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 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 campuses in London and Amsterdam as well as Newcastle, and work in partnership with other higher education institutions across the world attracting students from 136 countries..Our VisionNorthumbria University’s Vision for 2030 is to be a research-rich, business-focused, professional university with a global reputation for academic excellence.We are a challenger institution, transforming to take on tomorrow. The University Strategy 2018 – 2023 is the next step on this journey to shape Northumbria’s future in a time of increasing competition and globalisation.Academic DepartmentsAt Northumbria, students enjoy an educational experience that will set them up for life, taught by experts in their field who have a passion for their subject. Our courses are at the forefront of current knowledge and practice and are shaped by world-leading and internationally excellent research.Applied SciencesArchitecture and Built EnvironmentArtsComputer and Information SciencesGeography and Environmental SciencesHumanitiesMathematics, Physics and Electrical EngineeringMechanical and Construction EngineeringNewcastle Business SchoolNorthumbria Law SchoolNorthumbria School of DesignNursing, Midwifery & HealthPsychologySocial SciencesSocial Work, Education & Community WellbeingSport, Exercise and RehabilitationNorthumbria University has its origins in three Newcastle colleges: Rutherford College of Technology, which was established by John Hunter Rutherford in 1877 and opened formally in 1894 by the Duke of York (later King George V), the College of Art & Industrial Design and the Municipal College of Commerce. In 1969, the three colleges were amalgamated to form Newcastle Polytechnic. The Polytechnic became the major regional centre for the training of teachers with the creation of the City College of Education in 1974 and the Northern Counties College of Education in 1976. In 1992, Newcastle Polytechnic was reconstituted as the new University of Northumbria, as part of a nationwide process in which polytechnics became new universities. It was originally styled, and its official name still is, the University of Northumbria at Newcastle (see the Articles of Government[10]) but the trading name was simplified to Northumbria University in 2002. In 1995, it was awarded responsibility for the education of healthcare professionals, which was transferred from the National Health Service.In 2017, the university was fined £400,000 after a sports science experiment gave volunteers a hundred times the safe dose. Two students volunteering in a study of the effects of caffeine were given a dose of 30g instead of 0.3g, because staff conducting the experiment tried to calculate the dose on a mobile phone calculator and misread the decimal point. Both were hospitalised and one reported loss of short-term memory. A court hearing heard that the university had not trained staff in safety and had not carried out a proper risk assessment, and that the dose was above the level known to cause risk of death.Northumbria Students' Union is a campaigning and representative organisation. It is a charity currently exempt from registration and is led by five Sabbatical Officers (President and four vice-presidents) and a 19-member Student Council. The Students' Union offers a range of student activities such as NSU/Community, NSU/Media (Which encompasses NSU/TV, NSU/Radio, NSU/Life and NSU/Snaps), NSU/Rag (Raise and Give), NSU/Societies, NSU/Employability, Duke of Edinburgh awards and Fast Friends. It represents students in academic and non-academic matters through a nationally recognised School Reps and Postgraduate Research Reps Systems. The university building contains several venues for students to socialise in a safe environment, chiefly at Habita (formerly Bar One), Domain (formerly The Venue) and Reds. In 2011, Northumbria Students' Union received the National Union of Students award for best higher education students union. In 2016, Northumbria Students' Union received the National Union of Students award for Student Opportunities and runner up for the Education Award. Due to the city of Newcastle's sister status with Atlanta, Northumbria University runs an annual student exchange programme with Georgia State University, offering students from both institutions the chance to experience student culture in their respective cities. 

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