Do you want to study for a degree? Yes, but part-time, please.

Part-time or full-time, that is the question – and it is being asked not only by working people who want to continue with their jobs, or by people who will be paying for their studies as well as for a family or other obligations. More and more people are choosing to study part-time so that they can find out as early as possible whether the direction they have chosen is the right one for them. Another attractive side effect is that they gain important professional experience, which can stand them in good stead later on when they are applying for jobs.

Of course, studying full-time at a University of Applied Sciences also offers students a lot of practical experience. So what are the advantages of studying full-time? And what are those of the part-time model?

Marcel Hegg is an architecture student in his fifth semester at Burgdorf. During his first four semesters, he gained practical experience with an architecture firm while also studying. Now, for his fifth and sixth semesters, he will be studying full-time.

Barbara Hallmann of architektur technik magazine asked him about his experiences:

What made you decide to study part-time?

For me, taking a course part-time means autonomy and financial independence. I have already finished the Civil Engineering Technical Specialist hF course, using the part-time model, and it was a good experience.

Working and studying together: isn’t that very stressful?
Studying and working simultaneously is pretty intensive. Anyone who wants to avoid being permanently stressed needs to be well organised and flexible. Then it’s no problem. But the challenges are big. Alongside having to attend the obligatory modules in Burgdorf, I often study at home. In the final analysis, I have less time now than I did before to do my practical work.

Have you always had the aim – or partial aim – of becoming a civil engineer?

While I was training to become a Technical Specialist I had no plans beyond gaining that qualification. However, I have always been interested in civil engineering, so when I finished the first course in 2008 I decided that I wanted to study civil engineering.

«Studying and working is pretty intensive. Anyone who wants to avoid being permanently stressed needs to be well organised and flexible.»

Your many years of well-established professional experience must now be standing you in good stead.

Indeed! Of course, I benefited from the fact that I am being accredited up to 50 ECTS points because of my qualification as a Technical Specialist. I have learned to work in as disciplined and efficient a manner as possible. Even so, going back to school was not easy. I really had to put my shoulder to the wheel in the first and second semesters when it came to statics and mathematics.

Apart from the fact that you don’t attend the university every day, does your daily routine as a student differ from that of the full-time students?
We basically take every module with the full-time students. By the end of the course we will have done exactly the same modules and tasks as the full-time students. My classes take place either in the mornings or afternoons. The course administrators are very helpful, in that they have set up clear and transparent part-time models. Studying part-time in parallel with work also calls for flexibility on the part of my employer. I am very lucky in my boss at Marti AG.

What advice would you give someone who was considering taking a course part-time?

First, to assess how ready he or she is to work flexible hours. Second, whether she or he can go without things: my private life takes place mostly during university vacations. I’m not doing enough sports at present, for example. A lot of perseverance is a fundamental requirement.

«By the end of the course we will have done exactly the same modules and tasks as the full-time students. My classes take place either in the mornings or afternoons.»

And what are the advantages?
I like the feeling of not having to rely on others. I live my own life. Besides, I think that the aim and purpose are more at the forefront for me. Fundamentally, I learn effectively and do my best to work quickly.

So it’s a win-win-win situation for you, for your employer Marti AG and for the university?
Probably. I do find a pair of specific modules fairly unrelated to real life. But that’s not all that much of a problem for me, as I enjoy mathematics in general.

Marc Däppen is in his third semester of studying civil engineering part-time. He took the C Matura and, after cutting short studies in Sociology, trained as a quantity surveyor / draughtsman and went on to study theology.

Sociology, theology and quantity surveyor / draughtsman. That’s quite a range of professions. What made you decide to study civil engineering as well?
Civil engineering was a childhood ambition. After studying theology, I decided to go back to the real economy. When Ueli Sennhauser, a lecturer at Bern University of Applied Sciences, told me about the new part-time courses, I registered after first finding out all I could and weighing things carefully. I am already extremely busy with my family and at work. We are the first set of students to study civil engineering at Burgdorf part-time.

Does the course meet your expectations?
Yes. But if I wasn’t firmly convinced that I was doing the right thing, I might abandon the course. I find the daily switch between studies and job, the rapid to-ing and fro-ing, very demanding. I often feel like a wayfarer: I’m everywhere, but not at home anywhere. I find one or two of the compulsory classes questionable with regard to students with many years of practical working experience, especially if the practical relevance is not obvious. I think there should be greater variation between compulsory and elective modules.

«We are the first set of students to study civil engineering at Burgdorf part-time. But if I wasn’t firmly convinced that I was doing the right thing, I might abandon the course.»

How much flexibility does the university show?
The basic modules in foundation course are set, as it would not otherwise be possible to create a proper foundation. It is important for the course to develop consecutively in this phase. Variable module models are more practicable for the majors.

What is the difference between you and the other students?

Thanks to my training as a quantity surveyor / draughtsman and my professional experience, the course administrators have accredited me with 28 ECTS points. I also think that I am more goal-oriented. My practical experience is something of an advantage, but unfortunately I often miss the informal things. Playing table tennis during breaks or taking part in the Culture of Building week in Brussels help to counteract that.

Does your employer also benefit? Or are there only disadvantages from that viewpoint?
I think that employers also benefit. Civil engineers are scarce in the construction industry. As a result, companies are willing to hire people part-time and thus enable them to study in parallel.