How many classes do masters students take per semester

I took 3 classes (9 credit hours) per semester in my Master's. As a PhD, I have either taken 3 per semester, or 2 classes and 3 dissertation hours. Honestly, since we are expected to make major progress on our dissertation while taking classes, the latter option works much better for me.

I think the best advice would be - talk to your advisor and determine what you would like your graduation date to be. Then decide how to distribute your classes between now and then. If you don't have to take more than two a semester, that might be best for you so you can make progress on your thesis.

1. Just curious guys, I am looking at the MACJ from APUS which offers the degree in 8 and 16 week blocks. How many classes do you recommend a full time worker take at once in either the 8 week or 16 week block? Say for instance, would 3 courses in a 16 week period be an absolute handful, like almost undoable?

2. I don't know this program or its requirements but typically there is some statement from the school reagrding the maximum time for completion. You can take that figure, do the math and find your answer. My guess is that the answer will equal approximately one.
   Jack

3. 

   Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

   Three grad classes at a time and a full-time job? Are you a masochist, man?

4. Well, that depends on what else you have going during the times that you're taking classes. I took between three and four master's classes per semester and it didn't leave a whole lot of spare time. It is very busy but not un-doable however.

   On the other hand, I finished in a reasonable span of time and was able to move on to pursuing another degree.

5. OK, so this stretches my definition of "normal life" a bit.
   

   

   
   Jack



6. Well, I have a guy who works for me attending APUS taking 2 classes at once and he seemed fairly slammed...according to what he says...

   I'm not sure if he is on the 8 or 16 week course load.

   Personally I am going to attempt 2 NCU classes at a go....

7. IFF

   You'll do great! If life gets too busy just temporarily back off a bit. NCU is really flexible and the courses are of high quality.

8. At TUI I took two per 12 week semester (I think it was 12

   

   ) and it was not too much. Right now I am taking one but could handle two.

9. 

   Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

   I honest to YHWH would not recommend trying to take three AMU grad classes at a time unless you had, at most, an undemanding 20 hour a week job and were willing to dispense with any high maintenance girlfriends.

10. I took a Summer semester course for my MBA program once and there was a person in this 8 week course taking 5 classes at once (15 or 16 credit hours as far as I know) in that shortened semester while working full time for a major corporation.

11. I did it.

    At UMass, I took 3 graduate courses for 3 semesters, then 2 courses in the Summer Session, all while having a full-time+ job, plus young children, to get the 33 credits necessary for graduation.

    I certainly would NOT recommend this approach to anyone else. I was faced with an inflexible deadline that would have cost me thousands of dollars if I didn't make it, so I made it work. It also took a heavy toll on me personally, because all I did for that time period was sleep, work, and study.

    I tried to combine work & study when I could, but having textbooks & notes flying around the inside of a police car when responding to a Priority-1 call didn't work out too well.

    

12. Bruce. Anyone you arrested ever made a comment regarding your textbooks and notes? When I worked at a juvenile detention center, kids used to ask me for books on finance and business magazines. They would ask me about the meaning of a price to earnings ratio and differences between mutual funds. I was impressed and sad at the same time. They were receiving a better education from me than a teacher in the classrooms at the juvenile detention center. However, they were also trying to get in good with the officer

    

    .

    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 23, 2005

13. So far I have never taken more than two at a time. But this next term at Universtity of West Alabama I will be taking three courses.

    So we shall see how it goes. I haven't had much trouble with two at a time. One semester was fairly difficult at Abilene Christian University when I was in a program there, but only that one semester.

    clint

14. Hi Bruce:

    While at Lowell, did you have David Hirschel at all? I worked with him recently on a project and was very impressed with him. Great story about the flying textbooks, what shift were you on? I used to be able to get some studying in winter midnights - the problem was not spilling the coffee on the book.



15. Use some common sense after reviewing the course description and syllabus (if available). I have taken two Masters and a PhD class simultaneously and found that your spare time is limited. I normally take two per semester. With 8/16 week options you can complete three course per semester and only be taking two at a time if the courses are offered and you plan accordingly.

    Good luck on your studies.

16. At CSU-DH, they don't recommend over 2 at a time. I have seen people take up to 4, and one guy 5 but he managed to piss off his classmates on the group projects because he couldn't keep up.

    3 at the most - and that is if you only work part time.

17. 

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    The question here would be not how many classes the guy was taking but why they're even engaging in such evil academic communist plots as group projects in the first place.

18. He was the director of the graduate program at the time I attended, I never had him for any courses (I did all my work off-campus), but I did speak with him on the phone a couple of times. I was totally unprepared for the English accent.

    

    I was on the first-half (4pm-12am), then I switched to days (8am-4pm) for awhile, with the mistaken assumption I'd have more free time. I soon realized that days were just as busy, just with foolish B.S. instead of emergencies, so I went back to the first-half shift, where I still am.

    I'd much rather deal with an armed, desperate junkie than a middle-aged woman who's had her identity stolen.

    

19. Two classes are doable, anything more would be tough (for me at least). If you have the flexibility trying to find the right two to take at the same time is the tough part.

20. Bruce, yes, I have to agree, the junkies are somewhat easier to deal with!

    Lowell seems to run a super CJ program; did you enjoy it?

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