Editing Open University (section)

=== Courses ===
Unlike other universities, where students register for a programme, OU students register separately for individual modules (which may be 30 or 60 [[Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme|CATS]] credits (and formerly available in 10, 15, or 20 credits), equivalent to 15 or 30 [[European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System|ECTS]] credits). These modules may then be linked to degree programmes.

During the 2009–10 academic year [[social studies]] was the most popular study area (with 16,381 full-time equivalent students), followed by [[biological and physical sciences]] (12,357) and [[history|historical]] and [[philosophy|philosophical]] studies (8,686); student numbers even on smaller undergraduate programmes, such as [[creative arts]] and [[design]]<ref name="facts0910">{{Cite web |date=2011-05-06 |title=Facts & Figures 2009/2010 |url=http://www.open.ac.uk/about/documents/about-facts-figures-0910.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112163052/http://www.open.ac.uk/about/documents/about-facts-figures-0910.pdf |archive-date=2015-01-12 |access-date=2018-07-31}}</ref> are still significant (2,528) as are postgraduate registrations on programmes such as [[mass communications]] and [[documentation]] (123 full-time equivalent students).

The most popular module during 2009–10 was ''DD101 An introduction to the social sciences'' (7,512 students), followed by ''AA100 The Arts Past and Present'', ''B120 An Introduction to Business Studies'', ''K101 An Introduction to Health and Social Care'' and ''Y163 Starting with Psychology''.<ref name="facts0910" />

[[File:Cintra House, Hills Road, Cambridge.jpg|thumb|right|Cintra House, Cambridge, the university's former base in the East of England]]