# open university



## ilovebush&blair (Feb 14, 2011)

is a degree with the open university an actual real degree? can you get a job with one? are they expensive and how long do they take?


----------



## strung out (Feb 14, 2011)

£650 per module (at least on my english lit course) with two modules counting for the equivalent of a standard university year. yes they are real degrees with a real certificate at the end of it. they take as long as you want, depending on how much you want to stretch yourself. i'm currently studying full time, which is two modules per year and would take about three years to complete from start to finish. some people take 6 years or longer though to do their degrees. hope that helps


----------



## fen_boy (Feb 14, 2011)

They certainly are a real university and Open University degrees are well respected in my opinion.


----------



## ilovebush&blair (Feb 14, 2011)

strung out said:


> £650 per module (at least on my english lit course) with two modules counting for the equivalent of a standard university year. yes they are real degrees with a real certificate at the end of it. they take as long as you want, depending on how much you want to stretch yourself. i'm currently studying full time, which is two modules per year and would take about three years to complete from start to finish. some people take 6 years or longer though to do their degrees. hope that helps


 
how are you finding it? and how long have you been doing it?


----------



## butchersapron (Feb 14, 2011)

ilovebush&blair said:


> is a degree with the open university an actual real degree? can you get a job with one? are they expensive and how long do they take?


 
Yes it is. What a crap question. Cheap as chips.


----------



## jakethesnake (Feb 14, 2011)

Hard work too!


----------



## butchersapron (Feb 14, 2011)

The best thing the labour party ever did.


----------



## strung out (Feb 14, 2011)

ilovebush&blair said:


> how are you finding it? and how long have you been doing it?


 
i did the first two years of my degree at Reading University and am finishing it at the Open University, so i'm a bit of a special case. i'm doing one year full time, and a year part time to get my full OU degree. it's as easy as you want to make it. if you find it hard to motivate yourself and can't cope with minimal staff/student contact, then it might not be for you. personally, i just go and sit in the bristol university library most days and read/work there from monday to friday.


----------



## butchersapron (Feb 14, 2011)

strung out said:


> i did the first two years of my degree at Reading University and am finishing it at the Open University, so i'm a bit of a special case. i'm doing one year full time, and a year part time to get my full OU degree. it's as easy as you want to make it. if you find it hard to motivate yourself and can't cope with minimal staff/student contact, then it might not be for you. personally, i just go and sit in the bristol university library most days and read/work there from monday to friday.


 
That's well normal, loads of people do it that way.


----------



## Steel Icarus (Feb 14, 2011)

I couldn't do a degree otherwise. Doing an OU degree means I can look after my daughter and still study. 

I read somewhere that OU degrees rank very highly for difficulty. Module 2 of my English degree certainly seems tough to me.


----------



## _angel_ (Feb 14, 2011)

Of course they're real degrees! I think the thing about them is that people can choose how fast or slowly they do them. My parents degrees took what seemed like forever but they were both working at them time as well.


----------



## Me76 (Feb 14, 2011)

I was listening to a podcast of Lbc the other day and they were talking about OU degrees and everyone who called and had been to a normal uni before was saying how much better the support and service was from the OU. 

I think it depends on your self discipline as to whether it will suit you. But if you have good time management, then go for it. 

As for the respect in the working world, I don't know about OU but I did my degree at Birkbeck.(four years while working full time) and it seems to me that people have a little more respect in interviews for it.  Being able to study while working shows a whole load of skills that ate very valuable in any workplace.


----------



## MooChild (Feb 14, 2011)

Been doing my degree since 2006, still this year and two more to go before it's done. I highly rate them. In interview it seems to be very highly rated, along with the fact you are showing initiative by studying in your spare time.


----------



## Idris2002 (Feb 14, 2011)

butchersapron said:


> The best thing the labour party ever did.


 
Better than the NHS? Them's fightin' words, compadre.

But I'm inclined to agree.

And yes, it is a proper uni which gives out proper degrees.

I do miss the days when they used to show the lectures on the telly at 1am. All online now.


----------



## Greebo (Feb 14, 2011)

Yes it's a real degree, with real marking.  The mark given by your tutor for each module gets checked centrally at the end of each year to make sure that nobody is marked more harshly or more forgivingly than the rest.  Employers usually respect OU degrees because (apart from the strictly monitored standards) the courses are actively chosen and actively worked on - you can't just drift into it and coast along.

Expensive compared to what?  Bear in mind that while working on your course (if you want to do it as well as possible) you won't have the time or energy for much socialising if you also work or have family responsibilities.   So you'll be spending less on drinking etc.  But IMHO it's worth it - it can work out a lot cheaper than a long course of therapy.  

As for how long, if you go at the advised rate of one 60 point course per year (for a first degree) you could do it in 6 years.  Geniuses and people without anything else to do at all could just about manage 90 points a year, and finish in 4 years.  But if you're able to manage the reading etc needed for the 90 point option, you're still probably better off sticking to 60 points and doing it better (and so getting a higher grade).  

There are completion time limits (10 or so years) for those who want the course to be recognised (ie. as a qualification) but if you're just doing it as a hobby you could spread it out much longer.


----------



## aqua (Feb 14, 2011)

fen_boy said:


> They certainly are a real university and Open University degrees are well respected in my opinion.


yep this


----------



## ViolentPanda (Feb 16, 2011)

Steel☼Icarus said:


> I couldn't do a degree otherwise. Doing an OU degree means I can look after my daughter and still study.
> 
> I read somewhere that OU degrees rank very highly for difficulty. Module 2 of my English degree certainly seems tough to me.


 
I always like looking at how the OU quantify making for modules. You need 85%+ for a distinction, whereas many unis sit somewhere between 70-80%, and they *are* tough. Anyone looking for an easy ride shouldn't start an OU degree, because contrary to received wisdom, they're as good, and sometimes better, than what people are paying three (or more) times as much for.

Tutor contact is good, too. As long as you initiate contact: Don't expect them to coddle you.


----------



## Dowie (Feb 16, 2011)

Yes they are real degrees, employers do value them, they don't cost much (you can get reduced fees etc..) and they are very flexible.

Absolutely great for anyone with circumstances that make full time study not practical or indeed for anyone who wants a career change later in life or just simply wants to study. I reckon with the new fees being introduced for full time students OU degrees will become more popular.


----------



## Dowie (Feb 17, 2011)

ViolentPanda said:


> I always like looking at how the OU quantify making for modules. You need 85%+ for a distinction, whereas many unis sit somewhere between 70-80%, and they *are* tough.


 
This is slightly misleading though in that - a 'distinction' isn't necessarily a term used at undergrad at other universities and is not equivalent to a '1st' - I have heard some people incorrectly state that the OU requires 85% for a 1st.

the OU marks modules by giving a grade 1,2,3,4 or fail

1 is a 'distinction'  for scoring above 85%, 2 for 70% 3 for 55% 4 for 40%

an average of 1.75 and below is required for a 1st and another requirement is that 60 credits of level 3 modules are passed at distinction - you don't have to have average 85% across your modules.


----------



## Fuchs66 (Feb 17, 2011)

ilovebush&blair said:


> is a degree with the open university an actual real degree? can you get a job with one? are they expensive and how long do they take?


 
Yes they are and yes I did  and yes they are (if you live outside the UK especially)  and as long as you want (I had a years break due to spending 6 months sat in a hole in a desert, long story)


----------



## BlueSquareThing (Feb 19, 2011)

Iirc fees are kind of up in the air at the minute - no-one's really sure whether they're going to go up or not and bu how much. But it's almost certainly still going to be cheaper than a trad uni route, although you obviously miss the being on campus with lots of other people stuff. There is, at the minute anyway, some funding available if you qualify - a friend of mine was looking at will end up with about £1000 next year in terms of funding which will easily pay for the 60 points he'll prolly do. No idea how long that'll last (afaik it *has* lasted 6 years in the past, but stuff's changing) - did hear a rumour that starters this September may avoid some higher fees etc, but no idea if that's true.

I do 30 points a year - it'll take me something like 11 years to get a degree if I end up with one. The costs vary - have a look at the sorts of stuff you'd want to do.


----------



## susie12 (Feb 19, 2011)

As otjhers have said, ime they are very well thought of - I've been asked about mine at lots of interviews I've had and people really seem to admire them - I found mine very enjoyable too and would def recommend.


----------



## Citizen66 (Feb 19, 2011)

I'm considering doing this. I'm interested in corporate law but really can't envisage me ever working in law so may do engineering as that's where my working background is.


----------



## Dillinger4 (Feb 19, 2011)

Does anybody know if I can do an OU masters if I got 2:2 in my degree? I had some unfortunate circumstances during my last year leading my grade to drop, and I think I could make a case for it. Is this possible?


----------



## Monkeygrinder's Organ (Feb 19, 2011)

Dillinger4 said:


> Does anybody know if I can do an OU masters if I got 2:2 in my degree? I had some unfortunate circumstances during my last year leading my grade to drop, and I think I could make a case for it. Is this possible?


 
You can yes. I did.


----------



## ViolentPanda (Feb 19, 2011)

Dillinger4 said:


> Does anybody know if I can do an OU masters if I got 2:2 in my degree? I had some unfortunate circumstances during my last year leading my grade to drop, and I think I could make a case for it. Is this possible?


 
Only proviso is that you studied to "Honours" level, IIRC. Check out their website and give the "Fees and Registration" dept a call. They're very helpful.


----------



## Dillinger4 (Feb 19, 2011)

Monkeygrinder's Organ said:


> You can yes. I did.


 
Brilliant.


----------



## stuff_it (Feb 20, 2011)

Citizen66 said:


> I'm considering doing this. I'm interested in corporate law but really can't envisage me ever working in law so may do engineering as that's where my working background is.


 
OU Engineering courses are full of weirdos, I should know! 



(well they let me in!)


----------



## Citizen66 (Feb 20, 2011)

What's it like stuff_it? Is it really mathematical?


----------



## fractionMan (Feb 20, 2011)

Dowie said:


> This is slightly misleading though in that - a 'distinction' isn't necessarily a term used at undergrad at other universities and is not equivalent to a '1st' - I have heard some people incorrectly state that the OU requires 85% for a 1st.
> 
> the OU marks modules by giving a grade 1,2,3,4 or fail
> 
> ...


 
Really?  I'm pretty sure they used a different formula before.  I think it was more than half your module marks being a 1 (which might work out the same now I think about it)


----------



## fractionMan (Feb 20, 2011)

The OU's brilliant btw.  

I've got an OU degree and went about it it much the same way as strung_out is doing


----------



## stuff_it (Feb 21, 2011)

Citizen66 said:


> What's it like stuff_it? Is it really mathematical?


 
You *have* to pass an applied maths course, up to calculus. Bar that it's not too bad so far, and the teaching is really good (it must be, as I only scraped a C at GCSE, but am doing fine on this course), mind you I haven't actually had to *do* any calculus yet, that's for this month! 



The marking structure is a bit odd tbf, and I think it may vary from one faculty to another, just to help matters! I seem to be averaging about 70-75% on all of my assignments, having started maths first on the basis that if I couldn't pass the one compulsory maths class I was wasting my time..I put in these marks to the online thingy that tells you what degree you are predicted and it predicted a first, and that's if I never get 85% even once. It may be different for 'Arts' degrees


----------



## Citizen66 (Feb 21, 2011)

I've looked a bit further into it and i can do open courses for both a hnc and hnd in electrical engineering which can count towards a degree - should i actually make it that far. 

Would probably prefer to do something different but think i'm too far into my life to start from scratch with a complete career change so probably best improving on my existing background.


----------



## Thora (Oct 30, 2011)

Apologies for bumping an old thread, but I am considering topping up my foundation degree to an honours degree with the OU.

I need to do two 60 credit modules - does anyone know if I could do both in a year?  Could I register on both modules at the same time, or would I have to complete one first then register on the second?


----------



## Greebo (Oct 30, 2011)

Thora said:


> Apologies for bumping an old thread, but I am considering topping up my foundation degree to an honours degree with the OU.
> 
> I need to do two 60 credit modules - does anyone know if I could do both in a year?


You might just about be able to, but AFAIK it's not recommended.


----------



## baldrick (Oct 30, 2011)

you can do both in a year, it would be equivalent to doing a full-time course though so think carefully about whether you have the time/energy to do it.

if you're converting a foundation degree into an honours you will probably need to do level 3 courses.  depending on how long ago you studied, going back to doing the equivalent of your final year in one fell swoop can be a significant challenge.  if you don't work that would be fine, but if you do work and/or have childcare responsibility for most/all of your week, be careful you're not biting off more than you can chew.


----------



## Thora (Oct 30, 2011)

Should add I wouldn't be working, but I would be doing childcare.


----------



## baldrick (Oct 30, 2011)

well, for the first 60 credit level 3 course I did after a long period of not studying, i was doing about 20 hours a week of study. by the final course that had dropped to about 10 hours with only slightly lower marks.

there is a lot to be said for easing yourself into it a bit and getting to know what the bare minimum of work is for acceptable marks in your mind (for those weeks/months when shit happens and you're finding it tough) and what you need to do study-wise for the marks you *really* want. it became obvious very quickly that the gulf between a first and a 2:1 for me was doubling my study time, which was a commitment i genuinely couldn't be arsed with.


----------



## Thora (Oct 30, 2011)

baldrick said:


> you can do both in a year, it would be equivalent to doing a full-time course though so think carefully about whether you have the time/energy to do it.
> 
> if you're converting a foundation degree into an honours you will probably need to do level 3 courses. depending on how long ago you studied, going back to doing the equivalent of your final year in one fell swoop can be a significant challenge. if you don't work that would be fine, but if you do work and/or have childcare responsibility for most/all of your week, be careful you're not biting off more than you can chew.


I was thinking about doing both at once because I could start in Jan/Feb - will the fees increase in September do you know?  I think I would qualify for financial assistance though.

Maybe it would be better to do just one module first.


----------



## baldrick (Oct 30, 2011)

you will probably want to check this with them, but if you're doing a degree and you start in Jan, subsequent courses for your degree are at the same fee rate. so it won't cost you more to do it more slowly.


----------



## strung out (Oct 30, 2011)

assuming you've passed two years of a normal degree (240 credits), then you'll just need to do two 60 credit modules. plus any compulsory 1st or 2nd year modules for whatever course you want to study.

if you don't fancy doing the compulsory modules, then you can still do the degree without them, but you'll probably have to take a slightly more general degree rather than something more specialised.

i transferred 240 credits from my course at Reading and studied 120 credits full time with the OU to get a BA (Hons) in Humanties. if i'd wanted to get an english literature degree, i'd have had to do a compulsory 2nd year module, which i didn't really fancy.


----------



## Thora (Oct 30, 2011)

I only finished the foundation degree in May - I did the 2nd year by distance learning after having my baby so I am fairly confident about studying and managed with the baby in childcare for 8 hours a week and studying evenings and weekends.  I was planning to take a break from it for a while but my job is going badly so I might not stay there past Christmas   Could probably keep my son in childcare 8-10 hours a week.  I would be quite happy with a 2:1 though


----------



## Thora (Oct 30, 2011)

strung out said:


> assuming you've passed two years of a normal degree (240 credits), then you'll just need to do two 60 credit modules. plus any compulsory 1st or 2nd year modules for whatever course you want to study.
> 
> if you don't fancy doing the compulsory modules, then you can still do the degree without them, but you'll probably have to take a slightly more general degree rather than something more specialised.
> 
> i transferred 240 credits from my course at Reading and studied 120 credits full time with the OU to get a BA (Hons) in Humanties. if i'd wanted to get an english literature degree, i'd have had to do a compulsory 2nd year module, which i didn't really fancy.


It was talking to you that prompted me to consider this!

Of the two compulsory modules for a degree in my subject, one isn't something I am keen on doing (a research project) - I was thinking of just picking an interesting social sciences/humanities module instead and taking it as an Open degree rather than a named subject.


----------



## strung out (Oct 30, 2011)

that sounds like a good idea.

i think by the time i transferred all my credits, i was eligible to count them towards three different degrees! english lit, humanities and an open degree. i chose the humanities option as a decent compromise between what i actually wanted (english lit) and the most general degree (open)


----------



## Thora (Oct 30, 2011)

How long did it take to get your past study credited?  I wonder if I'm leaving things a bit late to start a course in February.


----------



## strung out (Oct 30, 2011)

you can transfer the credits during (or even after) the course if you want.

i signed up for the two level 3 modules, registered them towards a degree and because i'm too lazy for my own good, sorted out the credit transfer when i was very nearly at the end of the year. obviously it's best practice to get the credit transfer sorted nice and early, but it didn't make any difference in the end for me.

edit: i think it took about two months from submitting all the credit transfer documentation to getting confirmation that all 240 credits had been granted. they ask for detailed module information and certification of past study, so it can be a bit of a pain getting your old uni to supply course details from 8 or so years ago!


----------



## BlueSquareThing (Nov 1, 2011)

Thora said:


> I was thinking about doing both at once because I could start in Jan/Feb - will the fees increase in September do you know? I think I would qualify for financial assistance though.
> 
> Maybe it would be better to do just one module first.



I **think** that so long as you start in January and the course is linked to a qualification then your fees for the next 4-5 years would be at the current (i.e. lower) rate - as long as each course you take is linked to the same qualifcation(s) and you take at least one course a year.

I'm fairly certain that's the situation - although obviously the finance people at the university will know for sure 

It might be worth linking whatever you do to something else as well if you can (preferably an Open Degree) just in case you want to do a bit more. Perhaps.


----------



## hegley (Nov 1, 2011)

Thora said:


> How long did it take to get your past study credited? I wonder if I'm leaving things a bit late to start a course in February.





> If you are planning to study a module beginning in February 2012 and require the outcome of your application for credit transfer before registering, you must submit your completed credit transfer application, with all supporting evidence, by the 11th November 2011. Applications received after this date may not be completed before the registration closing date for modules beginning in February 2012. Applications received without sufficient evidence of the previous study completed will be returned unprocessed. Details of the evidence required with your application can be found in the notes accompanying the application form.



That's from StudentHome on OU website.

Also worth noting re: financial support - if you're doing 2*60pt modules in one academic year the funding doesn't quite cover it - think it's only short by c.£200 but might be a consideration.


----------



## heinous seamus (Sep 23, 2014)

Was planning to pick up Open Uni again with the February start courses but every course I've checked only starts in October. Have they binned the February ones then??


----------



## Greebo (Sep 23, 2014)

heinous seamus said:


> Was planning to pick up Open Uni again with the February start courses but every course I've checked only starts in October. Have they binned the February ones then??


Contact them and ask - I know that some people with conditions which become worse in the winter chose the OU because a Febrary start meant that most of the acadmic year coincided with when they weren't at their worst.  OTOH October starts have become more common as the OU tries to compete for recent school leavers who'd go to a physical university if they could afford it.


----------



## BlueSquareThing (Sep 23, 2014)

heinous seamus said:


> Was planning to pick up Open Uni again with the February start courses but every course I've checked only starts in October. Have they binned the February ones then??


More or less I think, yes. Certainly I'm pretty sure there's only one left in Computing (which I happen to need to do next...) and that there was a plan (possibly...) to move away from Feb starts entirely within the faculty at least.


----------



## Cid (Sep 23, 2014)

They have in law, last courses Feb courses are next year and only for special circs. No more after that.


----------



## heinous seamus (Sep 24, 2014)

Well quite frankly that's bollocks!


----------



## bemused (Sep 30, 2014)

I did my MBA with the OU, very worthwhile and never had an issue with people questioning it's validity.


----------



## Gerry1time (Sep 30, 2014)

bemused said:


> I did my MBA with the OU, very worthwhile and never had an issue with people questioning it's validity.



That's interesting, am pondering MBAs at the moment. The OU one is a ton cheaper than others, and have heard others recommend it too. Was it actually useful for your day to day work?


----------



## bemused (Sep 30, 2014)

Gerry1time said:


> That's interesting, am pondering MBAs at the moment. The OU one is a ton cheaper than others, and have heard others recommend it too. Was it actually useful for your day to day work?



The beauty of the OU MBA is that apart from some required units - strategy for example - you can tailor it to your requirements and because it takes a while you can also adapt it as you change your career.

My only word of warning is that some people I know who've gone onto get MBAs tend to assume that organisations will go weak at the knees and hire them on the spot - which just isn't so.


----------



## Buddy Bradley (Oct 17, 2014)

I'm sort of idly considering doing an OU degree - I dropped out of university after one year when I was 19, and it's always niggled that I don't have a degree. I have the spare time to do part-time study, and quite fancy doing an English Lit/Creative Writing BA.

If the 3 year course is like full-time study, does that mean the 6 year course involves 20-ish hours of study per week, every week for 6 years?  Or does it follow the regular education calendar, and you get regular holidays from studying?

Also, the OU website has a lot about student loans and paying back £30 a month once you're earning more than £22k. If you're already in full-time work and earning substantially more than that, can you still apply for a student loan?


----------



## dylanredefined (Oct 17, 2014)

Fucked up my loan application so no O.U. for me this year  Probably need to get my head into studying  again and be in the right frame of mind to do it justice. So I will see it as a good thing.


----------



## Greebo (Oct 17, 2014)

Buddy Bradley said:


> <snip> does that mean the 6 year course involves 20-ish hours of study per week, every week for 6 years?  Or does it follow the regular education calendar, and you get regular holidays from studying? <snip>


It's 9-10 months of each year.  No winter half term, no christmas break, no easter holiday etc either.


----------



## BlueSquareThing (Oct 17, 2014)

Greebo said:


> It's 9-10 months of each year.  No winter half term, no christmas break, no easter holiday etc either.


Well, most of my courses have a break of some kind in place over both Xmas and Easter I think. Just that I'm usually behind by then so I need to put some work in then (when I'm not in work) to get through.

Tbh the workload varies by course I find. I'm not sure I've ever done 20 hours a week other than around exam time.


----------



## Greebo (Oct 17, 2014)

BlueSquareThing said:


> <snip>Tbh the workload varies by course I find. I'm not sure I've ever done 20 hours a week other than around exam time.


AFAIK the 20 hours a week is more of a guideline than a rule.  The same as you could read everything on every booklist given to you at the beginning of the course, but I've yet to meet anyone who's ever done that.  *waits for workaholic swots more conscientious students to appear*


----------



## heinous seamus (Oct 20, 2014)

Aha! I've discovered that some politics / social sciences courses are still starting in February. Only thing is I'd need to change my overall subject to Open Studies rather than Humanities, but that's not much of a problem really.


----------



## heinous seamus (Jan 7, 2015)

I've been asked to bring "*proof of academic qualifications which meet the minimum criteria specified in the vacancy paperwork (three Highers or A levels/ or a HNC/HND/Btec Higher Diploma or equivalent)."*

I have 120 credits of level 1 OU study (equivalent to an HNC) but all I have from the OU is the emails confirming I passed the modules. If I print those out and take them along will that suffice


----------



## Greebo (Jan 7, 2015)

heinous seamus said:


> <snip> I have 120 credits of level 1 OU study (equivalent to an HNC) but all I have from the OU is the emails confirming I passed the modules. If I print those out and take them along will that suffice


Either just take the printout with you or contact the OU, explain the situation, and ask what they suggest.


----------



## whoha (Jan 7, 2015)

Check your student home page. Its still available even when youre not studying. There should be a link to your academic profile which you can download and print.


----------



## whoha (Jan 7, 2015)

Academic summary.not profile


----------



## heinous seamus (Jan 8, 2015)

Cheers, I guess that should be fine. If they're suspicious that I'm a fraud they can always check with the OU


----------

