- Time taken to complete the course

1)  The MBA regulation state that the MBA must be completed within 10 years. The full award regulations for the MBA can be found here: http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/regs/F02.pdf

2)  Typically, the MBA takes 3.5 years to complete part-time, however it is possible to complete it in 2.5 years by overlapping courses.

3)  See (2) above.

4)  The programme is more appropriate for students who are currently working and, preferably, in a management role. Entrants to the MBA must have a minimum of 3 years management experience.

- Funding

1) Open University MBA is modular with each module being individually priced.  Therefore, the total cost will depend on a number of factors such as:

1. your eligibility to pay the UK, Irish, European or Worldwide fee; where you have a choice of module(s), which module(s) you choose;
2. any exemptions you are awarded as a result of a credit transfer claim;
3. The length of time over which you study, as the fees for each module may increase in the future.

The current fees for individual modules can be found on our website at www.open.ac.uk/courses. To find out more about the cost of degree ceremonies, please visit http://www3.open.ac.uk/ceremonies/listvenue.aspx [our Ceremonies site].

2)  The Open University do not offer scholarships. More information about the cost of studying can be found at: http://www.open.ac.uk/new/what-does-ou-cost.shtml

- Accreditations

1)  The Open University Business School has been accredited by the worlds top management education associations – AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA, an achievement that puts it in an elite group. This is a rare achievement, since Only less than 1 % of business schools worldwide is triple accredited.

- Distance Learning

1)  The MBA is delivered by supported distance learning, which means that students study on a part time basis from home.  The backbone of each course is specially written course material that is sent to your home together with other learning materials such as, DVDs and CD-ROMs.  You must have access to a computer. As well as using the course materials, courses will include a number of assignments and in most cases an examination. There may be face to face tutorials for your course. These are completely optional, but most students find them useful. They provide an opportunity to meet other students and your tutor, and discuss the content of your course.  Tutorials are held in various locations on weekday evenings and Saturdays.  Depending on the course, tutorials are held weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
The MBA can also be studied entirely online (where there is a ZX in the course code) which means that the tutorials will be online, rather than face-to-face. You will find more information about studying with us at: http://www.open.ac.uk/oubs/studying-with-us/index.php.

2)  See (1) above.

3)  See (1) above.

4)  See (1) above.

5)  See (1) above. Study is done from the student’s home, not on the university campus.

- Campus Facilities

1)  Students studying the MBA do not use the campus as the Open University is entirely distance learning (see above).

2) See above.

- Regions where MBA is supported

1)  Not applicable (see above). The MBA can be studied from almost anywhere in the world via our online courses.

- Residency requirements

1)  The MBA can be studied from anywhere but your residency will affect the course fee you are entitled to pay. You are entitled to pay the UK course fee if you are settled* in the UK (excluding the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) on the first day of your course and you have been ordinarily resident in the UK (excluding Channel islands and Isle of Man) for the 3 years prior to the course start date. If you are temporarily and unavoidably working outside the UK for a period of less than 3 years you will still be classified as ordinarily resident in the UK and therefore eligible to pay UK course fees. If you are a member of the British Armed Forces or a UK diplomat using a BFPO address while you are resident outside of the UK you can pay UK course fees during your time outside the UK. If you work for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and were appointed to your post whilst resident within the UK and are currently working abroad and using a BFPO address then you will also be eligible to pay the UK course fees if you have not been resident outside the UK for more than 3 years.

If you are not sure if you are eligible to pay the UK fee, please contact us on 0845 300 60 90 before registering.  We will discuss your circumstances with you and confirm which fee you will need to pay.

*Normally and lawfully resided in the UK from choice without any immigration restriction on the length of your stay in the UK.

Statistics
In 2007, almost 82% of students who were registered on B713 (stage 1 of the MBA) went on the complete the course and 66% passed.

Admission

You can apply online.

The deadline for enrolling on modules that start in November 2009 is 30 September 2009.

Whilst there are no age restrictions, you must have a UK honours degree or equivalent professional qualification, and have a minimum of three years experience in a managerial, professional or technical role. Usually this means that you are at least 25 years old.

The amount of intakes varies from year to year.

There are no admissions essays.

No letters of recommendation are required.

If you have already completed some successful study at postgraduate or masters level at another higher education institution or with a professional body, we may be able to give you credit that you can count towards this Open University qualification. You can find out more at: www.open.ac.uk/credit-transfer. Only a maximum of 30 points credit transfer can be counted towards the MBA elective component.

There is no interview process to study with Open University.

Open University do not require GMAT in order for you to study.

The MBA modules can only be attempted by you twice. We will not allow students to attempt a course for a third time. More information on this is available within the MBA Award Regulations mentioned previously.

1. Documents required
   Your Registration Agreement, together with
2. payment is required and
3. your Supplementary Information Form together with copies of your entry requirements. These copies do not need to be certified.
4. If you are applying for credit transfer, however, originals will need to be supplied.

You do not need to attend an Open Day for the MBA.

17)  I would suggest looking through the extensive information on our website as this contains detailed information on all the points. There is also a useful ‘FAQ’ section that you might find helpful. You can also call us on +44 (0)845 366 6035 to speak with a member of the Business School Information Team.

Assessment

1) You are assessed on both coursework and examinations.

2)  The examinations are not online, they will take place in a designated examination centre.

3)  The MBA’s final module B830 ‘Making a difference’ is a project module. More information about B830 can be found at: http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?C01B830

- Job prospects

With regards to employment prospects, you might like to speak directly with the Association of OU Graduates on +44 (0)1908 653 316 or look at the Prospects website: www.prospects.ac.uk.

- Academic staff

1)  We usually try to answer all student enquiries. However, if we cannot answer certain questions , we will speak to the relevant department to find you the right answer or point you in the right direction.

2)  All tutors will hold the most appropriate academic qualifications for the course they are teaching.

- Graduation

1)  On successful completion of the required courses you will be awarded a Master of Business Administration and will be entitled to use the letters MBA (Open) after your name. You will have the option of being presented at a degree ceremony and collecting your award certificate there.

Disability

1)  We welcome all disabled students and will do our best to meet your needs. Support can include alternative formats for course materials, help to attend residential school, extra time for exams and help with funding. Please find more information at: http://www.open.ac.uk/disability/index.php

Contact details for more information :

Business School Information Team
Student Registration & Enquiry Service

Tel: +44 (0)845 366 6035
Fax: +44 (0)1908 655121
OUBS-ILGen@open.ac.uk
www.oubs.open.ac.uk