Experience with 8-week academic terms?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by joi, Aug 26, 2005.

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  1. joi

    joi New Member

    Hi again.

    In considering the Master of Science in International Relations from Troy University, my wife and I are trying to sort out what to expect with this short academic terms.

    The maximum number of subjects is 2 per term.

    In your experience, how many hours a week should someone expect to study in 8-week terms at the masters'level?

    Is quality enhanced or decreased with these types of terms?

    Have you felt comfortable with these concentrated periods of study? Do they fit well in your schedule?

    Thanks for your opinions.
     
  2. mikey2k4

    mikey2k4 New Member

    Not exactly the same, but I took a ten week online course with UWA, not very difficult, but that was probably just the nature of the course (Technology and Education). I spent about an hour or two per week working on assignments.

    However, in my on campus experience with 4 8-week courses this summer, I spent countless hours researching and writing for two education courses while the other two didn't require much outside dedication. I don't think I'll ever try that again, even though I made all A's.

    If they (Troy) are limiting you to 2 courses per term, I would assume that their courses require extensive work and would hope that you have a flexible schedule to meet the demands.
     
  3. Rivers

    Rivers New Member

    In my B.S. program they had eight week terms. I took three classes in an eight week period twice and four once(I would never recommend taking four classes in an eight week term I lost 15 pounds(from stress) and was sleeping 3-4 hours a night), btw I worked full time too. Overall I loved eight week classes, it allowed me to take more classes, get done quicker and didn't give me time to procrastinate! I would say in a Masters program if you are working full-time, once class should be enough, unless you are a masochist like me and then take two. Please realize you are in for a lot of work!
     
  4. abnrgr275

    abnrgr275 Member

    joi,

    Based on my experience over the last 1.5 years at Troy your wife should expect to spend anywhere from 5-10 hours total per week on each class. Just like anyplace else, some courses will require a little less time and some may require a little more depending on the instructor, work load, your wife's home and work situation, etc.

    Because the degree is an online degree, the "study" time often includes reviewing previous posts and taking part in class discussions via the Blackboard course delivery system, reading the online class lectures and additional material, taking proctored midterm and final exams, and conducting research for term papers. This is all in addition to reading the assigned texts for each class.

    If your wife is not currently working and is not overwhelmed with responsibilities at home, two classes per 10-week term should work out fine; throw a job, children and household responsibilities into the mix and she may have to choose which terms she doubles up on classes based on the syllabus for the courses in question.

    You've probably already seen this, but here's a link to Troy's long-term planning schedule for their online courses:

    www.troy.edu/ecampus/onlinegraduateprograms/calendars/ltpcalendar.pdf

    This link will allow you and your wife to view the course syllabus for several of the MSIR courses being offered this term:

    www.troy.edu/ecampus/onlinegraduateprograms/term12005/msirschedule.htm

    That's one thing I like about Troy's online degree programs, they allow you to view the course syallabus for every class in your particular degree program so that you can pick and choose which classes you think will be realistic to double up on in a given term.

    As far as quality being enhanced or diminished due to the condensed timeframe, just like everywhere else some classes/instructors will be better than others but it all boils down to your wife's particular learning style. I have found that the 10-week terms work well for me because my undergrad studies were conducted at schools based on the quarter system and that's what I'm used to. This fall semester is the first time I've taken a college class based on a traditional semester timeframe and I'll see how it works for me in about 4 months. I've also taken accelerated 3 QH courses in a 5-week timeframe that were extremely difficult because of the inability to play catch-up if you fell behind.

    Two classes per term were fine for me while my family was located down south in Florida, now that we're back together at home I'll probably have to back off to one class per term to fit my job and parenting/home responsibilities into my schedule along with school.

    abnrgr275
     
  5. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    My employer, Keiser College, has twelve four-week terms per year, with almost all students taking one course at a time. They seem to do all right. As long as your courses are designed to work in their format you should be okay.

    -=Steve=-
     
  6. joi

    joi New Member

    Thank you all for your answers.

    We have send an enquiry mail to Troy. Up to the moment, they seem to have an excellent level of service. Plus, their web site is very informative.
     
  7. ttousant

    ttousant New Member

    I'm currently a student with Troy (B.S Psychology), I discovered their program last year in March. I've been satisfied with everything...from the academic advisors to the courses. I just wished I would have discovered this University earlier. However, the accelerated courses allow me to finish faster but it gets in the way of my CLEPing because I have to put more into the courses.
    But its all good!!
     

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