Open University Degrees

[China Doll]

Hi All,

Can anyone tell me if open university degrees are now accepted as valid degrees or if there is still some stigma attached to them in the working world?

I'd like to study again but could not finacially afford to give up work all together or go part time so open university degree looks the most obvious choice. If it's any help, it's psycology I'm looking to study.

Cheers
China xx

[Buenchico]

Any sensible employer won't care where you got your degree. A 2.1 degree (for example) should be of equal standard irrespective of whether it's from a former polytechnic or Oxbridge. Neither should it matter whether it's labelled BA, BSc, BEd or whatever.

However, there are still many ill-informed people who seem to think that one degree is superior to another. (I find it particularly annoying that some people don't count my BEd degree in 'mathematics as a double subject' as a 'proper degree'. I took exactly the same examination papers as the BSc maths students at the same university, with exactly the same assessment criteria but, somehow 'BEd' doesn't have a ring of authenticity to it).

For what it's worth, nearly all of the employers I've met, who do apply a (non-valid) ranking system, rate university degrees thus:
Lowest of the low: Any (recent) ex-polytechnic (e.g. East London)
Not much better: Plate glass universities (e.g East Anglia)
More acceptable: Red brick & civic universities (e.g. Sheffield and Southampton)
Joint second: Oxford & Cambride
Top of the tree: The OU.

The position of the OU is probably the only one which has any real justification in that list. I've never met any employer (whether or not they apply a ranking system to other universities) who doesn't rate an OU degree as a more impressive qualification than any other degree. That's simply because of the effort and dedication which is required for someone to obtain an OU degree, at a time in their life when they probably have many other commitments.

Chris

[Buenchico]

PS: I don't usually bother about people's spelling but you might find that your application for a psychology course would look more impressive if you used the correct spelling of the subject you wanted to study ;-)

[China Doll]

LMAO Cheers Chris, I take your point! That spelling mistake is even worse considering I've been staring at random web pages to do with psychology all day!

[**Clem**]

Hi China. I've been studying with the OU on and off for eight years while raising my two little boys. I'm only two thirds of the way through my degree and can honestly say that with any job interviews I've had in that time, my studying with the Open University really impressed them, for all the reasons Chris pointed out.
Go for it! The courses and tutors are fantastic and you'll save yourself a bit of money and feel a sense of accomplishment you've never felt before! x
Clem x