The Plight of Part-Time Grad Students

Over at Inside Higher Ed, Cory Owen says that "in the world of graduate school, part-time students are a group largely invisible to the administration and the professors who run the program." To that end, Owen presents five ways in which grad programs can help part-time students maintain an adequate work-life balance. Professors and administrators should first "be flexible on hours," he says — realizing that often part-time grad students are "coming straight from work or dropping off kids in rush hour traffic just to make it to campus on time" — and discuss their scheduling needs as soon as possible so that their trainees can plan accordingly. Owen also says it's imperative that faculty build a sense of community that's accepting of non-traditional graduate students, such as those who only attend on a part-time basis, and "encourage publishing and conference attendance."