What's your opinion on The Open University UK?

[nomaduser]

I've never seen anyone in the US with a degree from The Open University UK.

Do you think getting a degree from The Open University is a bad idea as someone living in the US?

The Open University is the first distance learning institution in the English speaking world.
It has a longer history than all other distance learning universities. It shows up on QS and Times world university rankings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_University

[Jonathan Whatley]

Do you think getting a degree from The Open University is a bad idea as someone living in the US?

The Open University is the first distance learning institution in the English speaking world.
It has a longer history than all other distance learning universities. It shows up on QS and Times world university rankings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_University

It's a great idea if the program is a good fit. Bonus: The Open University holds both a Royal Charter in the UK which is equivalent to US regional accreditation, and additionally holds US regional accreditation (from MSCHE, the same as TESU, Excelsior, Columbia and more).

[rachel83az]

It's 100% legit, but it has a weird name that sounds super fake. If you're the kind of person who thinks names are important, I wouldn't go with them.

[bjcheung77]

They're a very good institution, a very good choice for those that want an education in the UK. Having said that, weren't you the one who mentioned people would start asking questions about TESU online programs and being in NJ state? Wouldn't you start thinking about the same thing, people asking about having a UK degree when you're based in the US? I would take the program IF it suits your educational goals or needs and forget the thought of someone like a manager asking those type of questions... if they do (rarely) ask, just tell them exactly how/why you took it, it's online and is in the subject matter you're interested in.

[MrPanda]

There are lots of Open universities around the world. The one for Portugal is Universidade Aberta.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_...iversities

[nomaduser]

Its a reputable distance learning institution with US-accredited degrees, is not as well-known in the US as some other UK universities, which might affect the recognition of its degrees among US employers and graduate schools. The suitability of pursuing a degree from The Open University UK in the US depends on individual circumstances and goals.

It's an attractive choice for those seeking flexibility and affordability in obtaining a UK degree, but individuals concerned about degree recognition in the US may want to explore other UK universities.

This is the problem.
In terms of quality and establishment, The Open University UK looks alright but it has no reputation in the US at all.

I looked up some profiles on The Open Univ alumni in the US.
Most of them are foreigners living in the US or they're probably UK and US dual citizens.

[freeloader]

Its a reputable distance learning institution with US-accredited degrees, is not as well-known in the US as some other UK universities, which might affect the recognition of its degrees among US employers and graduate schools. The suitability of pursuing a degree from The Open University UK in the US depends on individual circumstances and goals.

It's an attractive choice for those seeking flexibility and affordability in obtaining a UK degree, but individuals concerned about degree recognition in the US may want to explore other UK universities.

This is the problem.
In terms of quality and establishment, The Open University UK looks alright but it has no reputation in the US at all.

I looked up some profiles on The Open Univ alumni in the US.
Most of them are foreigners living in the US or they're probably UK and US dual citizens.

Sure, but what British universities could most Americans identify?  Outside of Oxford and Cambridge and possibly Edinburgh (because of its association with Will and Kate), I suspect most could not identify another.  

Manchester, Birmingham, LSE, and Imperial (to name just four) are world class universities that are better than 95%+ of colleges and universities in the United States. Having said that, the majority o for alums of those schools in the US likely are expats or dual citizens. 

You can apply that to any country. Toronto, British Columbia, and McGill are reasonably well known in the United States, but I suspect most Americans couldn’t name any more universities than those. Truthfully, most Americans likely wouldn’t be able to name those, other than potentially lucky guesses that the largest city in Canada is likely to have a university named after it and most provinces are as well, just as the US states are likely to have a school named after them. 

I guarantee you that University of Phoenix, ITT Tech,  DeVry, and SNHU are better known in the United States than Manchester, Birmingham, McGill, or British Columbia. 

It’s a gross oversimplification to say that The Open has no reputation in the US.  Do most people know about it?  No, but a lot of people who matter know about it.  Plenty of hiring managers at big companies and admissions officers at big universities know about it. And for a lot of people, I suspect most Americans who would seriously consider a degree from The Open, that matters more than what random people in middle America know or think about the institution. 

Reputation is always something to consider. Take, for example Bowdoin and Carleton Colleges, currently tied for the No 9 best national liberal arts colleges on the US News lists. The graduates of those schools do very well for themselves financially and in gaining admissions to top graduate and professional programs. Outside of Maine/New England and Minnesota, respectively, most people probably haven’t heard of them and certainly don’t know how good they are. So, are you better getting a degree from Bowdoin or a school like the University of Kentucky or the University of New Mexico, lower ranked flagship universities?  Well, that depends of when and how you want to use your degree. 

I have degrees from two flagship state universities. Most people probably think that one university is much “better” because it is much better at football and gets talked about a lot more, despite being significantly lower ranked by US News and basically every other ranking service, having poorer post-graduation salary results, etc. 

Want a degree from a school that people have heard of?  Get a degree from Kentucky, Alabama, or Kansas (because of sports) or Phoenix or Walden (because they advertise). Personally, I am not that worried about what ignorant people think of my multiple degrees and the universities that granted them.

[Chankosumo]

The whole idea that one must go to a school that "people have heard of" is a fallacy, an opinion. And most know what opinions are worth. There are institutional accreditors and degree evaluators out there. If they deem a degree to be valid, then the degree is valid. No more or no less valid than another valid one. There will always be those people who take joy in making others quit or discourage them from enrolling in a school they like/can afford/can attend or whatever reason one considers enrolling in a school that "people have not heard of" (again, a fallacy, an opinion). They will persistently argue that an employer "can", "may", or "could" be suspicious about your school. If one does indeed fall easily for this trap, then my suggestion is to work on his or her skill to actually argue.

[MrPanda]

The whole idea that one must go to a school that "people have heard of" is a fallacy, an opinion. And most know what opinions are worth. There are institutional accreditors and degree evaluators out there. If they deem a degree to be valid, then the degree is valid. No more or no less valid than another valid one. There will always be those people who take joy in making others quit or discourage them from enrolling in a school they like/can afford/can attend or whatever reason one considers enrolling in a school that "people have not heard of" (again, a fallacy, an opinion). They will persistently argue that an employer "can", "may", or "could" be suspicious about your school. If one does indeed fall easily for this trap, then my suggestion is to work on his or her skill to actually argue.

Your post reminded me of this story that I read at DegreeInfo:

https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?thr...ost-296571

[davewill]

The whole idea that one must go to a school that "people have heard of" is a fallacy, an opinion. And most know what opinions are worth. There are institutional accreditors and degree evaluators out there. If they deem a degree to be valid, then the degree is valid. No more or no less valid than another valid one. There will always be those people who take joy in making others quit or discourage them from enrolling in a school they like/can afford/can attend or whatever reason one considers enrolling in a school that "people have not heard of" (again, a fallacy, an opinion). They will persistently argue that an employer "can", "may", or "could" be suspicious about your school. If one does indeed fall easily for this trap, then my suggestion is to work on his or her skill to actually argue.

Yup. I've always said the best degree is the one you will finish. What good does it do to hold out for a school you're not going to get into or you end up dropping out of?