What kind of workload can one expect from a typical Master's level DL course?

I realize this probably varies by course, but can anyone tell me in a typical course, how much time they spend per week on reading and assignments? What's the average page length that's expected for a major paper and do you frequently see multiple papers per semester?

I think I once read that an individual (for a full semester course) should expect to spend 2 hours per week per credit hour for undergrad courses on material, not counting class attendance (which really doesn't apply for DL). My previous college suggested that a student should expect a 2:1 ratio on Grad:Undergrad as far as this goes, which would suggest 4 hours per week per credit hour on a grad level.

Any comments on this?

 

BTW - My experience in undergrad was that I probably spent less than the 2 week hours per 1 credit hour. I'm naturally pretty quick at reading, typing papers, etc. On average, I figure that I probably spent about 45-60 minutes per week per credit hour -- of course I only did the assigned readings in full when absolutely necessary/I had the time/or was interested in the subject.

 

I can say that in my AMU grad courses, I spend roughly 3-4 hours a week per course reading and submitting assignments. I read quickly and consider myself an above average student. In some of my courses there is a good bit of math as well.

My courses have either had final exams or final papers (sometimes both). The paper lengths have run from 8 to 20 pages. Usually the last week of the course it will take quite a bit more time to complete the final assignment. For example in my last course, Aerodynamics, I spent about 8 hours on the final exam over the course of a few days.

 

I averaged about 10 hours per week per class on the MPH. This was for a 10 week semester with weekly papers ranging from 3-15 pages with the norm being in the 5-8 page range.

 

As I recall the general rule (mandated byaccreditation associations) is that a student should be spending around 45 hours per semester unit (equal to one class hour and two study hours per week for 15 weeks). That is around what I spent on my two grad degrees.

 

Are you sure of that?

 

I have only had one series of classes that even came close to this breakdown of time. My four semesters of Greek were brutal (although the first was mild in comparison). I usually spent at 6-7 hours a week on translation and studying. I spent about half that amount for my two semesters of Hebrew.

For all my other classes, I never came close to spending that much time on a class.

Granted, I did graduate at the top of my college class, but I had a reading/writing intensive major and minor (religion and history).

I have taken courses at a total of 7 institutions (all RA), and none of them required this workload. Some of my classmates may have had to work this hard, but my classes never seemed to require that level of effort. Perhaps I simply learned to work efficiently?

 

I never spent this much time either. I do think there are people who spend this much and more. It really depends on how fast you can spit out the assignments and how quickly you can pick up the material.

 

I think it depends on the school. Regis U is well-known for really socking it to their students. I was spending an average of 20 hours per week per course....sometimes more. There's no way I could have taken two Regis courses at once while working full time.

When I enrolled in the Regis MBA program I was a little naive about the work load. What I mean is that I truly thought all graduate programs were supposed to work you as hard as Regis did. If I had known that I could have earned the same degree from a school with a lighter work load, I'm sure I would've jumped ship.

 

Anyone know what FHSU is like in terms of grad courses?

 

Yes- see these pages:

http://www.purdue.edu/registrar/pdf/Credit_Hour_Guidelines.pdf
and
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/credits.doc

Reading through the accreditation agencies handbooks it appears that an institution no longer is required to strictly adhere to these definitions.

 

I was there for a few semesters at the graduate level. I've since moved on to a better school(as far as rankings go) and fit for me. FHSU has a great program though and it's extremely rigorous. A typical graduate level course will have a lot of reading, from maybe 1 or 2 textbooks. Usually a few papers (8-15 pages in length, sometimes more). Then of course the dreaded discussion board postings which require research and making sure the sources are cited. I never had a class that had any exams. There was also a lecture component to the courses along with supplement readings. Profs were extremely responsive as well. Good programs over there.

 

Same here

I spent 20-25 hours a week. However, Regis said upfront in the FAQ that I read before enrolling that that was the expectation. That's why teaching now is a piece of cake.

My grad-level finance classes at AMU/APU were a bit less challenging. Maybe 15 hours a week.

 

20+ hours a week for one course? Never would have thought that...

 

The time needed to apply to a course obviously depends on the length of the course - for example if 9 hours of study/week are needed for a 16 week course, then one coul;d rationalize that 18 hours per week is needed for a 8 week long course.

 

Yes, that's right

Regis has compressed 8 week courses, as does AMU. I like compressed courses, personally, as I get bored after 10+ weeks, either as a professor/teacher or as a student. As for the 20-25 hours, I'm a bit obsessive-compulsive. My hubby asked "Why don't you just try for a B+?" and the answer to that (besides wanting As) is that how would I know that I wasn't going to get a B- or C+? How close to the edge can you get? So I just wanted (and got) As.

 

I'm currently taking my first DL MS in Project Management at Brandeis University. The DL courses are 10-weeks long. Tomorrow I start week nine. The syllabus states that on average you will spend 7 to 11 hours per week doing your coursework. I spend closer to 13-16 hours per week doing my coursework. There is a ton of reading to do per week if you read everything. I'm curently working on my final project which is due in a week. The last week of the class we have a final.
Dave