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Open University

Milton Keynes

Don’t give up on your degree – ask your questions to our Open University advisor

If you've decided that full-time university isn't for you, The Open University might be able to help.

If you are already a registered student with us then please contact the Student Registration and Enquiry Service on 0845 300 6090 please do not post and personal information in this thread (that includes Personal Identifiers where applicable)

(edited 13 years ago)

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Reply 1

username392640

Open Uni

If you've decided that full-time university isn't for you, The Open University might be able to help.

On the 5th, 6th and 7th May we’ll be answering questions left on this forum from anyone considering us as an option. We will be able to give you information on areas such as how to get previous high education study counted towards a qualification with the Open University and general enquiries relating to beginning study with us.

If you are already a registered student with us then please contact he Student Registration and Enquiry Service on 0845 300 6090 please do not post and personal information in this thread (that includes Personal Identifiers where applicable)

please explain what the difference is between your uni and a normal uni?

Open University

Milton Keynes

Reply 2

raspberryswirl

TheProdigy2k9

please explain what the difference is between your uni and a normal uni?

Open Uni is distance learning and you don't need any prior qualifications to enrol.

Reply 3

MancStudent098

Can modules be studied at my own pace or do they have set timetables for completion? e.g. could I study a particular module over the course of two years instead of one.

Reply 4

Open Uni

MancStudent098

Can modules be studied at my own pace or do they have set timetables for completion? e.g. could I study a particular module over the course of two years instead of one.

Open University courses or modules will have fixed start and end dates, these apply to all students studying the course. The assessments throughout the course also have fixed submission dates, however extensions can be granted under certain conditions.

We will lay out what you should be studying each week in your study calendar but it's left to you to complete the study at a time that is appropriate for you. If you decide not to study one week you will then obviously have to increase your study in the following weeks to make up for lost time.

Reply 5

Open Uni

TheProdigy2k9

please explain what the difference is between your uni and a normal uni?

raspberryswirl is correct, we are a Distance Learning institution and we do not impose academic entry requirements upon our undergraduate study.

Distance Learning is done at home in your spare time, we post you the course materials and give you a study plan to follow and you do the study when you can. You will submit assessments throughout the course and then either sit an examination or submit a larger essay/coursework based assessment at the end.

We also operate an Open Door policy, meaning you do not need to have any form of previous qualification to study with us; we just ask that you start at a level that is appropriate for you.

Bricks & Mortar "Normal" Universities will require full time, sometimes part time, attendance at lectures or tutorials. We still hold tutorials on our courses but the vast majority of them are not compulsory meaning you don’t have to attend if you don’t want too.

Reply 6

Moggs

MancStudent098

Can modules be studied at my own pace or do they have set timetables for completion? e.g. could I study a particular module over the course of two years instead of one.

Open Uni

Just to add a little to this. While modules have set times and dates for exams and assessments, you could still study half the number of modules in a year. The deadlines remain the same, but this would either give you double time to put in to them or half the workload, depending which way you look at it.

I don't recall the max time limit to complete the degree. 10 years is it?

Reply 7

beatrixface

Hi,
I have applied to go to university in September, but I'm seriously doubting it. I just don't feel ready to go this year. So I was looking into the Open University and it seems like a really good option, I don't know why we were never told about this in school or college!

Anyway, I'm not going to rule out the option of going to brick university in the future. I know that any credits you receive through the open university can be put towards a degree at a brick uni or even gain you entry into the second year of the course, and I know that I need to contact unis individually for their specific rules regarding CATS, but how does that process actually work? Do the courses I'm doing with the OU have to be complete before I can apply to university with them, or can they be pending? The difference would mean applying for 2011 entry to uni or 2012 entry. Is it possible for someone at the OU to give references? Am I wrong for thinking that a reference after three months of study with the OU would not be possible (if I was applying through UCAS for 2011 entry)? Thanks for any answers in advance.

Reply 8

Noj2202

i was seriously contemplating doing some sort of degree in the line of forensic science/psycholgoy at the open uni but they are only offered as
criminology and psychological studies at undergrad level (not accredited by the BPS)
and an MSc in Forensic psychology and criminology (also not accredited by the BPS)
and there were no qualifications in forensic science
Please tell me if there is anyway to get accredited by the BPS by doing courses with the Open Uni??

Reply 9

Open Uni

Moggs

That is a possibility in most cases; it really depends on the degree structure and the courses available. We are more than happy to discuss and queries relating to workloads and time commitments to study.

To work out the suggested amount of study per week you can use the following formula:

(Course points x 10) divided by number of weeks

So a 60 point 9 month module would work out as

(6 x 10) / (9 * 4)
or 600 / 36
=(roughly) 16.5 hours per week

I usually advise people of between 16 - 20 hours study depending on study skills and level of study. Also this can vary from week to week depending on the course content.

Moggs

I don't recall the max time limit to complete the degree. 10 years is it?

As a general rule any course that becomes discontinued can be used towards a qualification for 10 years after it has been presented for the last time. This is not a direct indication of the time you have to complete your studies though!

For example our LLB (Bachelors of Laws) must be completed in 6 years (from the start with no transfer of credit) for it to be a Qualifying Law Degree. You can still claim the degree after the 6 years but you do not receive the recognition required to go on and progress into legal training, the courses will also count toward other qualifications for the 10 years after they are discontinued.

The Open Degree is at the other end of the spectrum as there is no time limit at all, you could study in 1992 and still use the courses after they have been discontinued for 15 years.

I hope that has cleared things up abit, time limits are very difficult for me to discuss unless I know which qualification we are talking about.

Reply 10

Open Uni

beatrixface

Anyway, I'm not going to rule out the option of going to brick university in the future. I know that any credits you receive through the open university can be put towards a degree at a brick uni or even gain you entry into the second year of the course, and I know that I need to contact unis individually for their specific rules regarding CATS, but how does that process actually work? Do the courses I'm doing with the OU have to be complete before I can apply to university with them, or can they be pending?

Unfortunately the answer to that question would lie with the institution you would be looking to transfer credits to, I know that we would request completed courses but each institution will have its own process and regulations regarding transfer of credit. We may be able to include some form of reference for the courses that you are currently completing but I would not be able to guarantee that you would be successful, I would suggest contacting the institutions you are thinking of to discuss their own credit transfer procedures and regulations.

beatrixface

Is it possible for someone at the OU to give references? Am I wrong for thinking that a reference after three months of study with the OU would not be possible (if I was applying through UCAS for 2011 entry)?

Your regional centre would be able to generate an academic reference for you, when you say after 3 months does that mean you’ve only been studying with us for 3 months? We may even be able to get a personal reference for you depending on the circumstances. Contact us on 0845 300 6090 and ask to speak to your Home Region to discuss references and we’ll get you through to someone to discuss this in a lot more detail.

Hope that helps.

Reply 11

Open Uni

Noj2202

Please tell me if there is anyway to get accredited by the BPS by doing courses with the Open Uni??

Currently we only offer 1 qualification that carries GBR (Graduate Basis for Registration) with the BPS; Our BSc in Psychology (code B07) if your interested in studying the B07 you will find our recognition leaflet helpful.

Unfortunately we do not offer any qualifications explicitly in forensic science; we do offer chemistry modules that could be relevant to entering forensics. Have you tried looking at Prospects.ac.uk regarding entry criteria for that specific career path? A quick search for "Forensic Science" pulled up useful information like this, specifically the Entry Requirements section.

Reply 12

Spiffy

Ive read on the forums that the Faculty of Science is due for a massive overhaul with many of the current named degrees being replaced with a "Natural Science with a specialism" degree instead. Is this still the case? I have been contemplating doing a science degree with the OU for a while now but this could throw a spanner in the works.

Also in regards to science degrees, what are the alternatives to residential schools? Im in full time employment and so its a little off putting having to take a whole week off work for them.

Reply 13

sallycow

Spiffy

Also in regards to science degrees, what are the alternatives to residential schools? Im in full time employment and so its a little off putting having to take a whole week off work for them.

After my first residential last year, I'm totally looking forward to my residential this year and the week off work etc. It's an amazing experience and I highly recommend it. However as far as I can tell they're looking to phase them out, and there's going to be some kind of other way of getting practical experience in, which is good for you but bad for me! sigh! :P

Reply 14

Plato's Trousers

Ok, I realise that the 5,6,7th May for OU questions has passed, but I live in hope...

Is there any way I can get hold of sample course materials to make sure I am enrolling on the right course? The descriptions of the courses are all very well, but I could do with seeing some of the actual stuff.

Thanks

Reply 15

Lunarsea

Plato's Trousers

That's what OpenLearn is for! It has chapters from the course materials so you can get a taste of the different courses before you sign up.

Linky to the maths section on there: http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/category.php?id=8

Reply 16

Plato's Trousers

Brilliant, Lunarsea! Thanks.

How come no one at the OU mentioned this to me in my many emails with them trying to decide on the right courses...!!

Reply 17

Open Uni

If you've decided that full-time university isn't for you, The Open University might be able to help.

On the 21st, 23rd and 25th June we’ll be answering questions left on this forum from anyone considering us as an option. We will be able to give you information on areas such as how to get previous high education study counted towards a qualification with the Open University and general enquiries relating to beginning study with us.

If you are already a registered student with us then please contact the Student Registration and Enquiry Service on 0845 300 6090 please do not post and personal information in this thread (that includes Personal Identifiers where applicable)

That's right we're back again, please feel free to leave any questions/queries you have relating to The Open University and I will do my best to answer them as fully as possible.

Reply 18

Open Uni

Plato's Trousers

Brilliant, Lunarsea! Thanks.

How come no one at the OU mentioned this to me in my many emails with them trying to decide on the right courses...!!

Unfornutly Plato's Trousers OpenLearn does not have modules from every course on and can sometimes cause more confusion than it helps. Also less expereinced members of staff may not be aware of the resources availalbe on OpenLearn. I have submitted a suggestion asking to raise the profile of OpenLearn within our training resources.

Reply 19

-G-a-v-

I've just finished a physics degree, but want to broaden my knowledge of biology and chemistry should I choose to apply for a Secondary Science PGCE. Would having a physics degree stop me doing the 'S104 Exploring Science' course (with covers elements of biology and chemistry as well as physics), with a view to completing a qualification (probably Diploma) in 'Natural Sciences' so I can combine study of biology and chemistry in one qualification?