To ask about OU courses

[MrsSocks]

I hope you don't mind me picking your brains. I am looking at starting an OU degree. (Brief educational history, top GCSE results, average A levels in biology, sports studies and general studies and ASs in sociology and English lit. Started a sport science degree at 18yrs but left (bored) after 6 months. Have since worked the healthcare sector and website management until maternity with DS1, 4yrs)

I'm 28. Ideally, I would like to complete an OU degree over 3 years while still at home with DD1. Following that, a PGCE with the aim to teach at primary level.

What do I do a degree in? Am I best sticking to a curriculum base subject? Has anyone any experience of their 'open degree'? Would it be acceptable before a PGCE?

Any help would be much appreciated

[FindoGask]

I'm halfway through an OU natural sciences degree but have had to take a break when I started working full time. When I was at home with my two children it was much more do-able, and then I did manage two modules at a time (30 credits each though) easily enough, but still needed to study in the daytime sometimes and catch up when my husband was home at weekends. But once I started working full time I got mega stressed out because there was no time for anything else, including children, except work and study.

Such a shame though because I absolutely loved the course, (I was doing a lot of cellular and molecular biology) and I was doing really well. I worry I'll just forget it all now!

[Melonfool]

When people say "two modules", they mean two sixty point modules as that is how you would have to do it to get the degree in three years.
Of course you can do two thirty points at once, they are designed to be done together.
And I did a sixty and thirty together.

It is possible to do two sixties, of course it is, but it is hard, it's more or less full time study and the OU discourage it due to the drop out rate.

[WitchesGlove]

I am confused.

When I was at Uni, the year was split into two semesters.

You did sixty credits semester one and sixty in semester two.

The sixty would generally be made up of three twenty credit modules.

Do the OU's modules all last a whole year?

Also, does anyone know whether if you took 120, found you couldn't cope, if you could then drop to sixty for that year?

[DisappointedOne]

I've just done a 60 which was Oct-May and exam in early June.

I'm doing 2x30 next which will be Oct-Mar and April-Sept. They don't advise doing these 2 at the same time.

[Seffina]

I've been doing 30 credits at a time, but doing an October start and a February one too. They overlap slightly but not much. An October start will run till around May, and a February start till around October.

For most degree courses, the compulsory level 1 will be 60 points. Generally, you're advised to do 60 credits a year adding up to 120 level 1 credits, 120 at level 2 and 120 at level 3. Each level is the equivalent of a year at uni (ish). Modules are generally either 30 or 60 credits.

If you started 2 60 credit modules at the same time and were struggling, it is possible to defer a module to the next start date. Any TMA scores can be banked as well, so you wouldn't have to do them again.

It's designed to be a part time degree to enable the students to fit it in around work and/or care responsibilities, but there are plenty of people doing 2 modules at once, although it can be a lot of work and assignment dates can clash, which can be tricky.Also, in some cases, previous study can be counted towards a degree, which is worth looking into if applicable.

Witchesglove What would have been 3x20 credit modules would possibly be 1x60 credit OU module.

[Seffina]

April, not February - sorry. There used to be Feb starts I think but not any more. They seem to be going more towards standard pathways more like brick unis.

[muminhants1]

I've not done a course, but have you seen the prices recently? You used to be able to do a module for around £400, now it costs £1300 (in England). They charge the same pro rata as a normal university so the £9K. It's ludicrous, the whole point of the OU was to get an affordable degree.

Futurelearn does some very good free courses which I assume part of the fees going to the OU are paying for.

[MrsSocks]

Thanks everyone. My DS starts reception this September so my plan was 120 credits over year one with my DD at home (which i realise will be hard work but I'm hoping as only Level 1 it could be manageable) Year 2, DD will be at preschool every morning giving me more time to study and then Year 3 both will be at school full time so my level 3 study I can really commit to full time.

[ChuffinAda]

I found its possible to do two level one or two courses at the same time but level 3 really ramps up the time and difficulty factor and I had to stop doubling and do one at a time

[soloula]

If you're in Scotland and earn less than £25000 and are undertaking a module worth 30 credits or more at undergraduate level then you can apply for a part time fee grant that covers all your fees.

[shrunkenhead]

The OU is great, and I highly recommend it, glad I did it before they increased fees. However it will take you six years to get a degree. As someone posted earlier those trying to fast track have a high rate of failure. It is supposed to be a part time course that fits around your working life....even bearing this in mind it still takes up a LOT of your free time! Don't want to put you off, but you have to be realistic.

[MsRinky]

It's true that OU fees have massively increased since the government funding was removed, but it isn't true to say they are the same as other Universities - 120 credits costs £5400 at the OU, £9000 at other institutions, so a degree costs £16,200 rather than £27,000, 60% of the cost.

[DisappointedOne]

Costs a lot less in Wales. Think mine will be around £6-8k all in.

[zippyone]

OU is great, I was supposed to be finishing my OU science degree this year but I deferred the final project course until next year as it was just too much.

Everyone is different and you may well be able to cope with study full-time, I couldn't do it, I would suggest an extra year at Level 3 though. For anyone, doing 120 credits at Level 3 is not going to give the best results - it is just too much with all the exams and TMAs which are usually due around the same time!

Best of luck.

[LowCarbHeaven]

I am another one who thinks the OU degree marking is awful. I was achieving 90-95% TMA pass rates and then went into my exam, ran out of time and came out with a pass four . There was a lot of people in my boat and it is an ongoing complaint amongst the forums.

I find the textbooks very long winded and tedious. Some courses are better than others though. If you want to do teaching you would be better to just go to uni if possible as its a much more solid way to get in.

[LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett]

The telephone advisors are great Op, why don't you give them a call? I think it probably would be achievable at Y1. The other years you have to be careful about clashes - it wouldn't be unheard of for there to be two exams on at the same time, which would of course be impossible!

[Beth2511]

I've done 4 courses this year! but... I'm doing maths and 3 of the 4 maths modules for level 1 are a level maths and I have a recent grade A in a level maths. Don't think the pace is sustainable when learning new content

[Seffina]

Oooh, another maths student! I start MST124 in October, can't wait I did MU123 a couple of years ago but have done a couple of 'writing' modules since then and want to go back to maths. Never thought I'd say that before starting!

[Melonfool]

Witches Glove - I don't know what a semester is, but OU courses run an academic year and are 60 points for main levels (there are also thirty point courses, but I think these only ever count as level two).
Your two at sixty in the year was full time uni study. The OU is designed to be part time study, C 16hours per week, in theory on top of full time work.

Hence it takes six, not three, years to get the degree.

Unlike most people, I always did better in the exams than the assignments. I didn't have any issues with the marking.

[DisappointedOne]

There are 30 point level 3 courses too.

[FindoGask]

Yes, I've done 2 30 point level 3 modules, there are loads in the sciences. I think the move is more towards 60 credit modules now though across all levels.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

I did 60 credits worth of modules at Level 1 in 10 and 15 credit modules (3x10 and 2x15) but they wouldn't count if starting now.

The first two modules I want to do at L2 are both 30 credits, I'm undecided whether to do one or both from Oct. I work 4 days and ferry DCs around in the evenings so rarely get settled to study (apart from on my day off) before 9.30pm. I also have an allotment crying out for my time from March onwards, it's a tricky balance.

[DesertIslander]

I am doing an OU degree at the moment.
Some degrees don't offer the option to complete in 3 years.
I'm studying psychology and you can only undertake 60 credits in year 1 so the degree is 4 years minimum.

I work full time and have a one year old (on my own) and I find the workload manageable. I intended to take 120 credits per year but the modules I want to study all start in October (I had wanted to study one module beginning oct and one beginning feb to avoid too many double deadlines).

I'm really keen to complete as quickly as possible but the grade is ultimately more important so I guess I'll take it slowly :(

Good luck!

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Have you just done DD102 Desert? That's what I did this year, lots of 1st year Psychology students on it.

[sunshield]

Just finished DD102 (Introduction to the Social sciences). level 1 doing DD103 from September.

It could be possible to do OU full time but bear in mind that would probably be about 30 hours a week studying. The other problem could be that a new courses might start in the middle of doing your EMA or other important TMAs.

The disappointing thing is and something the OU should think about introducing is an opportunity to start modules in June. This could possibly enable students to study full time , though only part time..

However, there were a few students at the 2 day schools for DD102 who said they were going full time next year . This September, it can be done , but you would probably be better of at a conventional university full time.