Open University
Milton Keynes
Masters at the OU
I'm considering doing an MA at the OU as it seems to be a perfect fit because: there is ZERO funding in the arts for a masters; I am now considering switching from my BA subject (philosophy) to english literature and the OU is the only place that will allow me to do so; and lastly, I will be working abroad so I need to do it all online. I do have a few questions that I'd be grateful for some help with:
1. how long does an MA take with the OU studying a) part-time and b) full-time?
2. can you still realistically get PhD funding afterwards? Has anyone here done so?
3. I heard that your grade for each module is the lowest grade you receive from any essay or exam - is this actually true? And is it still the case for a masters? It seems bizarre.
4. Is anyone doing an MA here or has anyone finished one? It would be good to hear about your experience of postgraduate study with the OU.
1. how long does an MA take with the OU studying a) part-time and b) full-time?
2. can you still realistically get PhD funding afterwards? Has anyone here done so?
3. I heard that your grade for each module is the lowest grade you receive from any essay or exam - is this actually true? And is it still the case for a masters? It seems bizarre.
4. Is anyone doing an MA here or has anyone finished one? It would be good to hear about your experience of postgraduate study with the OU.
Is it this course you're looking at? If so, from what I can see, the pace seems to go:
Part 1: Oct 14 - Jan 16
Part 2: May 16 - Jan 17
(Or, you know, counting from whatever year you start in.) You could take a break between the two modules and do Part 2 a year (or more) later, but it says you have to complete Part 1 before going on to Part 2, so there doesn't appear to be a way to do it faster.
For undergraduate modules, the way it works is that each module consists of both coursework (OCAS - overall continuous assessment score); and an examined component (OES - overall examinable score), which might be an exam or a further assignment (an EMA). Your mark is basically the level you reach in both components, so it's not quite down to a single essay because there are usually several pieces of coursework (TMAs) averaged together (possibly with some weighted more heavily than others), but the exam or EMA can hit you. And yes, it is a bit bizarre, but you get used to it. No idea if it's the same for postgraduate modules (and, if we're really honest, my helpfulness doesn't quite extend to reading the assessment regulations for a course I'm not doing) but there's a bunch of documentation toward the bottom of the course page which should cover this.
Part 1: Oct 14 - Jan 16
Part 2: May 16 - Jan 17
(Or, you know, counting from whatever year you start in.) You could take a break between the two modules and do Part 2 a year (or more) later, but it says you have to complete Part 1 before going on to Part 2, so there doesn't appear to be a way to do it faster.
For undergraduate modules, the way it works is that each module consists of both coursework (OCAS - overall continuous assessment score); and an examined component (OES - overall examinable score), which might be an exam or a further assignment (an EMA). Your mark is basically the level you reach in both components, so it's not quite down to a single essay because there are usually several pieces of coursework (TMAs) averaged together (possibly with some weighted more heavily than others), but the exam or EMA can hit you. And yes, it is a bit bizarre, but you get used to it. No idea if it's the same for postgraduate modules (and, if we're really honest, my helpfulness doesn't quite extend to reading the assessment regulations for a course I'm not doing) but there's a bunch of documentation toward the bottom of the course page which should cover this.
(edited 9 years ago)
Open University
Milton Keynes
Original post by Persipan
Is it this course you're looking at? If so, from what I can see, the pace seems to go:
Part 1: Oct 14 - Jan 16
Part 2: May 16 - Jan 17
(Or, you know, counting from whatever year you start in.) You could take a break between the two modules and do Part 2 a year (or more) later, but it says you have to complete Part 1 before going on to Part 2, so there doesn't appear to be a way to do it faster.
For undergraduate modules, the way it works is that each module consists of both coursework (OCAS - overall continuous assessment score); and an examined component (OES - overall examinable score), which might be an exam or a further assignment (an EMA). Your mark is basically the level you reach in both components, so it's not quite down to a single essay because there are usually several pieces of coursework (TMAs) averaged together (possibly with some weighted more heavily than others), but the exam or EMA can hit you. And yes, it is a bit bizarre, but you get used to it. No idea if it's the same for postgraduate modules (and, if we're really honest, my helpfulness doesn't quite extend to reading the assessment regulations for a course I'm not doing) but there's a bunch of documentation toward the bottom of the course page which should cover this.
Part 1: Oct 14 - Jan 16
Part 2: May 16 - Jan 17
(Or, you know, counting from whatever year you start in.) You could take a break between the two modules and do Part 2 a year (or more) later, but it says you have to complete Part 1 before going on to Part 2, so there doesn't appear to be a way to do it faster.
For undergraduate modules, the way it works is that each module consists of both coursework (OCAS - overall continuous assessment score); and an examined component (OES - overall examinable score), which might be an exam or a further assignment (an EMA). Your mark is basically the level you reach in both components, so it's not quite down to a single essay because there are usually several pieces of coursework (TMAs) averaged together (possibly with some weighted more heavily than others), but the exam or EMA can hit you. And yes, it is a bit bizarre, but you get used to it. No idea if it's the same for postgraduate modules (and, if we're really honest, my helpfulness doesn't quite extend to reading the assessment regulations for a course I'm not doing) but there's a bunch of documentation toward the bottom of the course page which should cover this.
Hi thanks for the reply. So is that for full-time or part-time?
Right that makes more sense, and it answers my question because the MA English is coursework only.
Ok it seems that the courses are all part-time as standard. I suppose 2 years and 3 months isn't too bad as a normal part-time masters would take 2 years but it still seems a little long, and the delay is because you have to wait several months before you can start the dissertation, which doesn't make much sense. Similarly, the MA Philosophy would take 2 years 9 months (!) because each module begins in Jan and ends in October so you have to waste 3 months waiting between each module.
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