Online learning requires organization and self-discipline. You may have to fit study around work and family, setting your own schedule to make sure you get assignments in on time.
If you are enrolled in an asynchronous program, there is no designated class time to prompt you to study and stay on track. If you're in a synchronous program, you will have set class meeting times to help guide your time management.
How will you know how much time you'll need to commit to your online coursework?
That depends on whether you are pursuing an online bachelor's degree or an online master's degree.
How long should a bachelor's-level course take per week?
Most college courses are 3 credits. Traditionally, in 3-credit face-to-face undergraduate courses you are in class 3 hours per week. You should probably allow 3 hours per week to read/listen to the online content for each course you take. This doesn't include assignments outside of class.
For each course, you should probably estimate:
- 3 hours per week reading the content online
- 4-5 hours doing the related readings, papers, etc.
- Total: 8 hours per course per week
- Or a little more than 1 hour per day per course
How much time will a master's-level course take?
Most graduate courses are 3 credits. Traditionally, in 3-credit face-to-face courses you are in class 3 hours per week. You should probably allow 3 hours per week to read/listen to the online content for each course you take. This doesn't include assignments outside of class.
Graduate study is more demanding than undergraduate study, so you should plan for 3 hours offline prep for every hour you spend “in class.”
For each course, you should probably estimate:
- 3 hours per week reading the content online
- 9 hours doing the related readings, papers, etc.
- Total: 12 hours per course per week
- Or a little less than 2 hours per day per course
How much you need to study will vary, of course. A good plan is to create a schedule on your weekly calendar and plan blocks of time to complete your coursework.
The original version of this blog was published in March 2014. It has been updated.
