Has any one here completed or working towards a degree or diploma with the open university?

I am very interested in working towards an engineering degree. And down the line tailoring it to the mechanical side. I work in the oil and gas industry and looking towards the future i feel this could stand me in very good stead. I have a lot of time to devote to studies when i am not working so that is not a problem. I also have a full apprenticeship and other qualifications.

A couple of questions.

How much time would i have to devote to studying a week??

Did you find that you got help from OU when there were areas that you did not understand in your studies.

Overall are you glad you did the degree/diploma. I dont want to devote a lot of time and money to this to the find its not worth the paper it is written on.

Any info or advice would be greatfully appreciated. I will give them a call tomorrow but looking for different views.

I’m just finishing the first year of an MBA with the OU. There is an advised time commitment of 16 hours per week to get through the material. Everything is provided in their books / cd roms / and DVDs and no further reading is expected.

Tutorials are the big thing. A good tutor can make life easier – mine is OK, rather than great. Overall, I’ve been pretty pleased with my course, but you have to be disciplined to get through the material.

Good luck.

for a 30 point course its 8 hours per week, for 60 point course its 16hrs per week

I started from scratch and reckon it will take around 6 yrs to get a full degree. I would suggest getting as many points as you can from previous qualifications you can get.

i started out aiming towards a B of Eng degree but they have changed this course now and its more mechanical and design, whereas im more after electrical systems/computer side. As you go along with various courses you pick up certificates and diplomas along the way.

TBH i only started doing it so i could put that i was studying towards a degree on my CV for job opportunities.

Exactly what Geoff said. I’m half way through my BA hons and can’t really fault the OU. I have found that for degree level study you need to put in the recommended 16 hrs but sometimes more if your doing say a level three course. Dedication and commitment are key. It can be a bit soul destroying when you have loads to do on top of work and your friends want you to come out to play. However, it will be a massive achievement and one that won’t go un-noticed with employers as they recognise the amount of work that has to go into an OU degree. It will be well worth it and as Geoff said, if you get a good tutor you will be brilliantly supported and helped through your course (even when you may or may not cry down the phone to them late in the evening because you don’t understand something though that might just be me?!!)

As moonmin

Sorry meant to say as moomin said it will take a while but it will be worth every second.

My wife did a Degree with the OU. The tutors were variable; some were great, others couldn’t give a toss.

They used to do a deal with Tesco vouchers. £50 in Tesco vouchers meant £200 off your course fees. Might be worth checking out?

I did a 10 point short course in maths to get me back into learning and since completed level 1 maths and level 1 ICT. I started the first course in the Oct and second one the following Feb. What i found (oversight) was that my first course doesnt finish till June so my workload doubled.
This year i have just started another 30 point level 1 course(which combined with the other completed courses will give me certificates in computing)however the next course i wanted to do is a 60 point 16hrs/week course which with the current one running would put me at 24hrs/week. Will have to defer that one for a while.
Tutors so far have been great although at level 1 not needed them much, contact by email or phone but email responses have been withing a day of asking the question which is good.

The main suggestion i have is forward planning, know when cutoff dates are for courses you are interested in. Have a calender with all assignment due dates in. If you spend time organising your year it will go alot more smoothly.

Also a downside i have found is the swapping and changing of courses. The maths and ICT that i did at level 1 has just been rolled into 1 course worth same points but could be completed in shorter period. Changed courses required for BEng to make it more Mech and design so now i have to select new courses to get me a degree in something thats in my field.

Overall, it is worthwhile especially if you have time on your hands. I get alot done when working nights 😉

Thanks for the replies, as much work required as i expected. 😯

Mate of mine did mechanical engineering with the OU. He started at Sellafield as an apprentice fitter and he’s a senior manager these days – seems to spend half his time in Japan. Not sure whether that’s a recommendation or not.