Korean Job Discussion Forums

[BS.Dos.]

I'm thinking about signing up for a Masters degree with the OU and was wandering if anyone here has studied or has any experience with the OU?

Any comments would be helpful.

[bluelake]

Are you referring to the Open Cyber University (http://www.ocu.ac.kr)? If so, my son received his BA from there a few years ago, and had a very good experience.

[BS.Dos.]

^No.

I mean the OU. The home of Prof. in flares and dodgy sweaters.

[silvertoes]

I started a degree with the OU while working for Royal Mail in the UK. Two and bit years of study recharged my brain and got me into law school as a mature student. OU changed my life forever. Fantastic system (and, at its most difficult, more intellectually challenging than anything I had to do at law school). Thanks to them, and my own hard work of course, I'll never again have to deliver mail while facing down attack dogs at 5.30am on a Saturday.

Because you have to be almost entirely self-motivated, make sure you study something of great interest/use to you, and check that attendance at tutorial sessions/summer schools is not compulsory and therefore no problem for you while in Korea.

[alistaircandlin]

Yeah, I did some I.T. courses with them a while back and thought they were very comprehensive and well structured. You could correspond with other students using the OU's chat software.

Thought about doing a Masters with them in English Lit. while working in Korea but either it wasn't possbile outside of Europe or you actually had to be present in the UK for a certain amount of tutorials. I ended up going back to school full-time for a year in London, but if it's possible to study with OU from Korea I would definately recommend them too.

[BS.Dos.]

Pardon my ignorance, but could anyone enlighten me on a couple of points concerning studying at post grad level:

1. How are you assessed? Is studying at MA/Msc level entirely coursework based or, do you have examinations at the end of each teaching block?

2. How are you awarded your Masters? Does the same undergraduate marking classification exist? (First, 2:1, 2:2 etc)

[Big_Bird]

I can't answer your last post, but in response to the OP, I have to say the OU is bloody excellent. Changed my life. I've studied at a very reputable 'proper universtiy' since, both at undergrad and postgrad level, but it never compared with the OU. The OU programmes and courses are very carefully put together. You get an excellent grounding in your subject matter, and you are not at the whim of incompetent lecturers because everything has been carefully put together by a team. I found my education at the 'proper university' to be more 'patchy,' and less consistent.

I intend to study with the OU again sometime in my life, even if it is purely for pleasure.

[hubba bubba]

I was checking that out, but I couldn't twll... Is that open to anyone (specifically Americans), or only Brits?

[valkerie]

[Big_Bird]

[nobbyken]

I studied for a BSc Hons degree for the 4 years up till 2006.
Sending the big boxes of textbooks may take a little longer than usual, and available courses may be very slight obstacles.

I loved the courses, although you really have to be comitted.
The term usually starts each year in February, and finishes at the start of October.
For the undergraduate courses, a monthly assignment would have to be put on the OU website for your course tutor to collect and mark.

There was also an online conference system, and some times phone tutorials.
A great value for money experience, but you should check the dates for the course you choose.

[alistaircandlin]

My MA (not from the OU though) is 100% coursework and grades are either Distinction, Merit, Pass or Fail.

From what I've heard most MA courses don't have the Merit category.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Macquarie and the OU are related.