Masters degree - full or part time? Views please.

FabFifty

I'm hoping you lovely people can provide some practical advice/information regarding taking a masters degree. My son will be starting his masters in September and has asked my advice about whether he should do this full time for one year or part time over three years. He could get a part-time job with either option, though the one year option leaves less time for earning money.
Has anyone undertaken a one year masters and wished they'd done it part time instead, or taken a part time masters and wished they'd done it full time?
Thank you.

Wooftastic

I did part time (whilst working full time!) it was hard work and I can see the advantages of doing it in 1 year, but for me personally I'm happy that I took my time and remained financially secure whilst studying.

The best of luck to your son

mum2one

I would say the part time option, as he will hopefully have the job as a linchpin, so will be more stable in the long run.

I have to say your son sounds an absolute credit to you xx

happyandcontented

I did it part time whilst working full time. It was hard work but it did get it out of the way. I would not have wanted to do it over 3 years after a 3 year undergrad degree.

silvercar

My son did it full time, he said it is very hard to get a good grade in the dissertation component without devoting yourself 24/7 to it. Even with more time proportionally. To get distinction in your masters you need a high score in your dissertation, so full time students tend to get the better grades.

missbiggles1

happyandcontented wrote: »

I did it part time whilst working full time. It was hard work but it did get it out of the way. I would not have wanted to do it over 3 years after a 3 year undergrad degree.

That's a very sad approach to education.:(

Voyager2002

I did mine full time, and could not possibly have done a job at the same time. I think the best is to get really absorbed in the subject, which means doing it full time and not attempting anything else at the same time.

Later I was in charge of part of a Masters course in a similar subject... because of the way the modules and deadlines were organised, for parts of the year our students were required to work fifty-hour weeks, so no-one could possibly complete the course while doing a part-time job.

happyandcontented

missbiggles1 wrote: »

That's a very sad approach to education.:(

Why? I needed it to advance in my career, it was not something I did for fun.

GrannyKate

I did mine part time over 2 years (an LLM). Directly related to my work who part funded. The operational knowledge and experience were very relevant to my course work and a major factor in dissertation.

bouncydog1

DD is undertaking an MSc over one year. The workload is huge and she studies 7 days a week. Having said that she does manage to go to the gym (next door to Uni) and manages to ride her horse Saturdays and Sundays so that she can keep a life/work balance.
Definately no time to work - but advantage is that she will have achieved her MSc in 4 years so that has given her a competitive edge in job applications.

Double_V

I am currently employed full time in a public sector.
And starting my 2nd Masters degree in September as a part time.
Cannot afford to lose the job.

If he's already in the job, I would say part time is the best solution.
And if he doesn't have a job, house, or other bills then go for 1 year.
And get on the job market quicker.

Good luck.