Open College of the Arts Online Courses

Open College of the Arts

Open College of the Arts (OCA) is a distance-learning university focused on graphic design, art and illustration.

Open College of the Arts was started in the late 1980s, by one of the founders of the Open University. Its mission was to be a charity that brought a high-quality arts education led by experts to the general public.

Students from all walks of life, including those without any experience in art or design, regularly start their careers in visual communications at OCA. 

An online-first experience

Open College of the Arts is an online partner to the University for the Creative Arts in the south of England. They combine the high quality of a traditional university education with the ease of online learning.

Their online arts courses all come with extra material such as textbooks, briefs and assessment guidelines. This is a far more curated learning journey than you’re likely to find on other platforms.

In contrast to many educational institutes, their assessments are portfolio-based. This means that there are no exams to stress about. Instead, you’re judged on the quality of your work at three assessment events each year.

What kind of courses do they offer?

Open College of the Arts has two main kinds of courses: foundational and degree-level.

Foundation courses are for people new to art or visual communications. Though not accredited, they are a useful stepping-stone for those unsure where to start, or returning to an arts education after a long absence.

As for their degrees, they offer Bachelor of Arts qualifications, as well as MAs in Fine Art and Graphic Design. Their courses cover traditional mediums, like creative writing, sculpture and photography, but also more academic topics like the history of art itself.

How long do the courses take to complete?

OCA’s degree courses are aimed at people who have to fit their studying around a busy schedule.

As such, the time to complete a course is flexible. The minimum is four years, and the maximum is almost a decade. They recommend spending ten hours a week on study, but courses can be completed more quickly if you have enough free time for it.

Strong career prospects with Open College of the Arts

All of OCA’s tutors are active artists themselves, meaning that they have strong ties to both local and national art institutions.

Beyond that, Open College of the Arts is a fully qualified university. As such, their Bachelor of Arts degrees carry exactly as much weight as those from a traditional university. The only difference is that they typically cost far less.