Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Does doing a part time masters put you at a disadvantage?

I want to do a masters part time because I want the workload to be less intense but I'm worried that doing a part time masters as opposed to a full time one will put me at a disadvantage for PhD positions/employment.

Reply 1

threeportdrift

Careers Forum Helper

Original post by RandomMelodrama

Your reason will put you at a disadvantage. If you can't manage a Masters full time, you certainly won't be able to manage the intensity of the professional workplace.

Reply 2

CrimsonFlower

I did a Masters part-time as I was working and not found it a disadvantage in terms of applying for jobs.

If anything it has been an advantage as demonstrated my ability to manage competing deadlines and prioritise my workload.

However I don't think that doing it for it be a lighter workload is going to give you that.

Reply 3

Cranfield University

Official Rep

Original post by RandomMelodrama

Hi @RandomMelodrama

It’s great that you are considering doing a masters (and maybe even a PhD after that!). Of course I am biased (as a PhD student myself), but continuing in education is a great way to further your career, learn new skills to bring to the table, and explore new areas.
Like @CrimsonFlower said, this can actually be a way to demonstrate your ability to multitask, prioritise, plan deliverables and deadlines, and other highly valuable skills in the workforce and in research.

Doing a masters (or PhD) part time is a great way for many people to do a degree that otherwise they would not be able to do. So many people have childcare/family obligations, or don’t want to leave their job completely while studying. Others need time to commit towards mental and physical health problems, and some need to find part-time work to support their cost of living during their MSc. There are so many reasons, I couldn’t list them all.

Many of the reasons people choose to study part-time are things they don’t feel comfortable sharing publicly, such as health conditions or care responsibilities for ill relatives. While these reasons are completely valid, and nothing to be ashamed of, those who have experienced serious health issues sometimes choose to keep that information private as they don’t want any kind of ‘pity party’, or find that it can dominate conversations with peers when they just don’t want to think/talk about that topic 24/7.
Therefore, if you don’t want to share your reason for doing part time study, don’t worry. However, I would encourage you to reflect yourself on if, while you’re not studying, will you be using that time effectively?
For example, I know people who have changed their study to part-time for mental health reasons. This allowed them to more easily make time to schedule therapy, practice mindfulness exercises given by mental health professionals, and build up their workload toward full-time hours at a reasonable pace.
You mentioned that you wanted to make the workload less intensive. Is this because you feel that having more time to submit assignments or write the thesis that you would have an advantage over other students? It’s not the first time I have heard this idea, but unfortunately it is not always true. For example, while I work full time, another PhD student in my lab works part time. I meet with my supervisors once a week for feedback, to set goals for the next week, and to identify the areas I need to work on. The part time student meets the same way, but every fortnight. If you find yourself waiting for feedback a bit longer, or your supervisors will be setting objectives and giving feedback based on part-time hours going into the work (this will be especially true during the research/thesis project).
Because of this, going part time is not always an advantage. I have seen staff work as hard as possible to ensure that going part time is not a disadvantage either, so that parents, carers, and all the other people who can only commit part of their time to study can still have amazing results. But it does take WORK, and I’m sure that you can find hundreds (if not thousands) of posts on this site about how to make sure your part time study goes as smoothly as possible.

Another thing to think about is the cost of supporting yourself for a longer study period. Most people who do their MSc part time stay for 2 years instead of one, and with living costs increasing quite rapidly this has to factor into the decision making process for many people.

An additional consideration is how the course is structured for full and part time students. The lectures will likely be full time, and usually part time students have extended deadlines to submit assignments and then do some modules year 1 and the rest year 2. This can mean there are gaps in your year structure (for example, if full time students are doing their thesis projects year 1 while you have planned to do yours year 2). If modules don’t overlap (meaning that all of the lectures for that topic are taught in a single block, rather than topic 1 in the mornings and topic 2 in the afternoons) then you may end up attending lectures full time for that period anyway. Without knowing what course you are doing, it is hard to speculate what your exact situation would be.

Overall, I would encourage you to speak with a course director, a lecturer, or another university staff member openly about all of your options. That way, they can advise you knowing about the course structure, what part time students have done in the past, and also offer help through university services (e.g. free therapy for those struggling with mental health, extra support for those with learning differences, accommodations for disabilities and illnesses).

Hopefully you find the combination of supports (both from your network of friends and family, and from your university) and get a clearer idea of your options from this post, and conversations with your academic staff!

Best of luck finding what is right for you,
Ciara
3rd year Agrifood PhD student
Cranfield Student Ambassador

Quick Reply

Latest

Articles for you

Personal statement secrets – universities reveal all

Expert tips for revising A-level and Btec law

What university is really like

What is an LLM and how could it benefit your career?

Does doing a part time masters put you at a disadvantage?

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you