Likelihood of being accepted into a masters programme from a prestigious university?

Hi,

I'm 25 and last October I enrolled into Open University's BSc Computing & IT course. Provided I achieve a 1:1 in 4 years, what are the chances of being accepted into a masters programme at one of the higher ranked unis in London (UCL, Kings etc)

Would their admissions office look down on a degree from the 'lesser' OU? And hypothetically, if I do get accepted and do well and come out with a masters from one of these aforementioned unis, what would the job prospects look like and would employers knowing I attended OU for my Bachelors be a hindrance?

Reply 1

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by Jquery000

It's possible, but nobody can say what the chances of admission are. Admissions won't care where your degree came from (or whether you studied via distance-learning or not), but they will care about the content of your degree. It might be an idea to send a speculative email to a few unis, say you're interested in this MSc and ask them if they think your degree's modules would satisfy their requirements.

Employers like OU degrees, with or without a MSc from a top uni. Again, your modules and skill set matter much more than where you got your degree from.

Open University

Milton Keynes

Reply 2

username3456172

The OU is not a lesser institution and is regarded pretty highly. I only recently discovered the OU and I am about to embark on a BA English Literature (Hons) degree with them in February to hopefully pursue a career in teaching. Obviously, I had skeptic views of the OU purely on the basis that I had never heard of it before and I decided to call up a fair few reputable institutions to get an inside opinion. All the responses were purely for English but I feel the reputation of the OU speaks for itself in some of the responses.

Results:

Durham: Funnily enough I spoke to an academic who teaches the MA in Durham about my OU BA and they assured me having a 2:1 from the OU would be fine and they commented on the nature of study stating that they operate the MA with a similar emphasis on independent learning that the OU BA degrees contain. Durham is currently #1 for English in the UK.
The University of Leeds: The OU degree is fine for the MA Literature course providing it is a 2:1.
The University of Chester: The OU degree is fine for the MA course providing it is a 2:2 (I thought the 2:2 was low but that is what they told me :s)
Edge Hill University: The OU degree is fine providing it is at a 2:1 for the PGCE and the MA English.
DeMonfort University: Welcomed a member of TSR recently with a 2:1 in Language and Literature with open arms
University of Liverpool: The OU degree is fine providing it is at a 2:1
The University of Manchester: The OU degree is fine providing it is at a 2:1
Liverpool Hope: The OU degree is fine providing it is at a 2:1
The University of Birmingham: The OU degree is fine providing it is at a 2:1

Your highest academic achievement trumps all previous achievements in the eyes of many employers. I feel that they would look at your highest academic achievement. The OU BA (Hons) degrees are very much equivalent to a degree from other institutions. University level study in the UK is regulated by the government, a university cant award a BA (Hons) without it holding its weight.