University Further Particulars

Background Information

The University of Huddersfield’s roots go back some 160 years. Throughout its history the university has been committed to meeting the needs and aspirations of its students. This remains its key focus. We are a successful, popular and innovative modern university that offers a wide range of education and training and we are proud of our achievements. The University of Huddersfield has a student population of over 23,000 undertaking a wide range of courses covering the wealth creating, cultural and social welfare aspects of our economy. It employs nearly 700 full-time academic staff, over 500 part-time academic staff and about 800 administrative, technical and support staff. Turnover is over £120m.

In the first National Student Survey we scored more highly than any other university in West or South Yorkshire. In the 2006 survey we were the top “new” University in the country, according to the Times Higher compilation. We were the top ranking University for teaching quality among all post-92 UK Universities in the North of England in the Times Higher Education Supplement League Table in May 2005. In the 2008 survey t he University led the country in the subjects of History, Initial Teacher Training, Tourism and Transport where Huddersfield students voted it the top UK university – an astounding 99% of History students are satisfied with their course. Also in the top ten nationally, and leading the field in Yorkshire, were Huddersfield courses in Accountancy, Building, Food Science, Physiotherapy, Nursing and Politics.

All subjects inspected by the QAA since 2000 have achieved the highest teaching quality rating available. The QAA Audit in 2006 confirmed “complete confidence” in the University’s teaching programmes and the future management of academic standards.

In the Research Assessment Exercise 2008, the university submitted over 100 staff in 12 subject areas. A third was graded as ‘internationally excellent’ or ‘world leading’ and three-quarters was assessed as ‘internationally recognised’ and ten subjects – Chemistry, Computing, Education, Engineering, Accountancy, Social Work, Sociology, English, History, and Music – had some of its research that was identified as being ‘World Leading’ or ‘Internationally Excellent’.

The University has a history of close involvement with industry, business and its cultural community. The extent of that involvement is probably best illustrated by the fact that in terms of its headcount it has the second highest proportion of sandwich students and the highest proportion of sandwich and part-time students in the North of England. The University connects with the world outside the campus, with links to a broad range of companies and organisations. Our connections help us to keep our courses relevant to the world of work and ensure our students have good employability skills.

The University’s vision is “To be an inspiring, innovative University of international renown” and its mission is to “ To deliver an accessible and inspirational learning experience, to undertake pioneering research and professional practice, and to engage fully with employers and the community ”. We draw our students from a broad range of school leavers and postgraduates as well as those seeking learning opportunities throughout their lives, from both the United Kingdom and overseas. We celebrate diversity and tolerance and promote independent thought, employability and personal achievement. The University focuses on providing opportunities for all, especially groups not currently well represented in higher education.

Part-time provision (over 7,500 students) plays a significant part in the process of widening access. The friendliness and professionalism of the staff and the pleasant environment, both identified as strengths in the recent student survey carried out by an external market research company, are also key contributors to the University’s success in this area.

The University’s staff are involved in scholarship, research and reach-out activities. It wants to attract and retain the best staff, provide opportunities for them to remain professionally engaged and up-to-date, create opportunities for graduate study, disseminate knowledge for the benefit of society and produce meaningful case study material for the undergraduate curriculum. We were one of the first universities in the country to achieve institutional recognition under the Investors in People Award in 1999 and have maintained that standard through the subsequent four reviews. The University was particularly pleased to note a statement from the assessor of t he last accreditation in November 2008 which said “the University now must have one of the strongest HR functions in HE”. We are committed to the development and support of our staff. In the Quality of Working Life Survey, looking at satisfaction and well being of our staff, the University of Huddersfield had higher scores across all six factors than the Higher Education benchmark, showing lower levels of stress and greater satisfaction with working conditions then the benchmark data.

In summary, the University celebrates diversity and tolerance and promotes independent thought, employability and personal achievement. It provides opportunities for all, especially groups not currently well-represented in higher education. The University connects with the world outside the campus, with links to a broad range of companies and organisations. Its connections help it to keep its courses relevant to the world of work and ensure students have good employability skills.

A profile of our students (excluding our collaborative partners)


- 57% are female;

- 68% are mature (>21);

- 68% are full-time (FT/S) and 32% are part-time (PT);

- 97% are UK/EU and 3% are overseas students;

- 83% are undergraduate, 17% are post-graduate ;

- 18% of all students are on sandwich courses;

- 19% declare themselves as non-white.

The University of Huddersfield takes pride in managing itself effectively. Its culture is one of collaboration and support with a governance structure that reflects its academic diversity, and devolved responsibility but a common institutional purpose. The University is composed of seven academic Schools, each led by a Dean, and a number of services. The Schools are:

The nine main services are:

The University operates a devolved structure that trusts staff to take responsibilities for their areas of activity. The funding allocation to Schools is made in direct proportion to what they earn and the allocation to services varies according to the changing nature of their duties in the context of the total income available.

University Campus Barnsley and University Campus Oldham

The University has a campus in Barnsley and one in Oldham, both established in 2005. It was awarded about £12m of funding from HEFCE’s Strategic Development Fund, from the regional development agency Yorkshire Forward and from the European Regional Development Fund for a trans-regional project to develop these two new higher education centres. The University aims to increase opportunities for higher education in the two towns that currently have low participation rates and student numbers are planned to increase to up to 4,000 in total over the next ten years.

Huddersfield

The University is located close to the centre of the thriving West Yorkshire town of Huddersfield. Huddersfield has an extensive range of new retail and social developments with many new shops, cafes, bars and restaurants. Near to areas of outstanding natural beauty publicised in TV programmes such as “Last of the Summer Wine” and “Where the Heart Is” we are also in easy reach of Leeds and Manchester. Both are just 45 minutes by road and with quicker access via the regular cross Pennine rail service. Surrounded by a number of attractive villages in the Holme and Colne valleys and within easy reach of the Yorkshire Dales, the Peak District and the major urban centres of Leeds and Manchester; the cost of housing compares very favourably with other regions in Britain. The choice of where to live is outstanding. The town is well known for its musical traditions, including the world famous Huddersfield Choral Society and the internationally renowned Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. The Lawrence Batley Theatre and a large sports stadium host various cultural and sporting events respectively.

Our striking town centre campus straddles the refurbished Huddersfield Narrow Canal and offers extensive views of the wooded Pennine foothills. The campus combines both new and historic buildings. The University has won Civic Trust Awards for the imaginative refurbishment of historic mill buildings for the teaching of Computing, Engineering and Architecture. A purpose-built Students’ Union and new Media and Drama facilities are examples of the recent build. A dedicated Arts and Music building was completed in 2008 and a new Business School, due for completion in 2010, is the latest development in an ambitious construction and refurbishment programme.

University of Huddersfield

Queensgate, Huddersfield, UK, HD1 3DH

www.hud.ac.uk

April 2009

 

 

 

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