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OU is so strange to me. Last time I looked at is, as an American, I could not qualify for any of there technical programs given my nationality, but I could try

OU is so strange to me. Last time I looked at is, as an American, I could not qualify for any of there technical programs given my nationality, but I could try some of there legal programs. I also really like the option they provide to sort of make your own degree, but seems impractical given the biggest benefit of university, especially an online program, is solely credentialing.

peteretep 6y ago
> make your own degree ... credentialing Sure, but it’s still a BA from a real and accredited university, and there are plenty of situations in life where that’s needed, regardless of the subject. Many immigration programs will take it into account, if you want to become a teacher, access to further education or professional qualifications. In short, I don’t think a BA in Open Studies or whatever they call it is any less useful than a BA in International Relations or any number of other non-vocational BAs.
- AnimalMuppet 6y ago
  International Relations may be "non-vocational" to a certain degree (hah!), but it's much closer to certain vocations than an Open Studies degree is. (At least, a generic Open Studies degree. I suppose one could tailor a particular Open Studies degree to be quite vocational, for some very narrowly defined vocations.)
  - peteretep 6y ago
    Firstly, again, I don't think it matters. A BA/BSc is a tick-box what needs a tickin' in quite a few situations in life where the subject is completely by-the-by. Secondly, though, to pick up on your "I suppose one could tailor a particular Open Studies degree to be quite vocational", I think you can actually take that further. With reference to the link below, I think you could create a curriculum that was far more relevant for the roles most people do than most degrees are? I feel like I could pick out courses there that would make a university a far more useful developer than most compsci courses? [0] http://www.openuniversity.edu/courses/qualifications/qd http://www.openuniversity.edu/courses/qualifications/qd

peteretep 6y ago

> make your own degree ... credentialing Sure, but it’s still a BA from a real and accredited university, and there are plenty of situations in life where that’s needed, regardless of the subject. Many immigration programs will take it into account, if you want to become a teacher, access to further education or professional qualifications. In short, I don’t think a BA in Open Studies or whatever they call it is any less useful than a BA in International Relations or any number of other non-vocational BAs.

AnimalMuppet 6y ago
International Relations may be "non-vocational" to a certain degree (hah!), but it's much closer to certain vocations than an Open Studies degree is. (At least, a generic Open Studies degree. I suppose one could tailor a particular Open Studies degree to be quite vocational, for some very narrowly defined vocations.)
- peteretep 6y ago
  Firstly, again, I don't think it matters. A BA/BSc is a tick-box what needs a tickin' in quite a few situations in life where the subject is completely by-the-by. Secondly, though, to pick up on your "I suppose one could tailor a particular Open Studies degree to be quite vocational", I think you can actually take that further. With reference to the link below, I think you could create a curriculum that was far more relevant for the roles most people do than most degrees are? I feel like I could pick out courses there that would make a university a far more useful developer than most compsci courses? [0] http://www.openuniversity.edu/courses/qualifications/qd http://www.openuniversity.edu/courses/qualifications/qd