Changes to policy and curriculum

Undergraduate engineering qualifications - Qualification amendment

Warning: the content within this page reflects what was communicated to students in the 2016/17 academic year. As such, this information may no longer be factually accurate.

The Open University has now changed the amount of study that students are permitted to undertake at any one time towards the following Engineering qualifications:

• Master of Engineering (M04)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Q65)

Previously, there has been a restriction in place for these engineering qualifications limiting students to studying a maximum of 60 credits in any academic year. This restriction is being removed for all study towards engineering qualifications at Stage 2 and above.

What students need to do

• If a student is studying Stage 1 modules, they will still only be allowed to study a maximum of 60 credits per academic year.
• On successful progression to Stage 2, students will then have more flexibility. For example, at Stage 2, students could study Engineering: mechanics, materials, design (T207) (60 credits) from October to June and Engineering: professions, practice and skills 2 (T276) (30 credits) from February to October. Although this would mean studying 90 credits in a single academic year, the amount of overlap may be considered reasonable depending on a student's particular circumstances, enabling them to progress more quickly.
• Students will still need to adhere to the prescribed study order within their qualification.
• Students will still be required to follow the University’s progression rules with regard to completing stage study before being able to progress.
• For M04 only - Please remember that students must have completed all other academic requirements before starting their final MEng module Team engineering (T885). Team engineering cannot be studied at the same time as any other module.

It is still our strong recommendation that students carefully consider whether they are in a position to take on a higher study rate, but we hope this helps to provide some flexibility and options.

Why this is happening

The University recognises that students may wish to study at a higher intensity to progress more quickly through their qualification. In addition, the Engineering Council requires all study (for both MEng and BEng) to be completed within a period of eight years for the qualifications to be accredited. Removal of the restrictions at Stage 2 and above is therefore also intended to facilitate the meeting of this requirement.

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.