WGU Offers New Scholarship for CompTIA Certification Holders, 2/18/14

SALT LAKE CITY — Western Governors University (WGU), www.wgu.edu, and information technology industry association CompTIA have created a new scholarship for IT professionals who want to advance their careers by earning a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

The WGU CompTIA Scholarship, valued at $500 per term up to $2,000, is open to new WGU students enrolling in one of the online university’s nine competency-based IT degree programs who have earned at least one CompTIA certification in the past five years. The eligible bachelor’s and master’s degree programs are:

B.S. Information Technology
B.S. Information Technology—Network Administration
B.S. Information Technology—Security
B.S. Information Technology—Software
B.S. Health Informatics
M.S. Information Security and Assurance
M.S. Information Technology—Network Management
MBA Information Technology Management

WGU recognizes industry certifications as an important component in the development of a well-rounded, highly educated IT professional poised to thrive in a competitive job market. As part of their degree programs, students working toward degrees from WGU’s College of Information Technology also earn a number of highly respected industry certifications, at no additional cost, including seven CompTIA certifications. Additionally, incoming students who already hold industry certifications may have some of their course requirements toward a bachelor’s degree waived. The list of transferrable certifications include nine from CompTIA.

All WGU degree programs are competency-based, a learning model that focuses on student learning rather than time spent in class. Designed for busy adults who need a bachelor’s or master’s degree to further their careers, competency-based learning allows students to study independently, with individualized faculty support, and advance through coursework as soon as they are able to prove what they have learned. As a result, students move quickly through material they already know so they can focus on what they still need to learn. This allows many students to accelerate, and with WGU’s flat-rate tuition of about $3,000 per six-month term regardless of how many courses are completed, it can also save money.

WGU will award a number of CompTIA scholarships, but it is a competitive program, and scholarships will be awarded based on a candidate’s academic record, readiness for online study at WGU, current competency, and other considerations. For more information on the WGU CompTIA Scholarship, visit WGU CompTIA Scholarship.