Feasibility of doing a part-time Masters with a 9-5 job?
For the last three months I've been working a job with regular 9-5 hours. Though I'm very pleased to have entered the job market after University and wish to keep my current role and progress through the organisation, recently I've been feeling a strong desire to re-enter higher education and continue to develop my skillset and gain a few extra qualifications. I'm a humanities student and wish to continue in this vein with postgrad study, so I've been looking at MA and Msc courses at Unis such as UCL for 2014- however, I was wondering if anyone would be able to fill me in on how realistic taking on this kind of study would be while continuing to work in my current job? Are there any courses that are purely research-based and wouldn't require me to attend lectures or seminars? For context I'm really looking to develop my researching abilities and am hoping to get on a course which would help me in this area.
Thanks in advance to anyone who responds!
Thanks in advance to anyone who responds!
You could look at an MRes, which essentially research-based. However at the unis I've attended, they do still contain a taught element with associated assessed coursework. Shopping around might find you something more suitable along those lines though.
As for fitting it round a 9-5 job, it might be possible but from personal experience of a full-time Masters, I wouldn't recommend it. Whilst I was on a taught Masters, the dissertation took up my last 4-5 months and the last couple of months were a 7 day a week job, with longer hours than 9-5. You might be able to manage your workload better with an MRes, but I wouldn't have wanted to try it. The Masters on its own was a huge time committment and it pretty much flattened me.
Had you considered taking a part-time Masters over two years? That might be simpler in terms of balancing the work/research sides.
As for fitting it round a 9-5 job, it might be possible but from personal experience of a full-time Masters, I wouldn't recommend it. Whilst I was on a taught Masters, the dissertation took up my last 4-5 months and the last couple of months were a 7 day a week job, with longer hours than 9-5. You might be able to manage your workload better with an MRes, but I wouldn't have wanted to try it. The Masters on its own was a huge time committment and it pretty much flattened me.
Had you considered taking a part-time Masters over two years? That might be simpler in terms of balancing the work/research sides.
Original post by Klix88
You could look at an MRes, which essentially research-based. However at the unis I've attended, they do still contain a taught element with associated assessed coursework. Shopping around might find you something more suitable along those lines though.
As for fitting it round a 9-5 job, it might be possible but from personal experience of a full-time Masters, I wouldn't recommend it. Whilst I was on a taught Masters, the dissertation took up my last 4-5 months and the last couple of months were a 7 day a week job, with longer hours than 9-5. You might be able to manage your workload better with an MRes, but I wouldn't have wanted to try it. The Masters on its own was a huge time committment and it pretty much flattened me.
Had you considered taking a part-time Masters over two years? That might be simpler in terms of balancing the work/research sides.
As for fitting it round a 9-5 job, it might be possible but from personal experience of a full-time Masters, I wouldn't recommend it. Whilst I was on a taught Masters, the dissertation took up my last 4-5 months and the last couple of months were a 7 day a week job, with longer hours than 9-5. You might be able to manage your workload better with an MRes, but I wouldn't have wanted to try it. The Masters on its own was a huge time committment and it pretty much flattened me.
Had you considered taking a part-time Masters over two years? That might be simpler in terms of balancing the work/research sides.
Yes, a part-time Masters was actually what I was looking to do. How feasible would you rate this as being? Will it still contain a compulsory taught element?
Original post by cassiusitsover
Yes, a part-time Masters was actually what I was looking to do. How feasible would you rate this as being? Will it still contain a compulsory taught element?
Well, yes. If the full-time degree contains a compulsory taught element then the part-time version will do so as well. After all, the contents of the degree will remain the same if you do it part-time, the only difference is that it'll be spread out more, so you'd only be doing one seminar per term instead of two, for example.
Sorry - not enough coffee so far today!
I studied with someone who was doing a part-time Masters and a part-time job, but didn't come across anyone attempting it with a full-time job. It should theoretically be more manageable, but you'll still have some timetabled activity even if you go for a research-based Masters, so it may depend on how flexible your employer can be with hours/shifts. Some of them will also be wary of an employee taking up a course which will potentially a) reduce their focus on their paid work and b) ultimately result in them leaving. Have you been able to gently test the waters yet? With a supportive employer you have a fighting chance, but with an employer who doesn't see it as being in their interests to co-operate, you could find life very awkward. When I applied to university for my undergrad degree, I didn't dare tell my employer until I handed in my notice - I would've been passed over for all sorts of opportunities. I was told point blank that I wouldn't have been given my annual bonus (for successful projects I'd already completed) if they'd known I was going to resign. If I'd done anything part-time, there's no way I could have told them about it.
From a practical point of view you shouldn't have a problem with something like library access. My Masters uni library was open until midnight Monday to Saturday and also had good opening hours on a Sunday (althought slightly shorter). They were open 24 hours a day in the run up to undergrad exam season, although it was standing room only at that point. You should be able to find library opening hours for your target uni, on their website.
Depending on your field, you might also find that much of your theoretical material is available online. All of the major journals are now available online and you'll get access to these via your uni. This can make studying from home feasible at some points, as well as reading papers in lunch hours at work.
I studied with someone who was doing a part-time Masters and a part-time job, but didn't come across anyone attempting it with a full-time job. It should theoretically be more manageable, but you'll still have some timetabled activity even if you go for a research-based Masters, so it may depend on how flexible your employer can be with hours/shifts. Some of them will also be wary of an employee taking up a course which will potentially a) reduce their focus on their paid work and b) ultimately result in them leaving. Have you been able to gently test the waters yet? With a supportive employer you have a fighting chance, but with an employer who doesn't see it as being in their interests to co-operate, you could find life very awkward. When I applied to university for my undergrad degree, I didn't dare tell my employer until I handed in my notice - I would've been passed over for all sorts of opportunities. I was told point blank that I wouldn't have been given my annual bonus (for successful projects I'd already completed) if they'd known I was going to resign. If I'd done anything part-time, there's no way I could have told them about it.
From a practical point of view you shouldn't have a problem with something like library access. My Masters uni library was open until midnight Monday to Saturday and also had good opening hours on a Sunday (althought slightly shorter). They were open 24 hours a day in the run up to undergrad exam season, although it was standing room only at that point. You should be able to find library opening hours for your target uni, on their website.
Depending on your field, you might also find that much of your theoretical material is available online. All of the major journals are now available online and you'll get access to these via your uni. This can make studying from home feasible at some points, as well as reading papers in lunch hours at work.
(edited 10 years ago)
I did a part-time masters with a full-time job. It's certainly doable, but you need lots of discipline. If you go for something like it sounds you're planning to, without (or without much of) a series of defined deadlines (for assignments, exams etc), you'll probably need even more discipline to be honest...
And obviously something has to give, and that something will probably end up being a chunk of your social life!
And obviously something has to give, and that something will probably end up being a chunk of your social life!
I actually ended up doing a full-time masters with a (very nearly) full-time job after looking into the specifics of doing the MA part-time. The problem for me (or, more accurately, my job) was that the part-time MA required very nearly as much time off work every week as doing it full-time, and it stretched over two years instead of one...my work said I could do it full-time, or not at all. That's something to bear in mind when you discuss it with your employer (their wants may have to trump yours if you need the money to pay for the degree).
It was pretty hard work doing it the way I did it (job work all day, followed by MA work all night...pretty much no days off for the whole year) - I imagine a part time MA would be less difficult to fit-in, since the reading etc will be halved - it was worth it for me because it got me where I wanted to be academically (into a PhD program) but it was very frustrating intellectually being unable to fully participate in the life of the department and even in the community of the program - I feel like I missed out on about 40% of the experience of doing a degree - I got the content but not the environment, and I think doing it part-time while working would be similar. Also, logistics are a pain: getting out books meeting with supervisors etc - you have to be really organized about research and projects because you often have very limited opportunities each week to be on campus.
I think it's absolutely doable, but there are drawbacks, as with anything.
It was pretty hard work doing it the way I did it (job work all day, followed by MA work all night...pretty much no days off for the whole year) - I imagine a part time MA would be less difficult to fit-in, since the reading etc will be halved - it was worth it for me because it got me where I wanted to be academically (into a PhD program) but it was very frustrating intellectually being unable to fully participate in the life of the department and even in the community of the program - I feel like I missed out on about 40% of the experience of doing a degree - I got the content but not the environment, and I think doing it part-time while working would be similar. Also, logistics are a pain: getting out books meeting with supervisors etc - you have to be really organized about research and projects because you often have very limited opportunities each week to be on campus.
I think it's absolutely doable, but there are drawbacks, as with anything.
Original post by Klix88
From a practical point of view you shouldn't have a problem with something like library access. My Masters uni library was open until midnight Monday to Saturday and also had good opening hours on a Sunday (althought slightly shorter). They were open 24 hours a day in the run up to undergrad exam season, although it was standing room only at that point. You should be able to find library opening hours for your target uni, on their website.
Depending on your field, you might also find that much of your theoretical material is available online. All of the major journals are now available online and you'll get access to these via your uni. This can make studying from home feasible at some points, as well as reading papers in lunch hours at work.
From a practical point of view you shouldn't have a problem with something like library access. My Masters uni library was open until midnight Monday to Saturday and also had good opening hours on a Sunday (althought slightly shorter). They were open 24 hours a day in the run up to undergrad exam season, although it was standing room only at that point. You should be able to find library opening hours for your target uni, on their website.
Depending on your field, you might also find that much of your theoretical material is available online. All of the major journals are now available online and you'll get access to these via your uni. This can make studying from home feasible at some points, as well as reading papers in lunch hours at work.
That depends where you live in relation to your uni...which, when you have a full-time job, is often not as flexible. I lived over two hours away, and going in on Sundays was not an option (if I wanted to maintain my relationship in any way!) and I was working every other day. But, yes - electronic access is an absolute lifesaver! I would honestly factor that in to uni choice if I were planning to do a Master's while working - look at the extent of electronic resources available (some uni's are much better than others).
(edited 10 years ago)
I'm doing a full-time masters right now and there is a few people on the course working full-time and doing a part time masters over two years (some are doing it over 3 years). It is possible, as some lectures are evening ones from 6-8, so ideally, you'd need to work nearby the university. They often have extended deadlines (a few months more) for courseworks too, and dissertations are due in december, rather than september.
Original post by cassiusitsover
For the last three months I've been working a job with regular 9-5 hours. Though I'm very pleased to have entered the job market after University and wish to keep my current role and progress through the organisation, recently I've been feeling a strong desire to re-enter higher education and continue to develop my skillset and gain a few extra qualifications. I'm a humanities student and wish to continue in this vein with postgrad study, so I've been looking at MA and Msc courses at Unis such as UCL for 2014- however, I was wondering if anyone would be able to fill me in on how realistic taking on this kind of study would be while continuing to work in my current job? Are there any courses that are purely research-based and wouldn't require me to attend lectures or seminars? For context I'm really looking to develop my researching abilities and am hoping to get on a course which would help me in this area.
Thanks in advance to anyone who responds!
Thanks in advance to anyone who responds!
Most Universities who put on part-time courses do so specifically to cater for people who are in full-time work, ie anything compulsory is either done in the evenings, or is done in set weeks where you take leave from work. Increasingly universities may be trying to get away with 'select half the full time modules this year and do the other half next year' and so teaching elements are 9-5 on weekdays, but that only suits those that are full time students in mind, but need to work to pay for study.
So shop around and make sure that you understand the course structure, but after that, so long as you are dedicated and can put about 20 hours per week into your studying, a part time Masters and full time work is very doable.
In addition to part-time courses, doesn't Birkbeck at the University of London specialise in evening courses?
There's the distance learning masters degrees of course from providers like the OU and Birkbeck as well as a lot of campus unis these days.
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