Editing Open University (section)

=== Degree ceremonies ===
[[File:The Open University degree ceremony.jpeg|thumb|The Open University holds its annual degree ceremony at The Barbican Centre in London.]]
Unlike most United Kingdom universities, degree ceremonies at the Open University are not [[graduation]] ceremonies as such (the occasion on which degrees are ''formally'' conferred on those who have achieved substantive degrees)—although [[honours degree]]s are also normally conferred on these occasions. The Open University degree ceremony is officially known as a "Presentation of Graduates" at which those who have already had a degree bestowed on them are presented to the [[Chancellor (education)|University Chancellor]] or his/her representative. Open University graduates normally graduate ''[[wikt: in absentia|in absentia]]'' at a joint meeting of the university's council and senate ("congregation") which takes place at a meeting entirely separate from the degree ceremony.

The university's degree ceremonies occur throughout the year at various prestigious auditorium venues located throughout England, as well as in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Ely, Glasgow, Cardiff, Belfast and Dublin. In the year 2018 the OU held 29 degree ceremonies in total.<ref name="renamed101"/> These ceremonies are presided over by a senior academic at the Pro-Vice-Chancellor level or higher, and have the normal formal rituals associated with a graduation ceremony, including [[academic dress]], [[academic procession|procession]] and university [[ceremonial mace|mace]].

==== Academic dress ====
Academic dress for the Open University is based on the colours blue and gold (yellow). No headwear is worn at degree ceremonies.<ref>Open University, ''Academic Dress'', n.d. c. 2009 Ceremony leaflet</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+Open University academic dress
!Degree
!Gown
!Hood
|-
|Doctor of Education
|Royal blue, 3-inch gold facings
|Full shape, gold Panama, lined light blue
|-
|Doctor of Letters
|Royal blue, 5-inch gold facings
|Full shape, gold, lined royal blue
|-
|Doctor of Philosophy
|Royal blue, 3-inch gold facings
|Full shape, royal blue, lined gold, edged 1-inch gold
|-
|Doctor of Science
|Royal blue, 5-inch gold facings
|Full shape, gold, lined light blue
|-
|Master of Philosophy
|Light blue
|Full shape, light blue, edged gold
|-
|Master of Research
|Light blue
|Simple shape, royal blue, faced 3-inch golf
|-
|Master of Science
|Light blue
|Full shape, dark blue, lined gold, edged 1/2-inch gold &nbsp;
|-
|Master of Arts
|Light blue
|Full shape, dark blue, lined gold, edged 1/2-inch gold &nbsp;
|-
|Master of Business Administration
|Light blue
|Full shape, dark blue, lined gold with a blue edge, edged 1-inch gold
|-
|Master of Education
|Light blue
|Full shape, dark blue, lined gold with a 1-inch white edge on a cowl, edged 3/8-inch gold on cape
|-
|Master of Engineering

Master of Mathematics
|Light blue
|Full shape, gold, faced 3-inch inside light blue
|-
|Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Engineering

Bachelor of Laws
|Dark blue
|Simple shape, light blue, faced 3-inch gold
|-
|Foundation degree
|Dark blue
|Simple shape, light blue, faced 3-inch dark blue
|}

In the year 2000, the Open University was the first to host an online "virtual" graduation ceremony in the United Kingdom together with an audience at the OU's campus in Milton Keynes. Twenty-six students in eight countries, from the United States of America to [[Hong Kong]], were presented for their master's degrees in online graduation, including, from the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT) – [[Tim Berners-Lee]], one of the founders of the [[World Wide Web]], who was conferred an [[honorary doctorate]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=31 March 2000 |title=Open University's online graduation |work=[[BBC]] News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/696176.stm |access-date=22 September 2010}}</ref>

{{Infobox university rankings|USNWR_N=51|USNWR_N_ref=<ref>{{cite web|title= U.S. News & World Report National ranking|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/united-kingdom}}</ref>|USNWR_N_year=2021|USNWR_W=718|USNWR_W_ref=<ref>{{cite web|title= U.S. News & World Report Global ranking|url= https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/open-university-506455}}</ref>|USNWR_W_year=2021|ARWU_W=601-700|ARWU_N=42-49|ARWU_N_ref=<ref name="shanghairanking">{{Cite web|url=https://www.shanghairanking.com/rankings/arwu/2022|title=ShanghaiRanking's Academic Ranking of World Universities|website=www.shanghairanking.com}}</ref>|ARWU_N_year=2022|ARWU_W_ref=<ref name="shanghairanking"/>|THE_W=601-800|THE_W_ref=<ref>{{cite web|title=Times Higher Education World Universities Rankings |date=10 April 2024 |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/open-university}}</ref>|THE_W_year=2024|ARWU_W_year=2022|CWUR_N=51|CWUR_N_year=2022|CWUR_N_ref=<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cwur.org/2022-23/Open-University,-UK.php|title=Open University, UK Ranking 2022-2023 &#124; CWUR|website=cwur.org}}</ref>|USNWR_Europe=308|USNWR_Europe_ref=<ref>{{cite web|title= U.S. News & World Report Global ranking|url= https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/open-university-uk-506455}}</ref>|USNWR_Europe_year=2022|TEF_N=Gold|TEF_N_year=2023|TEF_N_ref=<ref>{{cite web|title=Teaching Excellence Framework 2023 Outcomes
 |url=https://tef2023.officeforstudents.org.uk/open-ancillary/?id=10e89ef4-4589-ee11-be36-0022481b5984&finaloutcome=86658b23-9d53-ee11-be6f-0022481b5d22}}</ref>}}