An investigation into the progression of OU STEM students from taught courses to postgraduate research

Project leader(s):  Alice Fraser-McDonald

• Theme:  Supporting students
• Project faculties:  STEM
• Status:  Archived
• Date:  February 2024 to March 2026

In some Higher Education (HE) institutions, well-established pathways enable students to progress from taught programmes to postgraduate research (PGR) within the same university. However, at the Open University (OU), it is generally perceived that relatively few STEM PGR students have previously completed a taught qualification with the institution. This project aimed to investigate the progression of OU STEM students from undergraduate and taught postgraduate study to PGR, and to explore their reasons for either pursuing or not pursuing this pathway. The study sought to identify potential barriers to progression and to propose recommendations to address them.

A mixed-methods approach combined institutional data analysis with surveys and interviews. Quantitative data were used to evaluate progression rates from taught courses to PGR at the OU. This included analysis of the prior qualifications of STEM PGR students and the subsequent study pathways of taught programme graduates. Two surveys were sent, one to graduates of taught qualifications, and another to students in the final stages of studying OU taught qualifications. These explored awareness of OU PGR opportunities, consideration of applying for PGR, and perceived barriers to pursuing PGR. Semi-structured interviews with graduates from OU taught courses and STEM PGR students provided deeper insights into factors influencing the decision to pursue, or not pursue, PGR study and barriers to progression.

Progression from taught study to PGR varied across Schools in the STEM Faculty, with the proportion of PGR students holding prior OU taught qualifications ranging from 12% to 46%. In most Schools, students with prior OU qualifications were more likely to study PGR part-time. In the Faculty overall, 11% of full-time and 40% of part-time PhD students had completed taught qualifications with the OU.

Survey and interview responses demonstrated that 49% of graduates and 69% of students on capstone modules had considered applying to PGR at any university, primarily motivated by subject interest and career development. However, the number who actually applied for PGR at the OU was much lower. The main barriers identified to progression to PGR were cost, time, location constraints, limited part-time opportunities, lack of practical and/or research experience, limited access to information and support, lack of confidence, and health challenges.

The project has resulted in evidence-based insights into rates of progression from STEM taught courses to PGR and the reasons that students choose to pursue or not pursue this pathway. It also identified recommendations to potentially remove barriers and increase progression from taught study to PGR for OU STEM students. Key recommendations included offering opportunities for students on taught programmes to engage with PGR students and access additional information about this pathway. These opportunities could be provided via mentoring schemes, introductory courses, and/or “taster” sessions. Further work could evaluate the impact of these proposed actions, compare progression to PGR at the OU with the wider HE sector, and explore funding options to support part-time PGR study.

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