OU degree returned in anger

An Open University graduate has handed back his degree certificates in protest after he failed to get chartered engineer status.

Chris Addis finished his honours degree before realising that the course was not accredited by the Engineering Council. He was asked to do two more OU modules to gain chartered engineer status. He twice failed the second module and cannot resit.

Mr Addis complained to the OU that he had not been made aware that the degree was not accredited. He asked for his exam results to be reassessed and for his exam papers to be returned. He told The THES : "I have paid £250 for a course that has taken me two years, and, at the end, I have nothing to show for it."

An OU spokesman said: "He has complained that students have to take extra courses for accreditation. That is the case, but students are made aware of this - it's in the prospectus." He said the exam results had stood after being through the appeals procedure.