For 42 years the Marine Society and the Open University (OU) have worked together to ensure seafarers are able to take advantage of the learning opportunities on offer.

As the UK’s only university dedicated to distance learning, the OU offers seafarers an ideal way to continue their education. 

Its distance learning methods are flexible with limited barriers to entry with no interviews and no previous qualifications required for most courses.

We facilitate exams at sea and provide logistical support for OU courses. We can also arrange for seafarers not to incur examination fees.

We’ve successfully worked with the OU to gain academic accreditation for seafarers’ professional and experiential learning.