Part-Time Graduate Programs

Part-time graduate programs are popular at law schools and business schools, but are not widespread in other graduate level programs. This is surprising since part-time study offers many benefits, such as:

• allowing students to further their education while working full-time
• reducing the financial burden by distributing costs over a longer period of time
• allowing students more flexibility in scheduling, which is helpful if a student has children or health issues
• permitting students to participate in other activities that full-time students would not have time for

Perhaps the main benefit of a part-time program is the ability to gain work experience in your area of interest while you are in the process of getting your degree. Obviously, having work experience in your desired field greatly benefits you when applying for jobs after graduation, and, since employers view a degree received through part-time work the same as a degree earned through full-time study, there is no penalty for earning your degree over a longer period of time.

While there are many benefits to part-time programs, there are also potential drawbacks. As with anything in life, the more you spread yourself among different activities and responsibilities, the more likely you are to become overworked. Some people in part-time programs are unable to balance work, school, and a personal life. Furthermore, part-time programs take longer to complete, thereby delaying potential increases in income associated with completing a masters program. Overall, if your situation requires that you participate in a part-time program, and you are capable of juggling your professional career, personal life, and academic duties, a part-time program may be the best fit for you and the most effective way to achieve your goals. You must be the judge of which option is best for you.

Among graduate schools, Education and Engineering programs have the most enrollees in part-time programs compared to other programs. The majority of students in part-time programs already have jobs related to the program or need work experience in order to enter the program. That said, there are exceptions to the work-related requirement for part-time programs. For example, Harvard’s Education Masters Part-Time Program application includes several considerations:

A limited number of students may enroll at HGSE in a Master's program on a part-time basis...Criteria for granting part-time study include child-care responsibilities, work related to study, health, and financial need. Applicants must include a brief statement with their application indicating why they are requesting part-time study.

While some programs like Harvard’s Education Masters program offer part-time enrollment to only a few students, other programs have more part-time students than full-time students. Last year, Columbia’s Teachers College reported over 1,350 full-time students and over 3,300 part-time students. Columbia is on the far end of the spectrum of part time student enrollment numbers, but there are many programs that have either an equal amount of students in each category or slightly more full-time students than part-time students.

Finally, before deciding whether or not you would like to participate in a part-time program for your masters degree, you should check with each individual school in which you are interested and find out the restrictions of the program and its benefits. And, while the majority of part-time programs are for fields that involve real-world work experience, it is possible that you may be able to enter a part-time program for a more academically related field.