The Open University

Student Katelyn Owens shares her 'life-changing' OU journey

“The OU saved my life. Now the sky’s the limit!”

1 August 2022

“Everybody takes a different path in life. You just have to find what’s right for you.” That’s the advice from 23-year-old Katelyn Owens who, after transferring to numerous universities and battling a substance use disorder has regained confidence and taken back control over her life. BA (Hons) Criminology & Sociology student Katelyn, now living in […]

‘Alternative’ weddings could become legally binding – report

29 July 2022

An Open University academic’s research has helped pave the way for the possibility of ‘alternative-style’ weddings becoming legally binding in England and Wales. Celebrants from non-religious belief organisations, such as humanists, already conduct legally binding weddings in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. If you attended a really personalised wedding-style ceremony this year, it was probably conducted […]

OU PhD student helps to unearth Jurassic marine world in farmer’s field

29 July 2022

The discovery of an incredible prehistoric site containing the remains of animals that lived in a tropical sea has been made by chance in a farmer’s field in Gloucestershire. Contained within hardened limestone concretions in clay, the three-dimensionally preserved remains of ancient marine reptiles, fish, squids, rare insects roughly 183-million-year-old have been revealed for the […]

OU drives forward new skills routes with transport and logistics sector

28 July 2022

A new partnership between The Open University and The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK (CILT(UK)) has been announced to develop strategic and leadership skills within the sector. The OU’s Business School already delivers an established MBA (Master of Business Administration) qualification and has a global network of more than 100,000 alumni […]

Woman holding a phone with the words true and false on the screen

New BBC Ideas collection co-produced by the OU helps navigate modern life

26 July 2022

A brand new collection for BBC Ideas has launched today on BBC iPlayer, which includes five short films that are co-produced by The Open University. ‘Navigating Modern Life’ is a collection of films to help guide you through the challenges of everyday living – from sharpening up your critical thinking to making sense of statistics. […]

The OU to grow its curriculum through acquisition of the Open College of the Arts (OCA)

25 July 2022

Following positive discussions with the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), the Open University (OU) is pleased to announce an agreement has been reached that will see the OU acquire the Open College of the Arts (OCA). The OU was set up in 1969 to bring life-changing learning that enriches society to millions who otherwise […]

Moving the Maasai: Tanzania is repeating Kenya’s colonial past

22 July 2022

Lotte Hughes, Honorary Associate at The Open University writes for The Conversation about the Massai community being forcibly moved from their homes in Nairobi. Images of distressed members of the Maasai community being forcibly moved from their homes, beaten and harassed by police and the army in northern Tanzania in June set social media alight […]

Being in a couple can negatively affect women’s savings – here’s how to make nest eggs more equal

21 July 2022

Jerome Monne, ESSCA École de Management; Ariane Agunsoye, Goldsmiths, University of London; Dimitris Sotiropoulos, The Open University, and Janette Rutterford, The Open University Growing job insecurity, financial market volatility and rising prices have created an extremely uncertain environment for UK savers. The country’s welfare provisions are among the lowest of all OECD countries and the […]

OU receives grant to develop pioneering analytical centre

19 July 2022

The OU is to receive £750k to develop the Wolfson Analytical Centre, a world-class research facility with an initial focus on planetary, environmental and space sciences. The first project ‘The Environmental Boundaries of Life’, will bring together academic expertise to ask one of our most fundamental questions: are life and habitable environments unique to Earth? […]

A guard in front of 10 Downing Street in London

Conservative leadership election: why tax cuts are an economic gamble

15 July 2022

Alan Shipman, Senior Lecturer in Economics at The Open University, writes for The Conversation about tax as a leverage in the Tory leadership race. Always keen to be identified as the party of low taxation, the Conservatives won the 2019 general election on a promise not to raise income tax, VAT or national insurance. So […]

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