Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Networking

Cisco Systems are the market leader in the supply of networking equipment for the internet. They also have a well-established Academy programme aimed at educating network professionals. Cisco qualifications are highly regarded in the networking industry and their position at the leading edge of network development means that their academy programme is up to date. As a Cisco Academy, The Open University can offer you the opportunity to study the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) programme using the latest CCNP curriculum.

This postgraduate diploma course will provide you with the knowledge, understanding, and skills needed to install, configure and maintain local and wide area networks. You will be provided with hands-on experience of configuring networks at day schools and using online tools. On completion of this diploma you will be able to go on and gain the industry recognised certification by taking the CCNP examinations.

Simultaneously, the additional Open University materials, assessment and tutorial support provided will enable you to broaden your understanding beyond the Cisco domain and to gain a recognised postgraduate diploma.

You must be suitably prepared for study at professional postgraduate level. You are expected to have studied to at least HNC/HND level, or to have had equivalent practical experience. Individual module descriptions will tell you more about the requirements.

Your spoken and written English must be of an adequate standard for postgraduate study. If English is not your first language, we recommend that you will need a minimum overall score of 6 and minimum score of 5.5 in each of the four components: reading, writing, speaking and listening under the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Please see the IELTS website for details.

Advanced routing – CCNP 1 (T824) is the foundation module for the diploma and should normally be studied first. If you are taking one module each presentation, it is normally best to study the modules in the order:

• Advanced routing – CCNP 1 (T824)
• Network security (T828)
• Multilayer switching – CCNP 3 (T826)
• Optimising networks – CCNP 4 (T827). 

However, you are permitted to take T824 (the Cisco component ROUTE), T828 and T826 (the Cisco component SWITCH) in any order. You cannot participate in the Cisco component of T827 (TSHOOT) unless you have successfully completed both ROUTE and SWITCH (or their predecessors BSCI and BCMSN) via T824 and T826 at The Open University or at any other Cisco recognised CCNP academy.

Time limit – your study of the diploma must be completed within four years from the start of the first module to sitting the examination of the last. How soon you complete the diploma will depend on the time you have available for study and the order in which you study the modules. If you study one module at a time (which is what we recommend) you can obtain the diploma in two years. We cannot guarantee that the same selection of modules will continue to be available.

You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 40 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you.

Career relevance and employability

Cisco systems are the market leader in the supply of networking equipment for the internet. They also have a well-established Academy programme aimed at educating network professionals. Cisco qualifications are highly regarded in the networking industry and their position at the leading edge of network development means that their academy programme is up to date. On completion of this diploma course you will be able to go on and gain the industry recognised certification by taking the CCNP examination.

There is more information about how OU study can improve your employability in the OU’s Employability Statement from our Careers Advisory Service. You can also read or download our publication OU study and your career and look at our subject pages to find out about career opportunities.

You must be suitably prepared for study at professional postgraduate level. You are expected to have studied to at least HNC/HND level, or to have had equivalent practical experience. Individual module descriptions will tell you more about the requirements.