Taking courses at WGU not part of my degree program? And credit by examination

[Merlin]

What if I started working on one program, finished all of the courses that I wanted to take in that program, and then switched majors or transferred elsewhere?

Yes, you could do that but like ss20ts mentioned, it is not really worth it. You're better off just taking those courses from an outside provider like Straighterline or Study.com, or take them from a local community college or something if you prefer.

If you really wanted to do this you'd have to jump through some hoops...

First, you'd have to apply to the teacher's college for a specific degree. So you'd have to meet all those entrance requirements.

Next, you'd have to submit your transcripts and have them evaluated for the teaching degree. This isn't a big deal since you'd have to do it either way.

Next, you'd complete orientation. Also not a big deal since you have to do it either way.

Next, you wait for your start date, and work with your program mentor to select courses. You're only allowed to have one active course at a time, but they try to plan out the courses you will take for the entire term. At this point you need to convince your mentor to allow you to take the specific courses you want to take in the specific order you want to take them. This may be problematic since they are instructed to follow the degree plan set out by the teacher's college. In other words, they may say no and ask you to take the courses in the order given.

Assuming you can get around the above, you'd have 6 months to complete the courses you want from the teacher's college. If you finish early, you have to wait until the end of the 6 months before you can do anything else. Sometime before the end of your term you will need to work with your program mentor to withdraw from the teacher's degree program to switch degrees to the CS program.

Next, you'll need to work with enrollment to apply to the computer science program.

Next, you have your transcripts re-evaluated for the CS program to make sure you meet the entrance requirements and determine what courses can be waived, etc.

Next, you wait for your first day of class, which will be the 1st of the month following the end of your previous 6-month term, hopefully.

Next, you work with your new program mentor to review the courses they want you to take and the order that you should take them. They will help you enroll in your first class, the same as above.

So doing it this way, you're guaranteed to have to pay for at least two terms at WGU. This also means you may have a lot of downtime between the end of the first term and the start of your second one while you wait for the term to end. FYI, if you're using financial aid, the process will be a bit more complicated -- not to mention you may not receive aid for your first term unless you complete at least 12 CU (3-4 courses) during the term. This may delay aid in the second term as well.

Needless to say, this is a bad idea. I don't recommend doing anything like this unless you plan to pursue two degrees.

Note: Once you start the degree program, you cannot transfer in any new credits. So if you want to take external courses from Straighterline, Study.com, or a CC to add to your math credits, you'll have to withdraw from WGU entirely after your first term and re-apply later. They may allow you to do this if you're switching majors as well, but I cannot confirm that.