FutureLearn will become the first massive open online course provider to offer a suite of postgraduate degrees entirely on its platform through a new partnership with Australia¡¯s Deakin University.

Six postgraduate degrees will be on offer from early 2017, including four master¡¯s degrees in cyber security, development and humanitarian action, information technology and financial planning; a graduate certificate in diabetes education; and a graduate diploma in property.

The initiative will allow students to take a free two-week taster course before deciding to enrol in a programme. Each programme will be made up of five short FutureLearn courses, and students will need to take 12 or 16 programmes to complete a master¡¯s degree.

Beverley Oliver, deputy vice-chancellor at Deakin University, told Times ÖйúAƬ that the short courses allow students to complete their degree in ¡°small chunks¡±, while carrying out additional self-directed study and completing assessments. They will also have the opportunity to join small online study groups.

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She added that students registering for the degrees will be subject to the same entry requirements as students applying for face-to-face degrees on the university¡¯s campus.

Tuition fees for the master¡¯s degree will range from A$30,000 to $40,000 (?18,000 to ?24,000), while the graduate certificate and the diploma will each cost A$13,140.

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Unlike on face-to-face courses, international and domestic students will pay the same fees and most students will be ¡°mature, self-directed learners¡± looking to advance or switch their career, Professor Oliver added.

The new degrees follow the launch earlier this year of FutureLearn¡¯s first programmes allowing students to earn credits towards a university degree, in partnership with the University of Leeds and the Open University, which owns FutureLearn.

In March, US Mooc provider Coursera launched a master¡¯s degree in data science with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

However, Matt Walton, chief product officer at FutureLearn, said the new initiative with Deakin is distinctive in that it offers a range of degrees and is delivered entirely through FutureLearn¡¯s platform. He said the Coursera programme is partially delivered through Illinois¡¯ own online platform.

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The six postgraduate degrees are among the courses already on offer through Deakin University¡¯s in-house learning management system, but Professor Oliver said FutureLearn¡¯s global platform will enable students who are studying different subjects and based in different parts of the world to interact ¡°more freely¡±.

¡°The learning management system is like a walled garden ¨C you can only interact with students that are enrolled in the same subjects as you or occasionally the same degree, not with any student,¡± she said.

Jane den Hollander, vice-chancellor of Deakin University, added: ¡°Now more than ever it is incumbent on universities to provide broadening, global experiences for their students. In a troubled world where borders seem to be closing, we need more learners engaging with peers around the world.

¡°These degrees are only the start. We are already exploring options for credit sharing with other FutureLearn partners around the world to further enrich the experience for our learners.¡±

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ellie.bothwell@tesglobal.com