University of the West of England

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UWE celebrates 30 years

The University of the West of England (UWE), also known as UWE Bristol, is a public research university, located in and around Bristol, England, UK. With over 38,000 students and 4,500 staff, it is the largest provider of higher education in the South West of England.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The institution was known as the Bristol Polytechnic in 1969; it received university status in 1992 and became the University of the West of England, Bristol.<ref name="timeline"/> In common with the University of Bristol and University of Bath, it can trace its origins to the Merchant Venturers' Technical College, founded as a school in 1595 by the Society of Merchant Venturers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ReferenceA"/>

UWE Bristol is made up of several campuses in Greater Bristol. Frenchay Campus is the largest campus in terms of student numbers, as most of its courses are based there. City campus provides courses in the creative and cultural industries, and is made up of Bower Ashton Studios, Arnolfini, Spike Island, and Watershed. The institution is affiliated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and validates its higher education courses. Glenside Campus is home to most of the College of Health, Science and Society.

History

Early foundations

The University of the West of England can trace its roots back to the foundation of the Merchant Venturers Navigation School in 1595.<ref name=timeline>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1894, the school became the Merchant Venturers Technical College. The University of Bristol was formed just a few years after this, leaving the college for the foundation of UWE Bristol.<ref name=timeline/> The college was partly responsible for the creation of the Bristol College of Science and Technology (BCST) in 1960, which later gained a royal charter to form the University of Bath in 1965.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The technical college in turn became Bristol Polytechnic in 1970; the then-main campus was at Ashley Down, now a campus of the City of Bristol College.<ref name="UWEHistory">Template:Cite web</ref>

Bower Ashton Studios was formed in 1969 as the West of England College of Art, which was formerly the art school of the Royal West of England Academy in Queens Road, Bristol. The St Matthias site (which is no longer owned by the university) was originally built in Victorian times and was a teacher training college. These campuses, together with campuses in Redland, Ashley Down, Unity Street and Frenchay became part of Bristol Polytechnic around 1976.

University status

The institution gained university status and its present name as a result of the Further and Higher Education Act, 1992. The Avon and Gloucestershire College of Health, which is now Glenside Campus, and the Bath and Swindon College of Health Studies joined in January 1996. Hartpury campus joined in 1997. The university was a lead academic sponsor of Bristol Technology and Engineering Academy, a new university technical college, until its closure in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Rebrand

In spring 2016, UWE Bristol launched a rebranding campaign as part of its Strategy 2020, unveiling a refreshed visual identity that included a new logo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Campuses

Frenchay (north), Glenside & St Matthias (east) and Bower Ashton (south). Right: Bristol within England.
Part of the UWE campus at Frenchay
The north side of the new engineering building

Frenchay Campus

UWE Bristol's largest and primary campus is located Template:Convert north of Bristol city centre in the Stoke Park and Cheswick parish of South Gloucestershire, part of the North Fringe of Bristol. It is named after the village of Frenchay, Template:Convert to the east. Filton is to the west and Stoke Gifford to the north.

Frenchay Campus opened in 1975 on Template:Convert of what had been farmland in Stoke Gifford parish.<ref name=timeline/> In September 2008, UWE purchased a further Template:Convert of adjoining land which had been occupied by Hewlett-Packard, enabling a western expansion of the campus.

The campus is home to:

  • Bristol Robotics Laboratory, which opened in 2012.
  • UWE Bristol International College, opened in 2012,<ref name=timeline/> providing international students with academic, subject-based and English language skills.
  • The Students' Union, which moved to two interlinked buildings in 2015, bringing all Students' Union services together.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Future Space, a business incubator providing space for over 70 hi-tech companies,<ref name=clensy>Template:Cite news</ref> one of only four university enterprise zones in the UK when it opened in 2016.<ref name="auto1"/><ref name=farrell>Template:Cite news</ref>
  • Bristol Business School and Bristol Law School, which moved to the new Business School building completed in 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • The engineering building, a 4-storey building with laboratories, workshops and lecture theatres that cater explicitly to engineering disciplines, which opened 2020.Template:Citation needed
  • A sports centre which opened in 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • An exhibition and conference centre, opened in former Hewlett-Packard buildings in 2010.<ref name=timeline/>

City Campus

City Campus is made up of Bower Ashton Studios, Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed.

Bower Ashton Studios

Bower Ashton Studios is home to the creative and cultural subjects, which are part of the College of Arts, Technology and Environment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Adjacent to the Ashton Court estate, on the outskirts of the city of Bristol,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the West of England College of Art was established in purpose-built premises in 1969, moving from its previous location as the art school of the Royal West of England Academy in Clifton. In 1970 the college became part of Bristol Polytechnic, the precursor of the university.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Every year in June the campus houses a degree show attended by Bristol residents as well as friends and families of the graduating students.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Glenside Campus

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The main building of Glenside Hospital

Glenside Campus is the home of many of the programmes within the College of Health, Science and Society. It is located on Blackberry Hill in the suburb of Fishponds.<ref>Template:Gbmapping</ref> The College of Health, Science and Society (formerly the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences) was created in 1996 when the former Avon and Gloucestershire College of Health and Bath and Swindon College of Health Studies joined with the existing Faculty of Health and Community Studies at UWE Bristol.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Glenside Museum is situated within the campus.<ref>Glenside Museum. Glenside Museum. Retrieved 13 August 2013.</ref>

It offers full- and part-time courses at all levels in the areas of Midwifery, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Radiography, Social Work and other health-related professions.Template:Citation needed

St Matthias Campus

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The main building at St Matthias

St Matthias Campus was in Fishponds in Bristol. Built in the Victorian times by the Church of England, the campus has some Victorian Gothic buildings, set around a sunken lawn. St Matthias campus was home to various departments of the faculty of Creative Arts, Humanities and Education.Template:Citation needed UWE closed the campus in 2014 and the departments moved to new facilities at Frenchay campus. The site has since been redeveloped for housing and the listed buildings converted to a Steiner School.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Organisation and administration

Structure

Hartpury College

The university is divided into three colleges which are then subdivided into schools:

  • College of Arts, Technology and Environment
    • School of Architecture and Environment
    • School of Computing and Creative Technologies
    • School of Engineering
    • School of Arts
  • College of Business and Law
  • College of Health, Science and Society
    • School of Applied Sciences
    • School of Health and Social Wellbeing
    • School of Social Sciences
    • School of Education and Childhood
  • Hartpury College (Associate Faculty)
    • Sport
    • Equine
    • Agriculture
    • Professional
    • Veterinary nursing

School of Art and Design

Bower Ashton Studios

The School of Art and Design became part of the Faculty of Arts, Creative Industries and Education (ACE) following the university's reorganisation in 2010/11. Adjacent to the Ashton Court estate in Bower Ashton, the West of England College of Art was established in purpose-built premises in 1969, moving from its previous location as the art school of the Royal West of England Academy in Clifton.

Among its principals and deans were the war artist Jack Bridger Chalker, the graphic designer Paul van Der Lem, designer-bookbinder Jeff Clements MBE<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>, and Paul Gough RWA, a researcher and art historian,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> who became the first pro-vice chancellor and executive dean of the former faculty in its expanded form of over 2,600 students.

Department of Education and Childhood

The Department of Education and Childhood (formerly the School of Education) is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. Its origins lie in teacher training colleges at Redland and St Matthias which became part of the former Bristol Polytechnic in 1969. The dean of the school is Ron Ritchie, who is also an assistant vice-chancellor of the university.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A new purpose built home for the department was completed in 2000 for the department at the university's Frenchay campus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The department offers undergraduate degrees in initial teacher education in early years education or primary education, as well as an education studies + PGCE (3+1) programme.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Postgraduate Certificate in Education courses are offered as well as a range of professional development courses for teachers, further and higher education teachers and lecturers, and school support staff.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Coat of arms

Echoing Bristol's long connection with the sea and the Merchant Venturers' Navigation School, the top of the crest depicts a ship's mainmast and rigging. The flaming fire basket indicates guidance, hope and the desire for learning.<ref name="coatofarms">Template:Cite web</ref>

The shield at the centre is adapted from that of the College of St Matthias with the wavy line representing the rivers of Avon and Severn. The unicorn is taken from the arms of the City of Bristol and the sea stag from those of the former County of Avon. Both these creatures wear a crown of King Edgar around their necks. Edgar is regarded as a local monarch because he was crowned in Bath Abbey in 973.<ref name="Edgar">Template:Cite web</ref> The wavy lines enclosed in circles on the shoulders represent the fountain of knowledge and learning.<ref name="coatofarms"/>

The unicorn and sea stag each support an apple tree, known as the tree of knowledge and is taken from the coat of arms of the Council for National Academic Awards which used to authorise degrees awarded to students of Bristol Polytechnic.<ref name="coatofarms"/>

The motto Light, Liberty, Learning is a Disraeli quotation and corresponds directly to the symbolism of the coat of arms.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The fire basket represents the Light, the Bristol and Avon supporters represent liberty, and the trees of knowledge and learning.<ref name="coatofarms"/>

Academic profile

Rankings and reputation

Template:Infobox UK university rankings

UCAS Admission Statistics
2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
Applications<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 31,765 30,425 27,710 28,615 29,015 30,390
Offer Rate (%)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 73.3 69.3 61.2 63.0 63.4 62.8
Enrols<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 6,140 5,855 5,340 5,375 5,645 5,845
Yield (%) 26.4 27.8 31.5 29.8 30.7 30.6
Applicant/Enrolled Ratio 5.17 5.20 5.19 5.32 5.14 5.20
Average Entry Tariff<ref name="Complete League Table 2019">Template:Cite web</ref><ref group="note">New UCAS Tariff system from 2016</ref> 122 125 127 322 323 324

UWE Bristol was ranked within the top 25 universities in the UK by The Guardian University Guide 2021. UWE Bristol is only one of four universities in the UK to have a University Enterprise Zone providing space for over 70 businesses, and the largest UK robotics lab.<ref name="auto1">"Giving Graduates a Head Start in Business "(official website) (accessed 30 September 2017).</ref>

The 2018 Teaching Excellence Framework, a government assessment of the quality of undergraduate teaching in universities, awarded the university with a Gold rating.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2017, UWE Bristol was ranked as one of the top 150 universities in the world under 50 in THE Times' ranking.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2019, it ranked 464th among the universities around the world by SCImago Institutions Rankings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Ofsted reports have rated UWE Bristol's primary, secondary and further education initial teacher training (ITT) courses as good.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Research

The volume of world-leading research at UWE Bristol has gone up by 170%, according to the results of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014.<ref name="Research Excellence Framework">Template:Cite web</ref> The REF 2021 results revealed that 76 percent of the research submitted by UWE Bristol was judged to be either world leading or internationally excellent.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The results highlighted strengths in the areas of education, allied health and nursing, and law. Results were also outstanding in areas such as architecture, built environment and planning; social work and social policy; and communication, cultural and media studies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2010, UWE Bristol launched a research repository in order to host electronic versions of the research of its academics. The UWE Bristol Research Repository is open access.

Bristol Robotics Laboratory and Future Space

Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL), the largest robotics laboratory of its type in the UK was officially opened on 10 May 2012 by David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science. The laboratory is a partnership between University of the West of England (UWE) and the University of Bristol.

According to EE/Times, it is the largest robotics laboratory in Europe.<ref>UK opens Europe's largest robotics laboratory. EE Times (17 May 2012). Retrieved 13 August 2013.</ref> The BRL is home to a community of 70 academics and businesses who are leading current thinking in nouvelle and service robotics, intelligent autonomous systems and bio-engineering. Over £1.65 million has been spent on the new facilities. The total area of the BRL is circa 2,400 m2, with over 300 square metres of specialised laboratory space and two Flying Arenas. <ref>Bristol Robotics Laboratory Template:Webarchive. Brl.ac.uk. Retrieved 13 August 2013.</ref>

Future Space is a business incubator adjacent to the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, in a former Hewlett-Packard factory building which was bought by UWE Bristol in 2015 and converted. It can house up to 70 hi-tech startup companies and early-stage companies.<ref name=clensy/> It is the £16.5 million realisation of the West of England University Enterprise Zone (UEZ), one of four UEZs supported by the UK government,<ref name=farrell/> which were initially announced by Chancellor George Osborne in 2014. The main areas of focus of the UEZ are robotics, biotechnology and biomedicine. It is a collaboration with the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership and the University of Bristol, supported by South Gloucestershire Council, the University of Bath and the West of England Academic Health Science Network.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Future Space opened in autumn 2016.

The National College of Legal Training (NCLT) is a collaboration between UWE Bristol and Central Law Training, launched in January 2010 to provide postgraduate legal training.<ref>"National College of Legal Training", Law Careers.net (accessed 1 September 2010).</ref><ref>"UWE to offer cut-price part-time LPC for recession-hit students", Legalweek.com, 5 January 2010 (accessed 1 September 2010).</ref> NCLT Study centres are located at Coventry University, Manchester Metropolitan University, Southampton Solent University and University of Westminster.<ref>"NCLT:The Flexible Legal Practice Course" Template:Webarchive (official website) (accessed 1 September 2010).</ref>

The Bristol Distinguished Address Series

Based at the University of the West of England Campus in Frenchay the series of lectures bring business leaders to Bristol. The conference covers a wide range of topics including business, technology & innovation, science and local & global issues.<ref>"The Bristol Distinguished Address Series"(official website) (accessed 30 September 2017).</ref>

Student life

Students' Union

The logo of the University of the West of England - Students' Union at UWE

The Students' Union at UWE, formerly UWE Students' Union ('UWESU'), is based at Frenchay campus and was established in 1971. It is run by a team of five sabbatical officers, who are elected annually from the student population. The new Students' Union building was completed in Summer 2015 and operates a bar, a coffee shop and two convenience stores at Frenchay Campus. A Students' Union bar and shop is also available at Glenside Campus and Bower Ashton Studios. The student radio station, Hub Radio operates out of a studio on campus.

Student accommodation

In September 2006, Frenchay Student Village opened providing on-campus accommodation for 1,932 students, adding to the 252 units already provided in Carroll Court. Campus accommodation is also provided at Glenside. In partnership with UNITE Student Housing a further 1,500 places are provided in Bristol City Centre and UWE Bristol Accommodation services also places students in vetted private rentals. All accommodation at UWE is self-catering.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In September 2014, Wallscourt Park opened on Frenchay Campus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Following the 2020–21 academic year, Carroll Court was knocked down. Purdown View, completed for full occupation beginning in the 2024-25 academic year, was built in its place; in order to accommodate extra students.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is the largest Passivhaus development in the UK to date, and has won a number of awards.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In September 2023, TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp accused the university of "grossly exploiting" students, after delays to the completion of new accommodation on campus meant that students were being allocated student accommodation in Cheltenham and Gloucester.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> UWE later confirmed 87 students had started their degree courses in Cheltenham and another 47 in Gloucester, but that it planned to relocate them back to the UWE campus "as soon as it’s available".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The university had previously been criticised for offering students places at Usk Way student accommodation in Newport, South Wales.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

University-managed accommodation:

Frenchay Campus

  • Student Village (comprising Brecon Court, Cotswold Court, Mendip Court and Quantock Court)
  • Wallscourt Park
  • Purdown View

Glenside Campus

  • Glenside (on-campus)
  • The Hollies (opposite campus)

Bristol City Centre

  • Marketgate (owned by Unite Group)
  • Nelson and Drake House (owned by Unite Group)
  • Blenheim Court (owned by Unite Group)
  • Phoenix Court (owned by Unite Group)
  • Cherry Court (owned by Unite Group)

Former

  • Ashley Village, Frenchay Campus (demolished around 2005 to make way for the S Block) <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Carroll Court, Frenchay Campus (demolished in 2022 to make way for Purdown View)

Sport

The University of the West of England Boat Club is the rowing club belonging to the university.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The UWE Bullets are the American Football team belonging to the university. The team won the British Universities American Football League championship in 2022, 2023 and 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Notable alumni

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Notable faculty

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See also

Notes

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References

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