Reputation of University of London - external programme

Hi to everyone,
I am German, work currently on a freelance-basis and would like to study Business Studies in combination with languages (my mother tongue is German). I have surfed through the internet and found the Open University and the University of London. I know that the Open University has a good reputation but it is quite expensive as I still live in Germany. However, the University of London (external programme) is extremely cheap compared to the other universites. So, my question is WHY?
Does anyone have experience with the University of London (external programme)? How is the material? I am mainly interested in BSc Business Administration (with Marketing).
I look forward to getting a reply.
Thanks in advance.
Best rgds
from Anja

 

I think the University of London is a wonderful place. They literally invented the concept of distance degrees in the early 1800's, and have been doing it well ever since.

I first learned about them in 1972, when living near London, when I met several faculty. I marveled that I had not been aware of them, when I had previously struggled financially to go through a Bachelor's and Master's program. I asked people there, in effect, "Why don't you have more students from the US and from Europe?" "We wish we did," was the reply. "What can we do?"

And so I proposed a book for non-British people, on how to deal with London. They were enthusiastic, and allowed me to reproduce some of their materials and sample exam questions. That book sold extremely well, so I did a revised edition, adding U of South Africa and the few US schools that had just begun (and are still going strong, as Excelsior, Charter Oak, and Edison). And now, after 35 years, and 16 editions of what is now Bears Guide, I still have great respect and admiration for the London programs. Of course you should 'shop around,' but they should be on your short list.

 

The University of London offers a stripped-down model of distance learning. Historically it hasn't offered any teaching at all, it just sends out course syllabi and reading lists, and then periodically administers examinations that students sign up for when they think that they are ready.

Many students study independently, while those who feel the need for lectures, discussions, mentoring and tutoring enroll in a whole variety of non-degree-granting education providers in many countries that have grown up around preparing students for the London exams.

As John says, the London external programme began back in the 19'th century when it served people all around the world in Britain's many colonies. Communications were slow and unreliable, so a system of examinations was all that was realistic at the time. Many universities in places like Africa actually began as U. of London external sites, offering instruction for the London examinations. These "University Colleges" subsequently acquired their own degree granting powers and spun off as the University of Whatever newly independent country.

Here's London's extensive lineup of degree programs:

http://www.londonexternal.ac.uk/prospective_students/listing/index.shtml

As an example, here's their philosophy BA

http://www.londonexternal.ac.uk/prospective_students/undergraduate/birkbeck/philosophy/index.shtml

They say:

Combining London's examination framework with DL tutorial support from something like Pathways in Philosophy might allow a student to construct a pretty decent distance learning philosophy BA program.

http://www.philosophypathways.com/programs/lond.html

 

Excellent choice, good reputation

Like Bill D. mentioned, it's stripped down. Some might see that as a negative - not as supportive as many online teaching programs today. Others including myself would view this as a positive - it's less spoon-fed. Everything about their programs in the fields I am familiar with looks to be done with maintaining high quality standards as a priority.

I know the original post was about Business but I also think their programs in History, Classical Studies, Philosophy, Languages, and Divinity are rare opportunities. Australian scholar Leon Morris was a very prominent alum of London's DL program. Those looking at London for Divinity training should be aware that while the main residential player among their constituent colleges in that field is King's College (Anglican), their DL Divinity program is currently handled by the lesser-known Heythrop College (Jesuit).

 

I'm finishing up my MSc in Epidemiology this summer. Everyone's statements are correct. You will have to work hard to learn the material yourself. You may even contemplate quitting midway. The tests are extremely difficult at least compared to my undergrad work at Central Michigan University (your average state university).

With that said, I feel very comfortable with my education. You won't be able to pass the exams without learning the material. It was also a wake up call for me as I kind of breezed through my undergrad and never really learned how to study. Well I now know and am better for it.

 

The "award" (diploma)

I am trying to get a better idea of the procedure for enrolling and then completing the degree. I have a BS in Business from TESC and my overall GPA from all schools is about a 3.3 because of some of my older classes when I was younger and didn't think of my grades. Should I have a problem being accepted into the program?

I am very high on this university right now because of its history and there is a testing site just 30 minutes from where I live here in California.

I am looking thinking of going back for a BSc in economics. Partly because I enjoy economics and partly because I feel there is a little better prestige with the London degree that will help to offset some of the feelings I have with my TESC degree. I am generally happy with my TESC degree, yet it is still hard to convince friends and family that my education is as good as that of their UC degrees (even though I help them with their homework).

First, I was wondering how the diploma (certificate you hang on wall) lists the degree. Does it say that it is an external degree? Does it say that it is from the school of economics? From the web site it says the following..."The final diploma will indicate that you were registered with the University of London and awarded a University of London degree, diploma or certificate, and give the name of the Lead College which conducted the examinations." Does this differ in any way from the traditional degree from the school of economics?

Second, am I correct that they basically send you the syllabus and the criteria that you must master, sample exams from prior years, and explanations of what a preferred answer should have been, and then your on your own to learn. Then, when you are ready you can sit for the course final examination?

This would be awesome because that is exactly how I like to learn. There are a multitude of resources available (MIT, Stanford, Youtube lectures, forums) where I can learn this material.

Lastly, what other costs are there besides the tuition they list on their website (£3,237) or about $4800.00. This appears too low to me.

 

My wife earned the Diploma for Graduates. It does say it was earned through external studies. It also does list the lead college (London School of Economics - unless you attend Harvard, you can't beat LSE prestige). It's also not as big or nice as most US degrees - although after hearing multiple times on this forum how unattractive british diplomas look, I was actually pleasantly surprized with its quality. London diploma is accompanied with a transcript that explains the program in crazy detail, including a phrase that external students 'write' the same exams as internal ones.

 

Actually, it sounds about right. DipGrad (about a third of a degree) ran about a grand. Remarkably cheap. You pay for your books, of course.

 

the below is my opinion only and does not necessarily indicate fact.

as the other posters mentioned, there is not really any interaction with the tutors. I almost joined there once, before enrolling in a pysical part of the london univ network/birkbeck which holds physical lectures.

On the lon external FAQ documentation it is almost written in a way to emphasize the limited contact with tutors. i.e. you can email them once in a while and they [may] get back to you.

you get a list of books to read and pretty much turn up for the exam 1 year later.
This suits many people, and means you can do nothing all year, and a bit of cramming a few weeks before the exams.

not saying that is a bad thing, I did pretty much the same for my undergrad, and that is what many people do on the course.

That is the reason their fees are so low - it appears as if they have no overheads/staff .... university of london inc. UCL and kings college is a top 5 university in the UK. that is the reason london external can get away with it as they are under the same umbrella. an unkown online university doing this (giving a reading list and you turn up to an exam 1 year later) could by many standards be called a 'diploma mill' ... they do grade pretty harshly however and many people fail which is what stops them from being called that in my opinion.

 

to expand on the above - do you think a new online university with no history, would gain regional accreditation in the US by;

giving students a printed reading list of 6 - 8 books
students 'learn themselves' over the program
no online faculty interaction, unless initiated by student, and response is limited
student then turns up at an exam center 1 year later
many students on the course fail as they did not prepare properly, were not really sure what they were doing.

 

I do not agree with you on this point.

The UK has a long history of just using exams to satisfy credentials - starting in high school students take CGE exams at the ordinary and advance level, then in college all the courses I took (although attending classes) were scored by their final exams, and then many professional qualifications are awarded on the basis of exams (such as chartered engineers - the UK equiv tp the Professional Engineer) - although for some professional qualifications professional work experience is also needed. My nephew is a medical doctor in London who had to "write" exams to obtain his medical specialty (only a small percentage of test takers passed).

My brother-in-law earned a biology degree through the Open University and all he was given were course outlines and a list of books.

As you stated exams are very tough and many people fail.

 

I went through a DL program in the UK and found it to be much more rigorous than any of the DL programs I've been through in the US. Do you really think you could do nothing all year then cram for finals?

 

I only have one "Brit" diploma, but I actually like the look of it being narrow and long. Doesn't Havard issue a similar styled diploma?

 

Leraning by yourself

This is where I believe that distance learning can be of great benefit to many people. If there is a standardized examination and it is given to both B&M students and distance students alike then the level of knowledge needed to pass the course is the same.

I was never taught a system of learning (and yes there are systems of learning to teach students), I have only been able to learn by looking at the material, getting answers to the questions I have and then when I am sure I have a good mastery of the coursework, I can fly through it. This differs from a traditional classroom setting where an instructor lectures and it is difficult to get my questions answered because I have so many and they don't have the time to answer them all. Above that you are given so much coursework that you don't have time to take a step back and see the whole picture. You only have enough time to complete the weeks assignments.

I so appreciate courses where you are given a minimum standard (the exam) and you must exceed this standard to succeed. Do I need instruction, of course, but there are numerous opportunities for that now on the web that I can view or listen to over and over to make sure that I understand the subject matter.

 

That's not necessarily true. Some people are just good test takers. I scored incredibly high on the CLEP Info Systems exam, and guess what... I have NO CLUE what an information system is I was too busy studying for the Spanish and Sociology exams which I took on the same day and did not study get to for that one.

Although I plan on testing out of much of my degree, a test in itself (especially multiple choice) can definitely be an overated assessment of knowledge.

 

I agree that standardized exams really lend to the legitimacy of any course of study. You could have scored A's in accounting at a top school, but if you can't pass a CPA examination what does it say about the A's. Lots of professions require individuals to take some form of standardized exams. Potential doctors have to pass a standardized exam, lawyers take the bar, accountants take the CPA, financial analysts take the CFA, etc... I, too, am thinking about taking a course of study in the external system. Their LLB is rigorous and much cheaper than a US distance study law program. The same goes for many of the other programs they offer

 

What is the cost of the UOL LLB compared to the UNISA LLB program?

 

I don't know how a biology program that doesn't include labs can be entirely credible. My old biology program (back in early paleolithic times) included a bunch of chemistry classes including organic and biochemistry as well as major lab classes like microbiology, anatomy, entomology, physiology, botany and histology. We spent lots of time peering through microscopes at everything from organ tissue samples through gram-stained bacteria to counting the segments on flies' antennae and the hairs on their feet. We had some very enjoyable field classes climbing through the southern California mountains with our professors making our plant and insect collections and observing the ecology.

 

I somehow doubt the University of London exams are multiple choice like CLEP/DANTES exams.

 

The UOL exams from my experience require the student to show an indepth analysis of the exam question in the answer. All the exam questions were essays. This analysis needs to demonstrate a knowledge of the material in the course. There is no way you could pass it wthout a very good knowledge base. It is particularly so when the marking is also very hard.

Most degrees and profesional qualifications in countries with their origins in the UK were heavily based upon examinations. These examinations were very comprehensive. Some institutions actually had an examining panel who examined the student orally.

In the law exams, when I took some, it was three years since a person received, in US equivalency, an "A". On that occasion, only one person passed with "first class honours".

This external degree is extremely well respected that's why it has been around since 1858. It served the then British Empire, now the Commonwealth.