Full-time Student
A master's degree program can require anywhere from 30 to 72 hours of coursework, depending on the degree curriculum. For example, most master's degree programs in English require 36 hours, whereas many psychology programs require 72 hours. A full-time student, that is, a student who takes at least 9 or 12 hours of coursework per semester, can earn a master's degree within 2 to 3 years. Both the graduate program and the school determine how many semester hours are required to maintain full-time student status.
Part-time Students
Not all students can attend graduate school full-time due to work, family, or monetary commitments. For them, most graduate schools allow for part-time attendance. Part-time students generally take one to two courses a semester, that is, 3 to 6 semester hours, so depending on how many courses they take and how many hours their program requires, they could take as long as 5 years to complete a master's program.
Summer Classes
All graduate programs offer the opportunity to take classes in the summer, between the spring and fall semesters. Schools offer either one or two summer sessions where students can take two classes per session to obtain full-time status. Students can take more than two classes, but this is generally discouraged since the classes are accelerated and often more intense than typical full semester classes. If either part-time or full-time students take courses over the summer, they can decrease their overall time in school by at least one semester and possibly by a year or two.
Online Study
Online and distance-learning programs have steadily increased in both popularity and availability. These forms of study used to only offer one- to two-year master's degree programs, but now even the four- and five-year degree curricula are available, including psychology and physical therapy.
Accelerated Programs
Some graduate schools offer accelerated learning programs, where students enroll in one to two courses in mini-sessions. The length of the mini-session could be as short as two weeks or as long as eight weeks, depending on how often the classes meet. For example, one class could meet every day for four hours for two weeks or once a week for four hours for eight weeks. There are no winter or summer breaks in these programs, so students could potentially earn a master's degree within one year's time.
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