Faith Brown graduated from the College of Education and Human Development this past December with her PhD in Education while working full-time as the Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning for George Mason University. Continue reading to learn more about her experience, research, and advice for students pursuing a degree while working.
In her role, Brown directs sports performance and nutrition for Women’s Basketball and Women’s Volleyball. She also oversees the strength and conditioning internship program, and works one-on-one with sports science interns.
While pursuing her PhD, Brown balanced this workload with dissertation research on athlete health and human performance.
How was your experience earning a PhD while working full-time at George Mason?
“My experience while completing a PhD while working full-time in collegiate athletics was challenging to say the least, but my professors were flexible and understanding of my work schedule and the evening class offerings were helpful as well. Both my professors and my dissertation committee exposed me to a variety of experiences that helped me grow as a researcher and a professional. I couldn’t have imagined a better experience while completing my PhD. A memorable moment was when my first research paper was published and featured in an article!“
Pursuing my PhD has opened numerous doors, both with the connections I have built in the program and the research products that have come as a result of my coursework.
“Pursuing my PhD has opened numerous doors, both with the connections I have built in the program and the research products that have come as a result of my coursework. The experience I have gained and the research that I have authored over the years speaks to the dedication, passion, and focus I have towards sports performance.”
Tell us about your research
“My research explores the relationship of sport performance of collegiate athletes through load monitoring practices. I work in collaboration with the Patriot Performance Lab located in the Fairfax campus Field House.
While completing my dissertation, my research focused on external and internal load monitoring of Division I women’s basketball athletes and their sport performance.
I have also conducted load monitoring research with our women’s volleyball team, and have assisted on other research in Division I team sports.”
What advice do you have for students who are working full-time while pursuing a degree?
The advice I have for students working full-time to complete their PhD is to simply keep showing up.
“The advice I have for students working full-time to complete their PhD is to simply keep showing up. Your process may be longer than full-time students and you may face challenges such as time constraints, work pressures, and other life stressors, but continue to show up! Each day that you do the work is another stone being laid as you build the path to your degree and ultimately your future.”