Changes to policy and curriculum

Diploma of Higher Education and Foundation Degree in Retail Management (W14 and X14) - Qualification withdrawal

The Open University will withdraw the following qualifications on 31 December 2019:

• Diploma of Higher Education in Retail Management (W14)
• Foundation Degree in Retail Management (X14)

They will be replaced by the new Diploma of Higher Education in Business Management (W51), which will be available from the 2015/16 academic year.

What students need to do

If a student wishes to claim the Diploma of Higher Education in Retail Management (W14) or the Foundation Degree in Retail Management (X14) they, must complete all academic requirements by 31 December 2019. This means that they will most likely need to start their final module no later than October 2018. If a student has already started their Stage 2 studies, they are advised to continue working towards their current qualification

Please be aware that Some of the modules which count towards these qualifications are due to be discontinued before the qualification end dates:

• An introduction to business studies (B120) will begin for the final time in April 2015
• Working and learning: developing effective performance at work (BU130/BUXS130) will begin for the final time in April 2015

Alternatively, students can transfer to the new Diploma of Higher Education in Business Management (W51) or to one of our Open programme qualifications, such as the Diploma of Higher Education Open (W34). However, students must be made aware that:

• If they already have credit at Stages 1 and 2, they may find that some of your modules cannot be counted towards the new qualification.
• The Diploma of Higher Education in Business Management (W51) does not include a free choice option. If you have completed a free choice module as part of your current qualification you will need to check whether you can count it towards W51.
• If you have received an award of credit transfer towards your current qualification, this will need to be reassessed for W51.

Please talk to your Student Support Team if you need any further information. You can find out how to contact them on Contact the OU.