Open university courses - law in particular

I can't comment on Business Law but I'm signed up to start Forensic Phsycology at the start of next year (so excited!) with the OU. I wasn't sure either - when I finish my 6 year degree I still have to do specialist training on top of it so it's going to be a long process. However I sat down with my Aunt who studied French (she graduates this month actually) and she couldn't recommend it highly enough. She showed me how the marking works, online tutorial and help as well as the dashboard bit on the website with extra help. It really put my mind at ease.

I had reservations that OU would be seen as a "lesser" degree but she said that's not the case - a lot of employers view it more highly as it shows you can do something like that and keep down a job and family life.

I'm more worried about needing to apply myself at home - it's hard enough some days to get the housework done after work! But I'm sure this is what I want to do so I know it's worth dedicating time to.

I spoke to some people at the OU and they're really helpful - they might be able to give you more specific help about the degree your choosing.

Oh wow how exciting! Your course will be an interesting kne but no doubt a lot of work behind it. It's good to hear it recommended from someone who has enrolled already. Do you know how often they have face to face tutorials? i have hesitated enrolling for about 4 years now which is daft as I would be two years away from graduating now! But I had the same thoughts as you. I looked at joining a university but they are more expensive and you need more time which I don't have.

I have added ou in Facebook and have been looking out for law students posts but I may call them directly today. Did you get a list of books etc you will need off them? I didn't think I was eligible for student finance as I started a degree a few years ago but turns out I can still apply so fingers crossed as it will mean I can save up a year in advance

There are quite a few solicitors knocking about this site. I am a commercial lawyer and qualified four years ago.

It really depends what you want your destination to be. I do not understand what you mean by "I have been looking at a part time degree in law which will take 6 years and to get the business law on top I would need the masters potentially another 2 or 3 years." Can you please explain?

If you want to be a solicitor and your employer is supportive of it then I wouldn't hesitate to do law via OU. However, if you're planning on leaving your employer to qualify then I'd be cautious because there are many in the legal field who prefer people from redbrick universities and Oxbridge. Don't get me wrong - there are plenty of people who will have a degree by the OU and make it, but some do discriminate especially in commercial law.

If you want to go into law, you can do your undergraduate degree in another subject. I read politics. If I had my time again, I'd probably do a commerce degree. You can then do the Graduate Diploma in Law if you still want to do law. I strongly recommend doing an undergraduate degree you'll enjoy. Personally, I think the OU is an excellent institution, but do go into it with your eyes wide open.

I can't wait to get started. I was going to start in October but we held back because OH thought he might need to move jobs and we didn't get everything finalised until it was too late. I'm desperate to get going now haha!

Face to face as in actually physically face to face? Or Skype? My understanding is that it differs course to course but they had Skype tutorials and classroom work as well. There's also forums for each degree so you can link up with people doing your course for support. Phone and ask though - they were really good with me and I asked all the same questions as you.

With finance I'm lucky enough to live in Scotland and earn under the threshold (thankfully they look at individual income rather than household up here) so I won't need to pay for any of it! The finance people are really good - I spoke to them before I found out I didn't need to pay - so give them a call to talk through what options are out there.

I totally get where you're coming from about wasting time and wishing you'd just done it. It's why I've decided just to go for it. I don't want to be sitting here 6 years from now wishing I'd done it!

Sorry I was very tired when I wrote the post after hours of researching and banging my head against walls with it! I looked into my local university but I work 45+ hours a week and can't afford to leave work to study full time. I really want to go down the business, corporate responsibilities law route but the only law course they offer is general or criminology but can specialise in business, corporate and social reaponsibilities and human rights at masters level. It's a long way of doing it but as I can only do part time I don't see much choice. It's annoying to hear you can be discriminated against with OU. Why did I not do this at 18?!

Ah Ok I didn't realise it could mean Skype face-face. I am nervous now as I just keep reading more into it! that's good to hear there are forums as I had visions of me being sat on my own stressing out and confusing myself!

Cool. If you want to read law through the OU then do the general LLB.

You'll realize along the way that you do not need to do a Masters. If you go on to qualify as a solicitor (or legal executive) or progress as a paralegal, you'll realize that LLMs do not mean much in a professional context for most and will add virtually nothing to your employability. If you do an LLM, you should do it after you've been in a legal role for several years. It is a lot of time, money and effort without much return, and is usually for academic interest.

If you are looking to pursue a career as a solicitor, you will do the LPC - and this is where you'd choose the corporate law route. This is not a Masters.

I cannot stress enough that you should do an undergraduate degree that is relatively academic and that you'll enjoy and do well in. Your undergraduate degree class will be really important, so you need to do well in it (2:1 or above). There is very little that will mitigate a poor degree result.

Also, the most competent legal person I ever met didn't have a law degree (undergraduate or postgraduate) and was the Head of IP for a very large company. My husband doesn't have a degree and earns 6 figures in a white collar job.

Thank you so much for your advice ash it's really helpful to hear from someone that has experience they are willing to share. I won't lie it's pretty scary the thought of gong back to study and potentially open the doors to a career change down the line but one worth pursuing. It's good to hear an academic degree in other subjects will get me where I want to be too. Thank you so much for your advice I have taken it all on board :-)

I'm an OU Student, studying for a BSc in Natural Sciences, although I've chosen to specialise in Biology. I've just started my 3rd year of study (blimey, that's flown when I think about it!) I really can't recommend them as an establishment enough. The tutors I've met along the way have all been fantastic, the study support team are meant to be very good too (although I've been fortunate enough not to have to use them all that often but have spoken to others who have called on them in times of need) Having done distance learning through work in the past you can tell that this is their 'thing' as they've really got it sussed - the technology they've designed to help you interact is very good, and the materials have all been designed for you to study alone, they're written almost as if someone would speak it to you, so it's not like reading a 'normal' textbook.

My only criticism is they seem to be doing away with books and making it all online only, however the new interactive content is good for testing your learning and I can see why they're doing it, it's much easier for them to link topics over the course of a module for example compared to saying 'read that book again you read 5 months ago' as it can be done via hyperlinks.

I do think you get out what you put in. We have online tutorials most weeks for my modules, and some modules have physical 'face to face, sat down in a classroom with your group and tutor' about 4 or 5 times over the course, but this varies depending on the topic and how spread out your tutor group are. The forums are good for keeping in touch with other students, as are the various facebook groups created (you do get some insufferable know-alls who drive you mad through the year, although I tend to warm to them a bit more come revision time!!)

The exams/coursework/assingments etc are all pretty reasonable I've found, and the feedback you get over the course of the year definitely helps - the assignments are written and designed to help prepare you for your exam/end of module assessment which is good.

If you've got any other questions give me a shout!

Thank you so uch! I'm feeling a lot more confident in my decision after hearing from people who have done it. I thought I was nuts doing it part time as it will take so long but I think it will be worth it in the end!

I did a Masters degree in Education with the OU over ten years ago. It took me 3 years to complete. It was challenging, especially trying to find the time to do the essays etc while working full time but I did enjoy the process. Although I haven't directly earned more by having an MEd it certainly gave me an edge when apply for new teaching jobs and more importantly it helped me to become a much better teacher! I was supplied with all the books and course work but this was before the days of Skype (I got interviews to listen to on tape and video clips on vhs tapes lol). It's certainly much more hi tech now so the contact with your tutor has to be even better now - I got a quarterly face to face tutorial and a phone number lol

I did the Graduate Diploma in Law via part time distance learning; I had a degree but needed to 'convert' to pursue a legal career. It was 2 years and it was tough - my full time job was really intense, and in the first year we bought our house (OH did nothing, bank were really bad) and my Nana died, so I became quite overwhelmed. However, I made it to the finish line, and having done the LPC I'm now in the second year of my training, due to qualify in September.

I'm not sure from your post whether you actually want to go as far as becoming a solicitor or if you just want the knowledge behind you to do in-house stuff within your existing field. However, I can say that my time in private practice has been busy and, at times, stressful but it has also been interesting and varied. It's the greatest job on earth. But only you can say if it's what you want to do, and therefore whether it's the right thing to do.

I didn't study via the OU but the same principles apply - you have just got to be super organised, a liytle bit selfish and get your priorities right.

Thank you for your advice ladies. At this moment in time I am looking to stay within my company but the job role I currently have is not something I want to do for life. I love the company I work for and they have given me a lot of opportunities and I am fully qualified to run a business because of those opportunities but I would like to explore the legal side. I work for a huge company and am lucky other doors are open to me as they have their own legal team etc. I love a challenge and love learning so even if I find it's not the job for me I think it will be a good experience. Once I have graduated I may look to move into a solicitor role but I think I will just see how I feel as I start to learn