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Planning Studies pages provide advice on course choice for continuing students and information on how to review your options and think about alternatives.
See a range of FAQs on course choice.
Use our OU study and your career pages to find out which qualifications may be particularly appropriate for a range of broad career areas.
Got a question?
Contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service. Email or call +44(0)845 300 60 90
Choosing your next course
Whether you're in your first year of OU study or well on the way to receiving your degree, choosing your next course will be a challenge. To simplify this for you, here is a guide to help you with your next course registration.
If you are completing your first course with the OU
Studying for a qualification
As you complete your first course it is worth remembering that some single courses are qualifications in their own right, and you can get a certificate upon completion. Alternatively, you might study several courses that build towards a diploma or a degree.
Find out more about our undergraduate qualifications in Qualifications.
You may have already decided which qualification you want to work towards and therefore it's important to plan your studies carefully. You can:
- read the qualification description carefully on our online prospectus
- log in to StudentHome, where – once you have linked your studies to a qualification – you will be able to use the tailored Qualification Planner.
Studying with a career in mind
Your career plans may influence your choice of courses and qualifications. Even if you're not studying for career reasons you may still find it useful to find out what opportunities are available to you.
Visit our Careers Advisory Service for detailed advice and links to a range of resources.
If you have completed a number of courses with the OU
You will have gone through the process of choosing and registering for your next course previously. You may already have an idea about what you want to study next, whether it’s for a qualification, for your career or purely a subject that interests you.
- Our online prospectus Study at the OU gives details of all our courses and linked qualifications, giving you all the information you need to make a choice.
- Alternatively, if you visit StudentHome and log in, this tailored website will recognise your previous OU study and suggest courses for you to consider in the future, based on possible qualifications and your previous study.