How to juggle a full-time job and a part-time PhD.
Hello James,Like many mature age students I am working full time (Director of Nursing) and really struggling to quarantine PhD time. I find I am brain dead by the end of the day. I would like to study in the morning but that is the best time to get any work done without interruption so best time to do work work too and by 0830 it is all happening here or off to a meeting.
With a little time management and organisation, a part-time PhD combined with a full-time job is not impossible. One useful tip is to try to make some of your research at the end of your working hours at the office, not when you arrive at home, when you will be already too tired.
Embarking on a postgraduate degree whilst working full time can be extremely challenging in terms of trying to balance work commitments and personal life, with the demands of academic studies. Full-time employment may appear to be a stumbling block but it does not have to preclude you from taking a postgraduate degree.
Even if you choose to study full time, you can still help to fund your studies by taking on a part-time job. Many students opt for this method, fitting work around their studies and working longer hours during the holiday periods. Off campus you could take on bar, restaurant, retail or promotions work.
Each situation is different, and it might be hard to generalise, but roughly speaking, you can see a PhD thesis as requiring about 3-4 years working full time. For some people it might be a bit less, for others a bit more, but that's a good average.
I’ve found that the strength of the supervisor-student relationship is critical to the success of a part-time PhD. You should not settle for second best. You should not settle for second best. Lesson: Carefully scout out a like-minded and supportive supervisor.
At undergraduate and masters level, where students spend just nine months of the year studying, working while studying is perfectly possible, particularly between the months of July and September. A full-time PhD however, is like a full-time job, which requires around 35 hours of study per week.
Generally speaking though if your working full time I wouldn't recommend that you study any more than 90 credits a year UNLESS you can do 90 credits starting October and then 30 in April. I do know that named degrees such as yours are more restrictive however in the modules you can take effectively limiting you to 60 credits per year.
Unfortunately for many, the idea of going back to school (or completing a certification) while working a full time job is daunting. Multiply the stress of a spouse, children, and all the other activities you’ve got going on, and studying for a certification seems like the furthest thing from an actual possibility.
Find out more about the definition of a full-time student for benefit purposes and whether you can claim any benefits or tax credits. Most full-time students are excluded from claiming means-tested benefits. There are different rules about students’ entitlement to benefits depending on whether you are applying under the Universal Credit.
That's a very good point - check the small print on your PhD contract. Mine stated that by signing, I agreed to work a minimum of 37.5 hours a week (i.e. full-time) on my PhD. We were permitted to work outside that to the statutory maximum of 48 hours a week (i.e. 10.5 hours for paid work).
Duration. The maximum registration for a PhD programme is four years with full-time study, or eight years with part-time study. Assessment. All PhD students are initially registered for a Master of Philosophy (MPhil), and the PhD registration is confirmed after the successful completion of an upgrade assessment (at the end of year 1 for full-time students and year 2 for part-time study).
Explore our full-time, part-time and distance learning Degree Apprenticeships and Learning at Work degrees. Study without giving up your job, or work around your existing commitments through part-time study or via distance-learning. Find out more now.. All funded PhD projects Other ways to fund a PhD.
