Approaches Open University concerning conclusion of thesis (9)
I believe the answer is:
overtures
'approaches' is the definition.
(I know this)
'open university concerning conclusion of thesis' is the wordplay.
'open' becomes 'overt' (synonyms).
'university' becomes 'U' (abbreviation for university).
'concerning' becomes 're' (both can mean on a particular topic).
'conclusion of' says to take the final letters.
The final letter of 'thesis' is 's'.
'overt'+'u'+'re'+'s'='OVERTURES'
(Other definitions for overtures that I've seen before include "Musical introductions" , "Tentative suggestions to elicit reactions" , "Diplomatic advances" , "Attempts at seduction" , "Orchestral introductions to an opera etc" .)