just sounds weird to me.

Not a dumb question, the way things are worded for reimbursement is "Company expense is limited to one course per quarter/trimester/semester".

For most schools it looks like I could take three classes a year, so it would take four years for 12 classes.

I am not sure if my work would approve the WGU model of paying by term instead of by class, as well as WGU not giving an actual "grade".

I could ask them to see what they say, but I would still like to weigh the other options.

Four years is still a while, so I may be giving preference to programs that require 30 credits instead of 36, or if there is a program that I can transfer cheap credit into.

[dfrecore]

Not a dumb question, the way things are worded for reimbursement is "Company expense is limited to one course per quarter/trimester/semester".

For most schools it looks like I could take three classes a year, so it would take four years for 12 classes.

I am not sure if my work would approve the WGU model of paying by term instead of by class, as well as WGU not giving an actual "grade".

I could ask them to see what they say, but I would still like to weigh the other options.

Four years is still a while, so I may be giving preference to programs that require 30 credits instead of 36, or if there is a program that I can transfer cheap credit into.

I think at WGU, they understand the company reimbursement thing, and will bill you for 1 course at the term cost. Then, if you take additional courses it's basically like they're "free." They discussed it on one of the threads here fairly recently.

Not sure about the grade situation though.