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Western Governors University Program Review

Western Governors University designs its programs to meet the needs of busy adults who are balancing work, family and educational commitments. The school wants to make it easier for these kinds of students, as well as others, to fit education into their schedules by creating programs that are flexible and innovative and allow students to build upon the competencies they already possess. Students will work through degree programs that are personalized and help them meet their personal and professional goals upon graduation.

WGU was founded in 1997 when 19 governors of western states came together, including Governors Roy Romer and Michael Leavitt, of Colorado and Utah respectively, who spearheaded the movement to start the school. While the school is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, WGU is an entirely online school, meaning that there is no physical campus and all programs are offered through the online campus. Students will interact with instructors that call 30 different states home.

The school is quite unique in that students will not complete a series of required courses to get their degrees. Instead, WGU works with a series of carefully designed assessments, including tests and projects, to measure the level of a student’s competency in the subject matter. While students are working through these programs they will be teamed up with a mentor who will help provide them with guidance, support and information. Mentors design learning plans for students and help to ensure that they stay on track as they move through them.

Students working in the online programs at WGU will enjoy great flexibility and personalization in the programs they pursue and will have the freedom to work when and where they choose. Students will rely on contact with their mentor through phone and email as well as interaction with professors and classmates through online study groups and communities to stay connected and focused on their studies. Degree programs are available at both the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels in majors that include Business, Teaching, Nursing and Information Technology.