Mode of Study

The primary mode of study at Open Christian University is online and distance learning allowing students to study on their own at home. At the start of the course, your student account will be created in the university's learning management system. You will receive your unique login credentials which you will use to access your student portal at any time convenient for you. Although each course requires an access code to register, you will be able to find all the access codes on your home page. Students choose to either study online or download all of the self-study materials for offline study. You occasionally meet their tutor and other students for workshops and tutorials.

OCU combines different assessment methods to assess whether students have achieved the desired learning outcomes per course. While most courses require a student to complete an end-of-module essay as part of the exams, other instructors require students to take a comprehensive end-of-module exam or a combination of the two. In all cases, student submissions should take place online and instructors should complete all grading work online with a clear rubric.

The University welcomes applications from prospective students wishing to pursue independent postgraduate study in their area of study. The university is active in the area of postgraduate supervision and currently has research students at Masters (Research) and Doctoral levels engaging in research across a wide range of areas relating to Divinity, Business and Theology.

The OCU's Master and Ph.D. programmes by research are a development of the traditional research, where students select an area of enquiry and complete their master or doctoral thesis under the supervision of a designated supervisor. Prospective students must outline their area of interest in a brief initial proposal which is considered by the School. As such, the university strongly advises those considering applying for degree by research to consult informally with university in relation to their research proposal, in advance of a formal application to the school Dean. Prospective students are also invited to read the university research policy ahead of their application to fully understand .the process and the required deliverables.

Open Christian University offers the opportunity to researchers and academic professionals who have published their academic work in recognised journals to apply for a Master or PhD by Publication. This degree aims to demonstrate that the work submitted for evaluation is an original contribution to the advancement of knowledge, and that the applicant will be awarded this degree in recognition of an existing body of work, rather than a completely new research project.

The award allows people who have not followed the traditional academic route to earn a Master or PhD by Publication degree to obtain academic recognition for having undertaken and produced research, and developed their research skills and subject knowledge to doctoral level. Basically, an application requires publishing a minimum of four articles/research papers (around 8,000 to 10,000 words each) during a peer-reviewed journal before they submit their doctoral application for evaluation.

Application Requirements

To be considered for a Master or PhD by publication, you'll need to have held a postgraduate degree or any Level 6/7 qualification. To apply you'll need:

• To submit a CV,

• To submit a full list of the published works on which the application is based,

• A personal statement of about 500 words setting out your purpose.