Western Governors University

I recently finished my WGU MBA. I've read some mentor horror stories but that was not my experience. I did my entire MBA in a single term. That is a lot of work but a motivated person can do it. I work full 50-60 hours per week and completed it, The work is not easy but the work is manageable. I am fortunate because I have a lot of experience in business and have a CPA. Therefore, the accounting courses which can be troublesome for some were easy for me. All of the objective tests were material I... Read More knew. I passed all the tests with small effort. The writing is extensive. I wrote over 400 pages in papers. I haven't been looking for a new position so I cannot speak to the MBA helping or not. If you do need an MBA and it is simply checking a box, WGU is great. I can't use it to continue to research and receive a PhD.

WGU is designed for disciplined students who would have a difficulty attending traditional classroom courses. The school is an amazing value and solved two of my biggest discontents with higher education: too much time and money to obtain a degree. Even though the degree can be obtained relatively quickly and for substantially less than other universities, quality is not lacking. The MBA program had some low points (such as financial management and operations management) where you may need to seek... Read More outside resources to understand the course material. Although videos and interactive exercises are scattered throughout courses, the majority of learning requires reading both textbooks and powerpoints. Overall the content was well designed and increased my ability to understand and apply key business principles. My program mentor was helpful, as were the course instructors the few times I arranged appointments. The best tips for success are: read assessment criteria carefully (paper rubrics especially), schedule instructor appointments early when you have trouble in a class and most importantly aim to do well, not just pass the class. Like any other in-person or online course Ive ever taken, what you get out of the program is heavily weighted on what you put into it.

Excellent MBA program for people who are driven. I highly recommend this to people who know their knowledge from experience will wipe out roughly 3/4 of any Master's program. Perhaps my accounting degree and financial background provided me a leg up on courses that may trip up others, but I was able to complete the program in a year and was grateful to apply a few nuggets from the economics courses to my job (great for strategic planning). If you are driven and have progressed steadily through your... Read More career, this MBA program will work well for you and save you tens of thousands of dollars. If you are the type of person who blames circumstances on your shortcomings, you will likely hate this competency based approach.

I had an excellent experience with WGU. The courses were very challenging. I transferred credits from credits in from 3 other hard-sided universities in Colorado and Montana due to life and interest changes. I ended up finishing both my bachelors in Business Management and my MBA through WGU because it was so high quality. I had incredible access to course mentors, and engaged in online lectures and interactive learning sessions. Both of my student mentors were incredible, and the school was very... Read More accommodating in finding the best fit of a mentor for my needs. They really have online learning dialed in. If this were a private company on the stock exchange, I would invest in their stock due to the value, efficiency, and quality of the education they are delivering. I am a non-traditional student with a lot of business experience, and recognize this value based on the rigor of my work requirements. WGU uses evidence-based certification and simulation programs that most Universities also use in their curriculum. The access to those certifications to enhance the degree was of incredible value as well (PHR, Project Management, etc.).

Overall, WGU is a great experience. You have to look at the trade-offs though as far as MBAs go. Pros: - Far cheaper education; - Accredited education; - Can complete the program faster than a traditional program since it is self-paced; - Academic support is excellent (mentors contact you once a week); and - GMAT is not required. Cons: - Limited development track (no electives); - Limited (to no) professional development support; - Limited opportunity to develop interpersonal relationships with other... Read More high functioning business professionals (i.e. the hallmark of a brick and mortar program); - Must be extremely time conscious to succeed; and - The grading can be a rough learning curve (three or four submissions per assignment is not unheard of); and - No company is beating down the door to recruit you out of WGU. Overall: It all comes down to the trade-offs. If you are a career professional, who (1) just wants the degree initials behind your name; (2) want the MBA to propel you toward a different degree (i.e. JD); or (3) because you have been told that the MBA is required for the next rung (but you meet all the other qualifications. This is a great cheap option. If you are looking for interpersonal relationships to help guide your career for the next 20 - 30 years, maybe consider the more traditional or executive MBA routes at a more known school.

I started out my WGU journey with some friction. At first I extremely disliked the pass/fail system. I felt as though sometimes my work would otherwise at worst be considered a "B", but if any portions were missing I would fail. This was frustrating until I got the hang of what was expected. With all things, there is a learning curve. Once I got the hang of it, it was smooth sailing. The curriculum was challenging and you can't beat the format/self paced study. It was the only option I had, as I... Read More worked more than full time. It satisfied a need and I'm grateful for the experience.

I graduated from an accredited and respected school with my undergraduate degree. I was planning on continuing my education with the same school but my busy schedule did not allow enough flexibility. I did a lot of research and concluded that WGU would be a great fit for me. The program was extremely well structured and I feel like I got a much better education than my undergraduate degree. I am a WGU ambassador after the quality education I received. If you read the negative reviews you will find... Read More a common theme, someone who didn't have the drive to be successful. If you want a school that is going to hold your hand and beg you to pass your classes this is not it.

I earned my undergraduate degree from an accredited brick & mortar school in 2013. When I looked at finishing my MBA there it was $35,000 + with little flexibility. WGU was half the price and I can honestly say it was a far better educational experience. It is a very well organized and supportive school that doesn't overcharge for a mediocre education. I highly recommend this school to anyone who wants a high quality education for half the price. this school is going to continue to grow while other... Read More schools struggle to survive. Thanks WGU!!!

They were constantly changing requirements as I went. I had a situation where I was working on a paper for weeks that suddenly changed it to an exam. I was back at square one and they did nothing to compensate all of the time and and money I spent for their changed mind. Things like this happened constantly throughout my program. Then when I needed help from course mentors, they knew nothing about the overall material or tests. The mentors don't know what is on the tests at all so they were zero... Read More help in actually guiding specific study. They also don't have any say in the material or make up of the class. What is the point of having a course mentor? Basically, it can be done but you're pretty much on your own. I finished in a year and a half for a good price overall, but with no support from the institution itself, the staff or faculty. I was constantly submitting complaints about big issues within the program that were never addressed at all. Overall extremely disappointed.