Become a partner

Validated awards meet the same standards as other UK awards at the same level and offer equivalent opportunities for postgraduate study. We are proud to showcase that we have over 390 validated programmes delivered in 15 countries worldwide, with more than 208,000 students to date receiving an award validated by The Open University.

Here are examples of the types of programmes we can validate:

  • Animal Behaviour and Welfare
  • Business
  • Computing
  • Creative Arts
  • Criminology
  • Cyber Security
  • Dairy Herd Management
  • Dental Technology
  • Digital Technology
  • Education and Childhood Studies
  • Engineering
  • Fashion
  • Film and TV
  • Fine Art
  • Health and Social Care
  • Leadership and Management
  • Low Carbon Energy
  • Nuclear Manufacturing
  • Psychology
  • Sports Coaching
  • Zoo Science and Wildlife Conservation

Key benefits of becoming a validated partner:

  • Shape your programmes: Take full ownership of development and delivery to meet your market and student needs.
  • Collaborate with a global leader: Gain the advantage of working alongside one of the world’s most respected names in higher education.
  • Deliver with confidence: Leverage the Open University’s reputation for quality, compliance and academic excellence.
  • Join a thriving network: Become part of our community of validated partners and the wider Open University family.
  • Dedicated support: Work with your own Partnership Manager for tailored guidance and success.
  • Exclusive opportunities: Enjoy free access to a calendar of partner-only events and activities.
  • Innovate with bite-sized learning: Validate short, flexible learning options to meet evolving student needs.

Steps to becoming a validated partner:

The Open University Handbook for Validated Awards provides comprehensive guidance on the steps to becoming a validated partner. Below is a snapshot of the key stages in the process.

1.

Initial enquiry via ‘contact us’

2.

Complete the application form

3.

Partnership development and approval process (Section B)

4.

Programme validation (Section D)

5.

Institutional and programme monitoring (Section E), and ongoing support

Want to learn more?

If you’d like to know how we can help your organisation, please contact us.

Contact us