PUG Cybersecurity Degree Plan?

[halov19823]

I am seeking the most efficient and cost-effective path to complete a Bachelor's degree in IT Management (from WGU) or Cybersecurity. Ideally, I would like to finish within 2 terms.


Your Location: New York, New York
Your Age: 35
What kind of degree do you want?: Bachelor's in IT Management or Cybersecurity
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 73+


School Name Total Credits: 
LaGuardia Community College  (Associates Degree)
ENG 101 COMPOSITION I B- 3
ENG 102 WRITING THRU LIT D 3
MAT 241 TECHNICAL MATH 1 C 4
SSS 100 INTRO TO SOCIOLOGY B- 3
BTA 111 PRIN OF ACCOUNTING I C+ 4
INTRO TO BUSINESS C+ 3
INTRO TO COMPUTERS A 3
FUND OF SPEECH COMM B- 3
COMP OP SYSTEMS B- 3
UNIX NOS C- 3
WINDOWS NT NOS B- 3
NETWORK SECURITY D 3
ADVANCED NETWORK SEC A- 3
COMPUTER REPAIR B+ 4
ADVANCED WINDOW NT B 3
COOPERATIVE EDUCATION: 6 Credits
CEP 121 FUND PROF ADVANCEMNT B 3
CIS 265 COMPUT INTERFACING B- 3
SSN 187 URB STD-URBAN SOC C 3
SSY 101 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY C+ 3
MAC 241 COMP.ELECTRONICS I B- 4


DeVry University 
COLL 148 3


NYCCT
CST 3507 3 
CST 4800 3 


SPS
Foundations of IS (IS 200) 3 credits
Misc
Accounting Fundamental (BUS 305) 3 
Project Management (PROM 210) 3 
Computer & Network Security (IS 250) 3 


Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: 


Provider Total Credits: 36
Sophia
Business Law 3
Introduction to Networking 3
Project Management 3 
Principles of Finance 3 
Principles of Finance 3 
Macroeconomics 3
Managerial Accounting 3
Microeconomics 3
Introduction to Ethics 3 
Introduction to Information Technology 3
Introduction to Relational Databases 3
Principles of Management 3

Any certifications or military experience? Pursuing CompTIA CySA


Budget:
I have up to $10,000 in savings to dedicate to my education, but I am prioritizing the most affordable options available.
Commitments:
I work full-time and have family responsibilities, but I can dedicate a significant amount of time to my studies during evenings and weekends. I estimate at least 27 hours of study time per week.
Timeline:
I aim to complete the degree as quickly as possible, preferably within 2 terms.
Tuition Assistance:
I am exploring tuition assistance options through my employer, which may cover some or all of the costs. I am awaiting clarification on whether this program includes test-out options or is limited to traditional courses.
Background:
I hold an Associate's Degree with over 73 credits in general education, electives, and computer/networking courses. I have experience working in IT in roles such as IT Customer Support, IT Specialist, and Assistant IT Director. I am currently pursuing a CompTIA CySA+ certification.
Learning Preferences:
I am comfortable with self-paced learning and prefer competency-based programs with non-proctored assessments. While I can perform well on exams, I prefer open-book tests and experience some anxiety with proctored exams. I am adaptable and can learn both independently and collaboratively, but prioritize independent learning to accelerate my progress.
Degree Preference:
I am open to either IT Management or Cybersecurity, leaning towards Cybersecurity if it aligns better with my skillset and career goals AND can be “hacked” as well as the alternative.

[LevelUP]

Here are both degree plans:

PUG Cybersecurity
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/PU...egree_Plan

WGU IT Man
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/WG...egree_Plan

In addition, since you live in New York and have lots of transfer credits, it would be pretty cheap to do an IT degree at CUNY SPS
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/CU...egree_Plan

Once you have Google Data Analytics and Google IT support certificates, that degree at CUNY is pretty easy to get. After your degree, you can do various cybersecurity certificates to boost your resume. 

[bjcheung77]

Welcome to the board, that's a good intro post with the addendum and template along with some extra info. I'm on board with the CUNY SPS IT degree as you've already taken a few classes with them, it'll be easier to reach residency credits. You can then ladder to the WGU MSCIA for a Masters in Cybersecurity afterwards, this way you have a public/state based undergrad degree and a Masters to top it off along with the balanced mix/match trifecta of certs, degree, experience.

[CharisandJon]

In addition to what others have said, I want to point out that WGU is all closed-book proctored exams, with the exception of a few papers/assignments. You mentioned that you prefer open-book exams (me too), so just something to consider if you are looking into WGU.

[ss20ts]

When you say 2 terms do you mean 2 WGU terms or 2 PUG terms? They're very different lengths.

[halov19823]

Here are both degree plans:

PUG Cybersecurity
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/PU...egree_Plan

WGU IT Man
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/WG...egree_Plan

In addition, since you live in New York and have lots of transfer credits, it would be pretty cheap to do an IT degree at CUNY SPS
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/CU...egree_Plan

Once you have Google Data Analytics and Google IT support certificates, that degree at CUNY is pretty easy to get. After your degree, you can do various cybersecurity certificates to boost your resume. 

Thank you for the links – they were incredibly helpful. I'm really interested in the idea of combining certifications with transferable credits at SPS. As it turns out, I have access to many of these Google certifications for free through a partnership. However, this also means that I'll need to take any remaining courses in the traditional manner. This has prompted me to revisit my options.

---

Welcome to the board, that's a good intro post with the addendum and template along with some extra info.  I'm on board with the CUNY SPS IT degree as you've already taken a few classes with them, it'll be easier to reach residency credits.  You can then ladder to the WGU MSCIA for a Masters in Cybersecurity afterwards, this way you have a public/state based undergrad degree and a Masters to top it off along with the balanced mix/match trifecta of certs, degree, experience.

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I'm reconsidering WGU as I've come to realize it's not as focused on paper and project-based learning. While this isn't a total deal-breaker, I'm putting it at the bottom of my list for now. Funny how I finally thought I had it all figured out, and how everything changes after some of the replies received, haha.

---

In addition to what others have said, I want to point out that WGU is all closed-book proctored exams, with the exception of a few papers/assignments. You mentioned that you prefer open-book exams (me too), so just something to consider if you are looking into WGU.

Thanks for highlighting that point. It's something I'll take into account as I weigh my options. I appreciate your input.

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When you say 2 terms do you mean 2 WGU terms or 2 PUG terms? They're very different lengths.

Touche. I want to clarify that the timeframe in question is one year. While achieving it in six months would be amazing, I also want to be realistic.

[bjcheung77]

It's all good, decide on the program that suits your learning style and the content/courses that you're looking to learn for the subject matter, some people want more IT related classes, others want a mix of those and other subjects... Decide from the trifecta of cost, ease, speed to finish, then pinpoint the degree and institution you want to finish from. If you're undecided, take classes from Sophia.org towards the two degree options you are deciding from, make sure the classes you take from Sophia.org can transfer into both... Basically, you can decide later when you've completed some of those transfer classes.