From a foundation degree
to an honours degree
INSPIRED LEARNING
Congratulations on receiving
your foundation degree!
Have you thought about topping up your foundation
degree to an honours degree? If you want to carry on your
studies to gain a BA or BSc honours degree, our Open
degree might be just what you’re looking for. This is one
of the most flexible degrees in the UK, letting you build an
honours degree that’s right for you.
You can continue your studies by choosing options from a
wide range of courses (our courses work like modules) and
you can use credit from your foundation degree to count
towards your Open degree. To find out more about our
Open degree click www.open.ac.uk/study-open.
Alternatively, you might prefer to use your credit towards
one of our other honours degrees related to the subjects
you’ve already studied. In fact some of our degrees are
specifically offered as a ‘top-up’ to a foundation degree,
for example, the BSc (Hons) Computing and its Practice
(B40) and the BA (Hons) Early Years (B60) which is also
offered as a bachelors degree without honours. To find
out more about these and all our degrees click
www.open.ac.uk/study.
Why choose The Open University (OU)?
We’ve inspired over two million minds in the last 40 years.
Right now, we’re helping a community of 210,000 students
achieve their personal and professional goals.
We’ve taken distance learning to a whole new level
with our uniquely flexible approach that fits around you.
You’ll get a world of support from your tutor and our
vibrant student community, so you’re never on your own.
Innovative learning materials such as downloads, DVDs
and podcasts bring learning to life in a compelling way,
allowing you to study when and where you like – at home,
at work or on the move.
If money’s a concern, we’ll help you find a way to pay.
Last year we helped 42,000 students with the costs of
their studies, and we can provide flexible payment
options too.
So how about it? You’ve already proved you can study
successfully at higher education level – why not take this
further and discover for yourself what Britain’s favourite
university* can offer you!
Arts and
humanities
*The Open University is ranked as the top UK university for overall student
satisfaction according to the National Student Survey 2009 and The Times.
Will my foundation degree count
towards an honours degree?
You may be eligible for credit transfer for any formally
assessed and successfully completed higher education
study you have done for your foundation degree. You’ll
find more information about qualifications that can count
on our credit transfer website at www.open.ac.uk/credittransfer. For information on individual cases contact our
Credit Transfer Centre (contact details are on the back
page of this leaflet).
How much work will I need to do?
Foundation degrees can vary in the amount and level of
study depending on what and where you studied. Typically,
to get an Open degree with honours, you will need to
study an extra 120 credit points at OU third level (FHEQ
Level 6, the normal level of the final, third year of a fulltime honours degree programme) in order to top up your
foundation degree to an OU honours degree. This usually
means studying two or three courses.
Which courses can I study?
An Open degree enables you to choose the courses you
study, but we recommend you choose courses in subjects
closely linked to your original foundation degree – bear
in mind that academic work at this level will assume a
substantial amount of relevant prior knowledge.
Below is a selection of Open University third level courses
which may be appropriate for you if you want to top up
from a foundation degree to a BA or BSc Open degree
with honours. If you are thinking of topping up to one
of our other degrees you will need to check the specific
requirements for that degree before selecting your
course(s). (Courses with ‘XR’ in the code are residential
school courses that also contain some preparatory work
and assignments.)
We strongly advise you to choose a subject area
where you already have appropriate academic
experience through previous study. Read the
description of your chosen course carefully at
www.open.ac.uk/study to ensure that you are
sufficiently prepared for it and call our Student
Registration & Enquiry Service for advice if you have
any doubts about the suitability of a course.
Course title
Code
Credits
20th century literature: texts and debates
A300
60
Empire: 1492–1975
A326
60
Myth in the Greek and Roman worlds
A330
60
Europe: culture and identities in a contested continent
AA300
60
Find out more about our Open degree at www.open.ac.uk/study-open
Arts and humanities
Business and management
Childhood and youth
Computing and ICT
Course title
Code
Credits
From composition to performance
AA302
60
Shakespeare: text and performance
AA306
60
Religion in history: conflict, conversion and coexistence
AA307
60
Thought and experience: themes in the philosophy of mind
AA308
60
Film and television history
AA310
60
Total war and social change: Europe 1914–1955
AA312
60
Renaissance art reconsidered
AA315
60
The nineteenth-century novel
AA316
60
Words and music
AA317
60
Art of the twentieth century
AA318
60
Religion today: tradition, modernity and change
AD317
60
The art of English
E301
60
English grammar in context
E303
60
Children’s literature
EA300
60
Making sense of strategy
B301
60
Accounting for strategy implementation
B321
30
Investigating entrepreneurial opportunities
B322
30
Marketing and society
B324
30
Managing across organisational and cultural boundaries
B325
30
Winning resources and support
B625
30
Managing 1: organisations and people
B628
30
Managing 2: marketing and finance
B629
30
Managing complexity: a systems approach
T306
60
Children’s literature
EA300
60
Research with children and young people
EK310
60
Early years focus on research with children and young people
EK311
60
Exploring practice
K316
60
Youth: perspectives and practice
KE308
60
Working together for children
KE312
60
Relational databases: theory and practice
M359
30
Developing concurrent distributed systems
M362
30
Software engineering with objects
M363
30
Fundamentals of interaction design
M364
30
Natural and artificial intelligence
M366
30
Ebusiness technologies: foundations and practice
T320
30
Keeping ahead in information and communication technologies
T324
30
Find out more about our Open degree at www.open.ac.uk/study-open
Computing
and ICT
Education
Engineering and technology
Environment, development and
international studies
Health and social care
Course title
Code
Credits
Databases within website design
TT380
10
Open source development tools
TT381
10
Web server management, performance and tuning
TT382
10
Teaching mathematical thinking at Key Stage 3
ME624
20
Developing algebraic thinking
ME625
30
Developing statistical thinking
ME626
30
Developing geometric thinking
ME627
30
Developing mathematical thinking at Key Stage 3
MEXR624
10
Managing complexity: a systems approach
T306
60
Innovation: designing for a sustainable future
T307
60
Environmental monitoring, modelling and control
T308
60
Ebusiness technologies: foundations and practice
T320
30
Keeping ahead in information and communication technologies
T324
30
Engineering small worlds: micro and nano technologies
T356
30
Structural integrity: designing against failure
T357
30
Understanding cities
DD304
60
A world of whose making?
DU301
60
Earth in crisis: environmental policy in an international context
DU311
60
Chemical change and environmental applications
S345
20
Understanding the continents
S339
30
The geological record of environmental change
S369
30
Ecosystems
S396
30
Environmental monitoring, modelling and control
T308
60
The environmental web
U316
60
Research with children and young people
EK310
60
Managing care
K303
60
Managing health and social care
K307
60
Communication in health and social care
K309
60
Promoting public health: skills, perspectives and practice
K311
60
Exploring practice
K316
60
Mentorship and assessment in health and social care settings
K320
30
Youth: perspectives and practice
KE308
60
Working together for children
KE312
60
Infectious disease
S320
30
Molecular basis of human disease
SXR376
15
Find out more about our Open degree at www.open.ac.uk/study-open
Languages
Law
Mathematics and
statistics
Psychology
Science
Course title
Code
Credits
The art of English
E301
60
English grammar in context
E303
60
Law: agreements, rights and responsibilities
W300
60
Law: ownership and trusteeship: rights and responsibilities
W301
60
Teaching mathematical thinking at Key Stage 3
ME624
20
Developing algebraic thinking
ME625
30
Developing statistical thinking
ME626
30
Developing geometric thinking
ME627
30
Developing mathematical thinking at Key Stage 3
MEXR624
10
Cognitive psychology
DD303
60
Personal lives and social policy
DD305
60
Social psychology: critical perspectives on self and others
DD307
60
Infectious disease
S320
30
Oceanography
S330
30
Understanding the continents
S339
30
Chemical change and environmental applications
S345
20
Drug design and synthesis
S346
20
Metals and life
S347
20
Evolution
S366
30
The geological record of environmental change
S369
30
Molecular and cell biology
S377
30
Astrophysics
S382
30
The relativistic Universe
S383
30
Ecosystems
S396
30
Signals and perception: the science of the senses
SD329
30
The quantum world
SM358
30
Electromagnetism
SMT359
30
Quantum mechanics: experiments, applications and simulations
SMXR358
10
Electromagnetism: experiments, applications and simulations
SMXR359
10
Ancient mountains: practical geology in Scotland
SXR339
10
Organic synthesis: strategy and techniques
SXR344
10
Plants, pigments and light
SXR375
15
Molecular basis of human disease
SXR376
15
Find out more about our Open degree at www.open.ac.uk/study-open
Social sciences
Course title
Code
Credits
Crime and justice
DD301
60
Cognitive psychology
DD303
60
Understanding cities
DD304
60
Personal lives and social policy
DD305
60
Living political ideas
DD306
60
Social psychology: critical perspectives on self and others
DD307
60
Making social worlds
DD308
60
A world of whose making?
DU301
60
Doing economics: people, markets and policy
DD309
60
Earth in crisis: environmental policy in an international context
DU311
60
If you would like this leaflet in another format, please call 0845 300 60 90 or email us at general-enquiries@open.ac.uk
quoting ‘alternative format’ in the subject box.
Contact us:
For information about how your foundation degree or other qualifications can count towards an OU honours
degree, contact the Credit Transfer Centre:
– 01908 653077
– www.open.ac.uk/credit-transfer
– email credit-transfer@open.ac.uk
To discuss studying with the OU, or preparing for study, contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service*:
– 0845 300 60 90
– email general-enquiries@open.ac.uk
For more details about our Level 3 (FHEQ Level 6) courses:
– www.open.ac.uk/study
– or the Student Registration & Enquiry Service* above.
The OU validates foundation degrees for a number of institutions. For more details contact OU Validation Services:
– 01908 332840
– www.open.ac.uk/validate
– email ouvs-recep@open.ac.uk
*The lines to our Student Registration & Enquiry Service are open (UK time): Monday to Friday 08:00 to 20:00, Saturday 09:00 to 17:00.
Calls to this line are charged at the UK local rate when calling from a UK landline.
Please quote code FDTU10
The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (number RC
000391), an exempt charity in England & Wales and a charity registered
in Scotland (number SC 038302).
www.open.ac.uk
May 2010
SUP 019176