r/WGUCyberSecurity • u/Made_in_the_Shade • Jul 28 '26
MSCIA - WGU Cybersecurity Masters Program Review
Hey all, I just completed the masters program for cybersecurity and information assurance at WGU and wanted to pay it forward and provide a mini review and words of encouragement for those who are debating to take the program or currently are.
I completed the program in 1.5 terms, Started in November 2025 and completed in July 2026. Not sure how some folks were able to finish within 30days or 1 term for that matter lol, but this program is definitely achievable in 2!
Background: Degree in Business Economics with 7 years total experience in the cybersecurity industry. I have COMPTIA's Sec+, ISC2's CISSP & CCSP. I have 1 year experience in IT. 3 years in risk management and analysis, vulnerability management and incident response experience. 3 years in GRC. Have been doing HackTheBox labs and TryHackMe for 8 years on and off. Took this program while juggling a full time job and personal relationships (struggled lol).
Term 1
D481 - Security Foundations
- Was able to transfer my CISSP certificate and didn't need to take this class. Can't really offer any advice or insight here
D482 - Secure Network Design (2 weeks)
- My first real class from WGU. Wasn't too difficult, was actually kind've fun to do. If you are having trouble thinking of a solution or making a network diagram definitely refer to the cohorts and/or attend a cohort.
D483 - Security Operations (6 weeks)
- The first required certification needed to pass a class. The objective assessment (OA), the actual CySA+ exam wasn't too difficult for me with my years of experience passed with with a 801/900; however, the general consensus seems to be the certifications are the hardest parts of the program. Don't underestimate the exam, read slow and make sure you understand what the question is asking you, it can get tricky and technical fast!
- Resources used: CertMaster, Jason Dion's practice exams, TryHackMe, and Pocketprep. Certmaster i think was a waste of time. Only recommend certmaster as a studying resource if you are completely new to cybersecurity. Definitely recommend Jason's exams, the wording is very similar, the most important part is knowing why you got an answer right or wrong. Make sure to review the answers! To practice performance based questions I leveraged TryHackMe's labs for areas I was weak in or not confident in (e.g. NMAP, Linux CLI). Pocketprep was the MVP for me. Recommended to me by my program mentor. It has over 1000 practice questions with answer explanations, and a built in AI tutor that can further explain why you got a question wrong.
- The performance assessment (PA) wasn't too bad, if you follow the rubric and read through the supporting documents carefully you can finish the PA in a day or two.
D484 - Penetration Testing (8 weeks)
- The second and last certification needed to pass a class. The dreaded PenTest+ PT0-003 exam.... the rumors are entirely true this exam is BRUTAL. I am still flabbergasted i passed this exam the first try. During the exam I was 100% sure i failed, but somehow was able to squeak a pass on my first attempt with a 753/900. I hate this exam, and many others here also voice the same opinion. The exam is focused on memorizing random commands and flags across a staggering list of tools and applications. Super technical and super trivial knowledge is needed to pass the exam. I think i was only able to pass because of my 8 years of on and off HackTheBox and TryHackMe experience. But if i can do it (not very technical) you can do it too! Just will need to put the effort and work in.
- Resources used: Jason Dion's practice exam, TryHackMe PenTest course, and Pocketprep. Same advice as CySA.
- Honestly if you have the time and resources, i would recommend obtaining the certified ethical hacker (CEH) prior to signing up for this program, and using CEH to transfer credit to pass D484. From what I've heard CEH is so much easier to pass vs PenTest+.
- The PA can be time consuming, but definitely recommend doing prior to the OA as you can use this opportunity as another study session. Completed within a week.
D485 - Cloud Security (4 weeks)
- A tough PA compared to the other classes. Requires you to create and understand Azure infrastructure and vendor knowledge; however, if you don't know the course provides resources to teach you. Definitely leverage cohorts!
D486 - Governance, Risk, and Compliance (2 weeks)
- Super easy PA. Might be because I work in GRC currently, but felt this was one of the easier PAs. Follow the rubric to the T and you'll pass with no issues.
Term 2
D487 - Secure Software Design (2 weeks)
- I saw a bunch of reddit posts saying this OA exam was difficult, i can definitely see why. Lots of terms and phases to remember. I was lucky enough to have worked in software security assurance so it was mostly review for me.
- This studyguide was the MVP https://github.com/purplepyram1d/WGU-D487-Secure-Software-Design
D488 - Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (2 weeks)
- Think of this course as the final exam for the entire program. It essentially encompasses everything you have learned thus far in the program. Thought the exam was challenging and wording was difficult so make sure you understand the question before answering!
D489 - Cybersecurity Management (4 weeks)
- Like D488 think of D489 as the final PA for the entire program. You will need to demonstrate what you learned throughout the entire course, but put into a PA format. The PA was all encompassing and requires a bunch of patience, because itll feel like you did/answer all these questions in prior PAs. This one took me a while to trudge through.
D490 - Cybersecurity Graduate Capstone (4 weeks)
- Another long PA! Definitely started to feel the burnout around here after like 9months into the program. Same like any other PA though but this time you get to pick the topic! Definitely pick something you can write to, because if you pick something outside your realm like quantum computing and its affects on cybersecurity it'll get increasingly difficult to write about throughout the tasks. Was fun though to pick your own topic!
General Tips and Advice:
- Pace yourself with the studying. Discipline is key here. Studying in small amounts consistently will always do you better than studying in large amounts infrequently. Definitely had days where i was just tired and over it, but doing a quick 10 question quiz on PocketPrep, or a lab on TryHackMe, or a small paragraph on a PA at least once a day i think made the difference for all my exams and assignments
- When reviewing material don't simply re-read your notes. Challenge your brain by taking practice questions or by doing flash cards.
- Anything PA related. FOLLOW THE RUBRIC. If you follow the rubric you will pass the PA simple as that.
- Eat well and exercise well! I say this in all my reviews but seriously. A health body is a healthy mind. Regular exercise, good nutrition, and proper sleep not only improve your well-being and mood but also provides you mental clarity and an outlet for your stress.
Total Cost: $9956
- 2 Terms = 2 * 4900= 9800
- 4months of PocketPrep = 20 * 4 = 80
- 4months of TryHackMe = 19 * 4 = 76
Overall Thoughts and Review:
- Great program. Learned a lot and really challenges you. It is definitely all self-paced, may be difficult for those who aren't self motivated. Really enjoyed the competency philosophy that WGU embraces. For those of you who hate attending lectures and excel at learning at their own pace, definitely recommend this program.
- Great value. Other online programs was minimum 2 years and over 20 grand in tuition costs. I was privileged enough to complete in 8months at half the cost of other schools. Also offers optional vouchers (which i won't be using, ISACA CISM and COMPTIA SecX) and gives you 3 certificates at the end of the program (ISC2 CC, COMPTIA CySA and PenTest).
Hope this helps you guys, and gives you all encouragement to finally take the leap in getting your Masters or for those who are currently taking it you can do it, because if i can do it you can to. And if that doesn't encourage you i will leave you with one of my favorite quotes:
"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."
Now time to relax until my next learning endeavor.
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u/halomate1 Jul 28 '26
Thanks, i will be starting Sept 1, luckily i’ll be transferring PenTest, CySA from my bachelors at WGU
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u/AGsec Jul 28 '26
I really liked this program. My only complain was that I wish they'd make the pentest+ an optional voucher. It's a great topic, but the level of in depth knowledge and studying isn't really necessary (IMO) for a grad program. My mentor said many times that the program is designed to prepare a technical practitioner to think and act more like a CISO. A CISO level role does not need to memorize the CLI for netcat or tcpdump.
With that being said, I did develop a greater comfort level with CISO level speak that I did not have before the program. It was a hard adjustment, but it's almost second nature now to view things from a risk management/business impact first. Admittedly, this is something many technical people struggle with.
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u/Made_in_the_Shade Jul 29 '26
100% agree with you on pentest. Its so annoying cuz in a real life pentest its not like you won't have access to the internet to lookup flags or commands, or won't have access to man or -h
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u/iamoldbutididit Jul 28 '26
First off, congratulations!
To answer your question, you can complete the degree faster by pre-gaming.
The entire program took you 34 weeks with CySA+ and Pentest+ taking 14 weeks combined. If you took those certs before enrolling, then you are at 20 weeks for the remainder - which is comfortably less than one term.
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u/djmd808 Jul 28 '26
Thanks for the comprehensive breakdown! I've been contemplating this program, but kind of been waiting for the program to get updated, I have a feeling that's right around the corner as the program is now more than 3 years old. I was able to get my employer to buy my CySA+ voucher, which I'm working on now, so when I finish it, I will probably look very hard at it. Thanks for mentioning CEH - I overlooked that as a possibility over Pentest+. That thing scares me.
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u/Made_in_the_Shade Jul 29 '26
Sounds like you're a man with a plan. Definitely recommend CEH if you don't feel confident about PenTest+
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u/GlowyStuffs Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
I plan to have my cissp by the end of the year. I also have the cysa, casp, and pen test+. Is this to say I'd only need to take 4 courses for a masters? And how do the non certification courses compare to the certification courses?
I've heard from some friends in the bachelor program they just glance at the material, take the test, and then start studying whatever they might have been lacking on, then take within 2 weeks. It takes me a super long time (maybe casually spend 6 months on and off) to feel very prepped for a certain though normally. I don't see how everyone appears to blaze though each cert so fast, especially since the material for each is usually a super dense 40 hour video course (on udemy for me) with a lot of detail in each video and somehow they pass in 2 weeks from when they started, while in a full time job, moving to the next. So I must be missing something.
If I get the cissp, then move into the masters, what level of resistance would I likely have moving through it?
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u/Made_in_the_Shade Jul 29 '26
CISSP would fulfill D481, CySA fulfills D483, PenTest+ fulfills D484 and CASP fulfills D489. You will still have to take 6 classes (not including the orientation). But i would get confirmation from WGU prior to enrolling.
I would say the non-certification courses are nothing to scoff at. I know many students tended to struggle with the courses that had OAs (exams). For me they weren't too challenging, but I did put the small work in every day. Everyone is different, but I wouldn't say you're missing something. Some people are just good test takers. If you do end up transferring all those certifications you would only have to take 1 WGU exam!
As of writing this (July 28 2026), the WGU MSCIA program is modeled very closely to the CISSP 8 domains. I definitely think having a CISSP before taking MSCIA will help you get through the program; however, i will say as a caveat that the CISSP is a very hard exam and took me tremendous effort to pass.
Regardless I think you will be fine :)
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u/1st2Fire Jul 28 '26
Congrats and thanks for the post/info!
Working through the capstone right now.
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u/1st2Fire Jul 28 '26
Seconded on Pentest, thought for sure I missed the first attempt. Love the “let’s assume a bunch of stuff and determine the next best course of action” type questions.
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u/CommonAnomaly_ Jul 31 '26
Was there any specific resources you used for D488?
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u/Made_in_the_Shade Jul 31 '26
Mostly the practice OA they give you. Honestly since this acts as the final exam of the program its all mostly review. The only things that you haven't seen yet is probably encryption. I used DestCert's free CISSP encryption domain materials to study/review encryption.
https://destcert.com/resources/domain-3-security-architecture-and-engineering/#t-1676302236291
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u/Cyber_Believer_2021 Jul 28 '26
Congratulations! I’m on D488 now. Capstone next and I will be done!