Disciplinary Flexibility:
Broad Educational and Professional Focus

Based on its flexibility and in light of its academic vision, the Open University enables students studying towards a Bachelor's degree to design on their own, in accordance with the rules specified in the catalog, or following consultation with University advisors, a personal program of study that is not demarcated by rigid boundaries separating academic departments. A wide range of disciplines including history, philosophy, Bible studies and literature; psychology, education, sociology and economics; and mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology are available to the student. These are only partial examples - a comprehensive list of the many disciplines studied at the Open University can be found in the online catalog.

The students select the courses that comprise their program of study from a varied and wide-ranging selection. The individual program may include a diverse array of disciplines (which in other universities belong to separate departments or faculties), or may be based on a more focused disciplinary format which resembles, to some extent, single-disciplinary or dual-disciplinary programs of study in other institutions; and there are programs which combine the two.

Students who wish to enhance their knowledge and understanding rather than pursue a degree may register for courses in all disciplines without any limitations. Students studying towards a degree are bound by rules that limit the multi-disciplinary flexibility of their personal program of study, such that their course list - which is the basis of their degree - has both internal logic and academic justification accepted in the general university community. Additional details can be found in the description of studies toward a Bachelor's degree.