Open University
Milton Keynes
Does an open degree rather than a named degree disadvantage me in all respects?
So I want to study an Open Degree to tailor my studies specifically to a degree course that the Open University does not run, but that is an area I've always wanted to study, this is also the area I intend to study at masters level. The question is, if my chances of ever getting onto a masters or Phd are very remote (and I hope they aren't!) is it worth it to me to get the Open Degree rather than the named degree if the Open Degree has no value of it's own or to others? (It would mean a lot to me to say I studied the subject I wanted, even if it isn't on the piece of paper stating that! My transcript will speak otherwise I hope).
I dropped out of my original course after a few years, I got good grades, but I was not happy with the choice of subject that my parents essentially picked for me (along with the top tier and overly posh university that left me feeling like a duck out of water.)
Do I have any chance of getting on a masters? (Let alone a Phd, and attracting funding for that one day), with an 'Open Degree' rather than a named degree?
My family is very annoyed at me also. They would like me to transfer my credits to a named degree (in the subject I dropped at my original place of study because I did not like it amongst other reasons). They still insist that my ambitions (since I was about 10 years old) are an 'academic pipe dream', and that I should pursue teaching or something similar and sensible, and also that I should on no account do an Open Degree because employers will ALWAYS put the named degree first simply because it looks more committed and they understand it. This ignores the fact I'm choosing to do the Open Degree because I'm very passionate about the subject I want to study that the OU doesn't offer specifically (to explain better, it is closely related to Archaeological Sciences and combines both humanities, geology and biology.)
They have a point. I have small children to support (and this is why I am studying with the OU in the first place and not a regular university), and I have a terrible boring low paid job, with no hope despite trying of ever getting a better one. I have excellent A-levels and a Diploma of Higher Education from a top tier university, but I have not passed an interview for a better job probably because I'm a university drop out and because everyone else applying has degrees. My family think the Open Degree is as useful has having no bit of paper at all as far as my job prospects are concerned.
I am torn between 'surviving' and 'dreaming'. I have no one to offer me impartial advice.
The thing is, I think I'll go mad if I don't pursue my dream to be an academic or researcher in the field I truly love, even if I never get all the way, just having a masters in the subject would be a huge achievement for me, which is not possible without a significant science component to my undergraduate degree.
I should add I have taken a science module (free standing) at OU level 3 and achieved an 84% pass, so one mark away from a pass 1 (arg!), but I'm happy with the pass 2. As that was the first science I studied since A-level and I jumped right in like a mad person at level 3, I am happy with that. I wanted to see if I could, and also I was initially thinking I could just do a few free-standing science modules whilst I completed my history degree with the OU, however I think it would be better just to do these modules within the Open Degree, due to money reasons and because it looks more committed from an academic perspective (if not to an employer!), hm, I'm not sure! Is that another possibility to appease both MSc course leaders and family members?
I hope someone can help with this.
I dropped out of my original course after a few years, I got good grades, but I was not happy with the choice of subject that my parents essentially picked for me (along with the top tier and overly posh university that left me feeling like a duck out of water.)
Do I have any chance of getting on a masters? (Let alone a Phd, and attracting funding for that one day), with an 'Open Degree' rather than a named degree?
My family is very annoyed at me also. They would like me to transfer my credits to a named degree (in the subject I dropped at my original place of study because I did not like it amongst other reasons). They still insist that my ambitions (since I was about 10 years old) are an 'academic pipe dream', and that I should pursue teaching or something similar and sensible, and also that I should on no account do an Open Degree because employers will ALWAYS put the named degree first simply because it looks more committed and they understand it. This ignores the fact I'm choosing to do the Open Degree because I'm very passionate about the subject I want to study that the OU doesn't offer specifically (to explain better, it is closely related to Archaeological Sciences and combines both humanities, geology and biology.)
They have a point. I have small children to support (and this is why I am studying with the OU in the first place and not a regular university), and I have a terrible boring low paid job, with no hope despite trying of ever getting a better one. I have excellent A-levels and a Diploma of Higher Education from a top tier university, but I have not passed an interview for a better job probably because I'm a university drop out and because everyone else applying has degrees. My family think the Open Degree is as useful has having no bit of paper at all as far as my job prospects are concerned.
I am torn between 'surviving' and 'dreaming'. I have no one to offer me impartial advice.
The thing is, I think I'll go mad if I don't pursue my dream to be an academic or researcher in the field I truly love, even if I never get all the way, just having a masters in the subject would be a huge achievement for me, which is not possible without a significant science component to my undergraduate degree.
I should add I have taken a science module (free standing) at OU level 3 and achieved an 84% pass, so one mark away from a pass 1 (arg!), but I'm happy with the pass 2. As that was the first science I studied since A-level and I jumped right in like a mad person at level 3, I am happy with that. I wanted to see if I could, and also I was initially thinking I could just do a few free-standing science modules whilst I completed my history degree with the OU, however I think it would be better just to do these modules within the Open Degree, due to money reasons and because it looks more committed from an academic perspective (if not to an employer!), hm, I'm not sure! Is that another possibility to appease both MSc course leaders and family members?
I hope someone can help with this.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by snowyowl1
So I want to study an Open Degree to tailor my studies specifically to a degree course that the Open University does not run, but that is an area I've always wanted to study, this is also the area I intend to study at masters level. The question is, if my chances of ever getting onto a masters or Phd are very remote (and I hope they aren't!) is it worth it to me to get the Open Degree rather than the named degree if the Open Degree has no value of it's own or to others? (It would mean a lot to me to say I studied the subject I wanted, even if it isn't on the piece of paper stating that! My transcript will speak otherwise I hope).
I dropped out of my original course after a few years, I got good grades, but I was not happy with the choice of subject that my parents essentially picked for me (along with the top tier and overly posh university that left me feeling like a duck out of water.)
Do I have any chance of getting on a masters? (Let alone a Phd, and attracting funding for that one day), with an 'Open Degree' rather than a named degree?
My family is very annoyed at me also. They would like me to transfer my credits to a named degree (in the subject I dropped at my original place of study because I did not like it amongst other reasons). They still insist that my ambitions (since I was about 10 years old) are an 'academic pipe dream', and that I should pursue teaching or something similar and sensible, and also that I should on no account do an Open Degree because employers will ALWAYS put the named degree first simply because it looks more committed and they understand it. This ignores the fact I'm choosing to do the Open Degree because I'm very passionate about the subject I want to study that the OU doesn't offer specifically (to explain better, it is closely related to Archaeological Sciences and combines both humanities, geology and biology.)
They have a point. I have small children to support (and this is why I am studying with the OU in the first place and not a regular university), and I have a terrible boring low paid job, with no hope despite trying of ever getting a better one. I have excellent A-levels and a Diploma of Higher Education from a top tier university, but I have not passed an interview for a better job probably because I'm a university drop out and because everyone else applying has degrees. My family think the Open Degree is as useful has having no bit of paper at all as far as my job prospects are concerned.
I am torn between 'surviving' and 'dreaming'. I have no one to offer me impartial advice.
The thing is, I think I'll go mad if I don't pursue my dream to be an academic or researcher in the field I truly love, even if I never get all the way, just having a masters in the subject would be a huge achievement for me, which is not possible without a significant science component to my undergraduate degree.
I should add I have taken a science module (free standing) at OU level 3 and achieved an 84% pass, so one mark away from a pass 1 (arg!), but I'm happy with the pass 2. As that was the first science I studied since A-level and I jumped right in like a mad person at level 3, I am happy with that. I wanted to see if I could, and also I was initially thinking I could just do a few free-standing science modules whilst I completed my history degree with the OU, however I think it would be better just to do these modules within the Open Degree, due to money reasons and because it looks more committed from an academic perspective (if not to an employer!), hm, I'm not sure! Is that another possibility to appease both MSc course leaders and family members?
I hope someone can help with this.
I dropped out of my original course after a few years, I got good grades, but I was not happy with the choice of subject that my parents essentially picked for me (along with the top tier and overly posh university that left me feeling like a duck out of water.)
Do I have any chance of getting on a masters? (Let alone a Phd, and attracting funding for that one day), with an 'Open Degree' rather than a named degree?
My family is very annoyed at me also. They would like me to transfer my credits to a named degree (in the subject I dropped at my original place of study because I did not like it amongst other reasons). They still insist that my ambitions (since I was about 10 years old) are an 'academic pipe dream', and that I should pursue teaching or something similar and sensible, and also that I should on no account do an Open Degree because employers will ALWAYS put the named degree first simply because it looks more committed and they understand it. This ignores the fact I'm choosing to do the Open Degree because I'm very passionate about the subject I want to study that the OU doesn't offer specifically (to explain better, it is closely related to Archaeological Sciences and combines both humanities, geology and biology.)
They have a point. I have small children to support (and this is why I am studying with the OU in the first place and not a regular university), and I have a terrible boring low paid job, with no hope despite trying of ever getting a better one. I have excellent A-levels and a Diploma of Higher Education from a top tier university, but I have not passed an interview for a better job probably because I'm a university drop out and because everyone else applying has degrees. My family think the Open Degree is as useful has having no bit of paper at all as far as my job prospects are concerned.
I am torn between 'surviving' and 'dreaming'. I have no one to offer me impartial advice.
The thing is, I think I'll go mad if I don't pursue my dream to be an academic or researcher in the field I truly love, even if I never get all the way, just having a masters in the subject would be a huge achievement for me, which is not possible without a significant science component to my undergraduate degree.
I should add I have taken a science module (free standing) at OU level 3 and achieved an 84% pass, so one mark away from a pass 1 (arg!), but I'm happy with the pass 2. As that was the first science I studied since A-level and I jumped right in like a mad person at level 3, I am happy with that. I wanted to see if I could, and also I was initially thinking I could just do a few free-standing science modules whilst I completed my history degree with the OU, however I think it would be better just to do these modules within the Open Degree, due to money reasons and because it looks more committed from an academic perspective (if not to an employer!), hm, I'm not sure! Is that another possibility to appease both MSc course leaders and family members?
I hope someone can help with this.
I do not know for certain. In addition, there will be many people who will give you biased viewpoints here.
Here is what I have to say:
Two scenarios: 1. Open degree and modules of composition X; 2. Named degree and modules of composition X. I do not think that anyone would claim 1 to be superior to 2. In addition, picture this: On your LinkedIn, academic, whatever accounts, you'll have Open Degree instead of, say, Mathematics. Clearly scenario 2 seems better.
But from what I can tell, it seems that the named degree does not give you optimal module choices. The question is: how much of a difference is there? If it's just one module, I would probably choose the named degree.
I had a similar decision to you. I already have a degree in Genetics from a 'brick' university. I wanted to do all physics, but that would require I do a Natural Sciences degree. Whilst Cambridge has the same named degree, I thought to myself: "I already have a degree in Genetics (natural science), so won't this look a bit weird? Everytime someone looks at my academic profile I am going to have to explain this. Do I want to explain this a couple of thousand times in my lifetime? Not to mention the fact that "Maths and Physics" has "Physics" in the title."
I have since started on my study materials, and I actually love the Maths so that ended up being serendipitous...
I think you should tell us some more specific information. Let us know exactly what you want to do and maybe our advice will be more potent.
Oh, and please don't let your parents ruin your ambition. There are some remarkably talentless individuals who have accomplished significant things in the universe just by working very, very hard and having some luck, so if they can do it, many others can (talented or not).
If you go into teaching (secondary, I assume) you will be depressed for forty years of your life.
Can you get onto a Masters? Certainly. If you tell the University which modules you did, you'll have a great chance. I think that you might have to explain why you did an Open Degree, rather than a named one though. It should not be too difficult, but of course, the fewer asterisks you have to put next to an application, the less work for the admissions personnel, and hence the more likely they are to offer you an interview (though I imagine this might be negligible).
I don't know how much time you have, but here's a good idea: use an email account that does not have your name on it and simply email some admissions tutors, asking them if they'd accept or if they have accepted an Open Degree in the past. I am 100% certain that it has happened, but you might get some other helpful advice from them.
Open University
Milton Keynes
Original post by snowyowl1
So I want to study an Open Degree to tailor my studies specifically to a degree course that the Open University does not run, but that is an area I've always wanted to study, this is also the area I intend to study at masters level. The question is, if my chances of ever getting onto a masters or Phd are very remote (and I hope they aren't!) is it worth it to me to get the Open Degree rather than the named degree if the Open Degree has no value of it's own or to others? (It would mean a lot to me to say I studied the subject I wanted, even if it isn't on the piece of paper stating that! My transcript will speak otherwise I hope).
I dropped out of my original course after a few years, I got good grades, but I was not happy with the choice of subject that my parents essentially picked for me (along with the top tier and overly posh university that left me feeling like a duck out of water.)
Do I have any chance of getting on a masters? (Let alone a Phd, and attracting funding for that one day), with an 'Open Degree' rather than a named degree?
My family is very annoyed at me also. They would like me to transfer my credits to a named degree (in the subject I dropped at my original place of study because I did not like it amongst other reasons). They still insist that my ambitions (since I was about 10 years old) are an 'academic pipe dream', and that I should pursue teaching or something similar and sensible, and also that I should on no account do an Open Degree because employers will ALWAYS put the named degree first simply because it looks more committed and they understand it. This ignores the fact I'm choosing to do the Open Degree because I'm very passionate about the subject I want to study that the OU doesn't offer specifically (to explain better, it is closely related to Archaeological Sciences and combines both humanities, geology and biology.)
They have a point. I have small children to support (and this is why I am studying with the OU in the first place and not a regular university), and I have a terrible boring low paid job, with no hope despite trying of ever getting a better one. I have excellent A-levels and a Diploma of Higher Education from a top tier university, but I have not passed an interview for a better job probably because I'm a university drop out and because everyone else applying has degrees. My family think the Open Degree is as useful has having no bit of paper at all as far as my job prospects are concerned.
I am torn between 'surviving' and 'dreaming'. I have no one to offer me impartial advice.
The thing is, I think I'll go mad if I don't pursue my dream to be an academic or researcher in the field I truly love, even if I never get all the way, just having a masters in the subject would be a huge achievement for me, which is not possible without a significant science component to my undergraduate degree.
I should add I have taken a science module (free standing) at OU level 3 and achieved an 84% pass, so one mark away from a pass 1 (arg!), but I'm happy with the pass 2. As that was the first science I studied since A-level and I jumped right in like a mad person at level 3, I am happy with that. I wanted to see if I could, and also I was initially thinking I could just do a few free-standing science modules whilst I completed my history degree with the OU, however I think it would be better just to do these modules within the Open Degree, due to money reasons and because it looks more committed from an academic perspective (if not to an employer!), hm, I'm not sure! Is that another possibility to appease both MSc course leaders and family members?
I hope someone can help with this.
I dropped out of my original course after a few years, I got good grades, but I was not happy with the choice of subject that my parents essentially picked for me (along with the top tier and overly posh university that left me feeling like a duck out of water.)
Do I have any chance of getting on a masters? (Let alone a Phd, and attracting funding for that one day), with an 'Open Degree' rather than a named degree?
My family is very annoyed at me also. They would like me to transfer my credits to a named degree (in the subject I dropped at my original place of study because I did not like it amongst other reasons). They still insist that my ambitions (since I was about 10 years old) are an 'academic pipe dream', and that I should pursue teaching or something similar and sensible, and also that I should on no account do an Open Degree because employers will ALWAYS put the named degree first simply because it looks more committed and they understand it. This ignores the fact I'm choosing to do the Open Degree because I'm very passionate about the subject I want to study that the OU doesn't offer specifically (to explain better, it is closely related to Archaeological Sciences and combines both humanities, geology and biology.)
They have a point. I have small children to support (and this is why I am studying with the OU in the first place and not a regular university), and I have a terrible boring low paid job, with no hope despite trying of ever getting a better one. I have excellent A-levels and a Diploma of Higher Education from a top tier university, but I have not passed an interview for a better job probably because I'm a university drop out and because everyone else applying has degrees. My family think the Open Degree is as useful has having no bit of paper at all as far as my job prospects are concerned.
I am torn between 'surviving' and 'dreaming'. I have no one to offer me impartial advice.
The thing is, I think I'll go mad if I don't pursue my dream to be an academic or researcher in the field I truly love, even if I never get all the way, just having a masters in the subject would be a huge achievement for me, which is not possible without a significant science component to my undergraduate degree.
I should add I have taken a science module (free standing) at OU level 3 and achieved an 84% pass, so one mark away from a pass 1 (arg!), but I'm happy with the pass 2. As that was the first science I studied since A-level and I jumped right in like a mad person at level 3, I am happy with that. I wanted to see if I could, and also I was initially thinking I could just do a few free-standing science modules whilst I completed my history degree with the OU, however I think it would be better just to do these modules within the Open Degree, due to money reasons and because it looks more committed from an academic perspective (if not to an employer!), hm, I'm not sure! Is that another possibility to appease both MSc course leaders and family members?
I hope someone can help with this.
Hi,
I agree with the other reply that you could test out the value of an Open degree by emailing a few masters courses and seeing what they say.
I'm just coming to the end of the OU's Natural Sciences degree. In the 1990s, I did a degree with the OU in psychology - in those days, they didn't have any named degrees: everyone got an Open degree and you used your transcript to show what you'd covered. With my Open degree, I got onto a masters and then a PhD.
Unless you get negative responses from any masters courses you contact, I'd go with doing an Open degree if it's going to allow you to do the combination of subjects that you want to do.
Good luck!
Original post by snowyowl1
So I want to study an Open Degree to tailor my studies specifically to a degree course that the Open University does not run, but that is an area I've always wanted to study, this is also the area I intend to study at masters level. The question is, if my chances of ever getting onto a masters or Phd are very remote (and I hope they aren't!) is it worth it to me to get the Open Degree rather than the named degree if the Open Degree has no value of it's own or to others? (It would mean a lot to me to say I studied the subject I wanted, even if it isn't on the piece of paper stating that! My transcript will speak otherwise I hope).
I dropped out of my original course after a few years, I got good grades, but I was not happy with the choice of subject that my parents essentially picked for me (along with the top tier and overly posh university that left me feeling like a duck out of water.)
Do I have any chance of getting on a masters? (Let alone a Phd, and attracting funding for that one day), with an 'Open Degree' rather than a named degree?
My family is very annoyed at me also. They would like me to transfer my credits to a named degree (in the subject I dropped at my original place of study because I did not like it amongst other reasons). They still insist that my ambitions (since I was about 10 years old) are an 'academic pipe dream', and that I should pursue teaching or something similar and sensible, and also that I should on no account do an Open Degree because employers will ALWAYS put the named degree first simply because it looks more committed and they understand it. This ignores the fact I'm choosing to do the Open Degree because I'm very passionate about the subject I want to study that the OU doesn't offer specifically (to explain better, it is closely related to Archaeological Sciences and combines both humanities, geology and biology.)
They have a point. I have small children to support (and this is why I am studying with the OU in the first place and not a regular university), and I have a terrible boring low paid job, with no hope despite trying of ever getting a better one. I have excellent A-levels and a Diploma of Higher Education from a top tier university, but I have not passed an interview for a better job probably because I'm a university drop out and because everyone else applying has degrees. My family think the Open Degree is as useful has having no bit of paper at all as far as my job prospects are concerned.
I am torn between 'surviving' and 'dreaming'. I have no one to offer me impartial advice.
The thing is, I think I'll go mad if I don't pursue my dream to be an academic or researcher in the field I truly love, even if I never get all the way, just having a masters in the subject would be a huge achievement for me, which is not possible without a significant science component to my undergraduate degree.
I should add I have taken a science module (free standing) at OU level 3 and achieved an 84% pass, so one mark away from a pass 1 (arg!), but I'm happy with the pass 2. As that was the first science I studied since A-level and I jumped right in like a mad person at level 3, I am happy with that. I wanted to see if I could, and also I was initially thinking I could just do a few free-standing science modules whilst I completed my history degree with the OU, however I think it would be better just to do these modules within the Open Degree, due to money reasons and because it looks more committed from an academic perspective (if not to an employer!), hm, I'm not sure! Is that another possibility to appease both MSc course leaders and family members?
I hope someone can help with this.
I dropped out of my original course after a few years, I got good grades, but I was not happy with the choice of subject that my parents essentially picked for me (along with the top tier and overly posh university that left me feeling like a duck out of water.)
Do I have any chance of getting on a masters? (Let alone a Phd, and attracting funding for that one day), with an 'Open Degree' rather than a named degree?
My family is very annoyed at me also. They would like me to transfer my credits to a named degree (in the subject I dropped at my original place of study because I did not like it amongst other reasons). They still insist that my ambitions (since I was about 10 years old) are an 'academic pipe dream', and that I should pursue teaching or something similar and sensible, and also that I should on no account do an Open Degree because employers will ALWAYS put the named degree first simply because it looks more committed and they understand it. This ignores the fact I'm choosing to do the Open Degree because I'm very passionate about the subject I want to study that the OU doesn't offer specifically (to explain better, it is closely related to Archaeological Sciences and combines both humanities, geology and biology.)
They have a point. I have small children to support (and this is why I am studying with the OU in the first place and not a regular university), and I have a terrible boring low paid job, with no hope despite trying of ever getting a better one. I have excellent A-levels and a Diploma of Higher Education from a top tier university, but I have not passed an interview for a better job probably because I'm a university drop out and because everyone else applying has degrees. My family think the Open Degree is as useful has having no bit of paper at all as far as my job prospects are concerned.
I am torn between 'surviving' and 'dreaming'. I have no one to offer me impartial advice.
The thing is, I think I'll go mad if I don't pursue my dream to be an academic or researcher in the field I truly love, even if I never get all the way, just having a masters in the subject would be a huge achievement for me, which is not possible without a significant science component to my undergraduate degree.
I should add I have taken a science module (free standing) at OU level 3 and achieved an 84% pass, so one mark away from a pass 1 (arg!), but I'm happy with the pass 2. As that was the first science I studied since A-level and I jumped right in like a mad person at level 3, I am happy with that. I wanted to see if I could, and also I was initially thinking I could just do a few free-standing science modules whilst I completed my history degree with the OU, however I think it would be better just to do these modules within the Open Degree, due to money reasons and because it looks more committed from an academic perspective (if not to an employer!), hm, I'm not sure! Is that another possibility to appease both MSc course leaders and family members?
I hope someone can help with this.
I wish you the best of luck with your dreams and aspirations OP
I think doing an open degree sounds like the best option if you can combine the modules that give you the best preparation for your MSc. Also i do believe focusing on those modules you find most interesting will make it significantly more likely you will apply yourself more and devote more time to their study.
Best wishes,
Daya
I think like others have said OP the main thing that people are interested in both for Postgrad and employers is the degree classification and whether the modules you've studied in your degree are relevant.
I'm in the same situation as you in that I want to do management consulting specialising in public policy and the OU don't do a business and politics named degree so i'm doing an Open Degree instead. I think as long as you can show on your Academic Transcript what you've been doing then that the most important thing.
I'm in the same situation as you in that I want to do management consulting specialising in public policy and the OU don't do a business and politics named degree so i'm doing an Open Degree instead. I think as long as you can show on your Academic Transcript what you've been doing then that the most important thing.
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