Recruiters - is an Open University degree valued?

[Oblique27]

Should I put on my CV that my degree is from the Open University or is that " looked down on" by employers please? BSc In IT, good grade....

Yes of course it is valued! Even more so when the recruiter has experience of juggling life and distance learning.

Well, for a start, you really should never put down a degree without saying who it's from... It could be one of these unaccredited things that people buy for their pet cats. An Open University degree is a totally different kettle of fish, and a savvy recruiter will understand that not only have you demonstrated your academic abilities, but you've done it in a way that proves your organisational skills and your self-motivation. Put it on your CV and sell it as the asset it is!

To be perfectly frank, there are some managers who would prefer to see a degree from a "normal" university, however whether this is the case might depend on what the degree is and what they are expecting the person to have gained from doing it.

Most employers are more open-minded though, and will recognise the value of someone committing to study alongside their normal life, as opposed to an 18 year old who has largely nothing else to worry about.

I think actually, in respect of your specific degree, yours is likely to be far more valuable and relevant than those of other applicants, because it's likely to be recent. A BSc in IT gained 10 years ago is, I imagine, obsolete, whereas if you've just recently done yours, it is more likely to be relevant to the job.

Compared to a degree from a well regarded traditional university I would say that an OU degree isn't considered to be as good. However, as flowery said, if you've been working while completing your OU degree that will be well regarded by most employers.

Quite frankly, where the degree is from is irrelevant to me when I'm recruiting, as is the classification. I'm far more interested in the skill set and the candidate's ability to demonstrate they can do the job. The possession of a relevant degree is simply the baseline that proves the candidate is capable of learning.

I work in IT and about half the applicants for jobs I am involved in recruiting have degrees from outside the UK. There's imply no way to compare a OU degree with one from the University of Barcelona or Sophia so snobbery about the institution goes by the wayside