University of Worcester

Summary

University Environment

Worcester is located across three sites on one campus, and students benefit from reasonable living costs and delightful, safe surroundings. The City, Riverside and St John’s sites are closely situated together and to the city centre, and students enjoy walking and cycling between classes and the City without the need for shuttle buses or long journeys. 

St John’s Campus is the largest campus, home to the University’s central services, St John’s student village, sports facilities, the Peirson Study and Guidance Centre and bespoke teaching spaces for all subjects.

The City Campus is home to the University’s Worcester Business School, The Hive library, Jenny Lind building and the McClelland Health and Wellbeing Centre.

The Severn Campus is home to the University Arena, the Riverside building and The Garage art studios.

History

Worcester’s history dates back to 1946 when it was established as an Emergency Teacher Training College after WWII, and it was later known as Worcester College of Higher Education. In 1997 it gained degree-awarding power and in 2005 was awarded full University status and adopted its new title of the University of Worcester. 

Worcester has undergone significant change and growth over the last few years, expanding into new subject areas, more than doubling student numbers and investing substantially in staff and new facilities. These have included the opening of the new City Campus in a beautifully renovated former Infirmary in 2010 to create a new home for the Business School and the Hive, which opened in 2012 as a joint venture between the University and Worcestershire County Council.

Academics

Institutes & Schools

• Institute of Education
• Institute of Health & Society
• Institute of Humanities & Creative Arts
• Institute of Science & the Environment
• Institute of Sport & Exercise Science
• Worcester Business School

Research

Reflecting the professional and practice-based strengths of several of its academic institutes, the University has a strong focus on applied research designed to shape and influence the practice of teachers, health professionals, coaches and managers. The University is also engaged in curiosity-driven research in areas such as Plant Science, History and English Literature, although in these areas too there is an emphasis on how this research can ultimately have real world impact.

The University’s results of the Research Excellence Framework (2014) showed that Worcester was among the most improved universities for research in the UK. A third of its research was classified as “world-leading” or “internationally excellent”, with just under three-quarters of its research identified as at least “internationally recognised”. Subjects that were particularly successful for the University included History, Art & Design, and Sport & Exercise Science. 

International & Industrial Opportunities

Most courses offer exchange programmes, with the chance to study for a semester or year at a partner institution without extending or interrupting your degree programme. 

Extended work placements are an important part of many courses, like Nursing and Teaching, while other courses have the option of taking a short placement or full ‘sandwich year’. 

The University has pioneered a great ‘Earn As You Learn’ scheme to help students find paid employment during their studies. The University makes links with relevant employers to identify opportunities for part-time work. Typical vacancies include: care assistant work, working at children’s play schemes or after school clubs, learning support work in schools, language tutors, youth workers, retail, coaching and administration. Over 900 students are employed in a range of roles at the university itself, from campus guides and ambassadors to research assistants and library staff.

Academics

Worcester operates a flexible approach to learning, designed to help both students entering higher education straight from college or returning later in life, so courses and options are built around you and your needs. 

Lots of undergraduate degree courses are available as Single or Joint Honours. With a Single Honours degree you focus almost entirely on one main subject while a Joint Honours degree balances two subjects equally. The University has one of the most varied selections of two-subject degrees in the country. If you do take a Single Honours course, you can broaden your studies and boost your employment potential with an elective module. There’s a whole range available to not only complement your main area of study but also give you the chance to meet students and staff from other disciplines. The options include Business and Social Enterprise, Sustainability, Healthy Lifestyles and Languages. 

Fees & Finance

Scholarships

There are a number of scholarships available to both new and returning students. 

Worcester offers a £1,000 first year scholarship to all new undergraduate students who achieve at least ABB at A Level (or equivalent). Students must be responsible for paying their own tuition fees (including those paying with a tuition fee loan from Student Finance) and the scholarship is given in three installments throughout the year. 

Based solely on academic performance, the University awards up to 100 scholarships of £1,000 each to eligible high-achieving undergraduate students after completion of the first and second year of a degree course or first year of a Foundation degree or HND. 

In partnership with Worcester Cathedral, Choral Scholarships are available to young men with counter-tenor, tenor and baritone/ bass voices and are aimed at encouraging young singers to become part of the long-standing tradition of Cathedral Music, while pursuing a course of study. The scholarships are available to students in he first, second or third year of an undergraduate course. Scholars will  also receive private singing tuition and support from a Principal Lay Clerk. In addition to regular services, the post will give an opportunity to sing with the Cathedral Choir in concerts, recordings, tours and the world famous Three Choirs Festival, for which additional remuneration will be paid.

If you have an outstanding record of achievement in a particular sport and want to combine this talent with study at a university with a proven reputation, then you may be eligible for a sports scholarship. Worcester’s sports scholarships and bursaries represent a very special partnership with some of the region’s top sports teams, including Worcestershire County Cricket Club (WCCC), Worcester Hockey Club and Worcester Wolves Basketball Club. Sports scholarships are available for a range of team and individual sports. Financial bursaries range from £100 to £2000 and support packages include as a minimum, strength and conditioning programmes, sports therapy support, gym membership, athlete lifestyle advisor and a University of Worcester sports clothing bundle. 

Students have the opportunity twice a year to apply for funds, up to £1000, to assist them with extra-curricular activities, such as community-based voluntary activities or interest-based activities. 

Facilities

Learning Facilities

From the contemporary science labs to the business school in the modernised Georgian buildings of City Campus, there are a number of specialised facilities central to your learning.

Nursing students benefit from the cutting-edge simulation facility and clinical skills suite, enabling them to practice in safe environments and gain the confidence and competence needed before embarking on a career within the health service.

For those seeking careers within the arts, The Garage, a renovated industrial building near St John’s campus, offers inspiring studios, workshop spaces and all the necessary equipment for practising fine art, illustration, and ceramics.

A ground-breaking joint venture between the University and Worcester City Council, the Hive is a multi-million pound library and the first of its kind in Europe. Opened in 2012, the beautifully designed centre is home to a quarter of a million books and 12 miles of archive collections, as well as a number of educational and cultural spaces to support its busy events programme. With over 48 awards to its name, The Hive is now the most celebrated university library in the country, with accolades for its innovative services, staff and the building itself.

The Hive also boasts a studio theatre and excellent public exhibition spaces, as a modern public forum in which to share the fruits of your labour with the local community. Beyond the arts, excellent business and meeting facilities provide you with the opportunity to explore ideas and sharpen entrepreneurial instincts, whichever course you are studying. 

Group study and learning spaces are located throughout the campuses, providing an excellent environment for you to study. These flexible areas include computer labs, wired and wi-fi internet access, and e-learning applications. Open access computers are also available in other campus areas, such as the library and the popular Peirson Study and Guidance Centre.

Sporting Facilities

For spectators and competitors alike, the University of Worcester is a great place for sports lovers. Its sporting centrepiece is the University of Worcester Arena. Opened in 2013, the Arena is an iconic sports venue that has risen spectacularly from the rubble of an abandoned fruit and veg market to stand proudly on the banks of the River Severn. With its state-of-the-art media suite and 2,000 seat capacity, the Arena attracts international sport, live national television coverage and sell-out crowds to the riverbank. The University’s own top-flight pro basketball team, the Worcester Wolves, regularly thrill the home crowds. For Worcester students, a night out at the basketball with the Wolfpack is a fun and affordable addition to the social calendar. 

When it comes to study, the elite-level facilities provide students with an excellent training bed for the entire range of sporting degree pathways. Sports therapists can plunge real athletes in to the freezing ice baths; aspiring strength and conditioning coaches can put clients through their paces in the Power Suite; and Business Management students can gain invaluable experience working on some of the Arena’s major events. 

The University’s groundbreaking Disability Sport degree pathway is based at the Arena, which itself has been designed throughout to be accessible. Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball chose the facility as their training base for both the men’s and women’s GB teams as they prepared for the Rio Paralympics. 

Further sports facilities include fitness suites, human performance labs, floodlit astroturf pitches, floor-sprung studios and gymnasia, extensive playing fields, large dance studios and massage and sports therapy clinics.  The Riverside campus hosts a busy programme of fitness classes from Yoga to Zumba, with many sessions running during the evenings and on weekends.

Students' Union

Students' Union

Worcester Students’ Union is the social heart of the University, with a huge range of clubs, societies and volunteering opportunities. Located at the centre of the St John’s campus, the modern Students’ Union building is an ideal place to relax and chat; stock up on supplies from the campus shop or socialise over lunch. The bar and coffee house is a place for all students to meet with friends and enjoy a drink, play pool and watch the action on the big screens.

Student Support

Health & Wellbeing

The Student Support and Wellbeing team are available to encourage you to have an enjoyable time throughout uni, to offer support and guidance and to promote positive health and wellbeing.  The Student Support Advisers can support you through the transition into student life to make it as effortless as possible. They help with various issues associated with communal living, settling into a new environment, relationships, conflicts, pregnancy, and periods of unhappiness or difficulties.  

Worcester’s Disability and Dyslexia Service is available to support students with a disability, medical condition, or Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD) including dyslexia. Their support includes liaising with other departments to put appropriate support in place; offering advice around finance, including Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) applications and help with the process; implementing special arrangements for lectures, exams and field trips; and arranging note takers, academic support tutors, library assistance, interpreters and transcribers.

Religion & Spirituality

Whether you are a member of a faith or belong to no faith tradition Worcester’s Chaplaincy Service is available to provide spiritual support to all students and staff. The Coordinating Chaplain knows many of the local ministers, churches and faith communitiies so can help you to find a worshipping community where you will feel at home. You can also meet with her individually or in groups for a listening ear and a chance to talk over a mug of tea or coffee.

The University’s designated multi-faith rooms are located at St John's and the City Campus and are available to students of all faiths.

Career Facilities

The University’s Careers and Employability Service is able to offer you advice and guidance both during and after your degree. From helping you make your initial career choice to helping you find work, university career advisers are trained professionals who can help you in every stage of your employment development.

The Careers and Study Skills zone in the Peirson Study and Guidance Centre contains a wide range of information about careers, postgraduate study, making applications, and full- and part-time job vacancies. The Service also offers a programme of career events; practical help with applications and interviews; industry insights; and opportunities to develop your skills through workshops.  

You can use the University’s resources to help you: identify what you want out of a job, generate new job ideas and check out your existing ones; find out what motivates you in a job, identify your skills and what you can offer to the job/employer; see how these match the jobs you are considering; and research your chosen jobs in more detail, compare your options and decide on the right choices for you. 

Accommodation

Worcester has over 1,000 rooms available, gathered together in lively student villages right in the heart of their campuses. All rooms are single occupancy, fully furnished and – in newer halls – there are en-suite rooms, secure video entry and flat screen TVs too. Whatever your needs and budget, you are sure to find somewhere you’ll feel right at home. 

There are halls of residence at both St John’s and City campus, as well as University-managed halls of residence in the heart of the city centre and near to St John’s. Worcester’s accommodation team can also help you find off-campus accommodation through a network of landlords accredited by the University. 

Current rents range from £89 per week for rooms with a shared kitchen and bathroom to £145 per week for en-suite extra accommodation.

Accommodation is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, however if you’re a first year undergraduate, accept a conditional or unconditional offer as your first choice by 1 May and apply for accommodation by 31 May, you are guaranteed a place in university-managed accommodation. 

Included in the cost of your accommodation is free wi-fi, inclusive utility bills, 24-hour security and welfare support, free contents insurance, communal area cleaning, a free gym membership, and bespoke accommodation for disabled students. 

International

English Language Requirements

Undergraduate courses usually require a minimum IELTS of 6.0 (with no less than 5.5 in any component) or Pearson 59 (with no less than 51 in each component) or various Cambridge certificates. Other equivalent English qualifications will also be considered. Some courses may require a higher score so please check with your course page for more information.

International Support

The International Recruitment department is the first point of contact when you are enquiring about a course at Worcester. They provide you with information about the University and what it actually means for you to come as an international student. They will support you through your application process, supervise your arrival and make sure you settle in.

The International Experience department supports you across your time at the university. They organise an International Welcome Week with multiple activities to help you familiarise yourself with the city, social events to help you meet new people while you are here and “student priced” trips to make sure you travel and get the best of your British experience!

The Language Centre runs Pre-sessional English courses to help you improve your English before your lectures start, while Academic English courses including one-to-one sessions and a number of languages are available to study while you are a student, such as French, German, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and Japanese.  

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