Nottingham Trent University

Summary

History

In 1843, the Nottingham Government School of Design opened and, in 1881, University College Nottingham (UCN) was established on Shakespeare Street. The premises later became Nottingham Trent University's (NTU) Arkwright Building. In 1958, Nottingham Regional College of Technology was opened and in 1964 the College was officially launched. Nottingham College of Art and Design was linked with the Regional College as a Polytechnic in 1966, and, in 1970, Trent Polytechnic was granted polytechnic status. In 1975, Trent amalgamated with Nottingham College of Education at Clifton. In 1992, the Nottingham Trent University was launched with Professor Ray Cowell appointed as the first Vice-Chancellor, and by 2008 NTU was named the top post-1992 University by the Good University Guide.

University Environment

Nottingham Trent University is one of the largest universities in the UK with 28,000 students. NTU is set across three campuses:

City campus

- right in the heart of Nottingham city centre and, with the new Students’ Union building as its focus, it is a great place to study and live. The Law School, Nottingham Business School, School of Architecture Design & the Built Environment, School of Art & Design, School of Social Sciences and the Centre for Broadcasting & Journalism are based at the City campus. It also houses some University accommodation.

Clifton campus 

- approximately 15 minutes’ from the city centre, the Clifton campus is home to over 7,000 students. It's a modern, self-contained, greenfield site witn fantastic facilities including accommodation, the state-of-the-art Lee Westwood Sports Centre, the Students' Union bar, shop, cafes and library. Set on the banks of the river Trent the campus is home to the Schools of Arts & Humanities, Education, and Science & Technology. The Go2Uni 4 bus service will take you right to the City site every seven minutes.

Brackenhurst campus

- is approximately 30 minutes' away from the city centre, and is set in a beautiful 200 hectare country estate in Nottinghamshire with woodland, a lake and landscaped gardens. It is home to the Animal, Rural & Environmental Sciences and approximately 1,000 students. Buses every 15-20 minutes throughout the day take you from the campus straight into the heart of the city.

Academics

Schools

• School of Animal, Rural & Environmental Sciences
• School of Architecture, Design & the Built Environment
• School of Art & Design
• School of Arts & Humanities
• Nottingham Business School
• School of Education
• The Graduate School
• Nottingham Law School
• School of Science & Technology
• School of Social Sciences

Research

The University is involved in wide-ranging research activity in each of its academic Schools. Collaboration with other academic institutions and organisations ensures that research is outward looking and focused on solving real-world problems.

In the 2014 REF 74% of the University's research was rated as internationally recognised status or above, with Biomedical Sciences, General Engineering, English Language and Literature, Psychology, and History performing highly. 

Research students at NTU are supported throughout by a dedicated supervisory group throughout their studies. Students also receive training to develop research and other transferable skills that are useful during their time at NTU and throughout their careers. 

International Opportunities

There are a number of options for study abroad in one of NTU’s partner universities in Europe. Depending on your course you may have the opportunity to study abroad for a period between 3-12 months or undertake a work placement abroad. Possible destinations include Austria, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Norway or Portugal amongst many others. Through studying abroad you could earn ECTS credits which would then be counted towards your degree. There is support and guidance for those NTU students who wish to look into the possibility of studying abroad with the Erasmus office in Trent House. You can also get useful information from your School Office. 

Fees & Finance

Facilities

Learning Facilities

There are three libraries across the City, Clifton and Brackenhurst campuses with a range of print and online resources, as well as 24/7 IT facilities, and a large number of group and individual study spaces. The University's £13 million Boots Library boasts more than 531,000 books, 2,800 journals and 9,000 e-Journals. There are various zones in the libraries with group study zones, quiet study zones and silent study zones to provide a choice of study environments to suit your needs. The libraries offer an extensive e-book lending service, and you can also receive laptops and tablets on loan. The Library Service was recently awarded the Customer Service Excellence Award, and there is a large, dedicated team of staff who are there to help. There are also free workshops on offer to help you improve a range of skills from essay writing to critical thinking. Finding resources, specific books, journals and databases are made easy for students by Library OneSearch. Students can use Institutional Repository (IRep) to access various research projects and publications that Nottingham Trent University staff are working on and RefWorks to gather, manage, store and share academic references.

As a student at Nottingham Trent University, you have access to over 1,000 PCs in libraries and IT resource rooms across all three campuses. In addition, printers, photocopiers and scanners are available in some areas. You can also check PC availability on all three campuses. 

Sports Facilities

The new Clifton campus Sports Centre houses a fitness suite, High Performance Centre, squash courts, exercise studio, small sports hall, Human Performance Laboratory, Sports Therapy Clinic and Athlete Training Kitchen. On top of this the campus has facilities including a modern sports hall; fitness gym; and all-weather floodlit pitches and cricket, rugby and football grass pitches. On the City campus there are sports facilities in the brand new Students’ Union building including a two storey gym with over 100 stations, a 30 ft. climbing wall, new dance studio, sports hall and sports therapy suite. NTU sport and fitness members are also able to use the University of Nottingham’s pool on their University Park Campus for an additional cost of £2 per visit. At Brackenhurst the partnership between NTU’s Sport and Lifestyle Department and the nearby Southwell Leisure Centre gives NTU students and staff a discount on standard Centre. Brackenhurst is also home to an Equestrian Centre, one of the best Equestrian facilities in the region and home to dozens of much-loved horses. It holds a variety of events throughout the year, including unaffiliated and affiliated dressage competitions, and unaffiliated show jumping.

At NTU there are over 50 sports clubs for students to participate in at either a competitive or more casual level. There are also a range of classes zumba, yoga and spin, and other activities including various football leagues, squash and racketball activities, and opportunities to play recreational sport such as netball or badminton. Nu2sport is a programme designed specifically for students who want to play sport for fun in an environment free from competition, commitment and expectation, and with sessions at only £1 there is no reason not to have a go. There is also the ever popular Charity Varsity series between NTU and Nottingham University which is enjoyed by both players and spectators. 

Students' Union

Students’ Union

A new Students' Union building on the City campus is opening in 2013 giving you an exceptional array of social, leisure and well-being facilities. The new building will also include 900 student rooms. Facilities will include a sports hall, entertainment area, fitness studio, shop, bars, social space - with a feature 20 ft. climbing wall - and health centre. 

There are over 70 societies available at NTU and the number is growing all the time. From debating to drama, from rock music to Russian, there is something for everyone. NTSU also offers a range of music societies, evenings and groups for you to get involved in. For those interested in the media there is the Students' Union Radio Station Fly FM and the monthly newspaper, Platform, to get involved in. Students' Union Jobshop offers part-time, term-time, graduate, University, vacation and voluntary posts, and the Student Advice Centre can give you impartial advice on any aspect of student life at NTU.

As far as entertainment is concerned, the new SU building has a purpose built venue space designed to fit over 2,000 students and, therefore, will host weekly club nights, as well as gigs featuring international touring bands. New entertainment venues on the City campus also include The Loft, The Level and The Landing. On the Clifton Campus there is The Point, a pub, diner and club venue, which has also undergone recent refurbishment, and Brackenhurst Campus has its own Brack Bar. Each campus has special Entertainment Student Committees to make sure that an array of events is put on throughout the year catering for all tastes.

Student Support

Health and Well-Being

At Nottingham Trent the Student Services Centre has been awarded the Government Standard in Customer Service Excellence (CSE) and there are Student Services based at all three campuses so you can access them when and where it is convenient. 

There are medical practices based at both the City and Clifton campuses, and students based at Brackenhurst are advised to register with the Southwell Medical Practice. The Student Services value the importance of staying fit and healthy whilst at University and, therefore, have created the Student Health strategy, as well as offering helpful advice and links on the Student Services website. 

Student Services offers face-to-face individual counselling (usually up to four sessions), occasional groups and workshops, and Online Counselling for those who are encountering problems whilst at University. There is also a Mental Health Support Team, who work with students with mental health conditions that are impacting on their studies. 

The Disability Service is there to coordinate support and access arrangement for disabled students and students with specific learning difficulties. Members of the team work with academic staff, other University services and external agencies to meet individual access requirements.

Religion and Spirituality

A team of chaplains and advisers from a variety of faiths are available to all students at Nottingham Trent University, whether you have faith or not. They are there to support and advise students, provide opportunities to foster a sense of community and well-being, help those who want to explore the big questions through social and spiritual events and highlight the importance of spiritual wellbeing. There are opportunities for Christian and Hindu worship, and prayer rooms for Muslim students and staff on both the City Clifton campus. There is also a quiet space at the Clifton campus, which can be used for prayer or quiet reflection.

Career Facilities

The award-winning Career Development Centre at NTU can support you at all stages of your career planning with specialist careers consultants available on all campuses who offer advice on planning your career, improving your CV, completing applications and performing at interviews. NTU Careers stages regular careers fairs and information events for all NTU students, graduates, postgraduate staff and employers to meet, share information and bring the marketplace to NTU. There is also the opportunity to get a mentor from NTU's Alumni community. The mentoring programme uses face-to-face meetings, Skype, telephone and e-mail to carry out the mentoring sessions, and support the mentoring relationship between the alumnus and the student. The Careers Services also advertise a number of vacancies from a huge range of employers so whether you have just graduated or are looking for a part-time job whilst studying this is a great place to start. 

Work placements are integral to many courses at NTU, often lasting one academic year, often salaried. The University advertises the available placements on ‘Now’ – NTU’s Online Workspace. 'NTU Professional Placement Scheme' recruits a number of placement students in areas such as Marketing and Web Services, Information Systems, Finance, Legal Services or Construction Management. Furthermore, NTU helps you to get ahead in a competitive job market through the Acceler8 Employability Award which gives formal recognition for non-academic achievements. 

Accommodation

All new students who book before July are guaranteed an offer of University-allocated accommodation. All residences offer free Wi-Fi Internet, excellent security and the opportunity to be part of a great halls community. In all residences you will have your own study bedroom and a communal kitchen-dining area. Different halls have a different number of students per kitchen and different lease lengths. Depending on where you choose to live you may also have an en-suite, or shared bathroom facilities. All residences are self-catered but there are Taste catering outlets on each campus for snacks, drinks, or a hot meal. You can load money onto your Smartcard (student card) to spend in the outlets. 

There are five halls of residences on the City campus, and they are very convenient for those students who are studying at this site and wish to live in the heart of the city. There are five further residences located at a short walk or a short bus-ride from the City site, and with a great Nottingham bus service running until late until the night these are also convenient for those studying on the City campus. There are three halls of residence on the Clifton campus - the UniLink bus service connects this campus with the City campus. There are also three halls of residence on the Brackenhurst campus for those studying Animal, Rural, and Environmental Sciences. 

For those who would prefer to live in private accommodation there are many areas in Nottingham that are either in walking distance to one of NTU's campuses, or a short bus or tram ride away. Excellent transport links mean that there are many suitable areas for you to live in relation to the City campus. Many students choose to live in the city centre, but you may need to pay higher rent.

International

English Language Requirements

International Support

The International Student Support Service provides all international students at NTU with advice and support on a range of issues, including visas and immigration, employment regulations and settling into life in the UK. The Service runs Welcome Events at the start of term to introduce students to the service, and to help you settle into life in Nottingham and the University. On arriving all you need to do is find one of the International Student Welcome Points where you can collect a Welcome Pack, ask any questions you may have about life in Nottingham or at NTU, and find out more about Welcome Events for international students. The Students' Union also runs regular events for international students, including day trips to fun and interesting places. There are information sessions put on throughout the year for students who need to extend their visas to remain in the UK to study, as well as one-to-one appointments for students in more complex situations. Additionally, the Service gives international students access to a range of useful guidance notes to answer many of the questions that they may have.

Media