Modules available

Choose from a range of start dates to suit you

Open University modules can vary in their duration and can run once, twice or more frequently during the year. The date shown against each of the modules listed below is when the next course begins. It’s important to check the closing dates for applications on each module, as they can vary. The method of delivery can also vary from course to course: for instance, many Science short courses can be flexible in fitting round school exams whereas Arts short courses, with their fixed deadlines and non-negotiable date for the final assignment, are not. Again, check with your local YASS coordinator for further information.

Three new science short modules are now available:

• Living without oil has been produced primarily for YASS with funding from the Wolfson Foundation in collaboration with The Royal Society of Chemistry. It explores oil's vital role in the modern world, as a source of both energy and modern materials, and discusses the issues arising from our dependence on it, assessing some of the exciting scientific developments that could lead to sustainable alternatives to oil.
• The frozen planet investigates the ecosystems and animals that prosper in the polar regions, the global climate, the influence of humans on the environment and the motivations of early explorers using specially-shot film clips from the spectacular Frozen Planet BBC series.
• In Galaxies, stars and planets you will learn more about the exploration of our own solar system, the discovery of planets orbiting other stars, the birth, life and violent death of stars, distant galaxies seen as they were billions of years ago and the creation of the Universe itself.

Module levels

The modules offered through YASS are at level 1: equivalent to the first year at a traditional university and to SCQF level 7 in Scotland.

Credit points

Each module has credit points (10, 15, 30 or 60) which indicates the amount of credit you can count towards an Open University qualification and how many hours it might take you to study. One credit point represents approximately ten hours of study - for example, the 10-point arts module Start listening to music (A179) will take 100 hours of study over 12 weeks.

Please note: these credit points are higher education (CATS) points and not part of the UCAS tariff.

Further information and enrolment

To find out more about a module, including future enrolment dates, tutor support and assessment, please click on the module title you are interested in below or contact us if you require further guidance.
On this page

The following courses are not necessarily shown in the recommended order of study for an OU qualification.

Arts 

Business and Management

Computing and ICT

Education

E118 may be offered to students who are under 18, but enquirers should be made aware of the previous experience needed as set out in the course description. In addition, E118 is work-based, and the students would need to fulfil the condition of being in an appropriate work-setting for an average of five hours a week over the life of the course. This might be difficult for school-based students, though they could (for example) be a young leader within a voluntary organisation or have a leadership role within school. They would also need to go through the E131 materials as well, as the two courses are dependent on one another.

Engineering and technology

Environment

Health and Social Care

Languages

Law

Mathematics

Psychology

Science

Social Sciences

Sport

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