Studying With the Open University

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Building a Qualification

Level of Qualification

Our flexible and supportive approach to education allows students to study towards the qualifications below.

A (BA/BSc) Honours Degree in a named subject

360 credits

Follow a structured route completing modules in a particular subject to earn a specific named honours degree

A (BA/BSc) Honours Open Degree

360 credits

Pick and mix modules to tailor an honours degree to your needs and interests across a number of subjects

Diploma of Higher Hducation (DipHE )

240 credits

Expand your knowledge and improve your skillset. A diploma of higher education is equivalent to two-thirds of an honours degree

Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE)

120 credits

Get a general grounding in a subject. A certificate of higher education is equivalent to one-third of an honours degree

Building a Qualification

Undergraduate study is about building up a set number of credits to gain a qualification.

Here's how it works

Requires 120 credits, this is built up by studying level 1 modules worth 30 or 60 credits.

120 CREDITS

Qualification:

Certificate of Higher Education

Requires a further 120 credits, built up by studying level 2 modules worth 30 or 60 credits.

240 CREDITS

Qualification:

Diploma of Higher Education

Requires a further 120 credits, built up by studying level 3 modules worth 30 or 60 credits.

360 CREDITS

Qualification:

Degree with Honours

Modules

Students choose the modules they want to study each academic year.

Different modules are worth different amounts of credits, usually 30 or 60 as indicated in the prospectus.

The first letter of the module code indicates the subject area and the first number indicates the level e.g. A111 is a level 1 Arts module, B201 is is a level 2 Business module and M303 is a level 3 Maths module.

Modules are either compulsory or selected from a choice of options and this will be indicated in the prospectus under the qualification information.

Most students study 60 credits a year, which requires approximately 18 hours per week study time, but how much time is required will vary from student to student.

How long will the qualification take?

Exactly how long it takes to achieve a qualification depends on how many credits are studied each year and which qualification the student is working towards. Most of our students study part time.

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