University of Nottingham

HISTORY

The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881 and was granted a Royal Charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham traces its origins to the founding of an adult education school in 1798, and the University Extension Lectures inaugurated by the University of Cambridge in 1873—the first of their kind in the country. However, the foundation of the university is generally regarded as being the establishment of University College Nottingham, in 1881 as a college preparing students for examinations of the University of London. The university college underwent significant expansion in the 1920s when it moved from the centre of Nottingham to a large campus on the city’s outskirts. The new campus, called University Park, was completed in 1928, and financed by an endowment fund, public contributions, and the generosity of Sir Jesse Boot (later Lord Trent). Nottingham’s main campus (University Park) and teaching hospital (Queen’s Medical Centre) are situated on the outskirts of the City of Nottingham, with a number of smaller campuses and sites located elsewhere in Nottinghamshire, Derby, Derbyshire, and Lincoln. Outside the United Kingdom, Nottingham has campuses in Semenyih, Malaysia and Ningbo, China. For 2009 entry, it was ranked 5th in England in terms of the absolute number of students and 15th for the proportion of students who achieved AAB+ at A-level. In 2011, the university was one of 12 “elite” institutions that accommodated the top achieving students in England. The 2014 High Fliers survey stated that Nottingham was the most targeted university by the UK’s top employers between 2013-14. In 2012, Nottingham was ranked 13th in the world in terms of the number of alumni listed among CEOs of the Fortune Global 500. It is also ranked 2nd (joint with Oxford) in the 2012 Summer Olympics table of British medal winners. Moreover, Nottingham is the 9th largest European producer of entrepreneurs. In the 2011, and 2014 GreenMetric World University Rankings, Nottingham was the world’s most sustainable campus. The institution’s alumni have been awarded a variety of prestigious accolades, including 3 Nobel Prizes, a Turner Prize, and a Gabor Medal and Prize.

It is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Virgo Consortium, the European University Association, the Russell Group, Universities UK, Universitas 21 and participates in the Sutton Trust Summer School programme as a member of the Sutton 13. University College Nottingham students received their degrees from the University of London, however in 1948 the university was granted its Royal Charter, which endowed it with university status and gave it the power to confer degrees in its own name as The University of Nottingham.

COURSES

Nottingham is organised into five constituent faculties, within which there are more than 50 schools, departments, institutes and research centres. Nottingham has about 44,000 students and 9,000 staff and had a total income of £635 million in 2015/16, of which £124.6 million was from research grants and contracts.

The university is made up of a number of schools and departments organised into five faculties:

• The faculty of arts
• Faculty of engineering
• Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of social science

Each faculty encompasses a number of schools and departments.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

The University of Nottingham welcomes applications from students with a wide range of UK and international qualifications. They aim to recruit the candidates who are best able to succeed on their programmes in terms of their ability, potential, knowledge and understanding. Details of the entry requirements for each course can be found on their website. The university does not use the UCAS tariff system but makes offers based on A level grades or equivalent qualifications.

ACADEMIC STRENGTHS

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education awarded its highest possible judgement to the university for the quality of learning opportunities provided to students and its systems for ensuring high academic standards. The innovative Developing Solutions scholarship programme is one of the largest of its kind, helping students from the developing world to study at Nottingham. Many of their courses are accredited by professional bodies. In the National Student Survey 2015, Nottingham received its highest ever result with an overall student satisfaction score of 88%.

TEACHING STANDARDS

In teaching assessments conducted by the Quality Assurance Agency, 39 of their subjects have been awarded excellent ratings of 22–24, out of a possible 24, and in its most recent audit received the highest possible commendation.

The University of Nottingham is nationally and internationally renowned for its teaching and research excellence, and their academic facilities are of the very highest standards, with most of their teaching facilities housed within beautiful historic buildings. Across their campuses you will find:

• State-of-the-art laboratory and medical facilities
• Innovative and exciting methods of teaching and learning
• Access to over 3 million books and journals, 12,000 ejournals and 650,000 ebook items in the specialist libraries on our UK campuses
• Tutors and lecturers are widely published and respected within academic circles

A range of innovative teaching resources employed, including an e-learning system which is uploaded with useful weblinks and handouts from lectures, podcasts, lecture capture facilities, and open educational materials. Problem-Based Learning – an approach which fosters skills in group working and collaboration, self-direction, reasoning, critical reflection, and knowledge acquisition and application – is incorporated into many courses.

CAREERS GUIDANCE

The University’s Careers and Employability Service organises and promotes a range of opportunities, including:

• An award-winning Inside Employment module which allows the students to work in a team and research careers in different sectors, before presenting their findings to employers and academics
• The ‘Careers in…’ programme of talks, delivered by experienced practitioners and alumni, providing valuable insights into careers such as the media and PR
• The Careers Planning Skills module, which is part of the Nottingham Advantage Award and a chance to learn about and practise the skills needed to secure a graduate job
• Skills workshops led by representatives from well-regarded graduate recruiters, providing them with an opportunity to develop vital employability skills
• Skills workshops led by careers advisers and employers on aspects of the recruitment process including writing applications and interview techniques
• Case studies similar to those used in assessment centres and management training, facilitated by employer contacts or careers advisers
• The Student Business Planning Competition, which is a series of workshops to help them gain the skills they will need to set up their own business after graduation

Upon graduation from Nottingham, students can come back for careers advice at any time, taking advantage of annual recruitment fairs, adviser-led and employer-led skills workshops, careers sessions with experienced professionals, drop-in sessions with employers, aptitude test practice sessions, and sessions where employers hold interviews on campus.