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Postgraduate Certificate in Humanities

If you have a passion for the arts and are looking for an intellectual challenge, this certificate course provides you with an excellent opportunity to upgrade your qualifications. You will deepen your understanding of art history, classical studies, music or philosophy, while developing advanced research and analytical skills that will give you the edge in today’s competitive jobs market and prepare you for further academic study.

Key features of the course

Extends knowledge and skills acquired at undergraduate level
A choice of pathways enables you to focus your particular subject interest
Develops critical thinking skills that are highly prized by employers.

This certificate is the first stage of a study programme that progresses to a postgraduate diploma and a range of masters degrees. You can step off at any point, or study the whole programme.

Certificate

Course code: C20
Credits: 60
How long it takes: 1–10 years
Read more about how long it takes
Study method: Distance learning
Find out more in Why the OU?
Course cost: See Fees and funding
Entry requirements: Find out more about entry requirements.

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Course details

Modules

If you plan to study humanities beyond this certificate, we recommend that you read the following qualification descriptions before choosing your first module:

• MA in Art History (F33), MA in Classical Studies (F27), MA in Creative Writing (F71), MA in Music (F32) or MA in Philosophy (F30)

To gain this qualification, you need 60 credits from this list:

Optional modules	Credits	Next start
MA Art History part 1 (A843) This module explores the foundational concepts and recent developments that have shaped art history, with reference to subjects ranging from Renaissance Italy to the contemporary Caribbean. See full description	60	No current presentation
MA Classical Studies part 1 (A863) This module tackles the question, ‘How do we know what we know’ about ancient Greece and Rome by investigating classical studies as a multidisciplinary field. See full description	60	No current presentation
MA Creative Writing part 1 (A802) NEW This online module is an exciting opportunity to develop your skills in fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction and scriptwriting, using practical writing, reading and research activities. See full description	60	No current presentation
MA Music part 1 (A873) This module introduces a range of music research skills and you will consider written documents about music, musical criticism and performances in western and non-western music. See full description	60	No current presentation

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules A840, A850, A860, A870, AA810, AA820, AA830 or 60 credits of specified modules from the MA in Humanities programme including at least one of the discontinued 30-credit modules A810, A820 or A830.

The modules quoted in this description are currently available for study. However, as we review the curriculum on a regular basis, the exact selection may change over time.

Learning outcomes, teaching and assessment

The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:

Knowledge and understanding
Cognitive skills
Practical and professional skills
Key skills

Credit transfer

For this qualification, we do not allow you to count credit for study you have already done elsewhere.

On completion

On successful completion of the required modules you can be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Humanities entitling you to use the letters PG Cert (Hum) (Open) after your name.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the qualification-specific regulations below and the academic regulations that are available on our Essential Documents website.

Postgraduate Certificate in Humanities

Entry requirements

You must hold an honours degree to study for this qualification. Although your degree need not be in humanities, you must have the basic skills expected of a graduate in that area. The first module brings you up to date with the latest ideas and approaches in humanities but does not offer remedial undergraduate training if your qualifications and/or experience are inadequate.

Before you enter the certificate you must be able to:

write clear, concise, accurate prose
read large quantities of text quickly, accurately and critically
classify evidence precisely and assess its value and reliability
argue logically, consistently and skeptically
marshal various sorts of evidence to support a logical argument.

If you would like help to assess your preparedness you can contact us for advice.

How long it takes

Modules on this certificate are studied during a fixed period each year. The minimum overall time in which it is possible to complete the qualification is two years, studying the modules consecutively. If you do not study the modules consecutively, you must have completed them by a maximum of 10 years to qualify for the certificate.

Career relevance

Studying the Postgraduate Certificate in Humanities will provide you with an opportunity to build on skills acquired at undergraduate level. It will further develop your capability to read and analyse large amounts of written material and improve on your ability to convert knowledge acquired during your studies into lucid written responses. These transferable skills are in demand in many areas of the public and private sector, such as advertising, marketing and public relations; educational, charity and development; or government and public administration.

Completing the certificate will give you a worthwhile qualification in its own right, and you can also count the credits towards one of our MAs providing you take account of the unique study rule.

There is more information about how OU study can improve your employability in the OU’s Employability Statement from our Careers Advisory Service. You can also read or download our publication OU study and your career and look at our subject pages to find out about career opportunities.

Postgraduate Certificate in Humanities

Key features of the course

Certificate

Request your prospectus

Course details

Modules

To gain this qualification, you need 60 credits from this list:

Learning outcomes, teaching and assessment

Credit transfer

On completion

Regulations

Entry requirements

How long it takes

Career relevance

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Study

Policy

Course details

Modules

To gain this qualification, you need 60 credits from this list:

Learning outcomes, teaching and assessment

Credit transfer

On completion

Regulations

Entry requirements

How long it takes

Career relevance

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