Canadian universities have many bachelor`s and master`s degrees, as well as part-time degrees. Students in Canada may choose to study part-time for many different reasons. The reasons for the decision to study part-time may be the promotion of education, career progression, professional development or simply the decision to change the current direction of life. [7] In 2019, there were approximately 266,000 part-time students in Canada. [8] On the positive side, the majority of part-time students are employed. Their salary can be used to fund their college education and pay for living expenses. In addition, some employers will help cover an employee`s tuition. In Canada, the course load that constitutes part-time student status varies from institution to institution. The University of British Columbia, for example, defines a part-time student as one enrolled in less than 80% of the standard 30-credit course load. [9] The University of Manitoba defines a part-time student as an individual enrolled in less than 60% of the full standard course load of 30 credits. [10] Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario defines a part-time student as a student who is currently taking fewer than three half-credit courses in a semester.

[11] Full-time degrees follow a more traditional approach to learning first and then applied. However, the flexibility offered by the calendar outweighs the duration of part-time programs. Students can attend classes outside office hours, on weekends or evenings/nights. One of the biggest decisions a student faces is whether to enroll in university part-time or full-time. Work and family commitments, financial situations and additional obligations can play a role in this decision. Students enroll for less than the full course load. Thus, it takes longer to complete a program of study than full-time students. They have to put more than 100% effort into maintaining efficiency in both of their worlds.

For full-time students, this becomes an easier task due to the lack of other serious responsibilities. Part-time studies are when you are enrolled in fewer than six courses for an academic year. The difference between these two types of learning methods is that classroom programs offer a more traditional experience with teacher-led lectures, while part-time online programs can be flexible, allowing self-paced learning at any time as well as access from anywhere in the world. Many full-time students need about 15 credits per semester to graduate in four years. That`s about five courses per semester. When you add study time and assignments outside of class, full-time students devote many hours each week to academics alone. However, the tax advantage of part-time education is the opportunity to earn a living at the same time. Most college degree programs, especially for advanced or professional degrees, such as the MBA, have high tuition fees. Scholarships are generally available to full-time employees. Part-time students are not eligible to receive them.

However, some categories, such as women and minorities, may be eligible despite their part-time status. A scholarship from HHL Leipzig for part-time female MBA is one such option. Traditionally, most degrees are offered full-time. That is, students must attend a certain minimum number of credit hours for a degree to be completed in a certain number of months or years. Classes are usually held on weekdays and this is usually the only job students have. Part-time work, as its name suggests, relaxes these regulations, with courses mainly outside office hours and remaining faithful to its secondary nature to other obligations such as regular employment. Most master`s programs require 30 to 60 credits and last 1 to 2 years of full-time study. Depending on your schedule and the number of credits you can commit for each semester, part-time enrollment can lead to a degree in 3 to 6 years. Most programs limit the number of years it takes you to earn a master`s degree – usually between 5 and 7 years. However, the lack of an easy way to communicate with recruiters, for example through placement campaigns, can put part-time workers at a disadvantage.

Full-time students can never manage the schedule plus a full-time job. The best they can do is take the form of a graduate assistant or work on the university campus. On the other hand, part-time degrees can also provide a great opportunity to put into practice what you`ve learned in real time. It may seem that part-time degrees are the least expensive version of a formal degree, but that`s only because the different courses are spread over their duration. Learn more about this successful student at UCLA Anderson and Berkeley Haas part-time MBA These programs also base their maximum eligibility on the number of credits. For example, if you receive a $6,000 Pell scholarship but only sign up for half a day, the money you receive will be reduced. In this article, we will combat the preference of a full-time degree over a part-time degree in higher education.