Open University have a reputation of an open university which implies to possess an open admission system, meant for lower-tier students incapable of proceeding to higher reputation colleges.
On the other hand, USM is a national university.
Supposedly, in terms of recognition, USM definitely surpasses Open University, and possessing a recognized qualification from a reputable institution removes doubts from employers.

-Scratched-

This post has been edited by reconnaissance: Dec 11 2011, 01:13 AM

Oh. I take it back.
Scratch my final paragraph till I reconfirm. I think I got OUM mixed up with other country's open universities.
Apologies.