Study

Studying in the arts and humanities opens doors for our students. Through your studies, you will gain a deeper insight to human history and culture, and at the same time will gain key skills and competencies that are in high demand by employers, including critical and creative thinking, problem solving and argumentation, collaboration and communication. By studying the past we make sense of our present and can inspire our future.

- Dr Hannah Lavery (Director of Teaching)

The Open University is one of Europe’s premier providers of higher education in the Arts and Humanities. To learn more about any of our subject areas and the courses you can study in them, click the relevant link on the right-hand side of the page. Alternatively, feel free to download our prospectus via the linked image.

We have six subjects on offer in the School of Arts and Humanities: Art History, Classical Studies, Creative Writing, English Literature, History and Music. Many of our courses also encompass subjects from other schools, including English Language, Philosophy, Politics and Religious Studies. Indeed, one of our most popular qualifications is the BA (Hons) Arts and Humanities, which offers students the chance to choose modules from across all of these subject areas plus Modern Foreign Languages as well.

All of our undergraduate degrees can be studied flexibly. That means that you can complete them in three years just like at a conventional university. Alternatively, you can take four, five or six years, or even longer if necessary, if you need to balance study against other commitments like work, family, or the need to manage a medical condition or disability. As well as undergraduate degrees, we run shorter qualifications such as certificates and diplomas. What’s more, you do not need any prior qualifications to enrol – these courses really are open to anyone and everyone. We also offer postgraduate Masters degrees in all six subject areas.

The lecturers who write our modules are all experts, not just in their respective fields but also in designing courses for students studying online and at a distance. Each module takes around two years to make, so that we can ensure that every one of them is of the highest possible quality. Equally, the Associate Lecturers who work directly with our students are experts in their subjects as well as being hugely skilled in supporting students studying in a wide range of sometimes challenging circumstances.