Wikipedia:University of Bath

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University of Bath
Motto: Latin: Generatim discite cultus
Motto in English: "Learn each field of study according to its kind"
Established: 1966
Type: Public
Endowment: £2.7m[1]
Chancellor: Lord Tugendhat
Vice-Chancellor: Professor Glynis Breakwell
Students: 13,218[2]
Undergraduates: 9,460[2]
Postgraduates: 3,758[2]
Location: Bath, England, UK
Campus: Rural/Suburban
Affiliations: 1994 Group
Website: http://www.bath.ac.uk/
Coat of Arms

The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, England. It received its Royal Charter in 1966. With 20 out of its 26 subjects being ranked within top 10 in the UK, Bath is placed the 6th in the table of Who's in Top Ten of Their Subjects from the Complete University Guide published by the Independent in April 2009.[3] In addition the Guardian University Guide 2010 placed Bath 9th nationally.[4] Furthermore, in the latest Research Assessment Exercise released in December 2008, two thirds of Bath's individual subject submissions are ranked in the top ten nationally, including over a third in the top five.[5]

Contents

History

Despite being granted university status only forty years ago, the University of Bath can trace its roots to a technical school established in Bristol 100 years earlier, the Bristol Trade School of 1856. In 1885 the school became part of the Society of Merchant Venturers and was renamed the Merchant Venturers' Technical College, an institution founded as a school in 1595. Meanwhile, in the neighbouring city of Bath, a pharmaceutical school, the Bath School of Pharmacy, was founded in 1907. This became part of the Technical College in 1929.

In 1949, the college came under the control of the Bristol Education Authority and was renamed the Bristol College of Technology, which was subsequently changed again, in 1960, to the Bristol College of Science and Technology when it became one of ten technical colleges under the umbrella of the Ministry of Education. The college was mainly housed in the former Muller's Orphanage at Ashley Down, Bristol, which still houses part of the City of Bristol College whilst the remainder has been converted into residential housing.

University of Bath (Claverton Down Campus).

In 1963, the government completed an inquiry into the state of higher education in the United Kingdom. This was known as the Robbins Committee report. It was this report that paved the way for the college (along with a number of other institutions) to assume university status.

Although the grounds of Kingsweston House were briefly considered, the City of Bristol was unable to offer the growing college a suitable site. Following discussions between the College Principal and the Director of Education in Bath, an agreement was reached to provide the college with a new home in Claverton Down, Bath, on a greenfield site overlooking the city of Bath.

Construction of a purpose-built campus in Bath began in 1964, with the first building, now known as 4 South, completed in 1965, and the Royal Charter was granted in 1966. Over the subsequent decade, new buildings were added as the campus took shape. A campus in Oakfield, Swindon, was opened in 2000.

In November 1966, the first degree ceremony was held at the Assembly Rooms in Bath.

Discoveries from city records reveal that there were plans in the 19th Century to build a college of the University of Oxford on the very same site, which would have resulted in a university of a very different character. Such plans, however, did not come to fruition.

Campus and facilities

The Parade, a central pedestrian thoroughfare connecting most academic blocks.

The university's main campus is located on Claverton Down, two kilometres from Bath. The campus is compact; it is possible to walk from one end to the other in fifteen minutes.

Architectural plans of the university show that the design involved the separation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, with road traffic on the ground floors and pedestrians on a raised central thoroughfare, known as the Parade. Buildings would line the parade and student residences built on tower blocks rise from the central thoroughfare.

Such plans were mostly adhered to. At the centre of the campus is the Library and Learning Centre, a 24/7 facility offering computing services, information and research assistance as well as books and journals. A number of outlets, including restaurants, bars and fast-food outlets, plus three banks, a union shop, a small supermarket and an oriental supermarket, as well as academic blocks, are housed around the parade. Buildings are named based on their location relative to the library - 1 East, 2 East and so forth based on their distance from the library with the same applying to the south and west. Odd-numbered buildings are on the same side of the parade as the library, and even-numbered buildings are on the opposite side.

Buildings along the east-west axis are mostly directly accessible from the parade, which is generally considered to be "level two", but later additions, such as 7 West, 9 West, 3 West North and 8 East, follow this rule less strictly. 7 West is generally only accessible via 5 West or 9 West, and 3 West North, 9 West and 8 East have entrances at ground level at varying distances from the main parade. Buildings on the south of the campus, 1 South to 4 South, are accessible via roads and pedestrian walkways by the university lake and gardens.

Buildings, like many so-called plate glass universities, were constructed in a functional, modernistic style using concrete, although such designs were later derided for lacking the charm of the Victorian red-brick universities or the ancient and medieval ones. In Bath, there is a particular contrast between the concrete campus and the Georgian style architecture of the World Heritage City of Bath.

The eastern part of the campus is dominated by the Sports Training Village, built in 1992 and enhanced in 2003 with an extension.

The northern perimeter of the university is bounded by student residences Westwood, Eastwood, Brendon COurt, Polden Court (Postgraduate students), Solsbury Court, Marlborough Court and Woodland Court. The original plan for students to be housed in tower blocks above the parade continues with a small number of rooms (110) in Norwood House. However, the second tower block, Wessex House, now hosts a number of offices rather than residences.

The university also owns buildings in the City of Bath, mostly student residences dotted around town, although Carpenter House is also home to a life-long learning centre and a business facility (the Innovation Centre).

Major campus development is on-going, including the reconstruction of 4 West (some of which is due for completion in 2009), a new multifunction building (office and teaching rooms) has received planning permission and the construction of further Arts facilities is due begin in 2010.

Recently completed projects include: 3 West North (teaching rooms)in 2005; Woodland Court, with 353 study bedrooms, September 2008; 4 South annexe (research facilities) August 2007.

In 2008, the grounds received recognition for their outstanding beauty with an award from Bath in Bloom.[6]

Oakfield campus

The university's Oakfield campus, based in Swindon, closed in July 2008.

Academics and courses

The university's major academic strengths have been the physical sciences, mathematics, engineering and technology. Today, the university is also strong in management, humanities and the social sciences. Courses place a strong emphasis on vocational education; the university recommends students to take a one-year industry placement in the penultimate year of the course, although it there is no formal recognition of these placements on students' final degree certificates.

According to the latest government assessments, Bath has 15 subjects rated "excellent" (the highest on the scale). These are: Pharmacy & Pharmacology; Business & Management (AMBA accredited); Architecture & Civil Engineering; Economics; Computer Science; Electronic & Electrical Engineering; Mechanical Engineering (IMechE accredited); Mathematics, Statistics and Operational research; Education; Molecular Biosciences; Biosciences; Physics and Astronomy; Politics; Hospitality, Leisure, Recreation, Sport and Tourism; Social Policy and Administration.[7]

According to the Complete University Guide published by The Independent, Bath has 23 out of 26 subjects being placed within top 10 in the UK. In addition, Bath's biosciences, physics, mathematics and statistics all achieve maximum points (24/24) in the latest Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).[8]


University of Bath Parade at Night (Claverton Down Campus).

Rankings

UK University Rankings
2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993
Times Good University Guide 13th[9] 15th[10] 11th[11] 9th[12] 13th 11th=[13] 5th 4th[14][15] 9th 10th= 10th= 15th 15th 14th 12th= 13th= 16th= 10th
Guardian University Guide 9th[16] 13th[17] 10th[17] 9th 9th[18] 13th[19] 18th[20] 26th[21] 13th[14]
Sunday Times University Guide 10th[22] 10th[23] 10th[24] 10th 16th[23] 12th[23] 10th[23] 13th[23] 9th[23]= 15th[23] 20th[23]
Daily Telegraph 9th[25] 18th= 18th[14]
FT 12th[26] 11th[14] 7th[27] 8th[28] 8th[29]
Independent
Complete University Guide
supported by
PriceWaterHouseCoopers		 9th[30] 14th[31] 9th[31]

Admissions and students

Admissions generally require top grades at A-Level with seven applications for each place,[32] the number of applications rising by 16 per cent in 2007.[33]

The university has grown rapidly, particularly in the last few years. As of December 2006, 11,965 students were studying at the university; of whom 8,985 (75%) were undergraduates (full-time and part-time) and 2,980 (25%) were postgraduates.

Over 25% of students are international students (those with non-British domicile), reflecting the university's strong international reputation, with the largest number coming from China (including Hong Kong), Germany and Greece.[34]

Community Benefit

The university widens its academic net to include those in the local and distant communities. Affiliation with the Widening Participation, Aim Higher and Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) schemes and initiatives has allowed research staff and postgraduates to enhance the education of school and college students. Some facilities are also used throughout the summer months as support for those studying with the Open University.

Sports and recreation

Sports and TeamBath

Main article: TeamBath
TeamBath Logo.

The University sports operation is branded TeamBath. The University was host to Team Bath F.C. as well as some of the UK's top Olympic athletes. It has one of the best sports facilities in a United Kingdom University,[35] spread over three main sites: two on the Claverton Down campus, known as the Founder's Hall and Sports Training Village (which also hosts the English Institute of Sport for South West England); and also at the Sulis Club, a short distance away.

Indoor tennis courts at the University

Facilities at the university include a fitness suite, four squash courts, 25- and 50-metre indoor swimming pools, indoor (110m) and outdoor (400m) athletics tracks, multi-purpose sport halls (including basketball, netball and badminton courts), an eight-court indoor tennis hall, a judo/karate/jitsu dojo and centres for sports science and sports medicine.[36] Outdoor synthetic and natural pitches and grounds cater for football, rugby union, field hockey, lacrosse, and the university's American football team, the Bath Killer Bees.

There are also semi-competitive, recreational sporting events. The largest of these is the Interdepartmental Football Cup (IDFC).

Students' Union

Main article: Bath University Students' Union

The Bath University Students' Union (BUSU) has been recognised by the NUS as one of the top three in the UK[2]. It runs over 100 clubs and societies including sports clubs, cultural, arts, interest and faith societies, some notable examples are:

  • Bath Rag collects money for local and national charities, raising over £1 million since 1966[2]
  • The Arts Union (including student theatre, musicals, dance, and various musical groups) performs plays and other shows to audiences both on campus and in the town, with support provided by Backstage Technical Services.[37]
  • The Students' Union faith groups include Buddhist, Christian, Islamic and Jewish societies.
  • Three student media outlets: a bi-weekly student newspaper, Student Impact; a radio station, 1449AM URB[38]; and a television station, Campus TV.

Expansion

Claverton Down
  • The university continually upgrades its Claverton Down campus with new teaching blocks. A proposal to move the boundary of the greenbelt from where it crosses the campus to its edge, to facilitate further development, was agreed in October 2007 by the local council following a public inquiry.
  • In July 2005, building 3 West North (officially opened on 27 October) was completed.
  • The deconstruction of the asbestos-contaminated 4 West was completed in mid-2005 and the new 4 West building is being constructed, part of which is due to open in September 2009.
  • The ICIA Arts Complex is planning to expand by adding a new building adjacent to the theatre. It is hoped to start work in 2010.
Swindon
  • Under the Gateway Project, the university had planned to build a major new campus next to the Great Western Hospital and the Coate Water nature reserve. The project had met opposition from environmentalists and locals[39] but had met with Government approval.[40] The University withdrew from the project in March 2007 citing "prevailing planning and funding conditions".[41]

Notable alumni

See also: Category:Alumni of the University of Bath

Arts and media

Government, law and public policy

Business

Academia

Sports

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.bath.ac.uk/finance/statements/accounts-2007-8.pdf
  2. ^ a b c d e "University of Bath - Facts and Figues 2009". http://www.bath.ac.uk/about/facts/. Retrieved 2009-05-29. 
  3. ^ The Complete University Guide
  4. ^ Guardian University Guide
  5. ^ University celebrates Research Assessment successes
  6. ^ "Bath in Bloom Competition". BANES Council. http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/BathNES/environmentandplanning/parksandopenspaces/Bath+in+Bloom+Competition.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-14. 
  7. ^ The Times
  8. ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/good_university_guide/article2166281.ece
  9. ^ "University of Bath - News: Bath up two places in Times Good University Guide". 2009-06-03. http://www.bath.ac.uk/news/2009/06/03/timesguide/. Retrieved 2009-06-03. 
  10. ^ http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/tol_gug/gooduniversityguide.php
  11. ^ "The Times Good University Guide 2008". The Times. http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/gug/gooduniversityguide.php. Retrieved 2007-11-03. 
  12. ^ "The Times Good University Guide 2007 - Top Universities 2007 League Table". The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,102571,00.html. Retrieved 2007-11-03. 
  13. ^ "The Times Top Universities". The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,32607,00.html. Retrieved 2007-11-03. 
  14. ^ a b c d "The 2002 rankings - From Warwick". Warwick Uni 2002. http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/academicoffice/ourservices/planning/businessinformation/academicstatistics/2002/table_81.xls. 
  15. ^ "Times Good University Guide 2003 - Ignore the 2002 typo in the doucument". http://www.nottingham.edu.my/News/News/Documents/2002/Nottingham%20wins%20in%20popularity%20stakes.pdf. 
  16. ^ "University ranking by institution". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2009/may/12/university-league-table=University+ranking&Institution=. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  17. ^ a b "University ranking by institution". The Guardian. http://browse.guardian.co.uk/education?SearchBySubject=&FirstRow=29&SortOrderDirection=&SortOrderColumn=GuardianTeachingScore&Subject=University+ranking&Institution=. Retrieved 2007-10-29. 
  18. ^ "University ranking by institution". The Guardian. http://browse.guardian.co.uk/education/2006?SearchBySubject=&FirstRow=20&SortOrderDirection=&SortOrderColumn=GuardianTeachingScore&Subject=Institution-wide&Institution=. Retrieved 2007-10-29. 
  19. ^ "University ranking by institution 2005". The Guardian. http://education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2005/table/0,,-5163901,00.html?start=40&index=3&index=3. Retrieved 2007-10-29. 
  20. ^ "University ranking by institution 2004". The Guardian. http://education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2004/table/0,,1222167,00.html. Retrieved 2009-01-19. 
  21. ^ "University ranking by institution". The Guardian 2003 (University Guide 2004). http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/unitable/0,,-4668575,00.html. 
  22. ^ "The Sunday Times University League Table". The Sunday Times. http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/stug/universityguide.php. Retrieved 2008-10-08. 
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h "University ranking based on performance over 10 years" (PDF). Times Online. 2007. http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/pdfs/univ07ten.pdf. Retrieved 2008-04-28. 
  24. ^ "The Sunday Times University League Table" (PDF). The Sunday Times. http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/stug2006/stug2006.pdf. Retrieved 2007-11-03. 
  25. ^ "University league table". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=HXFCSGXMNVABTQFIQMFCFGGAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2007/07/30/ncambs430.xml. Retrieved 2007-10-29. 
  26. ^ "The FT 2003 University ranking". Financial Times 2003. http://www.grb.uk.com/448.0.html?cHash=5015838e9d&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=9&tx_ttnews%5Buid%5D=9. 
  27. ^ "FT league table 2001". FT league tables 2001. http://specials.ft.com/universities2001/FT3HLLAN6LC.html. 
  28. ^ "FT league table 1999-2000". FT league tables 1999-2000. http://specials.ft.com/ln/ftsurveys/industry/pdf/top100table.pdf. 
  29. ^ "FT league table 2000". FT league tables 2000. http://specials.ft.com/ln/ftsurveys/industry/scbbbe.htm. 
  30. ^ "The Independent University League Table". The Independent. http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/single.htm?ipg=8726. 
  31. ^ a b "The Independent University League Table". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/higher/the-main-league-table-2009-813839.html. 
  32. ^ University of Bath, Push, accessed 25 August 2007
  33. ^ Profile: University of Bath, The Times, 15 August 2007, accessed 25 August 2007
  34. ^ Facts and figures, University of Bath, accessed 25 August 2007
  35. ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8404-1246309.html
  36. ^ http://www.teambath.com/about.cfm
  37. ^ http://www.bts-crew.com
  38. ^ http://www.1449urb.co.uk
  39. ^ Hayward, Alan. "Swindon Civic Trust Town Centre University Proposal". Swindon Civic Trust. http://www.swindoncivictrust.org.uk/Resources/SCTTownCentreUniversity.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-22. 
  40. ^ Osborne, Anthony (2004-10-20). "Coate gets the vote". Swindon Advertiser. http://archive.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/2004/10/20/104033.html. Retrieved 2007-03-22. 
  41. ^ University of Bath (2007-03-01). "University of Bath withdraws from Gateway project". Press release. http://www.bath.ac.uk/news/2007/3/1/gateway-withdraw-release.html. Retrieved 2007-03-22. 

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Coordinates: 51°22.6′N 2°19.55′W / 51.3767°N 2.32583°W / 51.3767; -2.32583


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