How rigorous is this Masters?

[Ecstatic!]

I am having difficulty deciding whether to do my Masters full time or part time after being accepted for the online program at NYU.

Just how rigorous is the Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the experience of others? I am an older student with family commitments (school pickup, homework help,  cooking etc) and don't mind going part time if it means that I can be a more relaxed and sane person but at the same time prefer to do it full time if I can so that I can enter the workforce sooner. I don't need to take a job while doing the Masters.

The NYU website says be prepared to devote 35-40 hours per week full time and my academic advisor said 40-50 hours per week.

Just wondering what other student's experiences are (regardless of which university you are attending). Is it crazy busy and stressful or is can it be easily be done while keeping your sanity intact with good time management/organizational skills?

Edited November 17, 2018 by Ecstatic!
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[Thetis94]

I'm in at school for class about 15 hours each week, two days a week. Clinic is about 8 hours over the remaining 3 days. I'm often doing work after school each day I have class and before/after my clinic days. I try to get most of my work done by Friday night, so I have the weekend to relax, but I often find myself working all day either Saturday or Sunday if I have a paper due the upcoming week or lesson plans to prep. I definitely put in between 40-50 hours each week. Next semester I'll have one less class. The summer I'll take a few more. Then for externships it's 1-2 classes plus 40 work week for clinic for the final two semesters. 

 

Each program is different though. This semester is the most rigorous one for my program with 4 classes and clinic on campus. I can't personally answer for online programs, though. Sorry!

[soontobeslp2018]

I just finished my first semester. I was in class 16 hours a week and in clinic for 5 and a half. I don’t think I spent 40 hours a week on course work this semester. Maybe 25-30, but that’s because of the type of clinic placement I had was very laidback and I didn’t have to do any paperwork like my classmates. But next semester will be a different story, for example on Wednesday I’ll be at clinic from 7:45-11:30 then I have class from 12:30-8:20. There will be days that you’ll but doing nothing but classwork the entire time. For the sake of your family I think part time would be better, especially since you have the option to. No matter how great your organization and time management skills it will be very challenging. Best of luck!

[bibliophile222]

My semester has been crazy busy! Lots of assignments and reading in addition to clinic paperwork. I definitely spend 50 hours a week on school. I know you won't have clinic placements at first (I applied to NYU online) but depending on the program you may have a lot of homework. Again, heavily program-dependent, I know some are more test-centered and thus have fewer things due each week. 

If they haven't provided this already, I would ask for the email address of a current student to get a sense of the workload and for any other questions you might have!