Open University

Certificate of Higher Education in Social Sciences

The qualification provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills, and other attributes in the following areas:

Knowledge and understanding

When you have completed this certificate you will have knowledge and understanding of:

• Selected key concepts, theories and debates within the social sciences by a broad introduction relevant to all disciplines
• A range of disciplinary approaches within social science, and the diversity of sources for social scientific knowledge and understanding
• The way in which social science knowledge develops through a process of questions, claims, evidence and criticism
• The ways that society is ordered and the processes and forces of social change, and some of the ways these can be interpreted.

Cognitive skills

When you have completed this certificate you will be able to:

• Define and use key terms and concepts in the social sciences
• Identify a number of theoretical concepts and show their strengths and weaknesses
• Interpret and use, at a basic level, both quantitative and qualitative evidence.

Practical and/or professional skills

When you have completed this certificate you will be able to:

• Recognise the relevance of skills learnt in the module to other contexts, such as the workplace
• Use skills that are highly transferable to the workplace and other settings, such as the selection of appropriate material or evidence, the skills of critical analysis, and writing concisely to answer a set question or problem
• Plan and manage a whole sequence of work that meets a deadline
• Engage constructively with, and learn from, critical commentary on your work
• Reflect on how you learn; and begin to develop as an independent learner.

Key skills

When you have completed this certificate you will be able to:

• Draw information from teaching materials delivered as written text, DVD/audio resources, online resources and visual/statistical data, e.g. maps, diagrams, charts, tables, spreadsheets
• Use skills developed through ICT for study through structured activities
• Write a well-structured essay that references sources appropriately, summarises effectively and constructs a substantiated argument
• Communicate ideas in a variety of forms to a variety of audiences, e.g. essays, forum discussions, tables, and reports.

This certificate of higher education has one stage comprising 120 credits. You’ll begin with a 60-credit introductory social sciences module and complete your certificate with a choice of one of three 60-credit modules.

Stage 1 (120 credits)

You'll start your certificate with:

• Introducing the social sciences (DD102)

You’ll also choose one from:

• Introduction to criminology (DD105)
• Encountering psychology in context (D120)
• Global challenges: social science in action (D113)

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 at 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.

Skills for career development

Employers in all fields place a high value on people who can select from and analyse a large amount of complex information, and then make logical and concise use of it. Many of the transferable skills you will acquire by studying this certificate translate well into the workplace. These include:

• Clarity of written communication
• Critical thinking and analysis
• Concise presentation of arguments
• Understanding the connection between theories and evidence
• Problem solving; time management
• Self-motivation
• Use of critical feedback to improve work
• Basic numerical skills.

Career relevance

This course opens up employment opportunities across a whole range of occupations in the public, private and voluntary sectors. These include national and local government, health and social welfare, police, education, charitable organisations, public relations, media, planning and environmental management, the criminal justice system, market research, law, business and commerce.

The Certificate of Higher Education in Social Sciences is equivalent to the first year of a full-time degree. It’s a valuable qualification in its own right, but if you’d like to continue studying, you’ll have a sound foundation on which to build. For example, you could progress to the Diploma of Higher Education in Social Sciences (W68) and then to the BA (Hons) in Social Sciences (R23), or another of our social sciences degrees.

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.