Bournemouth University

Summary

History

The origins of Bournemouth University (BU) can be traced to the early 20th century, with the foundation of the Bournemouth Municipal College.

In the early 1970s, the Municipal College became the Bournemouth College of Technology. Subsequently, a raft of new facilities for the College was built on the largest farm in Talbot Village, the area now known as the Talbot Campus.

By the time the new buildings were completed, in 1976, the college had again changed its name to become the Dorset Institute of Higher Education. It was under this name that the institution expanded onto the Lansdowne Campus and began to offer many more courses.

In 1990, the University became Bournemouth Polytechnic, but that name only lasted a little over two years. Under the Higher & Further Education Act 1992, it finally became Bournemouth University.

As a full university, they were able to validate their own degrees for the first time, and the institution has grown steadily ever since. Today, they educated over 17,000 students and offer over 150 undergraduate degrees and almost 100 Master's degrees. 

University Environment

Bournemouth University is split over two main sites in and around the city of Bournemouth:

Talbot Campus

The Talbot Campus is the main teaching site at the University. It is home to the Faculty of Science and Technology, the Media, Business and Tourism Schools and the graduate school. It also houses many of the University’s facilities including the university sports centre, Sport BU; The Sir Michael Cobham Library; and Student Centre, which houses the Students' Union. The Talbot Campus is located to the north of the city but it provides everything that students need on site, including a number of bars, cafes and other food outlets, a bank, various shops, a doctors surgery and even an art gallery. The Student Village is the only on-site accommodation here and is located in a leafy corner of the campus, close to all the facilities and lecture theatres. The majority of our student accommodation is located at the Lansdowne Campus.

Lansdowne Campus

The Lansdowne Campus is located right at the heart of the city and houses the Faculty of Health and Social Care and The Executive Business Centre. The majority of student accommodation is also based here, as is the student union-run nightclub and many of the University’s support services. This site is conveniently located close to the main train and bus stations. 

Travel between campuses is very easy. University buses and local bus services run often and the journey takes around 15 minutes.

In addition to these main sites, there are two small external campuses dedicated to midwifery and adult nursing. 

Academics

Faculties & Departments

Faculty of Health and Social Science

• Department of Nursing and Clinical Sciences
• Department of Human Sciences and Public Health
• Department of Social Sciences and Social Work

Faculty of Management

• Department of Events and Leisure
• Department of Sport and Physical Activity
• Department of Tourism and Hospitality

The Business School

• Department of Finance, Accounting and Economics
• Department of Leadership and Strategy and Organisation
• Department of Marketing

Faculty of Media and Communication

• Department of Media Production
• Department of Corporate and Marketing Communications
• Department of Law
• School of Journalism, English and Communication
• National Centre for Computer Animation

Faculty of Science and Technology

• Department of Archaeology, Anthropology and Forensic Science
• Department of Computing and Informatics
• Department of Creative Technology
• Department of Design and Engineering
• Department of Life and Environmental Sciences
• Department of Psychology

Research

In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) 96% of Bournemouth University’s research was rated at an international level, with 18% of that deemed to be world leading. Furthermore, over 70% of their research impact was deemed to be outstanding (4*) or very considerable (3*).

Particularly outstanding was their art and design research, which was ranked the most world leading in the South West, and their communication, cultural and media studies research, which was rated the most impactful in the South West.

One of the University’s most impactful pieces of recent research was the development of a new method of improving motion blur in filming. The method was implemented by Pixar and is now regularly used in major feature films, making a significant contribution to improving the viewer experience. 

International & Industrial Opportunities 

All undergraduate degrees at Bournemouth offer the opportunity for professional placement. The University has more students in placements than any other university in Great Britain. Full placement years last no less than 30 weeks, although your faculty will advise of you of the requirements for your course. and are ‘sandwiched’ between the second and fourth year of study. Placements allow students to enhance their CVs, and in many cases, give them the chance to earn as they learn.

Within your faculty you have access to a Placement Co-ordinator, who is dedicated to helping you find and secure a placement as part of your course. They’ll be your first point of contact for any placement queries you may have during your time at BU.

Erasmus+ and International Exchanges are available on several of the  Bournemouth’s courses. Through these programmes, students normally spend the equivalent of a semester studying abroad. Through Erasmus+ students can choose to study at institutions in 33 countries across Europe. They can also study with one of the University’s partner institutions in Canada, the USA, China, India, Indonesia, Qatar, Russia and other countries worldwide.

The University has a Global Horizons Fund to help students financially while spending a semester abroad studying. This money is also used to help students carrying out placements or work experience abroad or attending conferences, field trips, summer schools and language courses.

Fees & Finance

Scholarships

Bournemouth University’s Academic Excellence Scholarship represents a £1,000 cash prize given to students in their first year of study if they achieve A Levels of AAA or higher. There is no need to apply for this scholarship, all applicants will be automatically considered.

The University also offers Subject Achievement Scholarships to UK/EU students who demonstrate that they are passionate about the subject they are going to study, had worked hard to make a difference in their community, school or college, through voluntary work or work experience. The award is 3 x £3,250 payments over three years of study (excludes placement year/postgraduate year, if applicable).

There are two tiers of music scholarship available for talented and passionate young musicians. The major award gives students with a Grade 8 in their primary instrument £1,150 to be put toward lessons and other related costs. Students who narrowly miss out on this award may be eligible for the £450 minor award.

Talented athletes can apply for a BU Sport Scholarship with a value from £500 to £5000. The scholarship is designed to provide you with the funding you need to develop your sporting abilities and take them to the next level. You can apply for up to £5,000 of funding and put this money towards coaching, equipment, competition entry fees, travel expenses and/or support services.

Bursaries

BU offers a number of bursaries to support students. Students with an annual household income of less than £16,000 are eligible for a £3,500 bursary to support their learning and living costs, through the BU Maintenance Bursary. They will receive £1,300 in their first year, and £1,100 in their second and final years of study. For students who annual household income is between £16,001 and £25,000, there is a £3,000 bursary (£1,000 per year). There is no need to apply for a bursary; students are automatically assessed through student finance.

The BU Care Leavers Bursary is offered to students who were in full-time care for three months or longer at any time over the last five years. The offer consists of £6,000 to support your learning and living costs in your first year at university, and should you continue to meet the eligibility criteria, £5,000 in your second and final years of study.

The BU Student Carer’s Bursary supports the needs of students who are carers. The bursary is £600 for your full year of study, and pay in equal instalments throughout the year until June via a pre-paid card. You can claim this bursary as well as a BU Maintenance Bursary.

If you are planning to study the BA (Hons) Social Work at BU, you may be eligible for the Social Work Bursary during your second and third years of study. These bursaries don’t need to be paid back, and are awarded in recognition of the fact that you are expected to undertake 100 days of hands-on placements in these years, limiting your ability to get a part-time job.

Facilities

Learning Facilities

There are two main libraries at BU, one on the Talbot and the other on the Lansdowne Campus. The Sir Michael Cobham Library, is situated at the heart of the Talbot Campus, and where you will find the University largest collection of printed resources, As well as its extensive reference collections, it is also home to over 300 PCs, several bookable study rooms and technobooths, over 1,000 study spaces, a dedicated postgraduate study area, and three silent study floors.

Bournemouth House Library, located in the Lansdowne Campus, is home to the printed resources for: business, law and management at postgraduate level; nursing, midwifery and health studies, and psychology, social sciences and social policy. In addition to these resources, the library has over 50 PCs, 200 study places, including two silent study rooms, a further study room equipped with computers, a group study area and four bookable technobooths.

Both libraries have printers, photocopiers and scanners on every floor, as well as self-service machines where you can loan or return books, pay library fines and carry out a range of other transactions and a Help Zone for any library and basic IT queries.

The University has an Open Access Computing Centre at each of its campuses. The Centres are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round. There's no need to book, you can simply drop in and use the PCs whenever suits you. Each PC has the core BU applications, including Microsoft Office, the Adobe CC suite and SPSS. You can also use the ‘AppsAnywhere’ portal, to access software relevant to your course.

The University’s virtual learning environment, Brightspace, also allows students to access learning resources, activities, assessments and reading lists, as well as their timetable and emails. Furthermore, it permits them to hand in work online. and create e-portfolios.

The university offers a range of specialist facilities to simulate clinical and community workplace settings. These include two human osteology laboratories, a Crime Scene Training Centre, food management studios, dedicated computer laboratories, five recording studios and a biodome with fully controllable climactic conditions, among others. The SansSpace Virtual Language Centre, located in the Talbot campus, also provides language learners with all the facilities and resources they need.

The Academic Skills Community provides online and face-to-face support for all BU students. The interactive online resource from the Skills4Study campus, will introduce you to the key aspects of life at university, such as independent study, managing your resources and developing your analytical skills. Furthermore, workshops and individual sessions are available to help students improve academic skills like note-taking, academic writing, revision/ exam techniques and referencing.

The University also runs a Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme, where students work in groups alongside trained Student Leaders from their course who help them to develop their study and learning strategies. The aim of the scheme is to boost students’ confidence and to get them working together to help each other.

Sporting Facilities

The University of Bournemouth’s sporting facilities is located on and around the Talbot Campus. The main sports centre, Sport BU offers students access to a fitness suite with up to 60 stations, a four-court sports hall with badminton, basketball and volleyball courts, two dance and activity studios, a spin studio, a high-performance training suite and three treatment rooms. Outside, there are two all-weather floodlit 3G artificial sports pitches and five minutes from the Talbot Campus there are two natural-turf football pitches and a cricket pitch.

The University also has access to a range of sporting facilities around the town. These include Chapel Gate, a 65 acre sporting venue where the University’s rugby, lacrosse and other teams train, and the Littledown Centre, where the swimming team trains, as well as an Athletics stadium, the Sir David English Sports Centre, a golf club and a tennis centre.  

The University runs up to 50 Group Fitness classes a week, a number a gym workshops and nine-week training courses in everything from Thai kickboxing to tai chi and karate. There also are over 40 teams at the University that compete in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) competitions as well as intermural teams and more relaxed, recreational sports clubs.

Students' Union

Students’ Union

There are many ways for students to get involved in the University of Bournemouth’s Student’s Union, (SUBU), such as  joining a club, volunteering, becoming a Student Representative or attending the many social events that SUBU organises. SUBU has offices at both the Talbot and Lansdowne Campus.

The Union runs 100+ different clubs and societies, which are open to all students. These include the University’s many sports clubs and the media, Nerve that includes a radio station, a magazine and a website where all content is made by the students for students. The SUBU also has it’s own volunteering team that organises a range of fantastic local initiatives. Students can chose to give back to the local community or venture further afield through SUBU Volunteering.

SUBU Advice provides free, independent, non-judgemental and confidential advice and information to all BU students. The advice they provide covers consumer, money, housing and personal issues.

The SUBU’s venue, the Old Fire Station, holds a huge range of diverse events that includes cutting edge club nights, live music tours, massive student party nights and even stand up comedy. Dylan’s Kitchen & Bar opens all day and all evening, including weekends, serves hot food made to order in its own kitchen, fresh ground coffee and a great range of beer and lagers and prices you cannot beat. The Ground Up Cafe in the SUBU Student Centre, is where you can get Starbucks fresh coffee, beverages, fresh baked pastries, cakes and muffins as well as salads, sandwiches, wraps – all made by hand in the kitchen. The SUBU also run shops on campus selling stationery, magazines, drinks, snacks and other essentials.

Student Support

Religion & Spirituality

The University’s multi-faith Chaplaincy has bases on both of its campuses. The chaplains are there to provide support to students and staff, whether they have a faith or not. Students can talk to a chaplain in confidence about personal matters . They can also put students in touch with local faith communities, help them to explore the meaning of their faith . You can join a group for prayer, study or fellowship.

The Chaplaincy team runs a number of services and social events. The Chaplaincy in the Talbot campus has a room set aside for those wishing to reflect and pray, as well as an Islamic prayer room with wash facilities. There are also computers and Wi-Fi facilities, and a meeting room in the Talbot Chaplaincy.

Health & Wellbeing

There is a University Medical Centre located on Talbot Campus. It offers a full range of medical services, health and sexual advice. Students can register with a GP at this Centre, and there is also out-of-hours and emergency support.

The Student Wellbeing service provides students with a range of support. This includes: support from Wellbeing Advisors, who offer practical help with issues such as stress, worry, homesickness, panic, sleeping and eating difficulties and low mood or anxiety; support from counsellors, who provide students with a place to talk about and reflect on whatever is troubling them; drop-in support sessions and workshops covering topics such as examination stress and mindfulness.

Students with learning differences such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADD or Asperger's or those with other medical and mental health conditions are helped and supported by the Additional Learning Support (ALS) Team. They provide students with one-to-one learning support, such as tuition and/or mentoring, and advice on diagnoses and funding assistance from the Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA).

Career Facilities

The Careers and Employability Team at Bournemouth helps to improve the career prospects of students and graduates in a number of ways. They run recruitment fairs and employer events to introduce students to companies such as JP Morgan, John Lewis, IBM, Microsoft, Intel and Disney and students can see advisors one-to-one for help and guidance on issues such as CVs and covering letters writing, interview preparation, postgraduate study, job hunting strategies, and working abroad.

The University also runs an online jobs portal, MyCareerHub, to which students have access for up to three years after they graduate. Through it, students can find a variety of graduate roles as well as part-time and vacation jobs.

Degree courses at Bournemouth have a wide range of accreditations from, and partnerships with, professional bodies. Courses are tailored to meet the needs of the industry ensuring students’ future employability. The University has excellent relationships with many multi-national companies - from IBM to JP Morgan and Mercedes Benz - and work closely with employers who recruit BU graduates or take students for work placement.

The BU Student Development Award (SDA) enables students at Bournemouth to showcase their skills to prospective employers in their own e-portfolio web pages. The University set up the award to recognise the hard work and commitment shown by students in extra-curricular activities.

Students at BU can also participate in the Global Talent Programme, which is a free, innovative, extra-curricular award tailored to your needs. It includes employer-led workshops, self-directed e-learning, team assignments, business challenges and 100+ exciting activities to help you evidence that you've crossed physical and cultural boundaries to deliver outstanding results. It is a perfect addition to your studies, enhancing your future and recognising your achievement above and beyond your academic degree.

Accommodation

All undergraduate students who have selected BU as their firm or insurance choice and applied for accommodation before the application deadline are guaranteed accommodation provided by the University.

The majority of Bournemouth’s halls of residence is located on the Lansdowne Campus. However, there is a hall of residence on the Talbot Campus and one in nearby Poole. Student accommodation consists of a single room with or without en-suite shower room, a shared kitchen, living area, and include the cost of high-speed internet access, all bills and a BU bus pass. Studio flats are also available in some of the halls. Besides, self-catering accommodation, there is Lansdowne Point, located in the heart of the Lansdowne Campus, which is the only catered hall of residence.

There are also a number of Unilet shared houses available. Unilet properties are typically four- to six-bedroom houses that are fully furnished and you can rent a room in the same way you would in a purpose-built hall of residence. Although they are privately owned, they are all managed by BU to ensure consistency of standards. All Unilet properties are within four miles of Talbot Campus and are located in popular student areas, such as Charminster, Winton and Wallisdown. These locations are well-served by the University bus service and there are many cycle routes between the campuses and the centre of Bournemouth.

The ResLife Resident Assistants and Residential Services team are available to help you if you have any issues while staying in the University accommodation.

International

English Language Requirements

As a general rule, to be accepted onto any Bachelor’s or Master’s programme at the University of Bournemouth, non-English speaking students will need to have achieved a minimum of IELTS 6.0 overall, with no less than 5.5 in each component. See the University’s website for more detailed information. 

International Support

There are currently just over 2,600 students from around 120 different countries at Bournemouth University. Throughout the admissions process, they are supported by a dedicated international admissions team who understand their academic background.

The University operates an airport transfer service for students arriving at Heathrow and Meet & Greet service for those arriving at Gatwick. The students can attend the University’s International Students’ Orientation Programme (ISOP), which takes place the week before courses begin. The programme provides you with information about things like the UK academic system, immigration, cultural transition, and shopping and budgeting for life in the UK.

Throughout their degree, international students continue to receive dedicated support, including guaranteed university accommodation, immigration and visa advice, social and cultural events, and excursions throughout. There is also extensive free English language support available, in the form of group classes and one-to-one sessions. You can also study online using the University interactive language facility.

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