Amount of coursework. More is better? Or worse?

[Fossey]

Hi guys!

I know a thread has already been made for this question, but I just wanted to ask a few more questions about this.

I am starting a PhD in Biology in the fall and have been told to register for only one class per semester, as anything more is not normal for that program. Not only that, but the required amount of coursework for the PhD is only 3 courses, worth a total of 12 credits. I should mention that the PhD will be in Canada and the program length is 5 years. I am used to the US system, and I always thought that the norm would be around 2-3 courses per semester for the first year as a PhD student?!

I am interested in applying to post-docs in the US, and I am now worried that my low amount of coursework would not look good when I apply for jobs. On the other hand, I suppose that this would give me more time to publish papers and do better research, which is what the PhD should be about...

Would love to hear anyone's input and experience with this! Thanks!

[Neist]

My advice to you will be extremely limited, but I'd take their advice.

I'm not sure how Canada programs work, but a lot of European programs have very light course loads as well. I was looking at a program in Denmark that only required 3ish courses a year. I guess most of the education involves hands-on experience?

As per how US post-docs would regard such a light courseload, I must refer to others. That's way out of my boathouse of experience.  

[fuzzylogician]

The PhD in Canada would normally assume that you've done a Masters, which would be similar to the first year or two of the PhD in the US in terms of coursework. Then you go into the PhD with less of a need for intensive coursework. You've chosen a program that has a very light courseload; this can't be a surprise, I'm sure it's in the graduate student handbook and/or on their website. I don't think you can reasonably ask to do a whole lot more. If the expected load is one course per semester, I don't see how you can take 3. Maybe you can ask to audit a second course once in a while. This said, coursework is usually an underappreciated part of the PhD. You will get postdocs and jobs based on your research. I can't remember anyone ever once asking me about my coursework or caring about it one way or the other in interviews. What I can suggest is that you find out where graduates from your program/lab end up and ask yourself if that is what you want for yourself. That would be a good indication (though there is obviously no guarantee) of where you'll likely end up. Of course this is something you should have done before applying and certainly before accepting the offer, but it's not too late to at least know where you stand now. 

[TakeruK]

As fuzzy said, Canadian PhD programs expect you to have some coursework already done during the Masters, my experience with Canadian graduate program is because you are only expected to do one course per term, the professors will generally expect more from you. So, while I spent about 30 hours per week on coursework when taking 3 courses per term in my US PhD program, I probably spent 15-20 hours per week on a single course during my 1-course-per-term Canadian MSc program.

In addition, generally, Canadian programs are much less focussed on coursework than US programs are. We tend to take about 5-6 courses in total, but my US program is 11 courses (equivalent to about 8 Canadian courses, due to the different length of our terms). My current program being an exception, it also seems like US graduate programs are very coursework focussed---i.e. lots of programs have quals or comps that are directly based on courses, while this is less important in Canada. My Canadian MSc program had 4 courses over 4 terms as the requirement, but only half of them even have to be in the department (as long as your supervisor and department head signs off on the other two then you can have it count towards your degree).

Sometimes if you feel a specific course could really help your research but it lies outside than your course requirements, you might be able to get permission to take it. Or at least audit it. For jobs though, it will likely not matter. It could depend on the field, but jobs in my field do not request transcripts. Having coursework makes very little difference to employers in my field.

[Fossey]

Thanks for the replies guys! Helped a lot