Studying and working.

[NoTeaForMe]

I’m wondering if you can help. I’m looking at doing a top up degree and would be completing the final year of a degree part time, so it would take two years. The information says that I would do one 30 credit module every semester. Each one is recommended to have 300 hours of study. I’m not sure if a semester is 10 or 12 weeks, so would this be that it’s expected to study around 30 hours a week. I need to be sure whether or not this is do-able for me. Are these figures accurate/realistic do you think? Thanks.

I did a professional qualification alongside working and that 150 hours of study per module, two modules per year though condensed into three months each rather than six months. I found it tough. It depends how demanding your work and home lives are, but 30 hours a week is a lot on top of full time work.

Anybody else?
Thank you wowfudge. Yes, 30 hours a week is unrealistic. I don’t work full time but I do work and have two primary aged children so still a busy home life.
Just wondering if these figures are correct in people experience. On those calculations people doing the course full time would be expected to study 60 hours a week, so I think I maybe have them wrong?!

Just a little bump as I’d slipped down!

A lot of courses massively overstate how much work you actually need to do. I would look at contact hours first. The amount of time you will actually need to study will depend on your academic ability. I don’t think I’ve ever done 30 hours in a week studying full time except in lead up to assignment deadlines/exams.

Velveteen that’s what I’m thinking —hoping— , but I want to go into this with my eyes open and knowing whether I can realistically complete this. I don’t want to waste my time or money!

Not quite the same as it’s not a degree but I’m studying alongside working and being a mum and I won’t lie it’s not easy. You think ‘oh I have 3 hours after school/tea’ but it never ever works out that way!! I’m so bad at motivating myself too, would always rather watch crap tv or read a book than study

farted self motivation is worrying me!

When you start it’s fine, it’s a novelty, you’re a student now ... then it gets very old very quickly!

I did my masters part time over two and a half years while working full time. I also worked on fixed term contracts so I felt like I was constantly looking for jobs too. I worked for 3 different organisations in the course of my masters. DH was also studying professional exams and working full time too.

It was miserable. Absolutely miserable and exhausting. I really struggled as a lot of people on my course were straight out of uni and still living on campus. I was only out of uni by a year but we were renting our own flat then and everything that came with living independently and working full time so I just couldn’t relate to the people on my course. That didn’t make it easier because it felt quite lonely. My colleagues at work weren’t in the same boat and even though DH was studying too, it was a different type of qualification and he didn’t quite get it either.

You have to be self-disciplined and get the coursework/reading done. Even when there’s washing up to be done. Or the pan cupboard needs organising. But then life also happens and the kitchen floods, you have a power cut or need to attend a funeral when you should be studying so you need to be prepared to take life as it comes to you. Ask for extensions when you need it, don’t be too proud to admit you need more help than full time students. Accept that you’ll have very little social life or energy for much. As you have kids you might need your partners support to take on more of the household stuff. It’s not impossible with kids and a lone parent by the way, my mum did it with me but she was even more miserable than I was.

Despite how miserable it was. I’m so glad I’ve got my masters now. I’m really proud of it. My graduation meant a hell of a lot to me. But if I’d known how hard and miserable it was going to be, I would probably have still done it but I think it would have been easier to get through it if I actually knew what I’d signed up for.

I did a masters over three years, distance learning, while working FT with a baby and a toddler. I did it. But actually I learned very little, it was just a race to get assignments in and exams scraped through doing the bare minimum. It kind of makes me sad because I remember very little of what I should have learned. Also it was depressing fir all that time never being able to relax and enjoy life because I always felt guilty that I should be studying

TL/DR it’s possible but possibly not advisable

Wow Cake, that sounds hardcore. Doing a masters is a whole other level though (I’m guessing anyway, I’m nowhere near clever enough to do anything like that!)

What I’m looking at is the final year of a degree spread over 2 years. One 30 credit module per semester. Which is essentially 3 taught modules and 1 dissertation. All through distance learning, though at a local university so easy access to everything that is on site.

PinkOboe what does TL/DR stand for?

Too long didn’t read it’s like the abbreviated version of an overly long post

Anybody with none masters experience. Just a normal degree. One 30 credit module a semester.

Sorry there should be a couple of question marks there!

I'm a distance learning tutor on degree courses. One university year spread over two years is normal in distance learning. My students mainly have full time jobs and manage fine. You have to be dedicated and organised but it's perfectly possible.
30 hours is probably an overestimation. I think mine do about 18 hours a week, officially. Some do much less because they study strategically or are just naturally academic.

I'm doing a full time degree and working. I'm out of the house mon - fri 9 - 5 either at work or in uni. I'm also a lone parent. I'm supposed to find 40 hours extra for self directed learning .
Its hard but I'm managing. Just. It will absolutely be worth it though which I remind myself when the pace ramps up (before Christmas and April). I have cried every April with the workload! I have managed to get a 2.1 for the first two years despite doing nowhere near the recommended amount of hours and I'm certainly not a natural student. I have worked really hard though. I reckon I put around 25 hours a week extra for the 4 weeks before the big submissions and probably around 5 per week outside of those times.

I dont know ... my uni is 120 credits per year and thats 32 hours per week on average.

Thank you. So going by the last few responses I’m looking at around 15-20 really? I have asked the tutor by the way, she just hasn’t responded yet.