Completing two Masters at the same time

[nadirv26]

I have been accepted to two one year master programs for September. One is a MA in Criminology and York University which is fully funded and which in escense will pay for my other degree as the other is a Masters in Industrial Relations and Human Resources at the University of Toronto which is partially funded. I am unsure which one to chose and was wondering if anyone thinks if it is possible to complete two of them at the same time. I understand my grades will suffer but I am not looking to further my education. I just want to know if anyone has done this before and if the work load is possible. I know I wont have a life for the next year but it is worth it if I am receiving two degrees as the same time.

Please let me know what you think.

[ktel]

Is it all course based? What are the requirements? I think it would be very tough to do. I'm at U of T but my department is kind of near York. It's at least a 1 to 1.5 hour commute between the two campuses via TTC. There's a huge likelihood that you would have class conflicts.

[nadirv26]

The one at UofT is all course work where as the one at York there is a research paper. I am not to concerned about transportation or class conflict as I am sure I will manage. It is more so with the amount of work and whether I will be able to manage.

Your input is greatly appreciated.

[TakeruK]

I think it would be a good question to ask to the programs at both schools as well. I'm assuming you have already checked to make sure both programs are okay with you being enrolled in more than one program at once -- I know that some full-time graduate programs, and almost all undergraduate program come with the restriction that you are not enrolled in any other school.

Outside of whether or not you can handle the courseload, I think you should talk to the programs because there could be other scheduling conflicts that are not always immediately evident. What if you have exam scheduling conflicts? Each program probably assumes its students are only attending their program, and things would be scheduled without consideration of the other school (e.g. extra review sessions, office hours, whatever other activities your programs may require). So, you would need to have full support of both programs so that they would make allowances for you to reschedule exams or whatever in cases of conflict. And, outside of the minimum academic requirements, there may be extra optional activities (special seminars, events etc.) that could enrich your experience and help you get work later on that you might have to miss out on because of the other program. One of the advantages of attending a "good" school is access to these kind of activities, so by doing 2 degrees at once, you might compromise more than just your grades.

[imonedaful]

The only way I could see this happening is if one was a traditional in-the-classroom school and another one was online. It would not be too bad if you took a full course load at the traditional school and then an additional class online. That would be reasonable, I have done something similar. But you probably cannot take on two full course loads and commute between schools.

[Chukwu Chucks]

I have been accepted to two one year master programs for September. One is a MA in Criminology ....

Damn brotha! Imma add u as one of ma homies.....if u c da cop....better "Warn a Brother" here!