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[sghank999]

As I am getting older I have decided it is finally time to go back and start pursuing my PhD (it is a personal goal, not necessarily a career goal). Since the number of part time doctoral programs are limited, I am somewhat tailoring my interests to align both with the local availability of programs as well as my career (so I can get tuition reimbursement from my work)... I am in corporate training / education and will be pursing a PhD in Ed Psych.. the MESA program to be specific.

Hence the issue... I don't want to be a poor graduate student... I did that before... I pursued one masters full time right after under grad and pursued another masters while working full time... I now have a career I somewhat enjoy, but am really good at and can't afford to quit work in order to go back to school fulltime.

Plus, I have a husband and a step child so it is not like I will ever be able to move where the jobs are... as I mentioned this is partially a personal goal. But, there is a part of me that would really like to be able to move into academia after getting the Ph.D. I am in the Chicagoland area so there are several colleges and universities locally that might be willing to hire me even as an adjunct. Which leads to my question... am I crazy for trying to work fulltime, have a family, and go back for a PhD part time? Is going back part time a waste of time since it will limit my ability to "bond" with my advisors, the professors, other students?

Any insight would be appreciated.. I start back in a couple of weeks and am wondering if I am heading down a path of regret.

[dept_geek]

> trying to work fulltime, have a family, and go back for a PhD part time?

Any awful lot of CC faculty do just that. Yes, you miss out on the joys of being a full-time student, and it may take you longer (I did mine PT, it took a little longer, but not much). If you can find a program, go for it. Go in with your eyes open, be prepared to have longer days than you do now, learn something, and have fun.

[larryc]

Tons of teachers and school administrators pursue graduate degrees while working full time.  I can't imagine it, I am way too lazy, but it is done.  There will be others in your program doing precisely the same thing.

[voxprincipalis]

I think that as someone who wants a PhD largely for personal reasons, rather than because you feel the pressure to get a TT job in academia, you are probably one of the best possible candidates for part-time PhD study. You are less likely to be frustrated by the rate of progress/time remaining until graduation than your colleagues who are in a hurry to get out so they can look for work and start paying off their student loans. By doing only a class or two a semester, you may also find you enjoy the program content more than full-time colleagues who are overloaded.

You are right in that you may not form the same kinds of ties with peers as full-timers. However, you also have a full family life, something that at least some of your colleagues won't have, and work relationships that enrich your life in other ways. This sounds like a healthy balance to me.

I say, go for it!

VP

[winnie]

Why do you want a PhD?

[tt_wannabe]

Dear OP:

Your posting is incredibly timely for me. I'm soon to be 44, married with a child, own my own home, got a Masters while working full time, am adjuncting at the program that I got my Masters in and am seriously considering going for the PhD.

My quest for the doctorate, however, is more of a career move, although the desire to get out of Corporate America and into Academia, might also be considered a personal goal. I've looked into part-time programs and found one in my area (Boston).

I can't quit work to go to to school full time, so I need to replace my income in some manner while going to school. My quandary is getting my employer to agree to allow me to attend classes during the business day because there are no night classes. So I'm looking at trying to adjunct more (maybe even a full time lecturer position) so I can work this into my schedule as well and maybe even get out of Corporate America sooner to have more time for studies.

You're right to wonder about the job prospects after school, especially if you're not able to pick up and leave because of family ties. I've had the same thoughts. My timing might be good in that my wife and I are trying to create a plan that would allow us to pay off the mortgage in 10 or so years to give us the freedom of 'retiring' (in the sense that we could work at whatever we wanted to work at and not feel we have to be stuck in our current jobs). That might happen shortly after my graduation from the doctoral program so we might be able to sell the house (which we have considerable equity in) and move to a less expensive city.

What I am saying is that if you're crazy for trying it, then I am crazy too! (And, I'm really glad you wrote because I don't feel like I'm the only one!)

Didn't mean to steal the thread; just wanted to give you the background of my situation to show you that others think this way too. Don't give up.

-tt_wannabe

[zharkov]

You may want to consider programs geared to adult/mid-career students; Nova Southeastern and Union Institute come to mind.  They have doctoral programs that have been around for years, and while they won't help you get a job in a top tier research focused school, they may help get you one in a teaching oriented school. (If you want one.)  Another option is to look for weekend programs. For example, Franklin Pierce College is beginning a new doctor of arts program in NH. Similar programs exist in other parts of the country.

[adhoc]

You may want to consider programs geared to adult/mid-career students ...

Some of these places might be worth considering but I would advise doing so very carefully.  The ones I have seen tend to emphasize the fast track to the degree, as opposed to academics.  I would be concerned about how such a degree, once earned,  would be received by potential employers.

[adhoc]

... there are several colleges and universities locally that might be willing to hire me even as an adjunct.

This is probably true even now with your masters degrees.  In fact, if you can find time to teach as an adjunct while working on your Ph.D., you will have a stronger CV when you are done.

I start back in a couple of weeks and am wondering if I am heading down a path of regret.

I think the greater probability is that if you don't do it, you will regret that.

Good luck!

[mtnlover]

Many people do it and the number of PhD and EdD programs that will cater to part-time students are increasing.  You should be fine, just stick with it!

[tt_wannabe]

You may want to consider programs geared to adult/mid-career students ...

Some of these places might be worth considering but I would advise doing so very carefully.  The ones I have seen tend to emphasize the fast track to the degree, as opposed to academics.  I would be concerned about how such a degree, once earned,  would be received by potential employers.

That has been the 'rub' for me. I know of 2 individuals that went that route. One who got a DBA from Nova and the other a PhD from Capella. In both cases, they were already employed in full time positions. The point is, they didn't need to find full time employment with a degree from one of these schools; they had it going into the program and were doing it for reasons other than seeking a full time position.

My concern (and the concern of anyone thinking about such programs) is that if I go to the trouble of getting a PhD from one of these schools (no matter how convenient they may be) will an employer take notice? Employers can afford to be picky about whom they interview.

[prephd]

I am looking into doing just this, for the reasons you mention (not wanting to quit a decent full-time job, a family that can't just "up-and-move").  The two programs I am looking into are both quite decent weekend-cohort formats at well-respected schools.  Even though it's weekend classes, it's not necessarily "part-time;" it's still 6-9 credits a semester, just designed so that there are no weekday class meetings.  The program is for working professionals in an area that highly values practical commitment to the field, so by continuing to work I will be gaining credibility.  I know that it will be a struggle at times, but it is definitely possible!   

[adhoc]

There is nothing wrong with weekend or evening classes.  If you are in class for 2.5 hours every Saturday afternoon, say, for the whole semester, the in-class time is the same as three fifty minute classes during the week. You also have a week between class meetings to do the work and think about the material, and so on.

By contrast, I have seen programs that cram a semester's worth of "seat time" into four or six weeks and ignore the importance of out-of-class time to the learning process.

I would say that the significant factor is not when classes are held.  Look, instead, at how the university itself describes their programs.  Do they talk first about academics, or do they talk about how quickly you can complete your degree?  If it's the latter, I'd steer clear of it.

[tt_wannabe]

I think adhoc makes some good points and the OPs point about it still being full time (6-9 credits a semester) is well taken.

What is the focus of the school (as adhoc notes)? What is the reputation of the school? Does the school you will be attending make a distinction between the program you will be in on weekends (or whenever) and the same program that is day-time in the degree you are awarded? (Sometimes the degree awarded makes specific reference to "Online",  "Distance Ed" or "Part-Time"; look into this.)Are the professors in the departement well regarded? Do they publish in the field's (you didn't say what field you are in) prominent journals?

[shrek]

Maybe I'm too conservative or not flexible enough or too set in my ways, but the point of a Ph.D. is NOT to take a bunch of classes. It's to learn to do research, to think scientifically, and to contribute to the science of the discipline. In order to do that I think you have to spend time immersed in the discipline, you have to be around to understand the projects going on in the lab, to be invited to participate in one of them, learn to do the analyses, pose the questions and ultimately get publications. I generally don't support the notion of the part-time Ph.D. because the time goes into classes, which in my opnion is the least of the training-- That said, I might reverse my position for the right person--I have someone I've been trying to recruit into the Ph.D. program in my department, I finally was able to recruit them into a clinical job in the program, and if they were to propose a part time Ph.D. I'd probably support that. But, I'd want them to focus on the research and writing over the taking of classes, because that's going to move them farther along in this enterprise-- and because they're working in a clinical job, they could capitalize on those experiences as well. That's what I'd suggest.
I know, I know, the OP says they're doing this for themselves-- but why a Ph.D. then, why not another masters?