12 - 14 classes, 2 years or 3?

[MastersHoping]

So I was surprised to find out that PhD students in my program (I am an entering student) are required to take 14 classes (I will get two knocked out because I have a masters). I was wondering, does coursework happen in the first two years only? Or do students sometimes/often take 3 years to finish coursework? The graduate handbook doesn't make it clear. I'd like to take only 2 classes a semester, but that would be impossible if 14 classes must be done in 2 years. 

I didn't want to ask my grad department yet because 1) I don't want to come off as "lazy" before classes even start and 2) class registration won't be starting until late august/september anyway. 

I'm just wondering what the general norm is. I'm in Poli Sci btw. 

[fuzzylogician]

My program had 13 required courses that everyone had to take, plus you had to choose a specialization and those will want you to take about 4-5 additional courses. There can be *some* overlap between the two (say 1-2 courses), so let's say at a minimum everyone takes 15 courses, some more like 16-17. This obviously comes with the expectation that students take courses in their third year, and most will be done by their fourth year (some already in the spring of the 3rd year): 8 in first year, then usually 2-3 per semester starting in second year until you're done. Not all courses are equally difficult; this includes two "workshop" courses where students present their own work, one semester of "independent study" in first year which is an opportunity to get started on research, and a "survey" course in first year that varies from year to year but isn't new material but rather more in depth discussion of topics that fall outside the core curriculum, faculty talking about their own work, etc. But yes, the heavy course load was often a subject of complaints at my department.

[MastersHoping]

Hello! Thanks for the response. Ah so I guess it's not unreasonable at all to spread it out over 3 years. Perfect! Thanks. 

I wonder if I can do just 2 courses a semester for my whole time there. 

[fuzzylogician]

1 hour ago, MastersHoping said:

I wonder if I can do just 2 courses a semester for my whole time there. 

I don't know if you could but I probably would not recommend it. At some point you should really stop taking courses and concentrate on your research.

In addition, on the technicalities side, the last thing you want is not to be able to graduate because that last course you were counting on suddenly isn't being offered and you're in a bind because it's your last year. Not to mention trying to go on interviews while taking classes. Not advisable. 

[unræd]

4 hours ago, MastersHoping said:

Hello! Thanks for the response. Ah so I guess it's not unreasonable at all to spread it out over 3 years. Perfect! Thanks. 

I wonder if I can do just 2 courses a semester for my whole time there. 

Most graduate schools -- not programs/departments, mind you, but schools/divisions -- have minimum full time credit enrollment requirements before candidacy, usually the equivalent of three courses per semester. You should check what that number is for your school. There are usually "filler" credits that you can take if you're doing lab work, say, or teaching, or studying for candidacy exams, but I have a hard time picturing a DGS or program who'd be cool with a two course full-time load for a student who isn't also doing one of those other things. 

[dr. t]

Is this not explicitly spelled out by your department? Usually, when you're supposed to fill your credit requirements is set there because it determines when you get your MA, and when you start your qualifying exams.

[MastersHoping]

Hello,

From the sounds of it, looks like I'll be in 3 classes. Although, can an undergrad language class be used to count toward full-time student requirements? 

Telkanuru, it didn't seem that clear to me in the handbook, although we haven't officially started registering for courses yet so maybe it'll become more clear closer to September. 

[MastersHoping]

So I signed up for 5 classes (one of which I will drop b/c I want to do some course shopping).

3 poli sci classes, 2 languages (I'm deciding between the two). Does this sound like a full-time courseload?

[Warelin]

16 minutes ago, MastersHoping said:

So I signed up for 5 classes (one of which I will drop b/c I want to do some course shopping).

3 poli sci classes, 2 languages (I'm deciding between the two). Does this sound like a full-time courseload?

The Ph.D. program is structured to enable and encourage timely completion of the Ph.D. thesis. The 48 hours of course work required is typically completed at the end of two years, and the Department allows students with prior graduate coursework to transfer these credits as appropriate. For the typical Ph.D. candidate, the program requires that all requirements but the Ph.D. thesis be completed by the end of the third year, and the thesis topic will usually be approved by the end of the third year as well. --Georgetown Grad School Handbook.

4 courses is a lot too handle during grad school. Courses at this level involve more work and time than they do at the undergrad work. 3 is considered a full-load in most cases.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Warelin

[MastersHoping]

16 minutes ago, Warelin said:

The Ph.D. program is structured to enable and encourage timely completion of the Ph.D. thesis. The 48 hours of course work required is typically completed at the end of two years, and the Department allows students with prior graduate coursework to transfer these credits as appropriate. For the typical Ph.D. candidate, the program requires that all requirements but the Ph.D. thesis be completed by the end of the third year, and the thesis topic will usually be approved by the end of the third year as well. --Georgetown Grad School Handbook.

4 courses is a lot too handle during grad school. Courses at this level involve more work and time than they do at the undergrad work. 3 is considered a full-load in most cases.

Thanks for that. Oh I actually finished Georgetown and am going to Johns Hopkins.

 

Okay. So three normal Ph.D classes is the normal courseload, so that's what I'll be doing. But I seem to recall Ph.D students also took language classes too. 

[Warelin]

1 hour ago, MastersHoping said:

Thanks for that. Oh I actually finished Georgetown and am going to Johns Hopkins.

 

Okay. So three normal Ph.D classes is the normal courseload, so that's what I'll be doing. But I seem to recall Ph.D students also took language classes too. 

Do you have 4 semesters worth of a language during your undergrad? Can you pass a proficiency exam? According to JHU's handbook, either will suffice for meeting the foreign language requirement.

"All students must demonstrate successful completion of four semesters of college-level foreign language instruction or its equivalent, or pass a translation test administered by an appropriate faculty member. This requirement is waived for foreign students who are native speakers of a language other than English."

I know in other fields that Students take language courses during the summer as to not slow them down during the school-year. Sometimes, additional funding is provided by the School for these purposes.

Edited to add: You might want to take a look into this: http://krieger.jhu.edu/internationalstudies/funding/foreign-language-and-area-studies-fellowships/   since it seems that JHU has additional resources which can save you some sanity during your semester. Grad courses can be tough.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Warelin

[MastersHoping]

11 hours ago, Warelin said:

Do you have 4 semesters worth of a language during your undergrad? Can you pass a proficiency exam? According to JHU's handbook, either will suffice for meeting the foreign language requirement...

Thank you for the link and for the info. Yeah I do have that, although I really want to give it a shot during grad school too. 

 

I think I'll try during summer too as you suggested. 

[fuzzylogician]

Really, the best thing you can do is consult with your faculty advisor and ask for their opinion on what a reasonable course load and course selection might be. I think it is generally possible to take 3 courses + 1 language course, but it will keep you pretty busy. Especially in the first semester that might not be advisable. More to the point, you don't want to do something that your advisor/department disapproves of, so you should find out what they think is appropriate and follow their advice. That would be much better than trying to make a plan based on how some strangers in other fields/schools are structuring their schedules. 

[MastersHoping]

Okay. I'm going to email my advisor today.