How do the degrees match up?

insinkerator

I am looking at doing a degree from Open University, but im just wondering how they compare with a campus college.

Take for example, Open University offer Psychology and so do UCC.

Is the UCC degree "better"?

Manach

My guess it depends on the situation. If you were applying for a job abroad the OU would have a more global name recognition than UCC.

insinkerator

But what i dont get is, like apparently the degrees are of the same quality. Yet, to do it in UCC, it takes 4 years, and is full time education, but with OU, you could technically do it all in one year, because it is in and around the same number of modules.

Can anyone help me gat around that?

BuffyBot

You cannot do a full OU degree in one year. Why do you think that you could?

insinkerator

Looking at the site, using business as an example:

For this 360-point honours degree you require:

180 points from the following compulsory courses:

Level 2 compulsory courses
Business organisations and their environments (B201)
60 Jan 2011
Business functions in context (B203)
60 Oct 2010


Level 3 compulsory course
Making sense of strategy (B301)
60 Feb 2011


And at least 120 points, including at least 60 at Level 3, from the following optional courses:

Level 1 optional courses
An introduction to business studies (B120)
30 May 2010
An introduction to law in contemporary Scotland (W150)
15 Nov 2010
An introduction to retail management and marketing (B122) NEW
30 May 2011
Beyond Google: working with information online (TU120)
10 May 2010
Data, computing and information (M150)
30 Oct 2010
Discovering mathematics (MU123)
30 Oct 2010
Information and communication technologies at work (T121)
30 May 2010 FINAL
Introducing the social sciences (DD101)
60 Oct 2010
or
Introducing the social sciences - part one (DD131) NEW and
30 May 2010
Introducing the social sciences - part two (DD132) NEW
30 Nov 2010
Introduction to bookkeeping and accounting (B190)
10 May 2010
Introduction to financial services (BD131) NEW
10 May 2010
Introduction to sport, fitness and management (E112)
60 Oct 2010
Learning to change (Y165)
10 Jun 2010
Managing in the workplace (B121) or version BXS121
30 May 2010
Networked living: exploring information and communication technologies (T175)
30 Oct 2010
Professional communication skills for business studies (LB160)
30 May 2010
Rules, rights and justice: an introduction to law (W100)
60 Feb 2011
Starting with law (Y166)
10 Jun 2010
Starting with maths (Y162)
10 Jun 2010
Understanding management (Y159)
10 Jun 2010
Understanding society (Y157)
10 Jun 2010
Using mathematics (MST121)
30 Oct 2010
Working and learning: developing effective performance at work (BU130) or version BUXS130
30 May 2010
Working in voluntary and community organisations (B191) NEW
10 Nov 2010
You and your money: personal finance in context (DB123)
30 May 2010



Level 2 optional courses
Analysing data (M248)
30 Feb 2011
Business and consumer transactions: law and practice (W222)
30 May 2010
Company law and practice (W223)
30 Nov 2010
Economics and economic change (DD202)
60 Feb 2011
Employment law and practice (W221)
30 Nov 2010
Financial accounting (B291) NEW
30 Nov 2010
Making it happen! Leadership, influence and change (B204)
60 Oct 2010
Management accounting (B292) NEW
30 May 2011
Understanding systems: making sense of complexity (T214)
60 Feb 2011


Level 3 optional courses
Accounting for strategy implementation (B321)
30 Nov 2010
A world of whose making? (DU301)
60 Feb 2011
Certificate revision and examination module (BZX646)
60 Aug 2010
Doing economics: people, markets and policy (DD309)
60 Jan 2011
Ebusiness technologies: foundations and practice (T320)
30 Feb 2011
Innovation: designing for a sustainable future (T307)
60 Feb 2011
Investigating entrepreneurial opportunities (B322)
30 Nov 2010
Managing 1: organisations and people (B628) or online version BZX628
30 May 2010
Managing 2: marketing and finance (B629) or online version BZX629
30 May 2010
Managing across organisational and cultural boundaries (B325) NEW
30 May 2011
Managing complexity: a systems approach (T306)
60 Feb 2011
Marketing and society (B324)
30 May 2010
Professional certificate in management (APEL) (BZL615) *
60
Winning resources and support (B625)
30 Nov 2010


Now, correct me if im wrong, but the way i see it, is, if you were to get the lining up right on the dates, you can go for all the modules and walk away with a business degree, in a year and a half, more or less. Plus, you could do it, only studying about 10 modules.

Yet, last year, in UCC doing commerce and French, i had 10 modules, just in first year, let alone the next 3 years ahead of me.

Now dont get me wrong here, im not trying to diss the OU or anything, i just want to be absolutely clear on what i would be letting myself in for, by doing a course with them.

boodlesdoodles

OU will only let you do a max of two 60 point courses in a year, as that is the equivalent hours of studying full time in a conventional college.

insinkerator

Ohhhhhhhh. I must have missed that.


The modules go into a lot more detail than i would have expected then. I guess thats fair enough then.

One other question though, they say attendance may be required for the odd tutorial. Are they only based in Dublin, or have they got rooms elsewhere in the country?

boodlesdoodles

Depending on the numbers in the course they do hold them outside Dublin. I'm studying Arts with them at the moment and my tutorials have been in Limerick and there have been people from Galway at my tutorials. So I think they pick a central place for all the students. I'm really enjoying my OU experience if that helps you.

Kristopherus

Just be aware that if you do something like Psychology, there is a very snobbish attitude among the conventionally educated Psychologists. I have a friend who qualified as a Psychologist after a hard slog through OU. She susequently failed to land a job in public health, due in the main to the antipathy of the interviewers to the OU qualification.

boodlesdoodles

Ya I've heard that about the snobbery. But since I've started with OU I've heard of loads of people who are now doing it. Maybe the more of us that do it the better for the way the degrees are looked at.