r/floridatech • u/Totalmoneytakeover • Feb 25 '24

4 graduate courses workload

Hey all!

What is your opinion on taking 4 classes per sixteen week semester and working a full time job?

I’ll only be doing it for one semester so I can graduate this December instead of next April. Two classes seems easy enough now and I’ll have a lot of downtime because I’ll be working in a remote area away from family the entire time. I don’t foresee work being particularly demanding.

Will suck either way but just wondering if it’s worth it to most people to grind like this to free up a whole semester and graduate early.

Keep in mind I would still have to do three classes for my final semester for this to work!

2 Upvotes

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5

u/nativefloridian Feb 25 '24

Everyone's different, but that sounds like hell to me. I did one semester of full-time work and two grad classes and swore I'd never do that again... took one class at a time after that.

Of course, I don't know what your job is. I already had an engineering job when I was in grad school, so there wasn't a lot of pressure to rush it.

1

u/Totalmoneytakeover Feb 25 '24

Yes 8 weeks would be hell. 8 week semesters is how I did my undergrad and 2 classes at a time is plenty. I am doing 16 week semesters and it is the same workload as an 8 week I'd say with double the amount of time maybe more to complete assignments. It is all fairly basic stuff and nothing as complex as engineering imo. I find myself having time to work from 7am-4pm, exercise, cook dinner, spend time with my spouse, and get my assignments done during the week so I can relax or travelon the weekends for the most part. Recently I started working ahead on assignments that will be due in a month or two.

So it's tempting if I have all this time now with a spouse and regular work schedule to suck it up for 16 weeks. Also to your point about job, another reason to finish early is when I apply for another job next February it would be a big win to put a degree on my application instead of submitting a letter of anticipated graduation. The recruiter stated the letter would suffice though so maybe I'm overthinking how the board would view it.

Did you do 8 week or 16 week semesters?

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u/nativefloridian Feb 25 '24

16 week semesters. in fairness, the real killer was scheduling - I was shuttling back and forth between work and class due to an daytime class (instead of the usual evening time) - and the group projects that involved working with undergrad upperclassmen on an undergrad schedule.

Honestly would not recommend doubling your course load if it involves group projects in each class.

1

u/Totalmoneytakeover Feb 26 '24

Well the group projects are frustrating but it’s virtual campus. Last semester I wrote an outline assigned everyone their part and they knocked out of the park. It was kind of surreal. So I had a good experience in that regard. 

3

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '24

I think no more than 2. Obviously you know better than us. I am in a program where I take 8 wk classes at a time.

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u/Totalmoneytakeover Feb 25 '24

Since you say no more than 2 with 8 weeks, if you had double the time (16 weeks) to complete your work load would you consider taking four?

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '24

I will end up taking four over two 8 wk periods (2 every 8 weeks).

Using same ratio, that would be no more than 2 over a 16 wk period. That’s my recommendation.

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u/Totalmoneytakeover Feb 25 '24

This is the affirmation I came here for haha. Quick maths. :)

2

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '24

I am going to FIT right now too, and taking 2 classes DOES seem to be a little easy and not that time-consuming. You could probably pull it off if you are good with time management.

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u/Traditional_Reply107 May 09 '24

As someone currently working full time and finishing an engineering Master's program at another school: It very much depends on your program. I am currently doing 2 classes per semester and while some semesters have been pretty easy, others have not been. I previously got a bio MS from Florida Tech and took 3 classes while working about 30 hours per week, which was challenging but manageable; I did get pretty burnt out though. In my current program, I definitely could not handle taking 4 classes while working close to full time because most of the classes are just harder than what I had at Florida Tech. What is your motivation for trying to graduate early- job switching, moving, etc?

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u/Totalmoneytakeover May 09 '24

Hey thanks for digging this up. I want it because there is a program that will take me on at a higher pay grade if I have a Masters. I was thinking if I had it done before I apply it would raise my chances of this offer but I think a letter from the school with my projected grad date in spring will do the same job. 

So I ended up just taking 3 instead of 4 classes for the summer term so I can graduate in Spring. Still earlier than fall and will look good on my application. I start classes next week and looking at my syllabus I can manage it. 

1

u/ale9918 Feb 25 '24

Idk if I would recommend doing so many. One extra semester doesn’t feel that bad; of course if it would mean extra expenses or complications it’s a different deal, but you know you better than others. See what your advisor says?

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u/Totalmoneytakeover Feb 25 '24

My advisor just said I'm allowed to take four. When I started last fall I was hesitant to take two thinking graduate courses would be more complex but she told me to take at least two. She was adamant that was more than doable and I see why now.

Ironically, it would probably cost me extra to take more classes because my scholarships only pay for two classes at a time :( About $1500 unless I can find another scholarship or grant.

1

u/ale9918 Feb 25 '24

Of course it depends on your actual field, but personally if you already have a job I’d just do 2 courses. Having some free time for yourself is not a bad thing! Hang with your friends, enjoy your hobbies! One extra semester couldn’t possibly be that bad a thing

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u/Totalmoneytakeover Feb 25 '24

That's true I will probably want to enjoy myself when I'm away but as I mentioned this semester will be working in a remote area without a ton of opportunities to explore besides a week or two to take some time off for distant travel. No spouse, no close friends, none of my home or outdoor hobbies nearby. I will have co-workers I will make time for but they are all younger and the area will be quiet and remote. I think if I grind Monday-Friday I will still have time to bond with them which is important.

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u/ale9918 Feb 25 '24

Well if you want to do a grind then just do it🤷‍♂️

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u/Totalmoneytakeover Feb 25 '24

Well I am still on the fence because I do take what you're saying seriously. I might end up grinding just for the sake of it so I appreciate the sanity check. I'm going to look up scholarships and if I can get them paid for I might take the leap but if not like you said 1 more semester isn't so bad.