Getting graduate degree while working 40+ hours?

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>I am graduating with my B.S. in EE with honors and I have signed to start with a company in June. They will help cover a majority of tuition costs and I am motivated to start my masters degree within a year.</p>

<p>I want to know if any members here have done this. Also I am wondering, how hard is it to balance work with masters classes? Is 8 credits a semester manageable? </p>

<p>I am from the Detroit area so my option is between U of Mich-ann arbor and Wayne State U. I have yet to take my GRE, it is something that I might take this summer.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>I haven't <em>done</em> it, but I'm <em>doing</em> it, in computer science (one term in so far).</p>

<p>I find that up to two classes/term is manageable, at least in my current program. Anything more, and life would be a lot less fun. I like having time to LARP, read, hang out with my friends and my boyfriend, do community service, etc.</p>

<p>Does the school you go to offer night classes or does your work allow you to take day classes?</p>

<p>I was looking at schedules for both the schools I mentioned and U of M doesn't offer any evening classes.. the other offers just a couple after 4pm.</p>

<p>Perhaps you should ask some of your coworkers if they have done an MS while working there. They can probably provide better direction, or at least give you some tips on managing the work/school/life balance specific to your situation.</p>

<p>You should look into Stanford's online MSEE program (SCPD). Most large engineering companies are willing to pay for it.</p>

<p>I wouldn't plan on taking more than one class at a time. See how that goes, and think about adding in another one. Nine credits is full time for graduate I believe. Especially if you have to commute a ways, or the class meets several times a week, it can get very time consuming, very quickly.</p>

<p>You also might want to think about getting used to your job first as well, as starting a new job can be stressful on its own.</p>

<p>I was thinking about doing this myself (so have some info). Also, a few of my friends are doing their Master's while working full time.</p>

<p>The two that are taking online classes feel the most stressed usually because they inevitably wait until the last minute to write all their papers. The other few that take classroom-based courses are generally doing fine. They take 1-2 courses at at time, and luckily here they meet once a week for 3 hours or less, and don't have as much homework as could be possible.</p>

<p>Personally, I'm going to adjust to my job first, and then think about it. I could see myself taking a couple classes in an area of interest of my career choice, but maybe not going for a Master's right away as I am rather burnt out.</p>

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Does the school you go to offer night classes or does your work allow you to take day classes?

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<p>My school offers very few night classes. My work will let me get away with one day class per term. If I want to do more classes, I have to find a night class. Kind of annoying, actually. Right now, I'm in a post-bac certificate program, planning to use that as a springboard into a proper master's. If I switch schools for the degree program (I am still debating this option), it will be because the scheduling issues annoy me.</p>