The everlasting tug-of-war with the resource of time should be one that is considered, yet it should be understood that the programs at Concordia University Irvine allow you the flexibility and support to balance your demands.

Our society has recently and quickly morphed into one that allows for more flexibility in the workplace as to where, when, and how we work; you will also find this in the world of graduate studies. This is managed by your personal choices that fit your lifestyle and learning style.

Find the Format for You 

As professionals, we learn how to be efficient in the way we find information and collaborate. At Concordia University Irvine, you have the choice of which format of learning is best for your communicative and learning styles, as well as your priorities. All formats will incorporate writing, presenting, and engaging with course material, peers, and professors.

Online

Being an online student may be a combination of synchronous and asynchronous classes if you elect a credential program. The benefits include no commuting and the most flexible schedule. This is a favorable option for those who need to individualize their learning time as much as possible; however, it is necessary for the student to have dedication to personal time management. Suppose you crave some in-person content and connection, and your program requires you to complete a limited amount of Saturday seminars. In that case, students have the opportunity to engage with the programming through livestreaming or in-person on campus.

Hybrid

The hybrid option involves a student meeting with the cohort and instructor face-to-face every other week. During the alternating weeks, students work asynchronously. This avails the student to receive in-person networking and support. Additionally, it includes limited commuting and is not conducted in-person weekly, which grants the student some flexibility with their time.

In-Person

The traditional in-person pathway is especially accommodating if you are a learner who benefits from a more structured schedule to assist in the management of time since you will commit to an in-person class weekly. Moreover, it allows you to network professionally in your local area. Lastly, due to the face-to-face time, you will be discussing much of the course content within class so you may not be required to participate in weekly discussion boards.

Regardless of your chosen format, your classes will meet on the same night and at the same time each week or every other week; this allows for consistency to your schedule. It also affords you the possibility to adjoin with your group members before or after your class since most students have some flexible time adjacent to class time.

How to Use Your Time Wisely

Course elections are varied and available to a myriad of schedules. If you work a job that requires you to be available in the day during the week, you will have the options of evening classes and weekend classes or seminars. Additionally, if you are an educator and have the summer to have freedom from your typical schedule, it may be the perfect time to take summer classes. The ability to take summer classes allows you to complete your program at a faster pace if that is a goal.

In addition to how, where, and when you want to access your courses, you will also need to manage time to devote to your coursework.

Knowing the syllabus and upcoming assignments permits students to balance their graduate and professional work more effectively. Regardless of when you take your courses, it is important to determine when you will do your independent or collaborative coursework. Oftentimes, if you schedule the workload of the syllabus at the beginning of the eight-week class, you will be more successful in being organized with your assignments and managing your studies.

Full-time teachers reviewing the calendar may be delighted to learn that they still will be able to enjoy some of their normal time off, including holidays and part of the summer. Concordia’s calendar does observe and does not hold class during Thanksgiving week, a few weeks at Christmas, Spring Break, and even some weeks in July. Even with these educational breaks to rejuvenate, you can complete your program in two years or less. Some graduate students may be able to have an accelerated one-year completion rate!

Communicate with Professors and Cohort

Graduate students at Concordia University Irvine will find that when they communicate effectively and regularly, their professors and cohort will be a strong support to their success.

My communication with professors at Concordia was reliable and encouraging. Professors were quick to respond to emails, which is incredibly helpful if you are working on your papers and projects on weekends or at night. Thankfully, professors recognized this as the timeframe when working professionals would need the most support and would make themselves available.

As within your professional world, most professors will give you courtesy if there is a difficulty with your deadline if you are communicative. Professors are human; they understand that life does not stop once you enroll in a program. A Concordia University Irvine graduate student will discover that professors are reasonable and encouraging in order to support you in achieving your goals.

Although your professors are your resources, so is your cohort; they will become your extended support network. Regardless, if you are an online or in-person student, you will communicate with your cohort via texts, emails, Zooms, etc., regarding topics from APA formatting to understanding the expectations of an assignment. However, knowing that your peers are also concurrently teaching, there is a mutual understanding of time constraints and priorities.

How Concordia University Irvine Made This Easy

Prospective students may be overwhelmed with how to schedule their classes, so their studies are balanced, and the coursework is logically sequenced. Easy, let your academic advisor guide and plan with you!

Concordia University Irvine set the path for my degree completion with suggested courses in a sequence so I could complete my degree with a supportive cohort. Having a cohort allowed me to choose partners I knew with similar pacing and communication styles.

Additionally, an academic advisor regularly kept in touch with me to be sure I registered and was on track with completing my courses successfully in order to graduate within my personal goal’s timeline.

Knowing that the flexible choices and multiple supports are there to help you balance graduate school with work, why not make some room in your schedule to earn a degree and open different doors?

Interested in continuing your education? Check out Concordia University Irvine education graduate programs and take your next step today!

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Much to my surprise, I was eligible for some financial aid that even included consideration for educational supplies and housing support. To prevent the back-and-forth shuffle, know that you must first complete the FAFSA, delegate the university or universities of your choosing to receive the information, then connect with your university to find what financial support is available to you. Even if you’re not sure that you will enroll in the fall, include the university to avoid delays should you decide to matriculate.

Once I was accepted to Concordia Irvine and my financial data became available, Concordia Irvine contacted me with a financial aid offer. They gave me the opportunity to accept the financial offer or accept less than the offered amount.

While there was a temptation to accept considerably more than what I felt I needed, I reminded myself that whatever I borrowed to pay for my tuition and expenses would have to be repaid. Choosing less than what the FAFSA qualified me for still allowed me to cover my tuition and educational expenses for the year.

If you are fortunate enough to pay for your tuition and educational expenses from your own personal budget, know that Concordia Irvine offers an excellent program for a reasonable fee. However, if that fee still incurs a cost beyond your current budget, don’t be afraid to apply for financial aid. You might be surprised what is available to you, making your educational dream a reality.

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That was my thinking before Concordia University Irvine (CUI) introduced me to their online program in education technology. A program where one class is taken every eight weeks, with an online class session collaborating with a cohort and a professor in the comfort of your home or chosen WiFi-connected location, made attaining my advanced degree feasible and within reach. It’s as if CUI evaluated my specific needs and tailored its program accordingly, allowing me to schedule my studies outside my work schedule.

With time at a premium, I didn’t worry about time lost driving through traffic or looking for parking. I focused on one class at a time for eight weeks. Many of the class assignments were relevant enough to begin incorporating them with my student lessons immediately — a win/win for me and the students to whom I am committed.

Many of the professors are themselves working teachers in the elementary or secondary schools. They understand about conference schedules, district vacations/breaks, and the obligatory open house and back-to-school nights. Your assignment due dates, online classes, and projects can be adjusted accordingly. These accommodations make completing classes, and ultimately the program, much more convenient.

Keep in mind, however, that this is advanced education, which means the rigor and quality of the teaching require a serious work ethic. CUI allows you the convenience to apply that work ethic while continuing your full-time teaching assignment. Although it’s no walk in the park, neither is it a walk through hot coals …  and CUI will be walking with you.

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I finally convinced myself to dive in and apply to an online university. After jumping through all the admissions hoops, I was finally accepted … and subsequently rejected from a for-profit university I interpreted the disappointing experience as divine intervention for abandoning further academic pursuit. What I realized later was that the divine message wasn’t “Give up the dream,” but “Look elsewhere to fulfill the dream.”

Enter Concordia University Irvine (CUI). After remembering what happens to a dream deferred, and not wanting my dream to fester and run, I attended an information session for CUI. I remember the presenter telling me at the end of the session that if I didn’t enroll at CUI, I should enroll somewhere. “Wow,” I thought. “He actually cared.” After I gathered the necessary enrollment requirements, I took the plunge and enrolled at CUI; and so began my return to academia.

For the next two years, I experienced guidance, faith-filled encouragement, and camaraderie amid the rigors of current, advanced, applicable technology in education. Had I known I would experience all that, I would have pursued my second masters of arts degree many years sooner. The professors were knowledgeable in their subject areas. They also recognized that in the ever-changing world of technology, new information could come (and be readily incorporated) from us students during the course of our program. Nearly all my professors were still actively involved in teaching at the elementary or secondary level, and were sensitive to our challenges as working students.

Several professors were instrumental in my journey’s success as they encouraged me to continue while dealing with personal challenges within my own family. Additionally, support and camaraderie from my cohort developed to a level I never thought possible in an online program. Two years flew by, and now I proudly hold a master of arts in education technology. You’ll never hear me say the journey was easy; however, you’ll never hear me lament that the journey was impassable. I can thank my professors and my cohort for my journey’s successful culmination.

I absolutely loved the experience, loved the education, and loved the outcome. Indeed, I loved getting my masters from CUI!

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