Course summary
This MSc has the development of holistic thinking skills and the appreciation of multiple perspectives at its core. Systems thinking skills are relevant in many different areas, for example, business, engineering, environment, development, health, IT management, and organisation change. You’ll gain insights into how other people think about situations and learn how to apply concepts, tools and techniques developed by systems thinkers. The course will extend your ways of thinking and acting in practice to improve complex situations. Key features of the course
- Offers you the choice of a research route or a professional route.
- Both routes develop essential skills for addressing systems thinking issues systematically in your own context, and extend your knowledge of recent research and research methods.
- Concludes with either a substantial piece of independent study on a topic of professional interest to you, or a more academic in-depth research project.
Entry requirements
To start Stage 1 of this degree, you should normally hold a UK bachelors degree, or equivalent. It may be possible to demonstrate your ability to study at postgraduate level by successfully completing a module and linking your studies to the programme at a later date. Your spoken and written English must be of an adequate standard for postgraduate study. If English is not your first language, we recommend that you will need a minimum overall score of 6 and minimum score of 5.5 in each of the four components: reading, writing, speaking and listening under the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Please see the IELTS website for details. Our badged open course, Succeeding in postgraduate study, will introduce you to the nature of Master's level study. It offers essential preparation for pursuing your learning at this level – and is free. Gaining some prior awareness, knowledge and experience of systems thinking will help you benefit more from the course material – for example, by engaging with open educational resources on OpenLearn. A complete list of systems thinking resources is available on our School of Engineering and Innovation pages.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
Additional fee information
Provider information
Open University
Student Recruitment Team
PO Box 197
Milton Keynes
MK7 6BJ