Oxford Brookes University

HISTORY

Oxford Brookes University is a public university in Oxford, England. It can trace its origins to 1865 when the former Oxford School of Art was established. The university was renamed in 1992 to honour its former principal, John Henry Brookes. The university’s School of Architecture is one of the largest in Britain. In 2016 it was ranked 359th in the world according to the QS World University Rankings and is in the 401-500 bracket according to Times Higher Education’s 2016-2017 list of the top 1000 universities in the world. Oxford Brookes University is the sixth largest employer in Oxfordshire. Oxford Brookes started in 1865 as the Oxford School of Art, located in a single room on the ground floor of the Taylor Institution at St Giles’, Oxford. In 1870 the School of Science was added and in 1891, under the administration of the City Council’s Technical Instruction Committee, it was renamed the Oxford City Technical School, incorporating the School of Art, which remained distinct. Plans were made to relocate to the former Blue Coat School for Boys on St. Ebbes. In 1934 the School of Art and the Technical School were merged and John Henry Brookes, Head of the School of Art and Vice Principal of the Technical School, was appointed the first principal of the merged institution.  In 1970, it became Oxford Polytechnic. In 1976, it took over the former Lady Spencer-Churchill College, which had been founded in Wheatley in August 1965, and in 1992, following enactment of the Further and Higher Education Act, it became Oxford Brookes University, the only one of the new universities to be named after its founder. In 2000, it took over the site of Westminster College, Oxford, basing its education activities on the site. In 2015 Oxford Brookes University celebrated its 150th anniversary. A range of events and activities took place including celebrations recognising John Henry Brookes, the university’s modern founder. The first Founder’s Day was held in May 2016.

COURSES

In September 2011 Oxford Brookes moved from eight schools to four faculties which sit across its four campuses.

Oxford Brookes Business School

• Business School
• Oxford School of Hospitality Management

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences

• Department of Applied Health and Professional Development
• Department of Biological and Medical Sciences
• Department of Nursing
• Department of Psychology, Social Work and Public Health
• Department of Sport and Health Sciences (including the Functional Food Centre)

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

• School of Education
• Department of English and Modern Languages
• School of History, Philosophy and Culture
• School of Law
• Institute of Public Care
• Department of Social Sciences

Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment

• School of Architecture
• School of Arts
• School of the Built Environment
• Department of Computing and Communication Technologies
• Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mathematical Sciences

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Offers vary from course to course. The students will also find individual course information and get general information about entry standards at Oxford Brookes for school leavers and mature applicants. Full details about all course entry requirements are available on their Studying at Brookes webpages.

ACADEMIC STRENGTHS

High employability – 92.7% of Brookes graduates are in work or further education within six months of graduating.

Work placements, professional knowledge, opportunities to study and work abroad, volunteering and integrated career guidance.

Strong links with industry both locally and internationally, including BMW, IBM, Universal Pictures, Microsoft, KPMG and Oxfam.

Many academics are also leading researchers and include their new research in their teaching.

A hands-on learning approach giving students the opportunity to apply their knowledge to the real world.

TEACHING STANDARDS

Nine National Teaching Fellowship awards for outstanding teaching in the last 7 years.

Industry experts contribute to guest lectures and input into the design of many courses.

Many academics are internationally recognised in their field and have industry experience in a number of sectors.

Annual Brookes Union Teaching Awards celebrating excellence in teaching across the university.

CAREERS GUIDANCE

Oxford Brookes has a dedicated careers centre offering a range of services including help with job searching, one-to-one consultations, interview advice and employability training.

Online portal allows students to search for jobs from part-time work during studies to graduate opportunities and internships.

Offers online guidance and support for those unable to visit the centre face-to-face.