Open University degrees

[WashedUpDriedOut]

Are they sneered at? Or are they considered as valuable as any degree?

I'm thinking of doing a degree with the OU because of their distance learning experience.

I have an MSc but in a completely different field.

Should I do a bachelor as opposed to another masters?

Some institutions offer masters degree courses if you have done an unrelated bachelor degree and no relevant work experience.

Hi, I am an OU Chemistry Degree graduate. I studied part time along working an admin job and completed it in 4 years. No other university would accept me as I did not do any science A levels. I ended up with a 2-1 so I think it’s great they leave the decision up to you of what you feel capable of doing i.e taking on a subject you have no prior knowledge in! I would never have got the two jobs I had since completing it without my degree - microbiology lab assistant and now currently a science technician at a secondary school. I have personally found that having an OU degree makes you a very appealing candidate to employers (My employers said doing a degree off of your own back shows true commitment.) I’m not going to lie though, it was very time consuming and a lot of hard work, it relies on you being self motivated as it lacks structure and it’s really up to you when and how much time you put into the modules but again that appeals to future employers. Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck with your studies

The people I work with and for value them. From the point of view of it taking a special kind of dedication and determination to complete a distance learning degree around the rest of your life.

There are people who will sneer at anything, so I expect there are people out there who would at this. I can't specifically recall encountering anyone in the workplace sneering at OU degrees though.

Are they sneered at?

By whom?

Some people sneer at the wrong Oxford college so it depends if you're asking if they're respected by employers (in which case the answer is yes, IME) or whether snobbish people are generally snobbish about them.

I'm one year into a 6 year degree and have just been promoted. I was told in the feedback that my OU studies gave me the edge over the runner up candidate. I can also see how the degree will fit into my long term career plan. No one has been anything other than impressed that I am studying with the OU.