Full time vs part time masters?

Mamataj

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What are the advantages/disadvantages of either? Do you have any experience doing part time, if so how was it?

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returnmigrant

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Part-time study is always tricky, for several different reasons :

'I can study in the evenings after work' - You'll feel tired, you either wont study or you wont do it properly.

'I can study at the weekends' - Your social life will either cease to exist or you'll always be studying with a hangover.

'My partner/girlfriend/boyfriend is really supportive' - Initially maybe, but its like having two jobs, and that creates its own tensions/issues.

'I really enjoy the atmosphere at Uni' - You'll rarely be at Uni. It isnt like doing another undergrad degree (you have to do far more independent study) and you'll be there on rare occasions. Forget having a Student Experience - it'll just be a classroom you visit once a week.

'I like mixing with other students/tutors' As above, you'll only be there for odd days/times. You'll miss that interesting dept. seminar series because its on a work day and you can never be there..

Sorry if this sounds totally negative but I started a part-time postgrad and these were the issues. Constantly tired, Partner fed up. Feeling like I was not really involved at Uni because I was rarely there. Expensive (plus travel). Missed two classes because I had flu and then felt I couldnt catch up. Dropped out.

It is do-able, but you have to put the rest of your life on hold and be fiercely determined/selfish. In my experience that is tough for two whole years - only you can judge if you can be that gutsy and if the cost (financial and 'other') is worth it.

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ChancedTravels

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I'm got a place on a FT evening MA but considering changing to PT, since I've got a job that is 36 hrs per week now. My concern is that applying for funded PhDs they might look at PT study as less 'vigorous'? But then, I'm more likely to get a good solid result if I do it PT.

How many hours do you work, OP?

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beautifulbigmacs

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I don't think that part time masters study looks less desirable than full time with regards to PhD applications. Unis are becoming more aware that people need to balance other things in life with study.

The best way to figure out what's right is to look at the attendance requirements of the course you want to do and then for study outside of that, ask yourself if you can find time to study outside of work. I would say that you'd need a minimum of one full day per week to dedicate to study outside of uni and even then it will depend on you and the course. Whether you do your masters full or part time depends on other responsibility, not just the time they take up but the energy also.

I did a masters that was one evening attendance and classed as full time. I managed to work an average of twelve hours per week but even then it felt like a squeeze some weeks.

I did another full time masters that was three days in uni and there was no way that working would have been compatible with this based on the study required outside of the attendance time.

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Klix88

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(Original post by ChancedTravels)
I'm got a place on a FT evening MA but considering changing to PT, since I've got a job that is 36 hrs per week now. My concern is that applying for funded PhDs they might look at PT study as less 'vigorous'? But then, I'm more likely to get a good solid result if I do it PT.

PhD panels aren't daft. They're more likely to recognise the tenacity and commitment it takes to complete a part-time Masters whilst working. It's more of a character reference than a disadvantage.

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ChancedTravels

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(Original post by Klix88)
PhD panels aren't daft. They're more likely to recognise the tenacity and commitment it takes to complete a part-time Masters whilst working. It's more of a character reference than a disadvantage.

This is what I'm hoping.. I just feel like it looks less committed in a way? But I suppose better to do PT and do well than FT and scrape by...

Thank you

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Klix88

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(Original post by ChancedTravels)
This is what I'm hoping.. I just feel like it looks less committed in a way? But I suppose better to do PT and do well than FT and scrape by...

Thank you

With the costs involved, many people can't afford to do a Masters unless they work. PhD panels understand that reality very clearly. It actually shows great commitment and PhD panels recognise that. I've certainly studied with at least two part-time Masters students who won fully-funded PhDs - that's more than I managed!

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Mamataj

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(Original post by returnmigrant)
Part-time study is always tricky, for several different reasons :

'I can study in the evenings after work' - You'll feel tired, you either wont study or you wont do it properly.

'I can study at the weekends' - Your social life will either cease to exist or you'll always be studying with a hangover.

'My partner/girlfriend/boyfriend is really supportive' - Initially maybe, but its like having two jobs, and that creates its own tensions/issues.

'I really enjoy the atmosphere at Uni' - You'll rarely be at Uni. It isnt like doing another undergrad degree (you have to do far more independent study) and you'll be there on rare occasions. Forget having a Student Experience - it'll just be a classroom you visit once a week.

'I like mixing with other students/tutors' As above, you'll only be there for odd days/times. You'll miss that interesting dept. seminar series because its on a work day and you can never be there..

Sorry if this sounds totally negative but I started a part-time postgrad and these were the issues. Constantly tired, Partner fed up. Feeling like I was not really involved at Uni because I was rarely there. Expensive (plus travel). Missed two classes because I had flu and then felt I couldnt catch up. Dropped out.

It is do-able, but you have to put the rest of your life on hold and be fiercely determined/selfish. In my experience that is tough for two whole years - only you can judge if you can be that gutsy and if the cost (financial and 'other') is worth it.

Ah I see. Thanks for sharing your experience. Hope everything is ok now!

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Mamataj

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(Original post by ChancedTravels)
I'm got a place on a FT evening MA but considering changing to PT, since I've got a job that is 36 hrs per week now. My concern is that applying for funded PhDs they might look at PT study as less 'vigorous'? But then, I'm more likely to get a good solid result if I do it PT.

How many hours do you work, OP?

ATM I do about 16hrs, I'm a temp though so I could easily not have this job if I do do an MA. Like someone else said, I don't think they'll look down. In fact it could work in your favour!

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Mamataj

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The reason I'd do a MA part time is to fund my monthly expenses and probably work at most, 16 hours? I do understand the social/university aspect of it too. I'm torn.

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ChancedTravels

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So, I've spoken to registry and they have changed me to part time

Thanks for your advice everyone!

OP - if you need to work to live comfortably, I would do PT. If you don't, then maybe do FT? Personally, I live in London, will be getting married this summer, and my (almost) husband doesn't earn quite enough to bear the brunt of me working less than 25 hours. I would imagine 16ish hours is a lot more manageable - and it depends on what other responsibilities you have in your life. Also, why do you want to do the masters and what subject is it?

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Mamataj

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(Original post by ChancedTravels)
So, I've spoken to registry and they have changed me to part time

Thanks for your advice everyone!

OP - if you need to work to live comfortably, I would do PT. If you don't, then maybe do FT? Personally, I live in London, will be getting married this summer, and my (almost) husband doesn't earn quite enough to bear the brunt of me working less than 25 hours. I would imagine 16ish hours is a lot more manageable - and it depends on what other responsibilities you have in your life. Also, why do you want to do the masters and what subject is it?

congrats! and double congrats on the upcoming wedding!!

I would prefer to also take the whole tutition fee off my head, it will probably cost £10,000 and to pay that in one year means a large loan.. but I would miss the intensity of the course.

To further research and study in a nutshell. In some sort of history or econ development, you?

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ChancedTravels

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(Original post by Mamataj)
congrats! and double congrats on the upcoming wedding!!

I would prefer to also take the whole tutition fee off my head, it will probably cost £10,000 and to pay that in one year means a large loan.. but I would miss the intensity of the course.

To further research and study in a nutshell. In some sort of history or econ development, you?

Thanks! Yeah I'm a little disappointed that I won't get the intensity and full immersion. I want to do a PhD so really the extra time will allow that 'mastery' PhDs demand. Literature in the post-nuclear age is my 'area' in quite general terms...

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jelly1000

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(Original post by Mamataj)
What are the advantages/disadvantages of either? Do you have any experience doing part time, if so how was it?

I did a Masters degree full time, whilst I met a couple of students who were in the second year doing a degree part time. They did find that it was assumed you had 100% of the time to dedicate to the course. In one case a tutor gave us a week to do a piece of work, thinking oh 7 days will be plenty of time, however for the part time student who worked 4 days a week it meant rushing it in a weekend. He also said that he had to start work really far in advance to make sure work & uni deadlines didn't get in the way. Another tutor changed our seminar time for one week and got angry when a part time student (a different one) couldn't attend the new time because she was working. Also you would need to be organised with a dissertation because as far as I understand it you would have the same deadline as the full time students.

On the more positive side the part timers had more time to come up with a dissertation idea and plan.

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ChancedTravels

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(Original post by jelly1000)
I did a Masters degree full time, whilst I met a couple of students who were in the second year doing a degree part time. They did find that it was assumed you had 100% of the time to dedicate to the course. In one case a tutor gave us a week to do a piece of work, thinking oh 7 days will be plenty of time, however for the part time student who worked 4 days a week it meant rushing it in a weekend. He also said that he had to start work really far in advance to make sure work & uni deadlines didn't get in the way. Another tutor changed our seminar time for one week and got angry when a part time student (a different one) couldn't attend the new time because she was working. Also you would need to be organised with a dissertation because as far as I understand it you would have the same deadline as the full time students.

On the more positive side the part timers had more time to come up with a dissertation idea and plan.

As a side note to this - some universities are more used to PT students and students who work. I'm at Bbk so it's pretty standard for people to have full time jobs and do part time study, and work is always set months in advance to allow for this kind of planning.
So - OP - maybe look into specific PT provisions at the unis you are considering, and see how it differs from the FT course.

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Jantaculum

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(Original post by Mamataj)
What are the advantages/disadvantages of either? Do you have any experience doing part time, if so how was it?

I did a part-time Masters (three years) while working full time - it really wasn't like being at university AT ALL. Teaching was delivered at a local hub, most of the resources were online so I visited the library less than ten times in total, used up a lot of annual leave writing assignments, went to campus for the first time on the day of my graduation, didn't even know everyone on my course (but lots of people dropped out in third year because it was taking its toll, for all the reasons mentioned in Returnmigrant's excellent post).

I did enjoy it - I'm now doing a part-time doctorate at another university - but right now, with a deadline for tomorrow that I'm not going to meet because life and work have got in the way, I'm not feeling very positive towards part-time study

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JamesManc

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Part-time vs. full-time doesn't really matter if you get the grades. But I regret doing part-time as I felt I could not achieve my potential and also found it dull and tiresome being spread out for double the time.

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username4165552

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I did an MSc in Finance part-time programme and somehow managed a distinction.

It is very difficult if you want to excel. I was falling ill a lot and I thought it was because of me not eating well. Once I spoke to other people in my course, I realised that it had probably something to do with the stress of managing a full-time job and part-time study. They were all talking about how ill they got.

If you start doing well in the part-time course, then your job suffers and vice versa. The thing you have to think about is how willing are you to have your job suffer OR what modules are you willing to do badly in.

You can definitely manage by being super-disciplined but I would certainly not do this whole thing again.

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Doones

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(Original post by kingpin12)
I did an MSc in Finance part-time programme and somehow managed a distinction.

It is very difficult if you want to excel. I was falling ill a lot for the 2 years I did the course and I thought it was because of me not eating well. Once I spoke to other people in my course, I realised that it had probably something to do with the stress of managing a full-time job and part-time study. This is because, they were all talking about how ill they got.

If you start doing well in the part-time course, then your job suffers and vice versa. The thing you have to think about is how willing are you to have your job suffer OR what modules are you willing to do badly in.

You can definitely manage by being super-disciplined but I would certainly not do this whole thing again.

This is an old thread (2 years old) so I'm closing it now.

Congrats on your distinction

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