Bath Spa University

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Why Bath Spa University?

Top Quality Teaching

Bath Spa is one of the first major 'teaching-led' universities. This means that we place the highest possible emphasis on teaching quality for both postgraduate and undergraduate students, and we put the student at the very centre of our activities.

Our staff are passionate about their subjects, and their aim is to deliver excellent teaching to enthusiastic students who are committed to achieving their academic potential. Considerable emphasis is placed on developing innovative methods of teaching and assessment, and you will find that the academic environment is supportive and friendly.

We have been designated a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in the creative industries, having won a bid in a major competitive programme of funding in 2005. This has enabled significant investment in our resources and facilities for students across the Schools of Music and Performing Arts, School of Humanities and Cultural Industries and Bath School of Art and Design. Through the development of innovative learning and teaching combined with strengthened links with key employers and industry partners, our Centre will support new models of education and enhance the employability of all students at Bath Spa University.

Superb Campuses

When students come and visit us at Open Days they're often bowled over by our campuses. How many universities boast medieval buildings and their own parkland estate? There's a unique mix of the old and the new, with state-of-the-art modern facilities alongside historic buildings - a superb study environment.

A Great Range of Courses

From Fashion Design to Human Nutrition, and from Foundation Degrees to Honours Degrees, you'll find plenty of great courses to choose from! And a lot of our courses form part of a flexible modular scheme so that you can often tailor your degree to your own interests.

We've pitched our entry requirements so that the courses are accessible to a lot of students - though we should point out that many of our courses are very popular, so there's quite a bit of competition to get on them. A lot of students who join us have UCAS tariff points totals higher than the range we ask for - but an important minority get in with alternative qualifications and experience (and a real determination to succeed!)

Bath - A Top Tourist City

Of course Bath is a real pull for students too, both from this country and abroad - it must rank among the UK's most attractive cities.

A Caring Environment

At Bath Spa University we provide an environment in which students' academic and welfare needs are addressed with professionalism and care.

Our commitment to providing a caring environment extends to our wider responsibilities as custodians of two exceptionally beautiful and historic campuses. We take our environmental responsibilities seriously, and students and staff are involved in concerted efforts to achieve sustainability and reduce carbon emissions.

The University is proud that no animal experimentation is carried out in any of our eight schools.

Good Career Preparation

We want to make sure that you're well prepared for the jobs market when you graduate, so we make sure that you have all the transferable skills you need, along with practical experience in relevant employment fields. We give you top quality careers advice too.

We also develop links with local employers in many different ways so that Bath Spa University is well known and well respected.

A National Centre for Excellence

Bath Spa University has been designated a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL). The Artswork project has invested significantly in specialist resources for students following courses leading to careers in the creative industries. Thanks to strengthened links with key employers and industry partners, and new models of education that will enhance employability, Artswork will benefit all students at the University.

Research at Bath Spa

One reason for the high quality of teaching at Bath Spa is that staff are actively engaged in research and scholarship which directly informs their teaching. Research activity at Bath Spa is of comparable quality to that of the best of the post-1992 universities. As a student on one of our taught Master's programmes you will benefit from professional and academic expertise that is current - and often cutting edge. As a PhD or MPhil student you will benefit from staff engaged in applied research.

Staff Who Care

Our staff care about their students - they want them to fulfil their potential and succeed in their studies. All students are allocated a personal tutor who has particular responsibility for overseeing academic progress.

Our staff love teaching too - that's why they work here! They are accessible, supportive and passionate about their subjects, and they put a lot of effort into developing dynamic approaches to teaching and assessment.

Importantly, they're also very good at teaching. No fewer than four lecturers at Bath Spa University have received National Teaching Fellowships (thought of as the Oscars of university teaching!) since the scheme was launched in 2000 - and since only 50 Fellowships are awarded nationally each year that's an excellent record for any university, much less one the size of Bath Spa.

Staff are actively engaged in research and scholarship so that their professional and academic expertise is current, and often cutting-edge. The research and scholarship is relevant and applied, and used to inform what, and how, you are taught.

Future Developments

Bath Spa is a popular and expanding university. In the last two years we have completed a major programme of building works on both campuses including a new Students' Union building, new refectory, improved library and IT facilities, and new teaching facilities. We are forging links with new generation universities throughout the world. This gives a breadth and perspective to our teaching emphasis, our research activity, our commitment to access and participation and our regional role. We will continue to foster academic links with all types of university and to do so internationally.

We will, however, make sure that the 'collegiate' ethos so valued by our students is retained - Bath Spa University will never be a large impersonal organisation where the needs of the individual student are lost.

"Small and Friendly"

This is what students often say when we ask them what they like about Bath Spa University - there's a real community feel. With around 5,500 students it's small enough for students to feel that they won't get lost in the crowd - but large enough to provide good facilities and social activities.

Our students come from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures to form an educational community that supports equality of opportunity for all.

... And We've Been Around a Long Time!

Some of the buildings at the Newton Park campus are medieval, but we don't claim to have been around quite as long as that! We can trace our history back over 150 years, however, to the original Bath School of Art, and our first trainee teachers trained here over 50 years ago. So while the University is modern and progressive, it builds on a long history of tradition and success in higher education.

Your Choice

Your choice of university is an important one, and we hope that what we have to offer matches your needs. Bath Spa is a thriving and forward-looking university in which teaching is the top priority. Our aim is to ensure that your university experience is distinctive and fulfilling.

If you like what you read about this new generation university, I would encourage you to come and see for yourself. By touring the campuses, and speaking to staff and students, you will be able to judge whether Bath Spa is right for you. I look forward to welcoming you as one of our students.

Professor Frank Morgan, Vice Chancellor.