Postgraduate

Description

Please note that this qualification is only available until 31 December 2014. In order to claim this qualification you must have completed the required 120 credits by this time. This qualification is not available to new students. If you have any questions about your eligibility for this qualification, please contact the Qualifications and Ceremonies Centre on +44 (0)1908 653003 or by email .

The need for software development projects to be successful is increasingly important as software systems become more complex and organisations become ever more dependent on their software systems. As product life cycles get shorter and as technology enables more ways of producing goods and services, it is becoming harder to meet a client’s requirements and deliver a new software system within the constraints of time, cost and quality.

This postgraduate diploma course is designed for professionals in the field of computing who wish to develop their vocational interest in project management. Although it is designed to be a more specialist diploma course than the Postgraduate Diploma in Computing for Commerce and Industry (C02), it includes modules to develop the skills and breadth of knowledge for careers in a project-based organisation.

Planning your studies

There are no entry requirements for the diploma modules, but you must be suitably prepared for study at professional level. You are expected to have studied to at least HNC/HND level, or to have had equivalent practical experience. Individual module descriptions will tell you more about the requirements.

You can take the diploma modules in any order. It is often helpful to begin with a module that is related to your current area of work or to your own interests or experience, so that you can build on your strengths while getting used to Open University supported open learning. We recommend that you start with only one module in the first six-month period. After this you will have a clearer understanding of the demands that study will make on you, and can decide whether you wish to take more than one module at a time. However, if you are able to find time to study modules totalling 30 credits in every study period, you can obtain a diploma in as little as two years.

There is no time limit for completing this diploma. Postgraduate computing modules (codes beginning with ‘M’ listed below) can count towards the diploma for a maximum of eight years after we have stopped presenting them; however we cannot guarantee that the same selection of modules will continue to be available.

All postgraduate computing modules (codes beginning with 'M') and many of the technology modules (codes beginning with ‘T’) are available with electronic submission and marking of assignments and so can be studied anywhere in the world. You should check the availability of other modules in this diploma that you wish to study, if you are studying outside the EU.

You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 40 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you.

Career relevance and employability

The modules in the postgraduate computing programme are for professional computer specialists, engineers, technical managers and scientists who need to update their skills and knowledge in specific areas, and gain recognised qualifications to develop their careers. The compulsory project management module is accredited by the Association for Project Management (APM), and accredited by the Information Systems Examination Board (ISEB) as providing equivalent training and written examination to that required for the ISEB Certificate in IS Project Management at higher level.

There is more information about how OU study can improve your employability in the OU’s Employability Statement from our Careers Advisory Service. You can also read or download our publication OU study and your career and look at our subject pages to find out about career opportunities.

Modules

For this 120-credit postgraduate diploma you require:

60 credits from the following compulsory modules:

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules MZX865, T853

And 30 credits from these optional modules:

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules M873, M874, M877, M878, M879, M881, M891, T850, T851, T852

And 30 credits from these optional modules:

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules B821, B822, B823, B824, BZX821, BZX822, BZX823, BZX824, T837, T882

Credit for previous study elsewhere

If you have already completed some successful study at postgraduate level at another institution we may be able to give you credit that you can count towards this Open University qualification. Please see our Credit Transfer site for details. If you make a successful claim for transferred credit it may affect your choice of modules, so you are advised to investigate this option as soon as possible.

Credit transfer details for this qualification:

• Essential Information Sheets - Postgraduate Diploma in Management of Software Projects

On completion

On successful completion of the required modules you can be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Management of Software Projects entitling you to use the letters PG Dip Mgmt SP (Open) after your name. 

If you obtain 60 credits or more at distinction grade in your modules, you will qualify for the award of the diploma with Distinction.

Once you have completed the Postgraduate Diploma, you can gain the MSc in Management of Software Projects (F43)  by taking a 60-credit research project module. For this your project topic will need to be in the area of software project management. If you choose a more general computing topic, you may instead be awarded the MSc in Computing for Commerce and Industry (F05).

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Qualification Regulations and the Student Regulations.

Qualification Regulations

• Introduction to the Qualification Regulations
• General Qualification Regulations
• Postgraduate Diploma in Management of Software Projects

Student Regulations

The Student Regulations (including the Code of Practice for Student Assessment and the Code of Practice for Student Discipline) are available on our Policy Documents for Students website.

How to register

To register for this qualification, read the description and check you meet any specific requirements (for example, some of our qualifications, require you to be working in a particular environment, or be sponsored by your employer). Then select the module you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that module.

See a full list of modules available for this qualification

Study explained

Credits

- show how much study is required to complete a course or qualification. One credit point represents roughly 10 hours of study.

Costs

- find out how much you can expect to pay.

Financial support

- find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.

Study explained

- all you need to know about studying with the OU.

Your questions

We may have already answered it in our frequently asked questions.

Or contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90 +44(0) 845 366 60 35

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