<p>Hi, I asked a question about a week ago – and didn’t receive a response, so I’m trying a perhaps easier question. 
</p>
<p>About hour many hours per week should one expect to spend earning a Ph.D. in Mathematics?</p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>David</p>
<p>You didn’t get an answer because there is no set answer. Graduate students work full-time at their studies, and, as it is with undergraduate studies, have crunch times that can be all-consuming. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have free time, only that they should treat their studies with the same time and seriousness that they would a job. I don’t know mathematics programs, so I can’t speak to that specifically, although I doubt they would be any different from those I know.</p>
<p>Why do you ask?</p>
<p>Why do you ask? Do you not have the time to do it?</p>
<p>You can’t get a Ph.D. part-time, and you can’t really work (at least not very many hours) while you’re a grad student. The number really depends on the person and the school, but from my friends who are grad students, they spend about 50-70 hours studying for exams and quals, 15 hours in class, 20 hours preparing/teaching their own classes during their pre-qual candidacy. After they pass qualifying exams, the 50-70 hours studying turns into 50-70 hours of researching, although your schedule becomes a lot more flexible during your research years.</p>