Open University

Published 07/01/2021.  Last updated 27/11/2023

The Open University is the acknowledged leader in contemporary distance learning. You study part time, earning while you learn – at home, at work and on the move to suit the demands of your lifestyle and circumstances. Our superb digital library is open 24 hours a day, and everything we teach is grounded in the research we are internationally famous for. You will have a personal tutor to guide you in your learning, provide feedback on your written work, and facilitate group tutorials online.

Areas of study

The Open University offers:

A range of specialist pathways are available including:

  • Childhood & Youth
  • Leadership & Management
  • Inclusive Practice
  • Learning & Teaching
  • Applied Linguistics

Students can change pathways after completing Stage 1 but for Stages 2 and 3 you retain the chosen specialism as you will qualify with the respective named Masters.

Study options: full or part-time

Our Masters degrees are fully online and are studied part-time.

Course structure

Each Masters involves completing three stages, with the option to complete a PG Certificate (on completion of Stage 1) or a PG Diploma (on completion of Stages 1 and 2). Stage 3 is a multi-disciplinary dissertation module which offers you the opportunity to undertake either a small-scale study or a literature review and research proposal, allowing you to explore practices, contexts or issues that are directly relevant to you.

Our Masters programme offers:

  • flexibility to suit your needs – allowing you to complete in three years, or take up to six years
  • a rich diversity of modules to suit your interests
  • an emphasis on professional development through collaborative learning
  • development and consolidation of advanced scholarship and independent learning in the context of your own practice.

Course structure (180 credits in a minimum of three and maximum of six years)

Free Masters learning

We have a range of free Masters education courses on OpenLearn which can provide a taster of our materials and key issues you might explore. These free materials can also be used for professional learning in their own right. Of particular interest might be our new free Badged Open Course called Becoming an Ethical Researcher. It offers a useful introduction into ethical issues and challenges for researching in an education context, using examples from a range of projects undertaken by OU academics from across the pathways so it will give you good insights into the different pathway themes and topics.

Prior learning

The Open University Masters programme offers a Credit Transfer option. Students with 60 credits at SCQF level 11 can apply for credit transfer into the Stage 2 options.

We recommend that the prior learning is in a related field. This is particularly important for joining Stage 2 of the Applied Linguistics or Childhood and Youth pathway. 

From PGDE to Masters in Education (if you have completed your PGDE with 60 Masters credits)

Costs

Please see our Fees and Funding page for the most up-to-date fee information.

The fees for 2020 are:

  • A Postgraduate Certificate: £2160
  • A Postgraduate Diploma: £4320
  • A full Masters degree in Education or Childhood and Youth is £6,480

You can also find information on support for funding OU study in the link above.

Application process

Registration is online, with courses starting in October each year.  

More detailed information about the application process can be found on the webpages for the Masters courses.

For more information

If you have specific queries or would like to know more please email: WELS-ECYS-Masters@open.ac.uk

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Open University

Published 07/01/2021.  Last updated 27/11/2023

The Open University is the acknowledged leader in contemporary distance learning. You study part time, earning while you learn – at home, at work and on the move to suit the demands of your lifestyle and circumstances. Our superb digital library is open 24 hours a day, and everything we teach is grounded in the research we are internationally famous for. You will have a personal tutor to guide you in your learning, provide feedback on your written work, and facilitate group tutorials online.

Areas of study

The Open University offers:

A range of specialist pathways are available including:

  • Childhood & Youth
  • Leadership & Management
  • Inclusive Practice
  • Learning & Teaching
  • Applied Linguistics

Students can change pathways after completing Stage 1 but for Stages 2 and 3 you retain the chosen specialism as you will qualify with the respective named Masters.

Study options: full or part-time

Our Masters degrees are fully online and are studied part-time.

Course structure

Each Masters involves completing three stages, with the option to complete a PG Certificate (on completion of Stage 1) or a PG Diploma (on completion of Stages 1 and 2). Stage 3 is a multi-disciplinary dissertation module which offers you the opportunity to undertake either a small-scale study or a literature review and research proposal, allowing you to explore practices, contexts or issues that are directly relevant to you.

Our Masters programme offers:

  • flexibility to suit your needs – allowing you to complete in three years, or take up to six years
  • a rich diversity of modules to suit your interests
  • an emphasis on professional development through collaborative learning
  • development and consolidation of advanced scholarship and independent learning in the context of your own practice.

Course structure (180 credits in a minimum of three and maximum of six years)

Free Masters learning

We have a range of free Masters education courses on OpenLearn which can provide a taster of our materials and key issues you might explore. These free materials can also be used for professional learning in their own right. Of particular interest might be our new free Badged Open Course called Becoming an Ethical Researcher. It offers a useful introduction into ethical issues and challenges for researching in an education context, using examples from a range of projects undertaken by OU academics from across the pathways so it will give you good insights into the different pathway themes and topics.

Prior learning

The Open University Masters programme offers a Credit Transfer option. Students with 60 credits at SCQF level 11 can apply for credit transfer into the Stage 2 options.

We recommend that the prior learning is in a related field. This is particularly important for joining Stage 2 of the Applied Linguistics or Childhood and Youth pathway. 

From PGDE to Masters in Education (if you have completed your PGDE with 60 Masters credits)

Costs

Please see our Fees and Funding page for the most up-to-date fee information.

The fees for 2020 are:

  • A Postgraduate Certificate: £2160
  • A Postgraduate Diploma: £4320
  • A full Masters degree in Education or Childhood and Youth is £6,480

You can also find information on support for funding OU study in the link above.

Application process

Registration is online, with courses starting in October each year.  

More detailed information about the application process can be found on the webpages for the Masters courses.

For more information

If you have specific queries or would like to know more please email: WELS-ECYS-Masters@open.ac.uk

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