University of Portsmouth

HISTORY

The University of Portsmouth is a public university in the city of Portsmouth, England. The history of the university dates back to 1908, when the Park building opened as a Municipal college and public library. It was previously known as Portsmouth Polytechnic until 1992, when it was granted university status through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. The university offers a range of disciplines from Pharmacy, International relations and politics, Mechanical Engineering, Paleontology etc. With courses like Pharmacy appearing in the top 20 in the UK, furthermore 89% of research conducted in Physics and 90% of research in Allied Health Professions,i.e., Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy have been rated as world-leading or internationally excellent in REF2014. The University is a member of the University Alliance and The Channel Islands Universities Consortium. Alumni include Tim Peake, Grayson Perry, Simon Armitage and Ben Fogle. The history of the university dates to 1908, when the Park building opened as a Municipal college and public library. The focus was on chemistry and engineering. The roots of the University can be traced back even further to the Portsmouth and Gosport School of Science and the Arts.  From 1945 to 1960 the college diversified its syllabus adding arts and humanities subjects after World War II, in response to a decline in the need for engineering skills. This did not hinder its expansion or reputation, as from 1960 to 1980 it opened the Frewen library, gained Polytechnic status and became one of the largest polytechnics by the late 1980s. On 7 July 1992 the inauguration of the University of Portsmouth was celebrated at a ceremony at Portsmouth Guildhall. As one of the new universities, it could validate its own degrees, under the provision of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992.

COURSES

The University of Portsmouth is composed of five faculties divided into 29 departments:

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

The university accepts the majority of nationally recognised advanced qualifications, and gives equal consideration to academic and vocational qualifications for all courses. The university normally requires a minimum of three GCSE passes in subjects other than those offered at A level. GCSE passes relate to grades A*–C. They require applicants to have passed GCSE English and maths. The university may also take into consideration relevant skills and expertise gained from work experience or vocational training. The student can find detailed course requirements on their website.

ACADEMIC STRENGTHS

They offer students a broad range of subject choice, with employability skills development embedded throughout 250 different degree programmes. They provide high-quality, real-life learning facilities, such as a mock courtroom and pharmacy, journalism newsroom, forensic house and the Dental Academy. These provide the strong combination of developing real-life professional skills and cross-discipline working that helps connect theory and practice, leading to excellent employment outcomes for graduates. A significant number of their courses are accredited or validated by professional bodies and many more offer an accelerated route to qualifying within a profession or obtaining chartered status.

TEACHING STANDARDS

They have a strong teaching record, receiving the highest possible rating in the 2015 Quality Assurance Agency audit. The National Student Survey (NSS) 2015 gave the University of Portsmouth a score of 89%, which is higher than the UK national average for student satisfaction. Many subjects, including English Literature, Applied Physics and Sport and Exercise Science, received 100% student satisfaction ratings. The university has many professionally accredited vocational courses; for example over 600 radiographers, paramedics, medical technologists, pharmacists, clinicians and social workers graduate from the university each year.

CAREERS GUIDANCE

At the Purple Door careers and employability service the students can talk to a member of staff about any aspect of employability and career planning. From the start of your studies until five years after the student graduate, they provide it with dedicated careers support on a one-to-one basis – in their centre, over the telephone or via Skype.

The student can talk to a Careers Adviser about:

• Choosing a career – whether they are unclear about priorities, already focused on what to do next, or somewhere in between
• Options for further study
• Exploring internships, placements and work experience
• Tailoring their CV or application form and preparing for interviews and assessment centres

When they graduate, help is still at hand. They provide a full support service up to five years after graduation to help alumni with career related issues and decisions.