Is Part Time Graduate School Right For You

For students who need to work while attending graduate school, part-time programs are available at many graduate schools. In a part-time program, you generally take two classes each semester instead of four. Obviously, attending graduate school part time will take longer. You will need extra discipline and motivation to keep from getting discouraged.

If you are trying to decide between attending graduate school part-time or full-time, you need first of all to consider the financial costs and benefits of each choice. Working while you attend graduate school can enable you to maintain your lifestyle. However, if a graduate degree is going to lead to a higher salary, it might be financially better to get your degree more quickly.

Some other questions you should consider before you decide on a part-time graduate program include the following:

• If your plan is to take evening or weekend classes, are these classes taught by the same faculty members who teach during the day? If your dream is to study with a particular professor, it will be disappointing to find that professor won't be teaching any course sessions you can take.
• What hours are the library and laboratories open?
• How will you balance your needs for study, work, school, and family time?
• Will you miss out on benefits such as loans, grants, scholarships, teaching and research assistantships, internships, student housing, and health insurance if you go to school part-time instead of full-time?
• Will your employer pay for all or part of your further education if you continue to work full-time?
• If you start out part-time and then later decide to attend school full-time, will your credits switch? (If they don't, this may be a warning that the part-time program is lower quality than the full-time program.)
• Will you be able to connect socially and professionally with your professors and with other students?