MPH students: how much time do you have for paid work?

[aerorun87]

As a lot of us are receiving acceptances now and thinking about how to pay for it, often with work-study. I'm curious: How many hours per week do most MPH students have time for paid work?

Thanks.

Applied: Minnesota, Boston, Emory, Pittsburgh, Illinois, (all peace corps master's international programs), Univ. of Colorado Denver, Michigan, University at Buffalo, and USC.

Accepted: Minnesota, Boston, Emory, Pittsburgh, Illinois, Michigan, Buffalo, USC

Waiting: Colorado

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[MPHandPsych]

That depends on the programs...for instance, the classes for GW's MPH program are all in the evening with some in the late afternoon- some other PH programs follow this type of evening class schedule as well. Therefore, you could potentially work a full time job and still go full time for school. I don't think it's unreasonable to work at least part time (20 hours a week) if you think you could handle the workload on top of a job.

However I would suggest finding out the typical class schedule (day vs evening classes & the typical # of classes per semester) for your department before deciding on how many hours to work because a lot of the MPH programs incorporate group work/projects which means loooots of meeting (think about taking 4 -6 classes with each class potentially having 1 group project- all going on simultaneously) with others outside of the classroom which can impeded on a work schedule.

 

[Kalla]

As a lot of us are receiving acceptances now and thinking about how to pay for it, often with work-study. I'm curious: How many hours per week do most MPH students have time for paid work?

Thanks.

When I was doing my undergrad, I went to school full-time, worked part-time (average about 15 hours a week), and held leadership roles in some student organizations. It was tough but definitely manageable. I plan on going to grad school full-time, working 20 hours a week, and hopefully have a couple extracurricular activities on the side...and maybe even a bit of a social life 😉

Working full-time and studying full-time takes a lot of effort and focus. Certainly not for the faint of heart or for someone who has other responsibilities (family, significant other, etc). Basically you would have to work during the day, attend classes in the evening, and then study late at night or into the weekends. In my experience, I've known a couple people who tried it their first semester and hated it...and ended up working part-time the rest of their academics. But, I've also heard of people who did it and didn't mind it at all. But most of what I've heard is full-time study/part-time work with around 15-25 hours of work a week.

 

[thereal19]

I worked full time (40 hrs a week) during my MPH program while maintaining student leadership positions and a social life. If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't have done it...

 

[Stories]

I think it depends on what you consider your job to be. I spent all my free time during my MPH doing research, so I didn't have time for a part-time job outside of that.

 

[DeeLovely79]

It really depends on what your job is. If you are working for the University in an administrative position that is usually held by graduate students you may have time to work on your readings or other assignments then working full time is manageable. I worked full time in a non-University setting during my MPH. I was working the full 40hrs and took classes at night, did all my readings and personal errands on weekends. Wash, rinse, repeat.

I did both full time for the first year and it took a toll on me. I dropped down part-time status the following year (which 6 credits) and continued to work fulltime. It took me 4 years to finish a 2 year program and I will never do that again. I did not have the time to do any extracurriculars and it definitely impacted my relationships with not only friends and family but with my MPH cohort since I didn't graduate with the cohort that I entered with. I would not advise anyone to do what I did because really makes your program last longer and it becomes harder to sustain focus on your studies the longer you are enrolled.

Every year you spend in your program past the "average" completion time, the much harder it becomes to finish especially if other life issues get in the way (illness, family obligations, financial obligations). Your first priority should be finishing your degree any employment or other activity taken on during that time should be aiding you in achieving that goal. Many times full time employment can move you away from finishing your studies.

 

[thereal19]

^^^ this in a nutshell...

 

[waiting in NY]

Don't some schools require field internships as part of the requirements for the degree? Is it possible to get a paid internship working part time while going to school full time? Working 10-15 hours a week can't be that difficult, right?