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Has anyone got information/experience of doing a PhD with the Open University? How much has it cost them? How would that compare with doing a PhD with a 'brick' university?

Regards

Angelette 8-)

A friend of mine did a part-time PhD with the Open University. I considered doing my part-time one with them. Some years ago it used to be much cheaper to study a PhD part-time with the OU than a face-to-face university. Now the fees are about the same though, and you are very much at a distance and on your own, even if you do have supervisors you need to see occasionally.

For more information see http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/research-degrees/index.htm

Of course there are full-time PhD options at the Open University as well. Those would typically be funded, so your fees and living expenses would be paid for. You would be based at Milton Keynes.

Thanks for this Bilbo.  I'm just investigating the possibilities at the moment. Cost is a major factor.  I would be studying part time if I did decide to go ahead. I would be meeting my own costs.  I think the fees at the OU are about £1700 a year for a UK student. Are there a lot of other costs as well - apart from  general living costs?

Angelette

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Not in relation to the OU specifically but it would be normal practice for a PhD student to go to (and present at as well), a number of conferences along the way. Registration costs do vary and there is generally a postgrad rate, but still they can be expensive.

Other than that it's the good old stationery (can never have too much of that!!). There is free open source software which can help with some things. For example Zotero is an open source reference system. I believe there is also limited free project management software out there as well. None of these are necessary to the successful completion of a PhD though - afterall, all you needed years ago was a paper and pen! It's really up to the individual student how much they feel they need.

Good luck with it - it'll be tough for sure, but no doubt worth it in the end (up)

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That will be a similar fee to a local face-to-face university. Do look at those options as well. You would get more support on the way through, be more part of a community of fellow students (even as a part-timer virtually never there), and it might work out better.

I'm a huge fan of the OU, having done my conversion BA(Hons) with them. But I'm glad I did my part-time PhD at a university near to me instead of the OU.