Is it worth doing an MA with the OU or are they not worth the paper they're printed on?

Question

Especially as I'm aiming to go on and do a PhD- I just don't have the time to study for an MA full-time.

Thanks.

Answer 1

No, many employers regard them very highly because it takes a lot of motivation to do an OU degree. You can also do a PHd with the OU

Answer 2

Absolutely! I did my MA with the OU; it is a real challenge though! Doing an MA there means you have to be really self-reliant and resilient.

Give it a go!

Answer 3

The OU is one of the best Universities in the world with one of the highest achievement scores.

Answer 4

I've never studied with the OU but i think they are a good institution.

There are alternatives though.  http://www.prospects.ac.uk have a list of all University courses and you can filter the search by distance learning.

Answer 5

How do you plan to do the PhD? In which subject? And where?

While an online MA may be just fine in may circumstances, if it's from a reputable institution, for a PhD programme, your having done the MA online/via distance will likely be a real issue.

What I want you to do is wait to enrol in a masters degree until after you investigate the PhD programmes that you want. Speak directly to people who run the PhD programmes, and ask them if it's all right for you to do your MA online, or if that's frowned upon. I imagine that it will be frowned upon.

If you do learn that an online/distance masters is all right, know that you have more options than the OU. You can also do masters degrees via distance learning from the University of London's external programme, so that's another UK option for you. I believe that Cardiff also offers some via distance.

There are many reputable US universities that offer distance masters degrees. This includes U Maryland, Penn State, UMass Amherst, Northeastern, Boston University, U Nebraska, and Carnegie Mellon.