If you have not yet enrolled on an OU postgraduate module, you will not be able to access this course. If you don't meet this criteria, but feel you would benefit from studying this course, please contact Are-You-Ready-for-PG-Study@open.ac.uk. Alternatively, you should visit the public OU website to find out more about our modules.

There are many different reasons for and routes towards studying for a postgraduate qualification. You may have recently completed your degree, or maybe you graduated several years ago. Perhaps you have gained your expertise through practical experience and are new to academic learning. You may want to study in order to further your career, for personal reasons or possibly both. Whatever your background or motivation for studying, few learners start with all the skills they will need to study at this level.

This free course, Are you ready for postgraduate study, will help you to become familiar with the requirements and demands of postgraduate study and ensure you are ready to develop the skills and confidence to pursue your learning further.

On completion of this course you can download and print your OpenLearn statement of participation. This course is intended to be studied over two weeks and is designed to work alongside, and assumes you have already completed, the badged open course, Succeeding in postgraduate study. If you haven't already studied that, please do so as soon as possible.

If you have any questions regarding this course, please contact Are-You-Ready-for-PG-Study@open.ac.uk

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

• Recognise what skills are required for postgraduate study
• Work in an online learning environment
• Develop asynchronous online communication skills
• Describe an approach to academic writing and identify the best places to look for academic material
• Understand why good academic practice is important in postgraduate work.