Nottingham Trent University

HISTORY

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is a public university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as a new university in 1992 from Trent Polytechnic (later Nottingham Polytechnic). Its roots go back to 1843 with the establishment of the Nottingham Government School of Design which still exists within the university today. It is the 14th largest university in the UK (out of 166) with 27,920 students split over three different campuses.

The university was formed by the amalgamation of many separate institutions of higher education. It originated from the Nottingham Government School of Design founded in 1843.

In 1945, the Nottingham and District Technical College was established. In 1958, Nottingham Regional College of Technology opened and in 1959, the Nottingham College of Education began at Clifton. In 1964, Nottingham Regional College was opened and in 1966, the original Nottingham College of Design was linked with the Regional College. Together they merged and the institution was upgraded to Polytechnic status in 1970 to become ‘Trent Polytechnic’. In 1975, it amalgamated with Nottingham College of Education and in 1988, the official name changed to ‘Nottingham Polytechnic’.

Under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 all Polytechnics and some higher education colleges became eligible for full university status; at this point, the institution officially became ‘Nottingham Trent University’.

Nottingham Trent University was ranked in the number 700 and above (701+) category in the world by the QS World University Rankings. In 2008 The Complete University Guide named Nottingham Trent the “top post-1992 University” in the country. The university has “one of the best employability records of any university in England and Wales”. It maintains close ties to over 6,000 businesses and 94% of students progress to full-time employment or further education within six months of graduating. The Guardian calls Nottingham Trent “the most environmentally friendly university in the country”.

In 2009 it was awarded the title of “the most environmentally friendly university in the UK”, by The People & Planet Green League (the only independent ranking of British universities’ environmental and ethical performance). Also since 2009, 100% of the university’s electricity has been generated by renewable sources.

COURSES

The university is composed of three colleges and nine schools:

College of Business, Law and Social Sciences:

• Nottingham Business School
• Institute of Education
• Nottingham Law School
• School of Social Sciences

College of Art & Design and Built Environment:

• School of Art & Design
• School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment

College of Arts and Science:

• School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences
• School of Arts and Humanities
• School of Science and Technology

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

NTU offers a wide course portfolio whether the students want to study for their degree/qualification full-time or part-time. NTU courses are informed by businesses and industry; and they have strong commercial partnerships with over 6,000 companies globally. This means that NTU students develop the transferable skills and work experience necessary to give them a head start in the job market. NTU courses are designed with industry leaders to meet the needs of the graduate employment market. Unlike many other universities, they don’t just tailor their courses to suit the market now; they will be studying for the jobs of the future. Even their traditional academic subjects will encourage the students to recognise their transferable skills and their application to many careers. Consequently, their graduates occupy senior positions in companies all over the world including Microsoft, Tesco, HSBC, Rolls-Royce, the BBC and many others.

Please use their course search for specific entry requirements.

ACADEMIC STRENGTHS

One of the university’s key strategic aims is to provide education that promotes both intellectual initiative and the highest academic standards to prepare students for life and career. They work closely with more than 6,000 businesses, public and private sector organisations across the UK and globally. NTU is in the top ten universities in the UK for the number of students taking year-long work placements (HESA 2013–14). NTU has one of the best employability records of any university in England and Wales, with 93%* of students in full time employment or study within six months (*of those available for work, latest DLHE survey undergraduate results 2013–14). A national award for innovation in learning and teaching has been won by a Nottingham Trent University academic.

TEACHING STANDARDS

Nottingham Trent University has achieved an outstanding top twenty ranking for its Teaching Quality.

Many of their courses have received accreditations and direct input to their design and content from a range of professional bodies that recognise the quality of their teaching and research.  Nottingham Trent University’s research has earned the university a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2015 – the highest national honour for a UK university. Pioneering projects to improve weapons and explosives detection in luggage, enable safer production of powdered infant formula, and combat food fraud, led to the prestigious award.
Below are a few examples of the recent recognition they have received for their lecturers and the teaching quality they provide here at NTU:

• In 2016, Jo Boylan-Kemp, a lecturer from Nottingham Law School who uses innovative methods to create a rich and stimulating experience for students, has become a finalist for the 2016 Law Teacher of the Year Award
• Their BA (Hons) Journalism degree has been named the top performing undergraduate journalism course accredited by National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) in the UK
• The School of Social Sciences’ Criminology Team received a National Award for Excellence in Teaching at the British Society of Criminology’s annual conference
• The Higher Education Academy has recognised Professor Di Bailey, Head of Social Work and Professional Practice, as a Principal Fellow. She joins less than 50 people across the UK to have achieved this honour
• Professor Mark Griffiths, Head of their International Gaming Research Unit, is the first person to receive a lifetime research prize from the US National Council on Problem Gambling
• Their Nottingham Law School piloted new ways for students to qualify as solicitors through work-based learning. The School achieved this as part of a project on behalf of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)

CAREERS GUIDANCE

NTU is among the most employment-focused universities in the country. Their strong links with industry enable them to understand exactly what employers are looking for from graduates.

They provide personalised and specialist careers advice, via their Employability Team on all three campuses. There is also a dedicated careers consultant for each School. They will support them throughout their time at NTU and ensure that they get the answers unique to them and their studies.

In addition to individual support, they offer a wide range of employability development opportunities that they can get involved in to enhance their skills and gain work experience. These include: the Acceler Employability Award; employer-led workshops; the Employability Mentoring Programme involving employers and alumni; mock assessment centres; recruitment fairs and many more.

The Hive is NTU’s specialist centre for business enterprise and supports the creation of new businesses. Having empowered well over 300 start-up companies, almost 70% of those businesses are still trading and prospering today.