Any value in an Open degree?

[jonnydm]

STW2010 said:

Eric Mc said:

So an "Open Degree" can be obtained from any university - it's not something specifically linked to the Open University?

As far as I know these are only through the Open University, as these are essentially accumulating credits which amount to a degree. You can still do other degrees elsewhere with options, but these options are limited or specialisms within the field (i.e. I did Chemistry and specialised in organic chemistry- others did analytical, physical etc).

I have suggested an 'open' MSc at my place where you could get an MSc in environmental studies (for example), which was a general title but then the modules within would be different. Very hard to administer and run though. The OU's structure and systems makes it easier for them.

Most if not all conventional universities don't offer much in the way of courses outside of your core subject/s. I'd be surpised if any would allow one to do even 25% random courses. Many will allow 1 out of say 8 modules to be in anything as far as I understand. Even in a degree such as Maths and French, the French probably wouldn't make up more than a quarter.

[Eric Mc]

Thanks for the information. I've always had a hankering to do an Open University degree - purely for "fun".

[jonnydm]

Eric Mc said:

Thanks for the information. I've always had a hankering to do an Open University degree - purely for "fun".

My grandfather did an Open BA in his 50s when my uncle was at university and iirc went on to do an MA. Apparently he made enquiries in his mid 80s about the Phd course, was told 12 years study!

[Pooh]

Eric Mc said:

Thanks for the information. I've always had a hankering to do an Open University degree - purely for "fun".

That is kind of what I did, I did not need it for career reasons so I concentrated on things that I enjoyed including some cosmology, astronomy, geology and even astrobiology. That is the great thing about it, as long as you get the the required number of points at the various levels you can more or less study what ever you want that they have available.
The summer schools were great, on one I went to an observatory in Spain and was analysing the light reflected from Jupiter's moons to detect the elements present on the moon's surface. Unfortunately they do seem to have cut a lot of the summer schools in the last few years but if you get the chance to go on one I would definitely recommend it.

[manic47]

Eric Mc said:

Thanks for the information. I've always had a hankering to do an Open University degree - purely for "fun".

Beware, my wife said that a few years ago, now has an BA, BSc and an MBA...
Somehow she managed to do the majority of the BSc and MBA at the same time, the woman is nuts.