Hi, i have a place on an MA in Human Geography at Leeds and have been put forward for ESRC 1+3 Open Competition, and have also applied for various bursaries. I won't hear back about funding results until August. I am making back up plans in case i am unsuccessful in acquiring funding.

What do people think about working PT through a FT MA? I worked about 20 hours a week through my FT undergrad degree and got a First at the end of it. However, i would prefer not to do this again.

One year courses are more intense than undergrad. It depends how badly you want another first (distinction). If it really matters (e.g. for funding), then it's probably not a good idea. You should also check your uni policy as often there are rules specifically prohibiting work while a full-time postgrad unless it's teaching in the dept.

I did MA Human Geography a few years ago (although not at Leeds) and I worked part time all through the course. I worked 15 hours a week, all on a saturday and sunday leaving the week free to concentrate on university, seemed to work for me. I got a merit in the end, and don't think that the working really influenced the grade I got at the end of the course. Things would definately have been easier for me if I hadn't worked while doing the MA but I needed the money from working to afford to be on the course!

If you don't get the funding and have to work during the MA then its not the end of the world - as long as you are committed and work hard you can work 15 - 20 hours a week and still get a high grade for your MA

Sometimes you need a distintion to secure funding though. it depends on the course - personally I think it's more time-consuming to excel in a disertation or research project (if the MA has one) than in exams. In short, I think it would have cost me my PhD funding if I had tried to work through my MPhil. But if it is all taught with maybe one short disertation, well - you are the best judge.

So way did I have the time work (even during the holidays) during my masters until now that I'm doing my dissertation. It was non-stop work work work until then.

It does depend on the degree, mine is a particularly intense one.

I'm just coming to the completion of a Full Time MA in Field Archaeology. I managed to work part time during my first semester (I had a field work module that took away thursdays and a midday lecture on Fridays that took that away from me!) and in my second semester all my modules were evening lectures so I could work Full time although i negotiated Tuesday afternoons off so that I could have an afternoon for meetings in hte department with lecturers if need be and otherwise lock my self in my room and work. I think its possible to work full time in some MA's and still pull off good marks (I have merits in some of my coursework and 2 marks off a distinction in one of my conference posters) but the easiest way to do it is to join with a temp agency and make them aware that you are an MA. The agency I was with was really good and when I had to go away for excavations they just took me off the register for 2 weeks or whatever and explained to whoever I was working for that I was unable to work at that point! So maybe consider that! I was paying my rent and still managing to go out for a few beers occasionally!

Well I didn't get the ESRC 1+3 open comp funding (good feedback though), but I am still on the reserve list for MA Full Fee funding and a Phd Scholarship. I also have a scholarship offer for £2000 towards MA fees. So things could be worse, but, unless the Phd scholarship reserve place comes through, I will still need to find living expenses. I should know in about a week for sure about the reserve places. It all seems very late to not know, the course starts in a few weeks!

I'm back to work at the moment and realistically staying here for the next month or two. I'm really unsure of what to do. I reckon i have saved enough money to live off for six months max, so i could leave work in second part of the year? I could take out a CDL, but then i would have to get a job at the end of MA to pay back, before doing PhD. Also really i want to be aiming at a distinction to secure funding next year. I thought about looking for a job that i don't have to focus so much on, but los of them were still 20 hours a week and for less money. I guess i could do the MA part time. Hmmm.

Quite apart from the financial benefits, does anyone think that working part-time could be a useful way to maintain one's sanity while studying full-time?

It would give people contact and also make sure that the remaining time is used wisely, rather than in procrastination.

Any thoughts/experiences?

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I agree with Ogriv, other than the fact it payed for me to go to the cinema once in the blue moon, it was also something that meant i didn't have to think about uni, i did brainless admin work where all i had to do was answer inane phonecalls and pretend to be cheerful and tbh it was a hell of a relaxation period and u didn't mind doing the uni work so much in the evening caus it was more interesting than typing letters in word all day! Also, u get payed and you get free tea, coffee and biscuits! whats wrong with that!

Fair enough, i am a procrastinator, but my other half would actually command me to do uni work sometimes so thats pretty much what kept me going. I did, in the end, make a deal with my employers that i had Tuesday afternoons off so that I could do work, and visit my lecturers etc etc so it all worked pretty well i have to say!