University of Strathclyde

HISTORY

The University of Strathclyde is a Scottish public research university located in Glasgow, United Kingdom. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow’s second-oldest university, with the university receiving its royal charter in 1964 as the UK’s first technological university. It takes its name from the historic Kingdom of Strathclyde.

The University of Strathclyde is Scotland’s third-largest university by number of students, with students and staff from over 100 countries. The institution was awarded University of the Year 2012 and Entrepreneurial University of the year 2013 by Times Higher Education.

Entry into many of the courses in the university is competitive and successful entrants in 2015 had an average of 473 UCAS points. This means that successful applicants to Strathclyde have the third-highest average score in Scotland (above the University of Glasgow), and is ranked twelfth overall in the UK. It is also one of the 39 old universities in the UK comprising the distinctive second cluster of elite universities after Oxbridge.

The university was founded in 1796 through the will of John Anderson, professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Glasgow who left instructions and the majority of his estate to create a second university in Glasgow which would focus on “Useful Learning” – specialising in practical subjects – “for the good of mankind and the improvement of science, a place of useful learning”. The University later named its city centre campus after him.

In 1828, the institution was renamed Anderson’s University, partially fulfilling Anderson’s vision of two universities in the city of Glasgow. The name was changed in 1887, to reflect the fact that there was no legal authority for the use of the title of ‘university’. As a result, the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College was formed, becoming the Royal Technical College in 1912, and the Royal College of Science and Technology in 1956 concentrating on science and engineering teaching and research. Undergraduate students could qualify for degrees of the University of Glasgow or the equivalent Associate of the Royal College of Science and Technology (ARCST).

Under Principal Samuel Curran, internationally respected nuclear physicist (and inventor of the scintillation counter), the Royal College gained University Status, receiving its Royal Charter to become The University of Strathclyde in 1964, merging with the Scottish College of Commerce at the same time. The University of Strathclyde was the UK’s first technological university reflecting its history, teaching and research excellence in technological education. In 1993, the University incorporated Jordanhill College of Education.

The university has developed its reputation and grown from approximately 4,000 full-time students in 1964 to over 20,000 students in 2003, when it celebrated the 100th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the original Royal College building.

In July 2015, Her Majesty The Queen has opened the Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC), at the University of Strathclyde.

COURSES

The university currently consists of four main faculties categorised based on subjects and academic fields that they deal with and each faculty is sub divided into several departments which deal with specific academic and research areas. They are:

Faculty of Engineering ·         Architecture ·         Biomedical Engineering ·         Chemical and Process Engineering ·         Civil and Environmental Engineering ·         Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management ·         Electronic and Electrical Engineering ·         Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering ·         National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics ·         Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering (Joint department with the University of Glasgow) Faculty of Science ·         Chemistry, Pure and Applied Chemistry ·         Computer and Information Sciences ·         Mathematics and Statistics ·         Physics ·         Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

Humanities & Social Sciences (HaSS) ·         School of Applied Social Sciences ·         School of Education ·         School of Government & Public Policy ·         School of Humanities ·         School of Law ·         School of Psychological Sciences and Health Strathclyde Business School ·         Accounting and Finance ·         Economics ·         Human Resource Management ·         Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship ·         Management Science ·         Marketing, The Department of ·         Strategy and Organisation, The Department of

Strathclyde is the only Scottish university that offers the IET Power Academy engineering scholarships to its engineering students.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Entry requirements vary depending on the course the student choose. For further information, visit their online prospectus.

ACADEMIC STRENGTHS

High quality teaching is informed by research into teaching and learning as well as academic scholarship.

Strathclyde promotes excellence through continuous innovation in the curriculum and in approaches to teaching and learning. They provide learning experiences that make students highly employable, capable of advanced study and confident in their own abilities. Their students have higher than average graduate employment rates.

The university’s academic strength is demonstrated by its collaboration with other Scottish universities through research pooling initiatives, as well its links with outstanding partners overseas. Strathclyde has more than 200 collaborative agreements in more than 50 countries, and an estimated 2,000 informal links around the world.

Since 2012, the university has been home to the Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools, a Scotland-wide centre for the promotion of Chinese language and culture.

The university continues to support an international initiative for the establishment of Age-Friendly universities. This initiative promotes and encourages the participation of older adults in all of universities’ core activities.

Strathclyde, in partnership with the University of Dundee, hosts the first Fulbright Scotland Summer Institute for students from the USA. The bid was made to the UK–US Fulbright Commission, one of the world’s most prestigious international exchange programmes.

TEACHING STANDARDS

In the National Student Survey (NSS) 2015, 87% of their final-year undergraduates agreed they were satisfied with the quality of their course overall – a higher rating than the UK or Scottish averages. Their students rate the university higher than the UK averages for Learning Resources, Personal Development and the Students’ Union. The university was also rated 1st out of all Scottish universities for Library Resources and Services.

The University of Strathclyde was reviewed under the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Enhancement Led Institutional Review 3 method in Spring 2014, and received the highest commendation. The university was judged as having effective arrangements for managing academic standards and the student learning experience, and that these arrangements are likely to continue to be effective in the future.

Strathclyde Business School has been triple accredited by AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA for more than 10 years. In addition to this faculty-level accreditation, individual departments have received accreditation for subject- specific courses, by bodies such as CIMA, ICAS and CIPD.

The Faculty of Science offers a professionally-accredited education based on theory, supported by experiential learning, including industrial placements, guest lectures from industry and innovative learning methods. For example, MPharm students use SimMan mannequins to understand the effect of medicine and to practice clinical skills. This provides their graduates with the practical experience and skills required to excel in their future careers.

All degree programmes in the Faculty of Engineering are professionally-accredited through the Engineering Council, providing qualifications towards Chartered Engineer status. The Faculty has one of the largest scholarship programmes in Europe, giving opportunities for paid vacation placements and internships with a range of engineering companies.

Many courses within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences are accredited by appropriate professional bodies such as the British Psychological Society, the Law Society of Scotland, the General Teaching Council for Scotland and the Scottish Social Services Council, and their graduates obtain employment in a wide variety of professional careers within the private, public and third sectors.

CAREERS GUIDANCE

All students are entitled, and encouraged, to use the Careers Service, from commencement of study at Strathclyde University and for up to 10 years after they graduate.

The Careers Service can help the students:

• to choose and manage their career
• to develop them and their skills for job seeking
• to apply for jobs or further study
• Students can book online, by phone or in person to use the various services available to them, e.g. 1:1 guidance appointments with a careers Adviser, CV checking, employer presentations and skills events. They can also attend short drop-in sessions and briefings
• The Careers Service also deliver practice interviews and Assessment Centres, as well as psychometric test sessions, e.g. verbal and numerical reasoning, to prepare effectively for the placement, internship and graduate job market. Careers sessions are also delivered in many academic programmes
• The Resource Centre combines the latest CTouch technology with traditional hard copy books and leaflets, to give you access to up to date careers information
• The Careers Service manages the Strathclyde Skills Award which helps students to reflect on and gain credit for extra-curricular activities from part-time work, internships, volunteering or international activities. If you achieve an award, it is added to your graduate transcript, making you even more attractive to employers