Skill Up funded courses

What you can study

There are currently 14 postgraduate courses funded through the Department for the Economy’s Skill Up initiative.

Postgraduate courses take six months to complete and provide skills and knowledge that can bring real-life benefits to you and your career. We recommend setting aside 16–18 hours for studying each week. 

To prepare for postgraduate study, we strongly advise all applicants to complete our Succeeding in postgraduate study course on OpenLearn.  This 24-hour badged course clarifies the expectations and demands of Master's-level study and will help you develop crucial skills like critical thinking, academic writing, and time management, which are vital for success.

Who can apply?

Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:  

• Be 18 years or older at the point of enrolment.  
• Have a right to work and undertake training in the UK at the point of application and for the duration of the course, and must not be disqualified from doing either by reason of their immigration status. Proof of this will be required to progress the application. For further information, please refer to government guidance.  
• Applicants must not undertake more than two Skill Up courses with any provider within the same financial year (April to April).   

Please note:    

• Where a course is oversubscribed, priority will be given to applicants that have not previously studied on a Skill Up funded course with The Open University or any other provider.  
• For the purpose of Department for the Economy compliance checks, successful applicants may be required to attend The Open University Belfast Office as part of a random selection to confirm eligibility criteria. 
• The Open University reserves the right to add additional shortlisting criteria if demand exceeds available places. 

In addition, you must meet the individual entry requirements for your chosen course. These can be viewed by following the links for each of the courses listed above. 

How to apply

You must use the application form in this section. Do not register via any of the course links provided on this page. Course links are provided for information only.

It is important for applicants to read these Guidance notes carefully before applying. They include key information about how to apply, entry requirements, key timescales and contact information, as well as other useful information about postgraduate study.

Application form for postgraduate courses.

Only submit one application form. If you submit more than one application, we will shortlist based on the information included in the first application. Therefore, please consider your module choice carefully before applying.

Should courses receive a high number of applications, the university reserves the right to close applications early. Relevant updates will appear on this page.