Part-time doctorates

In the UK, more than half of all doctoral researchers are studying part-time. Typically part-time doctorates are spread over six or more years, which is a long time to balance all the demands on your life

It is important to think through potential challenges before you embark on a part-time doctorate. The following suggestions come from the experience of others who chose the part-time route:

Before you start:

• Consider how much time you have available for your research. If you can not commit to a regular time, e.g. a couple of days a week, you are likely to find the doctorate very challenging
• Ensure that family and work colleagues are aware of your program, and supportive of it, before you start out
• Think about how your research interacts with your work. If possible, choose a research topic that is related to your work. In this way, the transition between the two will feel more natural, and each can feed the other

Managing your time

• Make a commitment with yourself to set aside particular chunks of time for your research; consider setting aside a couple of evenings each week, every other week-end, specific bank holidays etc, when you are ‘unavailable’ for other activities. Some people find it helpful to plan in 6 month blocks
• It can also be helpful to have longer blocks of time – say 3 consecutive days, rather than 1 day every three weeks, as it means you won’t waste time catching up with where you left off

Managing your supervisor

• If your employer is also the supervisor of your part time doctorate, make sure that there is clear agreement on expectations. For example on what hours you devote to your research and when you need to reach certain milestones
• Maintain regular contact with your supervisor and research department. It will keep you in touch and be a constant reminder for you.

Check out ‘How to win as a part-time student’, Bourner, T and Race, P – London: Kogan Page (ISBN 0-749-41672-6)