How would it look to employers if degree was achieved part time?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>If I were to take maybe 3 or so classes per semester, would futures employers look down upon this?</p>

<p>Also, If I were to work 30hrs a week, how many classes should I take to retain my sanity and be able to keep my grades up? 40hrs?</p>

<p>FYI, this would be for junior and senior year.</p>

2

<p>It would depend on the class but I would avoid taking more than 8 credits of engineering if you’re working full-time or near full-time. I’d say 1 credit works out to about 40-50 hours of time dedication in engineering. </p>

<p>I’m not an employer but I think it might be an advantage for you recruiting wise if you did well in your classes and worked full-time, even if you only took 2 classes at a time.</p>

3

<p>I’ve heard 1 credit hour = 3h/wk.</p>

4

<p>

Pretty close, I believe Vladenschlutte was referring to the total across the semester - 15 weeks x 3 hrs/week = 45 weeks. And it can vary a little, some as few as 2 hours, others all the way up to 6, in my experience.</p>

5

<p>

Generally no - it depends a little on the reason why you were part-time, but employers mostly care about your qualifications on graduation, not how you got there. If you have good grades, appropriate classwork, and some kind of experience (internship, research, relevant part-time job, etc.) then you should be fine.</p>

<p>

Generally figure about 3 hours a week per credit, and then decide how many total hours you can commit a week. Most students can handle ~60 hours a week, so with a 30-hour work week you could probably handle 9-11 credits, and with a 40-hour work week you could probably handle 6-7 credits.</p>

<p>This depends a bit on the work, the “extra time” involved (such as getting to/from work, getting ready, etc.), whether or not you can study AT work, and certainly on your individual abilities and interests. My recommendation is always to start easy and then add more commitment, rather than overloading and trying to pare down later. I have personally worked 20 hours a week with 15-18 credits, and worked 40 hours a week with 8 credits, both instances with a family to support, and it is certainly managable… depending on your discipline and commitment…</p>

6

<p>Its all up to you, how bad do you want your degree. I personally work a 30-35 hours and was able to take up to 4 classes (12-14 Hrs) that fit my job and school schedule. I mixed it with online and lecture class depending on subject. Spring semester I was taking Cal I, Physic 2425, Chem II (13 CR)… I found myself spending about 2/5 of that semester days sleeping at 2-3AM</p>

7

<p>Speaking on myself and my past employers, we only cared that you HAD the desired degree. It did not matter if the degree was achieved by straight 4 years, straight 5 years, 2+2 (community college+university), 3-2 program, 4.5 year program with co-op. As long as we could contact Student Clearinghouse or your registrar and they reply “degree awarded on whatever month/year”, we could check off that box and move on to further evaluation.</p>

8

<p>Speaking on MYSELF and MY past employers, we care how well you did, how competitive was the environment you did it in, what you retained and know, and what you can do. </p>

<p>The first two I can get from your resume, the last two from the interview. I get the resumes, rank the candidates and start working my way down the pile. Those that get interviewed get screened on the last two.</p>