Whether you are a full-time, flex-time or part-time student, you will need to go through the following stages to complete your degree ...

You might get different advice about certain timelines to follow in this program. I know it’s easier said than done, but do not stress too much about the pace of others. Think about your own responsibilities and needs.

The truth about the pace that’s best for you depends on a number of different factors. Here are some useful questions to ask yourself ...

There are advantages and disadvantages to going fast versus slow. If you take your time you have more time to potentially teach and publish, which can be beneficial for your academic CV. That being said, you may not have guaranteed funding or be able to sustain working a lot of hours while doing your PhD. You might also want to work throughout your PhD quickly because there are certain job opportunities you want and you do not want to delay the process. The pace for your program rests mostly on your personal and professional goals.

If you’re a full-time student, you have 4-6 years to complete your PhD and the first 4 years are fully-funded. Beyond that, you’re not guaranteed funding.

As a general rule, full-time students are advised to complete coursework by their second year and their comps by their third year. If you’re a full-time student but working a lot of hours, you might want to take the whole two years to do your coursework. You can also apply for an extension if needed. If that’s your situation, talk to your advisor (who may or may not be your named supervisor at that time).

If you’re a flex or part-time student you have up to 8 years to complete your PhD. Part-time and flex-time students have up until 3-4 years to complete their coursework. Because you are likely working a number of hours, you want to think about the capacity you have to take multiple courses at a time. You can also apply for extensions if needed and can talk to your advisor (who may or may not be your named supervisor at that time) about this possibility.