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The Open University is the UK's largest university and a world leader in distance education. For more than 30 years, it has been at the forefront of global development in designing and delivering higher education programmes that make intelligent use of combining the latest communications technologies with traditional teaching methods. It has more than 200,000 students in more than 40 countries studying for a variety of degrees and vocational qualifications ranging from short courses to PhDs. More than 2 million people have used the OU to gain access to university study from their homes and workplaces - many of whom would have been denied access to conventional universities (the OU has no prerequisites for its undergraduate courses). But this successful mass higher education has been achieved while maintaining the same quality standards as leading conventional British universities. Independent authorities have consistently ranked the OU in the top five UK universities for teaching quality, and virtually all of its research areas have received ratings of national or international excellence. Employers also vote for the value of the university by sponsoring nearly 30,000 students a year to do OU courses, and a quarter of Britain's MBA students are doing their degree through the Open University Business School. ... (expand) (contract)