Studying a Master’s degree part-time: The student experience

‘I returned to university to study MA Planning Built Environments at BCU over two years as a part-time student between 2019 and 2021. My children were at school, and I was looking to get back into work and re-launch my career. I had taken an entry level admin job in a local planning consultancy despite not having any previous experience of working in this sector. I had always found the built environment fascinating and before having children had worked as a strategic partnerships manager in the corporate policy department of a local authority. Having stepped off that career ladder in 2012, my new manager saw my natural interest and skill set and suggested I apply to BCU to study planning. I was very nervous about re-entering academia 17 years on from last being at university, but despite this, I decided to attend an open day to find out more.

My work funded my study and I only worked four days a week there anyway, which meant the course fitted in well with my home life and day off in the week. Over the two years I went into BCU one day a week for two semesters and wrote my assignments in the evenings and at weekends. Whilst it was a juggling act, I couldn’t have done it without the support of my mum and my husband, who did school runs when I had to attend the morning classes on time and wasn’t home until evening.

Studying part-time was an advantage economically as it meant I could spread the costs, but I also wouldn’t have been able to study full-time with two young children. Being part-time allowed me to study alongside working in the same industry as I was studying in, which was a huge help in understanding the academic side of university, as I was able to constantly put my learning into practice.

I was one of the oldest on my course, and even older than some of the lecturers, but I didn't find that it impacted my experience or set me back. Everyone on the course grew in confidence together and supported each other throughout, no matter what our background was before joining. Being older, I didn’t have the same university experience as I had at undergraduate level as I wasn’t living away and didn't have any real responsibilities. On my one day a week campus visit, we would all have lunch together which made me feel like I was a valuable member of the cohort.

I had access to all of the same resources as full-time students do. There was no issue with getting into the library and if there was, I could access books and journals electronically. My lecturers were good at communicating with me when I wasn’t in Birmingham or able to get there in person. They became more important when the Covid pandemic happened halfway through my second semester and all teaching moved online. It wasn’t easy studying through a pandemic, I missed not seeing people in person, but we all managed to make it work. In some ways having the two years to get to know my lecturers and the other students was probably better for me than having a whistle-stop single year experience, especially when it came to group work, as we all knew each other better. Most of my cohort were part-time and had similar reasons to me for doing so. Most of my peers were already working in planning or they were looking to get a job in that field. In my course, most needed to work to support themselves whilst receiving the training they would need to become chartered.

My advice to others looking at studying part-time with children is to ensure you have enough support with childcare whilst you study. It is also important to be prepared to work hard. I found it was a shock to the system after having not been in education for such a long time, but it helped to know that I was working towards something that will provide me with a definite career path at the end.’