University of Nottingham

Summary

History

Nottingham’s foundations lie in University College, Nottingham which opened in Nottingham city centre in 1881 as a constituent college of the University of London. There were four professors - of Literature, Chemistry, Physics and Natural Science. New departments in Engineering, Classics with Philosophy, French, English, Mathematics, Mining, Economics, Geology with Geography, History and Pharmacy were created soon after.

By the First World War, the College had outgrown its original buildings, and therefore relocated to a 35 acre site at Highfields given by Sir Jesse Boot, owner of Boots Pharmacy. The College was initially accommodated within the Trent Building, and it was opened by King George V in November 1928. As a College, it attracted a number of high profile speakers including Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi and H. G. Wells.

In 1948, the College was awarded Royal Charter and became the University of Nottingham, and was allowed to award degrees under its own name.

More recent developments in the University include the £50 million Jubilee Campus (phase 1: 1999, phase 2: 2009) a campus in Malaysia (2005); a campus in China (2006), being the first foreign university to establish an independent campus in China; and a School of Veterinary Medicine & Science (2007), the first purpose built new veterinary school to be opened in the UK in 50 years.

University Environment

The University is spread across seven sites. A free hop-on hop-off bus service is available between all Nottingham campuses.:

University Park Campus

- is the largest campus set in 300 acres of greenery around a lake, clock-tower, long-established woodland and contemporary gardens, and is widely regarded as one of the most attractive in the country. As the winner of the Civic Trust Green Flag Award every year since 2003, this beautiful campus is the perfect learning environment for students. It is conveniently located approximately 2 miles from the city centre.Facilities include teaching and research facilities, 12 halls of residence accommodating over 3,000 students, a conference and exhibition centre, sports facilities, the Lakeside Arts Centre, and the Students’ Union.

Jubilee Campus

- is a smaller, modern purpose-built campus spread across 65 acres and located one mile from University Park Campus. The initial phase of the campus was opened by the Queen in 1999. It houses the Business School, the University of Nottingham Innovation Park, a Sports Centre, and 400 third party purpose-built student residence. The campus was built with sustainability and the environment in mind, and is surrounded by a series of lakes which are home to a variety of wildlife, as well as providing storm water attenuation and cooling for the buildings.

King’s Meadow Campus

- was acquired by the University in 2005 and was previously an ITV television studio complex. It is less than a mile from University Park and Jubilee Campus and is home to Manuscripts and Special Collections.

Medical School

- is located adjacent to University Park.

Sutton Bonington Campus

- is a 100 acres campus located 10 miles south of University Park home to the School of Biosciences and the School of Veterinary Medicine & Science. Its facilities also include the James Cameron-Gifford Library, over 700 on campus student bedrooms, a sports centre, and retail and catering outlets.

China Campus

- is located in Ningbo, a historic city close to Shanghai. In recognition of University Park, the campus includes a lake and its own version of the Trent Building. Its facilities include on-site residential facilities for all staff and students, a sports complex, and teaching and research buildings.

Malaysia Campus

- is located at Semenyih, 30 km south of Kuala Lumpur. Its facilities include state-of-the-art learning, teaching and research facilities, residential accommodation, a sports centre, student facilities, shops and a library.

Academics

Faculties, Departments, Centres & Schools

• Faculty of Arts

  • School of Cultures, Languages & Area Studies
    • Department of American & Canadian Studies
    • Department of Culture, Film & Media
    • Department of French & Francophone Studies,
    • Department of German Studies
    • Department of Russian & Slavonic Studies
    • Department of Spanish, Portuguese & Latin American Studies
    • The Language Centre
    • Translation Studies
  • School of English
  • School of Humanities
    • Department of Archaeology
    • Department of Art History
    • Department of Classics
    • Department of Music
    • Department of History
    • Department of Philosophy
    • Department of Theology & Religious Studies

• Faculty of Engineering

  • Department of Architecture & Built Environment
  • Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering
  • Department of Civil Engineering
  • Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering
  • Department of Mechanical, Materials & Manufacturing Engineering

• Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

  • School of Biology
  • School of Biomedical Sciences
  • School of Clinical Sciences
  • School of Community Health Sciences
  • School of Graduate Health Sciences
  • School of Molecular Medical Sciences
  • School of Nursing, Midwifery & Physiotherapy
  • School of Pharmacy
  • School of Veterinary Medicine & Science
  • Undergraduate Medicine

• Faculty of Science

  • School of Biology
  • School of Biosciences
  • School of Chemistry
  • School of Computer Sciences
  • School of Mathematical Sciences
  • School of Pharmacy
  • School of Physics & Astronomy
  • School of Psychology

• Faculty of Social Sciences

  • Nottingham University Business School
  • School of Contemporary Chinese Studies
  • School of Economics
  • School of Education
  • School of Geography
  • School of Law
  • School of Politics & International Relations
  • School of Sociology & Social Policy

Research

Nottingham is one if the UK’s leading universities for research. In the recent 2014 REF Nottingham ranked 8th in the UK in terms of research power with more than 80% of research being rabked as world-leading or internationally excellent, up from 58% in the 2008 RAE. 

Pharmacy; American and Canadian Studies; Music; Law; Sociology and Social Policy; Clinical Medicine; Classics; Nursing; Architecture and the Built Environment; Public Health; Computer Science; and Physics ranked very highly for impact. 

This performance in the 2014 REF follows sinning 'Research Project of the Year' at the Times Higher Education Awards 2014 for the discovery of a new layer of the human eye, while funding for research at the University reached reconrd levels in 2013-14, with awards totalling 181m. 

International & Industrial Opportunities

The University of Nottingham has two campuses in Malaysia and China and it is possible to apply to study at either of these for either a semester or a full academic year through the Inter-Campus Exchange programme. The Malaysian Campus is situated a 45 minute drive from the capital Kuala Lumpa and has on-campus accommodation as well as sports facilities and modern teaching and learning facilities. The Chinese campus is in Ningbo, a large city on the East coast of China. The campus provides accommodation, sports facilities and a shopping street. 

Most academic schools at the University also have student exchange agreements within the Erasmus programme allowing students to take part of their degree in a European university as well as providing European work placement opportunities.

Nottingham is also a founding member of the Universitas 21 which is an active international network of universities. This gives Nottingham students the opportunity to study part of their degree in many different countries worldwide such as Canada, Australia or Singapore. Aside from taking a full semester or year abroad students are encouraged to take part in international projects, international summer schools put on by Unversitas 21 and summer programmes at the Korea University and Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The University has a Study Abroad Team to coordinate Nottingham students wishing to study abroad and international students studying at Nottingham as well as each school having a coordinator to help students wishing to study abroad. Information is provided for students as to their opportunities to study abroad and for financial support whilst away.

Fees & Finance

Scholarships

Bursaries

Facilities

Learning Facilities

Across Nottingham’s UK and international campuses the university has a total of 13 libraries with access to over 1 million books and journals and more that 3 million manuscripts. University Park itself has 3 libraries, the largest of which is the Hallward Library. This library has 4 floors and a large flexible learning hub with areas for silent individual study as well as bookable areas for group study, all with the latest facilities like interactive SMARTboards and video editing equipment. Further services offered by the library include a laptop and iPad lending service, printing resources, the Assistive Technology Room and post-graduate private study rooms. In the libraries there are a number of enquiry points to help you make the most of the facilities available. The University of Nottingham Library Online Gateway makes finding the books that you want easy. This resource means that one can check the availability of books before making the journey to the library as well as giving access to the large number of e-books and e-journals from home. 

Information Services run the computing facilities and university campus networks. The university campus networks are accessible across campus including the halls of residence allowing students to remain connected wherever they are. There are also a number of computer rooms located across the different campuses, many of which are open 24 hours a day. The Information Services offers support to students with helplines, online guides and tutorials and training in IT skills to help students make the most out of the resources available. 

Moodle is the University’s online teaching and learning resource and it is here that students gain access to lecture notes, specific learning materials and academic forums. It also gives students information on up and coming assignments and is where students go to find out there assessments and check up on their progress throughout the year.

The Language Centre offers students the chance to study a range of languages from complete beginners’ level to near native competency. The Inter-Faculty Languages Programme offers credited modules, which students can take as part of their credit allocation. The languages offered are Arabic, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese and Spanish, while Polish Serbian and British Sign Language are also offered as part of an evening class. Facilties at the Language Centre including satellite television channels and on-line material.

U-Now is Nottingham’s collection of open education material for students to browse subjects from across the University, and to complete full modules or smaller-scale learning objectives.

Sporting Facilities

Nottingham University has fantastic sports facilities across its campuses and with over 70 sports clubs there are opportunities to compete competitively at university level as well as opportunities to take part more socially. In the last 15 years Nottingham teams have consistently placed in the top 10 of 140 institutions in British University and College Sports competitions. If you would rather stay fit and healthy without committing to a sports team you sign up for a gym membership giving you access to the fitness suites, the pool and the vast variety of classes that take place daily. The University Park Sports Centre is the largest facility but there are fitness centres on Jubilee, Sutton Bonnington and Kings Meadow campuses.

Students competing at a high level may be entitled to one of the University’s sports bursaries, of up to £1,000. Nottingham is also a partner in the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme, which can offer support and services up to the value of £6,000.

Students' Union

Students' Union

The Nottingham Student’s Union offers many opportunities to enrich one’s life at University and make it about much more than just obtaining a degree. It supports over 200 societies to get involved in so that you can meet people with the same interests and passions as yourself. It also supports a student magazine, radio station and television station as well as providing volunteering opportunities for students who want to get involved in the local community. It provides entertainment throughout the year including balls, days out and club nights and of course the initial Fresher’s Week. The Student’s Union also support a Student Advice Team to provide confidential support for students for any problems they may encounter in their time at university. 

The Portland Building, the Student’s Union hub, houses a Boots pharmacy, a Blackwell bookstore, a Student’s Union Shop and a variety of eateries where catered halls students can use their lunchtime meal-card. These include a Starbucks, a Chinese food outlet, a Juice Bar and a Baguette Bar. There is also a student bar; Mooch and a small club; the Den which host a variety of events for example small music gigs. However, for nightlife the majority of students choose to make the short journey into Nottingham city centre where there is a huge variety of bars, pubs and clubs that frequently host student nights.

The Lakeside Arts Centre boasts a number of facilities including the 250-capacity Djanogly Theatre for international and nation theatre, dance, comedy or literary events; the Djanogly Art Gallery; the Weston Gallery; the Gallery Cafe; the Pavillion Cafe; and the Djanogly Recital Hall for classical or chamber music. The New Theatre produces approximately 15 shows per semester and there are opportunities as an actor, writer, technician, designer, costume or make-up artist, stage hand, producer or director.

The Student Volunteer Centre helps students to find volunteering opportunities within Nottingham, within the Students' Union or overseas. There are over 100 projects to choose depending on a students' interests, course or career aspirations. Projects include community sports and youth coaching, environment and conservation, school support and mentoring, or overseas projects.

Karnival is Nottingham's student-run charity, and the largest one of its kind in Europe, raising over £1.3 million in 2011, and over £1.4 million in 2010. It runs student events such as the '7 Legged' bar crawl, Mr and Miss Nottingham, and the Snowflake Ball. It also undertakes student fundraising events such as climbing Mt Kilimanjaro or trekking in the lost city of the Incas.

Student Support

Career Facilities

Finding a job is becoming tougher and tougher so the careers support offered by a university is of the utmost importance to students. The Nottingham Careers and Employability Service is a thorough and accessible service that not only help graduates find employment but helps those who are struggling to choose a career path, helps with part-time work whilst at university and boosts students’ chances of achieving their aims by giving an edge over other graduates. 

The university has a network of successful alumni in a range of careers who Nottingham students can ask questions to in order to help them decide on a career path. The Careers and Employability Service also gives access to a large number of alumni career profiles to browse. 

There is also access to an eMentoring scheme which gives students direct access to alumni in the profession or industry that they want to work in. The Careers and Employability Service works to match students to a suitable mentor according to their interests and career aspirations. This is helpful not only for personal development but demonstrates to prospective employers that you have not only have a degree but experience and a genuine interest in the field of work you are going into. The Nottingham Advantage Award is a scheme that you complete whilst at university in order to give you the edge over other graduates in the employment market. There are many modules you can choose from so students from both first and second year can choose modules suited to their interests. 

The Careers and Employability Service also run Unitemps which is a recruitment agency for part-time and temporary work on campus or in the local area for those students who are looking to work whilst at university.

A number of events are run on campus throughout the year including The Graduate Fair, Business and Management Fair, Internship Event and Law Fair and over two hundred employer presentations and workshops. Students are also helped to find out about external events by the Careers and Employability Service.

Religion & Spirituality

The University has a number of societies that support students in their faith for example Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist societies. The University also has a number of prayer rooms on the different campuses, either just for Christians or Muslims or for all faiths. These rooms are either used by religious groups at certain times or are there to serve as a quiet space for prayer for students to use when they wish.

Health & Wellbeing

The University has a Health Centre with dental surgery and pharmacy on campus which all students are registered to on arrival. If you have a disability the University is committed to make sure that you get the most out of university life with disability funding and a minibus service for those who cannot use the Hopper buses. Academic Support is also there for students with learning disabilities and the Practical Academic Support Work provides students with access to Support Workers who are trained to act as, for example, scribes or mentors. The University is also committed to making sure students live a healthy lifestyle whilst in Nottingham with the HealthyU initiative which informs students on matter such as food, fitness, drinking and drugs. 

The Counselling Service supports students in their studies by offering confidential, professional help with personal, emotional or mental health problems. They offer individual counselling as well as a number of groups and workshops on issues such as managing depression, mindfulness, assertiveness, self-esteem, and perfectionism and procrastination.

Accommodation

At the University of Nottingham a student can either choose to live on campus in one of the 14 catered halls or off-campus in self-catered accommodation. 12 of these catered halls are situated in University Park and 2 are situated in Jubilee Park. A student will usually live where they study but the two campuses are only a short bus-ride apart and a free Hopper bus service is available. The catered halls have around 150-350 rooms and a Dining Room, Junior Common Room, bar and bike shed and depending on the hall possibly a gym, library or café where meal-cards can be used. Breakfast and supper are served in halls and lunch is available through a meal-card which a student can use in any of the cafes or eateries on campus. It is important to think carefully when choosing catered or self-catered as there are several factors to consider. For example the catered accommodation only offer shorter contracts meaning that one must vacate their room during holidays or pay extra to keep it. Also, if a student chooses to go self-catered they must be aware that they will need to get a short bus-ride into campus each day whereas the students living on campus will only have a 5-10 minute walk to lectures. Sutton Bonnington campus offers part-catered accommodation.

International

English Language Requirements 

Scholarships

There are a number of scholarships available to international students. Please see the University website for more details.

International Support

International students are supported every step of the way at Nottingham. During the application process a Recruitment Team supports international students giving help and advice. Furthermore whilst at Nottingham there is a Support Services Team on hand to provide specialist support for international students. They are there to help with visa and immigration issues, as well as personal and financial problems. Each country has its own International Officer who serves as a contact to students from that specific country. The University is keen to make international students as at home as possible whilst studying in Nottingham and to make sure that they make the most of their time in the UK. This starts from day one with a pick-up service from Heathrow available and Week One packed with activities and events to help international students get to know the campuses and meet new people.

The Centre of English Language Education offers a range of programmes from English preparation courses for international students in the areas of English for Academic Purposes, Academic Literacy, English for Professional Purposes and Intercultural Communication.

Media

Facilities

Accommodation