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An image to illustrate The Open University's postgraduate qualifications page
Alongside our range of masters degrees, we offer postgraduate certificates and diplomas. Many of these can be stepping stones towards your masters degree, or you might prefer to study them as valuable postgraduate qualifications in their own right. Your options are open.
From modules to masters degrees, find out what we offer and what each level of qualification offers you:
If you want to know more about the unique aspects of each type of postgraduate qualification, visit our course types page.
Modules are the building blocks for all our qualifications.
Each module is worth between 15–120 credits. You’ll need to build up credits to claim your qualification.
Because OU study is modular, you build up your qualification as you go. Like stepping-stones, some postgraduate certificates and diplomas allow you to advance from one to the next, eventually leading up to a masters degree.
Postgraduate certificate
Postgraduate certificate
Postgraduate diploma
Postgraduate diploma
Masters degree
Masters degree
60 postgraduate credits
60 postgraduate credits
120 postgraduate credits
120 postgraduate credits
180 postgraduate credits
180 postgraduate credits
Our qualification descriptions detail the available study routes you can follow and allow you to explore the modules you can count towards them. To find your postgraduate qualification, visit our A–Z of postgraduate courses or use the course search box below.
Most of our postgraduate qualifications are part-time study only, so you’ll usually study approximately 60 credits each year.
Postgraduate certificate
(60 credits)
Postgraduate certificate
(60 credits)
1 year
1 year
Postgraduate diploma
(120 credits)
Postgraduate diploma
(120 credits)
2 years
2 years
Masters degree
(180 credits)
Masters degree
(180 credits)
3 years
3 years
The table above gives you an idea of how long it typically takes to complete a postgraduate qualification – check individual qualification descriptions for the most accurate information.
Making sure you’ve got enough time to study is crucial to being successful at postgraduate level.
The time you’ll need to set aside will also depend on how many credits you’re studying at any given time.
On average, we’d recommend:
The recommended hours include time to work through that week’s online study planner, complete recommended reading, engage with consolidation activities, and attend tutorials. Any additional reading around the subject may need time above and beyond. Our qualification and module descriptions will tell you more.
If you’ve previously studied at postgraduate level, you might be able to count it towards your OU qualification. This can cut down the modules you need to study, saving you time and money.
Find out more about postgraduate credit transfer
Just do it. Don't wait. Take that first step and do that first module. And use it as a stepping stone to the next one and to the next. In what will seem like no time at all, you'll have your degree.
Level info