Buckinghamshire New University

Summary

History

Buckinghamshire New University was gained university status in 2007 having been founded as a School of Science and Art in 1891 to provide evening classes to the residents of High Wycombe. Since then the institution has be re-invented a multitude of times and more recently has benefitted from a face lift with the completion of the state-of-the-art Gateway building which won a RIBA award in 2010 and boasts a modern integrated learning resources centre, music recording studios, video production suites and a fitness centre. 

University Environment

Bucks has three main campuses, High Wycombe, Uxbridge and Aylesbury. There is a free, door-to-door bus service for students and staff between the High Wycombe and Uxbridge Campuses during term time.

High Wycombe Campus

The majority of full-time undergraduate courses is taught at High Wycombe, the second largest town in Buckinghamshire known for its industrial links and busy town markets.

High Wycombe campus offers dance and drama studios, production suites, and the impressive library which is housed over four floors in the University’s flagship building, The Gateway. It is also home to craft workshops, lecture theatres, Bucks Students’ Union, and the Human Performance, Exercise and Wellbeing Centre. The gym within The Gateway provides all the latest equipment, with discounts for students and staff.

Uxbridge Campus

Uxbridge, West London is home to the University’s nursing and healthcare practice courses offering students an exceptional learning environment. The campus provides students with a range of specialist equipment, high tech simulation suites and learning facilities. Uxbridge has a centrally located tube station providing transport into central London via the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines.

Aylesbury Campus

Aylesbury Vale, offers a host of courses that are geared towards careers and professional programmes. Aylesbury Vale is a small and friendly town in Buckinghamshire, with direct train to London Marylebone station.

Academics

Schools & Departments

School of Arts & Creative Industries

• Department of Art & Design
• Department of Media & Creative Industries
• Department of Performance & Dance

School of Health & Social Sciences

• Department of Applied Heath & Exercise Science
• Department of Community Health, Education & Social Sciences
• Department of Psychology
• Department of Social Work & Integrated Care

School of Management & Professional Studies

• Bucks Business School
• Department of Computing
• Department of Professional Policing
• Department of Aviation, Event & Tourism

School of Pre-Qualifying Nursing & Vocational Health Care

• Department of Adult Nursing
• Department of Child Nursing
• Department of Mental Health Nursing
• Department of Operating Department Practice & Vocational Healthcare

Research

In the latest (2014) Research Excellence Framework Buckinghamshire New University’s research was regarded as either world leading or internationally excellent in all discipline areas submitted. The areas the University submitted in were: Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy; Business and Management Studies; Sports and Exercise Science, Leisure and Tourism; and Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory.

International & Industrial Opportunities 

Bucks New University students have two opportunities to study abroad: the overseas programme or the European Erasmus+ Programme. The overseas programme gives you the opportunity to live and study for one semester in certain countries outside Europe. The European Union-funded Erasmus Programme offers the same opportunity for Europe.

Fees & Finance

Scholarships

Bucks offers a number of scholarships and bursaries to overseas students to help with their costs of studying in the UK. Check the University website to see if any are open to you, and how to apply for them.

Bursaries

The Clearing Access Bursary is offered to support UK/EU students with living expenses for their first year at the University. The Bursary will consist of £1,500 reduction on University hall accommodation at Brook Street based on meeting the bursary eligibility criteria.

The Bucks Hardship Fund (BHF) provides extra financial support to UK students who have serious financial hardship or facing an unexpected financial crisis, and is there to meet particular costs not covered by other grants. Payments are usually given as grants, which do not have to be repaid.

The Buck Advantage Bursary Scheme (BABS) is available to international students, including those from the EU in their second year or beyond, facing hardship as the result of changes in their financial situation due to unexpected and unpredictable circumstances.

Facilities

Learning Facilities

The Gateway Library in the High Wycombe campus offers four floors of of books, journals and computer suites. At the Uxbridge campus, there’s a specialist library for health and nursing students. The electronic resources such as e-books, e-journals and online databases are available anywhere 24/7. There are also flexible study areas in both libraries and the University can also loan you a laptop if needed.

As Bucks is home to a variety of industry-specific courses they have invested heavily in their facilities, which include dance and drama studios with the largest seating up to 50 people and boasting full overhead gallery lighting and audio playback facilities; audio and music facilities including state-of-the-art recording studios; film studio spaces with audio-visual editing suites; a fully-equipped photographic studio available for hire along with a wide range of professional equipment; simulation suites for students of Nursing and Advanced Health Science to be able to learn in contemporary clinical simulation environments; an Elite S812 flight simulator for Private and Commercial Piloting students; and workshops including wood, metal and ceramics for art and design students.

The Learning Development Unit works with students on all aspects of their academic work and can help you get the most from your learning in a variety of ways. They can advise you on effective note-making strategies, research skills, etc. They can provide one-to-one tutorials or work with small groups, run workshops and team teach with subject academics.

Sporting Facilities

The University’s sports & fitness centre located in the High Wycombe campus, is a large, versatile space designed to cater for a multitude of activities. The hall can be split so that several activities can take place at once, including basketball, badminton, martial arts, indoor football, table tennis and netball.

The University’s Gateway gym is a state of the art facility with equipment to suit every exercisers' needs. Qualified and experienced fitness coaches are always on hand to offer assistance or can be booked for personal programming appointments. The Gateway Gym is open to public members as well as university students and staff.

Students' Union

Students' Union

Bucks Students’ Union is ranked as the number one Students’ Union in the UK Higher Education sector for taught students in the 2018 National Student Survey (NSS). It is the only university in the UK to offer students free access to a diverse and exciting range of activities to enrich their university experience. Known as The Big Deal, it offers students a number of free opportunities, including free entertainment and events every night involving gigs, club nights, comedy, cultural nights, and themed parties; the opportunity to play sport against other universities on a friendly and competitive basis; the opportunity to be involved in a society or create a new one; a wide range of recreational activities from one-off classes and taster sessions to guest speakers and demonstrations; and an Additional Skills Programme with sessions on public speaking, emergency first aid, interview skills, and how to put your skills into your CV.

Bucks Students’ Union runs The Venue, a student-focused social space comprising The Lounge and a 1,100-capacity event space for the hottest live touring bands, renowned DJ club nights, and all kinds of other shenanigans including comedy, theatre and exhibitions. In addition, right in the heart of the High Wycombe Campus, is the amazingly bar, a great place to hang out with friends, enjoy their snack menu and stay connected during the day, while at night it turns into an award-winning entertainment venue.

Lots of students volunteer while at university either in the local community or within the institution itself. Recognising volunteering, students who dedicated 25, 50 and 100 hours will receive a certificate whilst students who reach 100 hours will have their certificates signed by the Vice Chancellor and will have the chance to receive a personal reference by the Volunteer Coordinator. Raise and Give (RAG) volunteering is also very popular with the students.

Student Support

Religion & Spirituality

Whatever your faith, or even if you have none, you can look for spiritual guidance or find a place for worship through the University’s multi-faith team. They offer pastoral support and act as a point of contact for local faith communities. Their multi-faith prayer/quiet room, The Sanctuary, is available on each campus for quiet reflection, meditation and prayer.

Health & Wellbeing

The University can help to support your health and wellbeing. The services are confidential, and are delivered at both the High Wycombe and Uxbridge campuses.

The University’s counselling service is available when you are seeking objective, professional help away from your familiar daily environment, providing a fully confidential service free of charge.

The University’s disability service can discuss individual needs at any stage of your application or during your studies. They can offer a wide range of reasonable adjustments for those with dyslexia, medical conditions, mental health difficulties and other disabilities. They can also assist with applications for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs), can provide dyslexia screening and can provide careers advice to disabled students. 

Career Facilities

The University can help you prepare for the world of work and can assist you in your career planning. The MyBuckCareer portal has a range of interactive career guidance resources, including CV and covering letter builders, videos and reports from industry professionals, as well as lots of interactive tools. They have plenty of online resources to help you get started with job searches and applications. The drop-in service in the High Wycombe is also available for quick queries and sessions last for 20 minutes. If you need more help they can set up a longer appointment.

Volunteering while you’re studying can help you learn some new skills that could come in very useful in your chosen career. Having some work experience on your CV can really help you stand out from the other candidates when you’re applying for jobs. You can gain work experience in your sector, either through formal placements or more ad-hoc internships; your faculty tutor might be able to help you through their industry contact.

Bucks Mentoring provides an opportunity for individuals with experience relevant to students to share this, along with giving support and guidance as required. The mentors come from varied backgrounds and are often current students who have been identified as having the required skills, background and manner to provide such individual personal development whilst they might also be experienced working professionals, including former students through the alumni community. As a mentee you can gain practical advice, build confidence, develop skills and learn from the experiences of others, which all helps in providing career insight and direction. As a mentor you can gain a huge sense of fulfillment in passing on your skills and experience, and witnessing how this contributes to personal growth.

Accommodation

On the High Wycombe campus the University has three self-catered halls of residence providing approximately 885 single study bedrooms. All rooms are split into flats with a shared kitchen in each flat with equipment for cooking, cleaning and food storage. Depending on the hall, bedrooms are either en-suite or shared a bathroom. All Halls rents are fully inclusive of bills and internet.

For the Uxbridge students, the University, has a working relationship with Nupad Lettings in Uxbridge. They are a student-focussed agent, having offered housing to students for a long time. They can offer houses to groups, or try to help you find a single room in a house. Students that have the option to live in the University’s halls of residence in High Wycombe, can use the free transport to travel between campuses.

International

English Language Requirements

Any student who has studied in a non-majority English speaking country will typically be asked to complete an additional qualification to show their English language ability (speaking, listening, reading & writing). Typically, Bucks accepts IELTS Academic / IELTS for UKVI score 6.0 (5.5) or Pearson Test of English score 50 (42). A full list of accepted English tests is available from the University’s website.

International Support

The Students' Union offers a free Buddying service to new students. Buddies are current Bucks students and they are on hand to answer questions and help with any difficulties you may have when you first arrived at the university. If they cannot help they will refer you to someone who can.

Bucks can also arrange for a taxi to meet you at the airport and take you to your accommodation when you arrive.

During your first week, the International Team will arrange a brief orientation where you will receive important information on visas (working, extensions, police registration, etc.), the university support services, day trips and excursions, doctors surgeries and bank accounts.

Although international and students from the European Union are expected to have sufficient funds to complete their course, but the Buck Advantage Bursary Scheme (BABS) is available to them in their second year or beyond, if they are facing hardship as the result of changes in their financial situation due to unexpected and unpredictable circumstances.  Payments are usually given as grants and do not have to be repaid.

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