University of Northumbria at Newcastle

About Northumbria University

Northumbria is a research-rich, business-focused, professional university with a global reputation for academic excellence. It is based in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne, which is regularly voted the best place in the UK for students.

The University has its origins in the Rutherford College, founded in 1880. Today, by putting students at the heart of an outstanding experience, and with world leading research and award-winning partnerships, Northumbria is a new kind of excellent university.

Northumbria is top ten in the UK for the number of graduates entering professional employment and nine out of ten of our graduates are working or studying six months after graduation. We are ranked 21st out of 111 universities in the 2014 Times Higher Education Student Satisfaction Survey.

Northumbria University has invested substantially in excellent facilities. This means our students have an outstanding experience during their time here, whether based on one of our two campuses in Newcastle or at out new campus in the City of London.

Our 24/7 Library was rated joint 3rd in the country, alongside Cambridge University, in the Times Higher Education 2014 Student Experience Survey. It provides access to more than 570,000 books, 400,000 e-books and 50,000 print and electronic journals.

Our technical facilities support ground-breaking research and ensure students have the practical tools they need to get the most out of their courses. We have state-of-the-art laboratories, prototyping workshops, CAD suites, media labs and more. And all of this is backed up by IT support that is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Our sports centres offer fantastic opportunities for people at every level of fitness. We have fitness centres, a sprint track, squash courts, a six-lane 25m swimming pool and numerous outdoor pitches. At our flagship Sport Central facility the main arena can cater for up to 3,000 people and is home to the Newcastle Eagles, the most successful team in the British Basketball League.

Our city centre accommodation is a safe home-from-home for students from the UK and all corners of the world. University-owned and -managed accommodation offers a choice of quieter environments and superb social opportunities for those looking to meet new friends.

Northumbria works with major employers, including Nike, IBM, Nissan, Proctor & Gamble, the BBC, and the NHS, while more than 560 employers and 60 professional bodies sponsor or accredit the University’s programmes.  Innovative and entrepreneurial, we are also ranked fourth in the UK for graduate business start-ups.

We have a campus in London as well as Newcastle, and work in partnership with other higher education institutions across the world attracting students from 136 countries...

• Department of Applied Sciences

  The Department of Applied Sciences has an exciting and extensive portfolio of subjects including biology, biomedical sciences, chemistry, forensic science, food and nutritional sciences. Many of our courses are professionally accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry, Institute of Biomedical Science, the Chartered Society of Forensic Science and Association for Nutrition or approved by statutory regulatory bodies such as the Health & Care Professions Council.

  The quality of our graduates, courses and activities are well recognised. 86% of our graduates are fully employed or undertaking postgraduate studies within six months of completing their degree. We are ranked 11th and 10th in the UK for our food science/nutrition programmes in the Complete University Guide 2014 and 2015, respectively. 

  Academic staff are actively involved in the professional bodies associated with their specialism such as the Nutrition Society, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Royal Society of Chemistry, Higher Education Academy and various advisory and editorial boards. This wide range of academic expertise not only ensures quality teaching but means our graduates have good insight into the skills and attributes valued by employers. The department is actively engaged in research and enterprise; academics within the department are internationally and nationally renowned within their fields and contribute to the Research Assessment Framework, which in 2008 recognised that we deliver world leading research.

• Department of Architecture and Built Environment

  Architecture and Built Environment at Northumbria University encompasses all of our work in architecture, interior architecture, building surveying, quantity surveying, real estate, and housing.

  • Only UK University to have Architecture, Building, and Land and Property Management, all in the Top 13 in the Complete University Guide. 
    Architecture is ranked number seven in The Sunday Times League Tables, and has had the best student satisfaction rating in the UK four years in a row from 2010-2013 in the National Student Survey (NSS). 
  • Professional accreditations include the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA),  the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), and the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT). 
  • Strong links to industry and excellent employment opportunities, which are significantly above the sector average (DLHE Survey 2014). 
  • Sectorial Employer Advisory Board including Capita, Mott MacDonald, Ryder Architecture, RIBA and Turner & Townsend. 
  • A top 30 research department with 50% of our outputs ranked world-leading or internationally excellent according to the latest UK wide research assessment exercise (REF2014, UoA16). 
  • Ranked 21st in the UK for the reach and significance of our research impact (REF2014, UoA16). 
  • Home to the Award winning BIM Academy Enterprises (Ltd), a unique joint venture with Ryder Architecture Ltd in Building Information Modelling. Diverse commissions in the UK, Middle East, Far East and Australasia, including the Sydney Opera House. 
  • Host of the Virtual Newcastle Gateshead (VNG) city model providing visualisation of cityscapes to industry and the community.

• Department of Arts

  Northumbria’s Arts department offers a stimulating and dynamic learning environment in which to study flexible, student-orientated courses. Staff are globally-renowned, research-active experts in Fine Art, Performance and Visual Cultures.

  • Our Art and Design subjects are ranked 16th in th Complete University Guide 2017.
    Our Art and Design subjects are ranked 17th in the Sunday Times University Guide 2016.
  • Awarded the Times Higher Education Award for Excellence and Innovation in the Arts in 2012, as well as the Journal’s Culture Award for Best Arts and Business Partnership in 2013.
  • Awarded £1.2m from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and named a Centre for Doctoral Training in partnership with the University of Sunderland, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and the National Glass Centre.
  • Part of the UK’s only Centre for Doctoral Training in Heritage consisting of a consortium of universities in the North of England, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
  • Northumbria University works with a range of high profile cultural partners, including BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Live Theatre, Great North Run Culture, Northern Stage, National Trust and Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums providing students with industry exposure and live project opportunities.
  • The partnership with BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art has seen the creation of the BxNU postgraduate project space within BALTIC 39, a purpose-built arts facility.
  • Fine Art graduates are offered a one-year studio space within Graduate Studios Northumbria – an enterprise zone that supports the careers of emerging artists.
  • 95% of graduates from all three of Northumbria’s Performing Arts undergraduate degree programmes are in work or further study six months after graduating.
  • Graduates include Mercury Prize nominee Kathryn Williams, Free Range 2013 winner, Eve Laws, actor Riley Jones (Vera, The Pitmen Painters) and CBBC actress Rachel Teate (Wolfblood).
  • The Woon Foundation art competition has annual prizes totalling £40,000 and is open to all UK Fine Art graduates, supported by Northumbria University law alumnus, Mr Wee Teng Woon, as well as the Warwick Stafford Fine Art Prize, a legacy from Fine Art graduate, the late Warwick Stafford.

• Department of Computer and Information Sciences

  Computer and Information Sciences at Northumbria University encompasses all of our work in computer science, games, animation and visual effects, computer forensics and security, network technology, website development, library management, and data and information sciences.

  • Computer Science is a flagship course with 95% student satisfaction in the National Student Survey (NSS 2014).
  • Our composition includes an internationally recognised iSchool, part of a network of 77 world-leading institutions – including the universities of California and Toronto – dedicated to advancing the information field.
  • Provider of the Tech Partnership championed Information Technology Management for Business (ITMB) degree designed specifically to address industry demand.  
  • Flexible undergraduate courses with BSc (Hons), Integrated Masters MComp and pathways in Computer Science, Computer Networks and Security, and Information Technology.
  • Accrediting bodies include from the Chartered Institute of IT (BCS), Tech Partnership, Archives & Records Association (ARA) and Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (CILIP).
  • Postgraduate on-campus and distance learning programmes including a suite of Information and Data Sciences courses and Computer courses, designed both for those graduates with a computing undergraduate degree and those without.
  • Specialist research in artificial intelligence and expert systems, computer security, computer animation, games and visualisation, and digital information (consumers, socio technical design, behaviours and literacy, libraries archives and records).
  • Excellent research  in Computer Science with 58% of our outputs ranked world-leading or internationally excellent according to the latest UK wide research assessment exercise (REF2014, UoA11) making us the leading Modern University in the North East for research power. 
  • Excellent impact in Information Sciences with 90% of our research impact judged to show very considerable reach and significance (REF2014, UoA36B).
  • Employer Advisory Boards for academic programmes include representatives from Accenture, Eutechnyx, Hewlett Packard, Nissan, Proctor & Gamble, Sage and Waterstons, Newcastle Libraries, PWC and RIBA Enterprises Ltd.
  • Our composition includes an internationally recognised iSchool, part of a network of 77 world-leading institutions – including the universities of California and Toronto – dedicated to advancing the information field.
  • Partner in the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Cyber Security Institute.
  • Funding from EPSRC, Qatar Science Foundation, Innovate UK, ESRC, Leverhulme, AHRC and European Union Erasmus+ for research across the UK, EU and Asia.

• Department of Education and Lifelong Learning

  Our department provides you with the opportunity to work with a team who are recognised for the high-quality of their work as an Outstanding University provider of both secondary and primary Initial Teacher Education, as classified by the Department of Education from Ofsted inspections.

  Education is one of the essential building blocks of society and is a fundamental right of everyone. In our knowledge-based economy, the continuing development of high-quality education settings, staffed by enthusiastic and highly qualified individuals is important, confirming that education is a lifelong process. Working as an educator is both a rewarding and complex business. The quality of your work can, and does, have a lasting impact upon individuals, whether they are the youngest member of our society or at a later stage in their academic career. We aim to create excellent educators. Study with us on any of our programmes described online and join us on a journey of exploration.

• Department of Geography

  Geography at Northumbria University encompasses all of our work in physical and human geography, environmental science and management, health & safety, and disaster management.

  • Our programmes regularly achieve over 90% student satisfaction in the National Student Survey.
  • We offer flexible undergraduate courses with BSc (Hons) and BA (Hons) Geography, and Integrated Masters MGeog in Physical and Human Geography, in addition to BSC (hons)  Environmental Science and BSc Geography and Environmental Management. 
  • Professionally accredited environmental science and environmental health courses strengthen our links to the workplace.
  • Northumbria has strong links to local, regional and national organisations including Northumberland National Park, Wildlife and Wetland Trusts, Tyne Rivers Trust and Northumbria Water.
  • Our Disaster Management and Sustainable Development MSc course, with accompanying networks, was the first in the world to lead on these integrated fields.
  • We carry out specialist research in cold and paleo environments, social and cultural geography, communities and resilience, environmental analysis and ecology, with projects and engagement taking place in more than 30 countries, from Antarctica to the tropics.
  • Research funded and/or in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Department for International Development (DfID), Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC), the Leverhulme Trust, Environment Canada, Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and US National Science Foundation (NSF).
  • Partners in international consortia including the £6.6M NERC Subglacial Lake Ellsworth Consortium (SLE), Globalization and World Cities Research Network (China, Germany, The Netherlands, USA), International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) and the $1.1M US NSF POLARIS Consortium.
  • Excellent research with 55% ranked as world leading or internationally excellent according to the latest UK-wide research assessment exercise (REF2014, UoA17) making us a top-30 Geography Research Department based on research power.
  • We are a leading provider of NEBOSH training in health and safety and provider of a range of bespoke courses for industry, NGOs, government bodies, UN, and the Environment Agency. 

• Department of Healthcare

  Healthcare offers students the opportunity to develop caring careers that can transform the lives of patients, families and communities. Our nursing programmes are ranked 11th in the UK and are accredited by the Royal College of Nursing. The department has an outstanding 96% graduate employment rate.

  Through innovative, professional healthcare courses informed by research and delivered by experienced clinical experts, students experience some of the highest standards of education available to become caring and compassionate health professionals.

  In training to become a health professional, students divide their time equally between on-campus learning, in the state-of-the-art Clinical Skills Centre, with the other half of their time spent on placement in NHS Trusts, voluntary agencies and the independent healthcare sector. Northumbria has strong partnership working with both NHS service providers and private healthcare organisations across Northumberland and Tyne and Wear..

  Programmes in Adult Nursing and Operating Department Practice are provided by the Department of Healthcare, with Occupational Therapy, Midwifery, Child, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Nursing programmes offered by our colleagues in the Department of Public Health and Wellbeing.

  These programmes constantly evolve and develop to ensure they comfortably exceed the latest government and professional body requirements, and our placement areas are regularly and rigorously audited to ensure they meet the standards required by professional bodies.

  Northumbria’s pre-registration nursing courses are the first in the UK to be accredited by the Royal College of Nursing and the department has an outstanding graduate employment rate, with over 96% of Healthcare graduates going on to work or further study within six months of graduating (Unistats 2013).

• Department of Humanities

  The Humanities department is made up of a community of learners all the way through from first year undergraduate to final year PhD level. All Humanities staff are engaged in research and actively create the knowledge that is taught in the department. Many staff are well-known figures in their own research fields and the department boasts a significant number of staff at professorial level.

  • Our Creative Writing courses are ranked 20th in the Complete University Guide 2017.
    Northumbria’s Humanities department works with a range of cultural partners including New Writing North, the co-operative movement, Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums and Shandy Hall, providing students with direct industry exposure and live project opportunities.
  • Northumbria is part of the UK’s only Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Heritage, led by Hull and consisting of a consortium of universities in the North of England. CDTs are funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
  • The Humanities department has grown rapidly in recent years, with the appointment of over forty new staff since 2008 across the full range of our subjects, including a significant investment in our American Studies provision.
  • There are a number of exciting research projects currently running in the department, funded by major councils or charities. Significant projects include ‘Fashionable Diseases in the Eighteenth Century’, and a project exploring British and German expatriate networks in Asia.

• Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering

  Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering encompasses all of our work in mathematics, physics and astrophysics, electrical and electronic engineering, mobile communication, microelectronic, renewable and sustainable energy technologies, and advanced materials.

  • Flexible undergraduate courses in Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering with BSc (Hons), BEng (Hons) and integrated Masters MMath, MPhys and MEng programmes and joint honours Mathematics and Physics/Computer Science pathways.
  • Programmes awarded professional recognition by the Institute of Physics (IOP), the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA), and have had accreditation by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) for 30 years, which is part of the Engineering Council (EC).
  • Sectorial Engineering Employer Advisory Board including Akzo Nobel, Caterpillar, BAE Systems, British Engines, Mott MacDonald, Nissan and Parsons Brinckerhoff.
  • Strong internationalisation with students from a wide range of countries, including China, India, Pakistan and the Middle East.
  • Benefiting from a £6.7m investment in STEM facilities (HEFCE teaching capital award 2014-2016).
  • Awarded £1.2m by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) for the “Think Physics” project addressing progression into Higher Education by underrepresented groups, particularly females.
  • A top-35 research department with 79% of our outputs ranked world-leading or internationally excellent according to the latest UK wide research assessment exercise (REF2014, UoA15). This places us in the top quartile for world-leading publications among UK universities in General Engineering. 
  • Excellent research in Mathematics and Statistics with 62% of our outputs ranked world-leading or internationally excellent according to the latest UK wide research assessment exercise (REF2014, UoA10).
  • Materials and Photovoltaics research funded by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Partner in the Research Councils UK SUPERGEN Energy Programme for Sustainable Power Generation and Supply.
  • Astrophysics research is part of the Science & Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) solar observatory contribution to the US National Science Foundation Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope alongside Andor Technologies, Armagh Observatory and the Universities of Glasgow, QUB, Sheffield, St Andrews, UCL and Warwick.
  • Part of the EPSRC MAGIC network, a consortium of 20 UK universities, offering research students the opportunity to take part in keynote lectures and events uncovering the fascinating world of mathematics.
  • Supporter of the London Mathematical Society (LMS) Good Practice Scheme aimed at advancing women’s careers by embedding equal opportunities for women within their working practices.
  • Supporter of the Institute of Physics Project Juno addressing the under-representation of women in university physics and to encourage better practice for both women and men.

• Department of Mechanical and Construction Engineering

  Mechanical and Construction Engineering at Northumbria University encompasses all of our work in construction (project management) and engineering (architectural/building services, automotive, civil, mechanical and product design).

  • Flexible undergraduate courses in Engineering and Construction with BSc, BEng (Hons) and integrated Masters MEng programmes. 
  • Extensive professional body accreditations including the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT), Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE), Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and Institution of Structural Engineers (IStrcutE). 
  • Sectoral Employer Advisory Boards including Akzo Nobel, Balfour Beatty, Caterpillar, BAE Systems, British Engines, Laing O’Rourke,  Mott MacDonald, Nissan, Parsons Brinckerhoff and Wilmott Dixon. 
  • Benefiting from a £6.7M Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) teaching capital award (2014-2016). 
  • Strong internationalization with students from a wide range of countries, including China, India, Pakistan and the Middle East. 
  • Wide-spanning research covering renewables and sustainability, nano-materials, design and manufacturing and construction project management. In particular we  specialise in advanced materials & manufacturing, Building Information Modelling , construction technology and sustainable & renewable energy systems. 
  • A top-35 Engineering research department with 79% of our outputs ranked world-leading or internationally excellent according to the latest UK wide research assessment exercise (REF2014, UoA15). This places us in the top quartile for world-leading publications among UK universities in General Engineering. 
  • Strong, collaborative venture relationships with overseas partner institutions and training organisations including Penspen, an independent group of companies providing engineering and management services to the oil and gas industry.

• Department of Media and Communication Design

  The Department of Media and Communication Design provides an exciting range of courses led by a committed and highly regarded staff team with extensive industry experience.

  • Our Communicationa and Media Studies courses are ranked 28th in the Complete University Guide 2017.
  • In 2013, Northumbria’s staff, students and graduates won over 80 national and international media and design awards, commendations and prizes, and graduates from Northumbria’s Film and TV Production course have won the student Royal Television Society fiction film award for North East and the Borders for the last two years running.
  • Partners include Tyneside Cinema, Great North Run Culture, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Changing Lives (Cyrenians) and high-profile creative agencies such Elmwood and R/GA providing students with direct industry exposure and live project briefs.
  • The department boasts an illustrious alumni list including Neil Marshall (Episode Director – Game of Thrones) and Lol Crawley (Cinematographer – Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom).
  • Northumbria delivers its Mass Communications courses in two of the UK’s top student cities, Newcastle and London, following the 2014 launch of Northumbria’s London campus.
  • Northumbria’s media courses are delivered internationally, with a presence in Singapore as part of a collaboration with Kaplan Higher Education and with the BINUS-Northumbria School of Design in Indonesia.
  • Graduate start-up companies include Nation, Novak, Peg Digital, Plump Digital and Trueview, all of whom graduated from the Interactive Media Design course and count Adidas, Barbour, Nike,  BBC, Disney and Nintendo 3DS among their prestigious client lists. Film companies which grew out of Northumbria’s Media Production course include Third Films, Primate Productions and Pinball Films
  • Graduates are currently employed by high profile companies including BBC Digital, Wolff Olins, Framestore and Nexus.
  • The research undertaken in Media and Communication Design has been extensively published in the most prestigious conferences, journals, publishing venues and exhibition spaces. Key researchers are internationally recognised for their work in HCI (Human Computer Interaction) and Media and Film, and have developed high impact relationships with cultural organisations and have multiple on-going research projects funded from highly competitive sources.

• Newcastle Business School

  Newcastle Business School has a global reputation for delivering some of the best business management education in the UK.
  Having recently been awarded Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB international) double accreditation in business and accounting, we are part of an elite group of less than 1% of business schools worldwide. The School is also accredited by EPAS for 18 undergraduate programmes – more than any business school in the UK.

  Our size, infrastructure and resources enable us to offer an unprecedented range of research-informed programmes which are designed to deliver the relevant, cutting edge skills that are essential for the business leaders of today and to prepare tomorrow's leaders for a successful future. We offer programmes at every level of business education - undergraduate, postgraduate, post experience and doctoral. We are also at the forefront of technology-enhanced learning to improve the student experience.

  As a professional and international School, Newcastle Business School develops individuals to achieve leadership, management and career potential through research-rich, business relevant and academic excellent education. Programmes are developed and delivered by research-engaged academics and highly experienced business practitioners.

   Employability of our students is very important to us, as demonstrated by our rank of eleventh out of 103 for graduate level employability in The Times University Guide 2013.  This is also enhanced through a strong focus on experiential learning and clinic-based education where students develop relationships with real businesses and gain direct experience in problem solving. We continue to develop this approach through pioneering programmes such as our Entrepreneurial Business Management Degree, where students run their own enterprises. Additionally, our Student Engagement Centre helps and actively encourages students to take up work placement, overseas study and volunteering opportunities.

  Newcastle Business School engages actively with the local community and makes a meaningful contribution to the regional economy. Through Knowledge Transfer Partnerships we provide academic and professional expertise to help organisations improve profitability and efficiency. Our Corporate Executive Development Centre also works with more than 700 business leaders and managers offering learning experiences that enable significant and sustainable change.

• Northumbria Law School

  Northumbria Law School is one of the largest law schools in the UK, with a national and international reputation for excellence in legal education.

  We offer a comprehensive range of programmes and flexible modes of study to help our undergraduate students become aspiring lawyers and professionals, and our post graduate students take their career to the next level. 
  Our £70 million state-of-the-art city centre location provides an outstanding learning environment with professional facilities including a real courtroom, onsite law library, legal skills hub and law clinic.

  All our undergraduate courses satisfy the requirements of the qualifying law degree (QLD) - the academic stage of qualification for solicitors and barristers. We are also one of only six institutions outside of London to provide the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) and we offer an unrivalled range of Masters programmes via flexible distance learning, designed for busy professionals, and accessible to students across the UK and around the world. 

  For undergraduate students, our unique M Law degree is an integrated masters programme which incorporates all the elements of academic and vocational study needed to train as a solicitor or barrister and our cutting edge Open Learning degrees offer a technology led experience for global students.

  A key focus at Northumbria is to enhance the career prospects of our graduates. Northumbria Law School is the highest ranked institution for graduates in professional employment, according to data from the latest Destination for Leavers in Higher Education report.

• Northumbria School of Design

  Northumbria’s alumni include Apple’s Sir Jonathan Ive, principal designer of the iPad, iPhone and iMac. Our School of Design covers the discipline areas of Industrial Design, Fashion Design and Innovation Design.

  • Northumbria's School of Design  was named one of Europe’s top design schools by US Business Week magazine and has an international reputation for innovation and creativity.
  • Northumbria’s design programmes are delivered internationally, with partnerships including the BINUS-Northumbria School of Design in Indonesia and the Academy of Design in Sri Lanka
  • Northumbria boasts an illustrious design alumni list including Sir Jonathan Ive (Senior Vice-President, Apple), Rob Law MBE (Founder, Trunki), Nicola Morgan (Designer, Lanvin, Paris) and Tim Brown (Chief Executive, IDEO).
  • In 2015, our staff, students and graduates won over 70 national and international design and media awards, commendations and prizes.
  • Partners include household names such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Microsoft, Mars, Dunhill, Mulberry, Samsung, Unilever, Phillips, Nike and Intel – to name a few.
  • Northumbria was awarded £1.2m from the Arts and Humanities Research Council in 2013 and named a Centre for Doctoral Training in partnership with the University of Sunderland, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and the National Glass Centre supporting work across arts and design.
  • In 2013, Northumbria was selected as one of only five universities internationally that were invited to take part in the Orange International Student Design competition. Three prizes were awarded including the Design for All prize, which was awarded to Northumbria Fashion Communication student, Melissa Smith.
  • Our Art and Design subjects are ranked 17th in the Sunday Times University Guide 2016.

• Department of Psychology

  The British Psychological Society has accredited a number of our programmes. We cover psychology and its various specialisms including health, occupational, organisational and sport & exercise psychology.

  The Department of Psychology demonstrates a commitment to excellence, manifest in first-class teaching and learning underpinned by high quality research, and promoting business facing professional engagement.

  With well-respected courses accredited by the British Psychological Society, students benefit from teaching informed by the latest research from our world-renowned research centres which have delivered more than £5 million of externally funded research in the last five years.

  Since its inception in 1972, a clear vision for the future coupled with a commitment to academic freedom and reflexive practice has enabled the Department of Psychology to build from a single programme with 20 students to become one of the University’s largest single-subject departments with more than 850 students.

  Today, Northumbria’s is the only Psychology department in the North East to offer significant placement opportunities for undergraduates and offers students the opportunity to study topics of their choice in state-of-the-art facilities with purpose-built teaching laboratories.

  The collegiate and collective philosophy of the Department is mirrored in the stability of the academic staff base and exemplified by the successful completion record for students, with 80% of our graduates achieving first class or upper second degrees.

• Department of Public Health and Wellbeing

  Nursing and Midwifery programmes have an outstanding reputation, ranked 11th in the UK. We offer pre-registration mental health, children’s and learning disability nursing, midwifery and occupational therapy. We prepare district nurses and health visitors and support the development of registered and qualified health professionals through Masters and CPD education.

  The department works in partnership with local and national services and organisations to produce independent healthcare professionals who are competent, confident and compassionate and able to meet – if not exceed – the professional, statutory and regulatory body standards required of them.

  This work extends from preparing new professionals for the workplace, through to developing strategies and approaches to nurture and grow new skills throughout an individual’s entire career. Such is the department’s expertise in this lifelong approach to learning, that Northumbria is the current three-times holder of the Student Nursing Times Award for Nurse Education Provider of the Year (Post-Registration) 2014 – holding on to the title from the two previous years (2013, 2012).

  All teaching staff within the department maintain active professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council or Health Care Professionals Council. We are experienced practitioners who possess the professional accreditations and academic qualifications to teach.

  In the 2013 National Student Survey (NSS), nursing courses at Northumbria were ranked the best in the sector with a score of 93% satisfaction. Our pre-registration nursing programmes were also the first in the UK to be accredited by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). This focus on professionalism and preparation for front-line care has resulted in 96% of graduates from Public Health and Wellbeing programmes being in either work or further study within the first six months of graduation.

• Department of Social Sciences and Languages

  The department offers an exciting and extensive range of high-quality undergraduate and post-graduate courses in criminology, politics, and sociology.

  • Placement opportunities are available to a number of undergraduate students in challenging environments such as prisons, youth offending teams, homeless charities and parliamentary offices.
  • Northumbria boasts one of the largest criminology programmes in the country.
  • Key partners include the Arts Alliance, VSO, CAFOD, New Writing North and the Youth Offending Team, providing students with direct access to specialist sectors and organisations.
  • Many staff within the department are leaders in their fields and include the 2014 holder of the British Sociological Society and Higher Education Academy National award for Excellence in Teaching Sociology, and the Chair of the European Group for Public Administration.
  • Academics from Social Sciences were behind the formation of the North East Homeless Think Tank – a regional agency bringing together academics, researchers and policy officers to inform and influence policies affecting homeless groups.

• Department of Social Work and Communities

  We’re ranked among the UK’s top 10 universities for student satisfaction with social work programmes. We cover social work, community studies, family therapy, Early Years teaching, mental health professional practice and management of children’s services.

  We have a proud tradition of providing excellent opportunities for study, at undergraduate level, pre-registration social work education at undergraduate and masters level, continuing professional development and doctoral studies.

  The underpinning philosophy of the department is a commitment to the values of social justice and equality. This philosophy allows synergies to be made with colleagues across the department and faculty from a range of professional backgrounds, which stimulates rich research opportunities.

  The idea of participative research, in which service users or citizens become partners or co-researchers, is a core characteristic of our approach to social research. The department has significant expertise in both participatory and pedagogical research and there is a strong emphasis on engaging with local/national/international stakeholders.

  We constantly build on our strong track record of interdisciplinarity within the department and university to develop new approaches to inter-professional learning and research, which recognise both the distinctiveness and the interconnected nature of social work as a discipline and a profession.

• Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation

  Do you want to develop a career in one of the most dynamic and diverse industries in the world? Do you want to gain the right skills, knowledge and competences to work in a truly global environment?  Do you need help and advice from world- renowned professionals who have access to state-of-the-art facilities and a network of experts across the globe?  Then read on!

  The Department of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation is committed to delivering excellence in every aspect of work it undertakes.  We recognise that in a world that is constantly changing, we need to provide stakeholders with the current knowledge and expertise to succeed whether they are students, researchers, employers or business.

  With a strong reputation for teaching and research excellence, our range of innovative and exciting programmes produce global graduates who have benefitted from learning and teaching and “cutting edge” facilities, described as some of the best in the country, including:

  • Specialist physiology, biomechanics and nutrition laboratories
  • Strength & conditioning suites
  • Clinical skills centre and indoor sprint track
  • £30 million Sport Central facility

  Our students have the opportunity to learn in a friendly, open and supportive environment. Many of programmes are accredited and endorsed by professional and national governing bodies, which help to ensure that we are providing students who have the right attributes when they graduate in the profession of their choice.

History of Northumbria University

Originally known as Newcastle Polytechnic, the University was formed in 1969 from the amalgamation of three regional colleges: Rutherford College of Technology, the College of Art & Industrial Design, and the Municipal College of Commerce. These colleges themselves had origins which were deeply rooted in the region. The practical and vocational training needs of local industry had stimulated the development of relevant post-school education as far back as the nineteenth century.

Building on these firm foundations, the Polytechnic became one of the leading institutions of its type in the UK. It became a major centre for the initial training of teachers with the incorporation of the City College of Education in 1974, and subsequently the Northern Counties College of Education in 1976.

In 1976 the Polytechnic, which already offered nurse training, began occupational therapy and physiotherapy training. September 1992 marked the inauguration of the University when the Polytechnic was awarded university status and became Northumbria University. In 1995 the incorporation of the Bede, Newcastle and Northumbria College of Health Studies was transferred into the University.

A book providing a detailed account of the history of Northumbria University has been published by Northumbria University Press. Rutherford's Ladder: the Making of Northumbria University, 1871-1996 charts the early history of Northumbria University and the academic institutions from which it was created.

Largest Regional University 
By the year 2000 Northumbria University was the largest university in the North East of England, with a broad portfolio of courses and a rich cultural diversity in its student population. Northumbria has a student population of around 32,000 with 3,300 overseas students on our Newcastle campuses and a further 3,000 studying on University programmes in their own countries. Growth in recent years has been both impressive and carefully managed as part of the University's overall strategic development and in the context of a careful review of our academic portfolio. Courses have been examined for their relevance and value to society and we are now offering programmes in all of the UK's 30 most popular subjects. Northumbria is the leading provider of high-calibre graduates to business, industry and the professions in the North East of England and one of the highest nationally.

Academic Profile
Teaching and research activities are managed by four faculties: Arts, Design and Social Sciences; Engineering and Environment; Business and Law; and Health and Life Sciences.

The highest standards have been maintained, with an excellent result in a recent Institutional Audit by the Quality Assurance Agency. The professional standing of our programmes has been endorsed with accreditation from over 30 professional bodies. Northumbria's success in learning and teaching is underpinned by a range of professional services, with award-winning support from the library, and a world class IT infrastructure providing wireless coverage throughout. 

Research and Enterprise 
Research and enterprise activities are a major priority and the University today enjoys a significant number of commercial and professional collaborations and partnerships. Northumbria University is constantly developing corporate learning partnerships and levels of consultancy and training has seen a sustained increase in recent years.

The Estate
Since the start of this century, the University has consolidated its presence on two major campuses in Newcastle upon Tyne - one in the city centre and the other in a suburban location on the edge of the city, at Coach Lane. Clear academic success and financial growth has enabled the University to make significant investment in its estate, extending the City Campus on to a new site with two magnificent new buildings. The University is one of North East England's major employers. There is ongoing refurbishment of existing teaching facilities, walkways and shared spaces. The two city centre sites have been unified into one integrated campus with the building of an iconic footbridge across Newcastle's central motorway.

Other developments included the landscaping and pedestrianisation of the City Campus, improvements to the academic accommodation and the building of a new £31m sports centre for the benefit of staff, students and members of the public. This outstanding facility, Sport Central, opened in September 2010.

These extensive developments are integral to Northumbria's ambition to be one of the world's leading universities, renowned for the excellence of its research and teaching, the high quality of its student experience, its innovative research and professionally based practice and and entrepreneuial flair which transforms the economic, cultural and social life of the communities it serves.

Accreditation

Institutional Accreditation or Recognition - Privy Council

Rankings

#7 - by Times Higher Education World University Rankings(national)

#601-800 - by Times Higher Education World University Rankings(world)

#60 - Complete Ranking of Universities of UK

#50 - The Guardian  Ranking of Universities of UK

#66 - Times/ Sunday Times  Ranking of Universities of UK

Student Life @Northumbria University

Northumbria achieved top spot in the UK for best ‘City Life’ in the WhatUni Student Choice Awards 2014. It’s hard to choose a better place to live and study than Newcastle!

The Students’ Union offers a great social scene at the heart of our City Campus. The Union building features three award-winning bars and it’s the venue for some of the biggest club nights and gigs in Newcastle.

There are a huge range of clubs and societies that you can join. With all our thousands of students, there are sure to be people who share your enthusiasms and want to try new activities.

If you enjoy any sport at any level, we’re the place to be. Join ‘Team Northumbria’ or learn a new sport and make use of fantastic facilities that include our £30 million flagship ‘Sport Central’.

You can also add a different dimension to student life by taking advantage of our partnerships across the world – perhaps registering for a summer programme in another country or completing part of your studies abroad.

Students' Union

The Students’ Union aims to make sure you have the best possible experience at university. It is led by five Sabbatical Officers elected by you. Our mission is to have ‘a positive impact on the lives of all our students’. Northumbria’s Students’ Union is one of the most dynamic, award-winning and forward-thinking Unions in the country.

Entertainment

Featuring three award-winning bars and clubs as well as a venue for performance and live music, the Union offers a great social scene right here on campus. It is home to some of the biggest club nights in Newcastle and hosts gigs featuring big names such as Ed Sheeran, Professor Green and Ben Howard.

Food and drink

Whether you fancy a coffee or quick bite to eat between lectures, a quiet pint, or an evening sipping cocktails with friends, you don’t need to venture further than your Students’ Union. What’s more, as a registered charity you can be sure that the money you spend on food and drink is recycled into better facilities, services and activities. All of our award-winning social venues provide a completely unique experience from day to evening.

Advice and representation

We run a free, independent advice service where our staff can assist you with a number of issues. We also support a large network of student representatives who work to ensure your voice is heard on queries related to your course, your halls and the wider community.

Welfare and campaigning

Every year we run a number of campaigns based on student feedback. These range from academic issues to hidden fees, anonymous marking, crime and health issues.

Get involved and have fun

We have some amazing C.V.-enhancing opportunities at the Students’ Union including:

• Volunteer Northumbria
• Fast Friends - explore the UK with organised trips
• ECO NSU - for all things environmental
• Raise and Give (RAG) - the infamous RAG team runs events throughout the year to help those less fortunate

University Services

Academic Registry

• Quality and Student Learning (approvals frameworks, assessment and review, quality and standards, external examiners, governance, Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) and Learning and Teaching Enhancement and Staff Development)
• Student Records (academic calendars, congregations, enrolment, examinations, external returns)

Student and Library Services

• Careers and Employment
• JISC infoNet
• Student Support and Wellbeing
• University Library

Campus Services

• Catering
• Environmental Sustainability
• Estate Development
• Health and Safety 
• Insurance
• Security Service    
• Student Accommodation
• University Sport