Open qualifications

Discover the ultimate in flexible learning for your employees. Build a bespoke qualification suited to your L&D needs, with a customisable choice of modules at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

• Completely customisable to your business need
• Choice of over 400 modules across the different qualifications
• Study to Certificate, Diploma, Bachelor’s or Master’s level
• Flexible to meet changing career needs
• Online learning fits around professional and personal commitments
• No formal entry requirements for undergraduate study​

Is my employee ready for OU study?

Open qualifications are ideal for employers

Our Open qualifications offer a high level of flexibility and customisation for employers and learners, making them perfect for evolving and agile organisations.  

• BA/BSc Open  – undergraduate-level study, with hundreds of modules to choose from
• MA/MSc Open – postgraduate-level study with a wide range of module choices

Open qualifications are not restricted subjects or disciplines. You can build a bespoke qualification as unique as your sector, organisation or employee needs.

Choose a combination that reflects the specific circumstances of your business. For example, IT, people management and language modules.

Or match the modules to the career trajectory of your employee. For example, starting with IT and project expertise then and moving towards management as they advance through the business.   

How the BA/BSc Open works

Three stages of study

The BA/BSc Open comprises three stages. For employees studying part-time, each stage represents two years of study. Learners complete 120 credits per stage, with modules typically counting as 30 or 60 credits.

Multiple exit and entry points

Each stage represents a standalone qualification and is a stepping stone to the next. So learners can leave with a recognised qualification at the end of any stage.

• Stage 1: Certificate
• Stage 2: Diploma
• Stage 3: BA or BSc degree

Students can also transfer credit from prior OU learning to start at the level that’s appropriate to their prior academic experience.

This allows employers and learners to fit learning flexibly around changing professional and personal commitments.

Build a bespoke undergraduate degree

Unrivalled flexibility puts you in complete control of the programme contents. Here are some examples of bespoke pathways you could build.

Undergraduate modules available

The Open Degree offers free choice from hundreds of modules across 16 subject areas.

Relevant subject areas for employers include:

• Business and management
• Computer science
• Design
• Engineering
• Environmental technology
• Health and social care
• Law
• Mathematics and statistics

Visit the undergraduate online prospectus page for more information on modules available on BA/BSc Open.

Test the water with Access modules

Not sure about undergraduate study? Access modules let you and your employee test their appetite for future study, without committing to a full degree programme. Explore Access modules.

Find out more about how this qualification can benefit your organisation

How the MA/MSc Open works

Five study areas, exceptional flexibility

The MA/MSc Open comprises 180 credits and typically takes two years to complete part-time.

There are five broad subject areas.

• Group 1: Arts, humanities, music and language
• Group 2: Education, psychology, health sciences and healthcare
• Group 3: Science, technology, engineering and mathematics
• Group 4: Business, finance, human resources and law
• Group 5: Professional development modules

There are two routes through the programme:

• Select all 180 credits from any one Groups 1 to 4
• Select 120 credits from any one of Groups 1 to 4 and 60 credits from Group 5

Build a bespoke Master’s degree

Here are some examples of bespoke pathways you could build according to different business and employee needs.

Visit the postgraduate online prospectus page for more information on modules available on MA/MSc Open.

Find out more about how this qualification can benefit your organisation
 

Making a case for investment

If you’re interested in sponsoring an employee on an Open qualification, you may need to write a business case to secure budget and buy-in. To help communicate the benefits to your business:

• Discover the benefits of OU courses for employers on our About the OU page
• Hear how other organisations have benefitted on our business case studies page

What type of study is right for my business?

Not sure which of our flexible learning programmes is best for your business? Contact our expert business development team for guidance.