Certificate of Higher Education in Arts and Humanities
Online, United Kingdom
Certificate
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
GBP 7,272 *
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning
* total cost; part-time at a rate of 60 credits is £3,636 per year
Key Summary
About: This Certificate of Higher Education in Arts and Humanities at The Open University covers history, art history, philosophy, classical studies, religious studies, music and English through distance learning. You’ll build analysis, argument and information literacy skills. You can combine modules with language, design or business. The course uses online materials, tutor feedback, tutorials. Full-time: 1 year; Part-time: 2 years; Time limit: 7 years.
Career Outcomes: You’ll gain transferable skills—critical thinking, digital research and communication—that employers value. These skills suit careers in public administration, journalism, education, legal, business and charities. They prepare you for further study and cultural heritage roles.
This certificate provides a broad introduction to the arts and humanities, including history, art history, philosophy, classical studies, religious studies, music and English. You’ll expand your cultural horizons whilst learning to think and argue clearly. You can combine this with options that include the opportunity to specialise further in the arts and humanities or gain an introduction to a modern language, design, the social sciences, or the business and management world. Apart from sheer enjoyment, it offers excellent preparation for further study and will give your career prospects a boost.
Key features
- Develops your understanding of our rich cultural heritage from fascinating and diverse perspectives
- Helps you practise and refine the skills of argument and analysis, enhancing your employability
- Allows you to choose from a range of subjects to study in more depth
- Builds your study skills and knowledge giving you a solid foundation for further study
Accessibility
Our qualifications are as accessible as possible, and we have a comprehensive range of support services. Our Certificate of Higher Education in Arts and Humanities uses a variety of study materials and includes the following elements:
- Online study – most modules are online; some have a mix of printed and online material. Online learning resources could include websites, audio/video, and interactive activities
- Specialist material, such as works of art and musical manuscripts
- Feedback – continuous assessment includes feedback from your tutor and using this to improve your performance
- Online tutorials
- Group-work
How long it takes
- Part-time study - 2 years
- Full-time study - 1 year
- Time limit - 7 years
This certificate of higher education has one stage, comprising 120 credits.
Stage 1 (120 credits)
You'll start your certificate with:
- Discovering the arts and humanities (A111)
You’ll also choose 60 credits from:
- Cultures (A112)
- Revolutions (A113)
- Encountering psychology in context (D120)
- Exploring languages and cultures (L161)
- Global challenges: social science in action (D113)
- Introducing the social sciences (DD102)
- Introducing English language studies (L101)
- English for academic purposes online (L185)
- Introduction to French studies (beginners) (L102)
- Introduction to German studies (beginners) (L103)
- Introduction to Spanish studies (beginners) (L106)
- French Studies 1 (intermediate) (L112)
- German Studies 1 (intermediate) (L113)
- Spanish Studies 1 (intermediate) (L116)
- Beginners’ Chinese (L108)
- Making your learning count (YXM130)
Assessment
Our assessments are all designed to reinforce your learning and help you show your understanding of the topics. The mix of assessment methods will vary between modules.
Computer-Marked Assignments
- Usually, a series of online, multiple-choice questions.
Tutor-Marked Assignments
- You’ll have a number of these throughout each module, each with a submission deadline.
- They can be made up of essays, questions, experiments or something else to test your understanding of what you have learned.
- Your tutor will mark and return them to you with detailed feedback.
End-of-Module Assessments
- The final, marked piece of work on most modules.
- Modules with an end-of-module assessment won’t usually have an exam.
Exams
- Some modules end with an exam. You’ll be given time to revise and prepare.
- You’ll be given your exam date at least 5 months in advance.
- Most exams take place remotely, and you will complete them at home or an alternative location.
- If a module requires you to take a face-to-face exam, this will be made clear in the module description, and you will be required to take your exam in person at one of our exam centres.
This certificate provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills, and other attributes in the following areas:
Knowledge and understanding
On completion of this certificate, you will be able to:
- Draw on your study of different subject areas to understand texts, objects, languages, cultures and histories
- Understand and use key terms, concepts and approaches from different subject areas (such as art history, classical studies, creative writing, English literature, history, modern languages, music, philosophy and religious studies).
Cognitive skills
On completion of this certificate you will be able to:
- Engage critically with familiar and unfamiliar points of view
- Draw appropriate conclusions based on different kinds of evidence and argument
- Take an evaluative approach to your study and writing.
Practical and/or professional skills
On completion of this certificate, you will have developed and demonstrated:
- Certificate-level skills in reading, note-taking and writing
- The confidence to work as an independent learner and an awareness of your transferable skills.
Key skills
On completion of this certificate, you will be able to:
- Communicate ideas clearly, appropriate to your subject, purpose and audience
- Follow good academic practices, for example by using appropriate referencing
- Select and use online tools to further your learning in different subject areas.
Skills for career development
This certificate of higher education will help you develop essential transferable skills, such as how to read and review different kinds of information, how to use information as evidence to back up an argument, and how to develop a focused approach to writing. You’ll also develop information literacy skills, often in an online environment. All these are greatly valued in the world beyond study, both at work and in the voluntary sector.
Career relevance
The breadth of study and training in clear thinking and communication make this course relevant to a wide variety of careers. These include:
- Public administration, local government, the civil service, art institutions, and social services
- Advertising, journalism, publishing, creative industries and public relations
- Education
- Legal work
- Business, banking and retail
- Human resources
- Charities and campaigning.
With our unique approach to distance learning, you can study from home, work or on the move.
You’ll have some assessment deadlines to meet, but otherwise, you’ll be free to study at the times that suit you, fitting your learning around work, family, and social life.
For each of your modules, you’ll use either just online resources or a mix of online and printed materials.
Each module you study will have a module website with
- A week-by-week study planner, giving you a step-by-step guide through your studies
- Course materials such as reading, videos, recordings, and self-assessed activities
- Module forums for discussions and collaborative activities with other students
- Details of each assignment and their due dates
- A tutorial booking system, online tutorial rooms, and your tutor’s contact details
- Online versions of some printed module materials and resources.