Dan Brusca, BSc (Hons) (Open)

...well, not just yet. Ask me again in 2015.

Perhaps somewhat randomly, I've decided to do a degree. Specifically, it's an Open degree with the Open University. The idea behind it is that rather study a set subject, you build your own degree from whatever courses take your fancy. The beauty of it is that you can choose which courses to do as you go along, which gives you the flexibility to change the direction of your degree at any time.

Each course carries between 10 and 60 points. Accrue 300 points and you get the degree, accrue 360 and you get honours. If most of the points are from arts and humanities courses you get a BA. If they're from the sciences you get a BSc. There are three levels of courses. Level 1 are the easiest, level 3 are advanced. You have to do at least 60 points at level 1 and at least 240 points above level 1, including at least 120 at level 3.

The OU recommend you do 60 points a year, which gives you the degree in six years based on roughly 16 hours a week of study. However, if you can demonstrate that you have the time, they let you do up to 120 points a year. In my case, I'm in no rush. My degreee isn't aimed at future career development, just broadening my knowledge, so six years is fine.

So, what have I chosen to do? Well I'm looking to the stars...

Level 1 - 2008/9
Open mathematics - 30 pts
Introductory astronomy - 10
Planets: an introduction - 10
How the universe works - 10

Level 1 - 2009/10
Using mathematics - 30

Level 2
Astronomy - 30
Planetary science and the search for life - 30
Exploring mathematics - 30

Level 3
Space, time and cosmology - 30
The energetic universe - 30

Of course, this is an incomplete list. For one, it's only 240 points and there's no definitive timeframe, but it is a skeleton outline of what I'm looking to do in the coming years. There's no point nailing everything down now because courses change and what's available may change radically by the time I get to level 2 and level 3.

I have over a year to decide on what I would like to do alongside these courses and there are a few things that interest me, including philosophy, religious studies and quantum physics. You could say I'm looking at doing a degree in the stuff of life...

I've set things in motion by enrolling and my place on the Open Mathematics course is reserved, beginning 27th September. I did maths to Irish Leaving Certificate level (grade A), which should be enough to skip me past Open Mathematics and go straight into Using Mathematics, but answering the sample questions on the OU website it's quite clear my maths skills have gone pretty rusty over the last fifteen years, so I may as well brush them up. Like I said, I'm in no rush.