Welcome to The Open University's research degrees prospectus. Explore our list of research areas to find out more about our research priorities, philosophy, environments and facilities; look at the degrees we offer; find out what it’s like to be an OU research student; and see our fees and available funding. When you’re ready, we tell you how to apply. Funded studentships are advertised on our jobs page.
Key facts about OU research
- We ranked in the top third of UK universities in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 using the Times Higher Education Power Score.
- In the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) 2019, 87% of OU postgraduate research students said they were satisfied with the quality of their programme (6% up on sector average).
- Around 900 postgraduate research students are currently studying with the OU: some at our campus in Milton Keynes and others around the globe and linked through our Affiliated Research Centre programme.