Develop your workforce with undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications

Our 230 undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications deliver in-demand, in-depth expertise to help organisations face the future with confidence.

If your business could benefit from an injection of new ideas and fresh thinking, join the 2,700 employers who work with the OU to upskill their staff and invigorate their business.

Build a bespoke, flexible undergraduate or postgraduate programme to suit your business needs
Realise your investment fast: employees apply learning immediately at work
Widen participation thanks to accessible - inclusive-by-design - online delivery
Eliminate the disruption and travel time associated with in-person university attendance

Undergraduate qualifications to support workforce development

Undergraduate study builds on what your employees learnt at school or college.

The most well-known undergraduate qualification is an Honour’s degree. However, each stage (year) of a degree is actually a qualification in its own right.

This means our undergraduate programmes can be studied as standalone qualifications or used as stepping stones to progress from one to the next.

Undergraduate options for employee learning

Standalone modules

Good for developing: Focused knowledge

Stage / Level: N/A
Can be chosen from selection at any degree stage

Total credits: 15 to 60 credits

Typical duration: 6 months to one year part-time

Certificate of Higher Education

Good for developing: A firm foundation

Stage / Level: Stage 1
Level 4 – Equivalent to the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree

Total credits: 120 credits

Typical duration: 2 years part-time

Diploma of Higher Education

Good for developing: In-depth insights

Stage / Level: Stage 2
Level 5 – Equivalent to the first two years of a full-time undergraduate degree

Total credits: 240 credits

Typical duration: 4 years part-time

Honour’s degree

Good for developing: Comprehensive expertise

Stage / Level: Stage 3
Level 6 – A full undergraduate degree

Total credits: 360 credits

Typical duration: 6 years part-time

Entry requirements for undergraduate study

So that you can upskill your staff, regardless of their prior educational attainment, most of our undergraduate programmes have no formal entry requirements.

My employee has no recent/relevant academic experience: We may recommend they take Access Modules to help them develop confidence and study skills before committing to a course
My employee has recent/relevant academic experience: In recognition of their prior academic learning, they may be able to transfer credits and start their undergraduate study at a higher level

Postgraduate qualifications to support workforce development

If your employee has an undergraduate degree already, the next step could be postgraduate study.

Postgraduate qualifications allow learners to deepen their understanding of topics they’ve already studied or study a new specialism in their field.

As an employer – developing your leading talent with The Open University - you’ll benefit from the application of cutting-edge, research-informed thinking to your business challenges.

Postgraduate options for professional growth

Standalone modules

Ideal for: Focused knowledge

Level: N/A

Total credits: 15 to 120 credits

Typical duration: 3 months to one year part-time

Postgraduate Certificate

Ideal for: Career development

Level: Level 7

Total credits: 60 credits

Typical duration: 1 year part-time

Postgraduate Diploma

Ideal for: Deeper professional insights

Level: Level 7

Total credits: 120 credits

Typical duration: 2 years part-time

Master’s degree

Ideal for: In-depth professional expertise

Level: Level 7

Total credits: 180 credits

Typical duration: 3 years part-time

Entry requirements for postgraduate study

Postgraduate degrees build on undergraduate study, so applicants need to have an Honour’s degree to apply. This will make sure they get the most out of their modules and are confident applying the learning in the workplace.

Open qualifications - Flexible learning for all levels

Our Open qualifications (Ba/BSc Open and Ma/MSc Open) are highly flexible courses that can be tailored to meet the specific needs of your sector, organisation or learner.

Offering an unrivalled choice of modules across different disciplines, these programmes can flex as your needs change.

For example, start your employee with sector-specific modules – such as Java programming or health and social care – then progress to strategy and management modules as they advance in their career.

Customisable to your business and staff development needs
Flexible to meet changing needs for both business and learner
Online learning fits around professional and personal commitments

Access Modules for new learners

Access Modules let you and your employee test their appetite for distance learning and future study.

They’re ideal for learners who want to improve their confidence and study skills before committing to a degree. Especially people who haven’t studied formally for a while.

They may be free to people who fit specific criteria. Speak to us for more details.

Access Modules:

Start in February or October
Run for 30 weeks
Require 9 hours’ study per week

They introduce learners to our teaching methods and help them develop the discipline for self-directed learning. Maybe that’s why students who complete an access module are more likely to succeed in Stage 1…

Choose from:

Arts and languages – studying literature, history, art and English
People, work and society – exploring business, psychology, law and more
Science, technology and maths – developing knowledge in engineering, design, IT, computing and more

Making a strong case for training investment

If you’re interested in sponsoring an employee on an undergraduate or postgraduate programme, 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 employer case studies page

Addressing workforce challenges with tailored training

Discover how The Open University’s tailored training, apprenticeships, and flexible programmes can help address skills shortages and support your workforce needs.

Our programmes are designed to target the critical skills gaps in your sector, supporting both immediate performance needs and long-term workforce planning.