University of Oxford
| University of Oxford | |
|---|---|
 University of Oxford seal | |
| Latin: Universitas Oxoniensis | |
| Motto | Dominus Illuminatio Mea (Latin) |
| Motto in English | The Lord is my Light |
| Established | Unknown, teaching existed since 1096 |
| Endowment | £3.9 billion (inc. colleges) |
| Chancellor | The Rt. Hon. Lord Patten of Barnes |
| Vice-Chancellor | Andrew Hamilton |
| Students | 21,535 |
| Undergraduates | 11,723 |
| Postgraduates | 9,327 |
| Other students | 461 |
| Location | Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK |
| Colours | Oxford Blue |
| Athletics | The Sporting Blue |
| Affiliations | IARU Russell Group Coimbra Group Europaeum EUA G5 LERU |
| Website | ox.ac.uk |
 | |
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096. The University grew rapidly from 1167 when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris. In post-nominals, the University of Oxford was historically abbreviated as Oxon. (from the Latin Oxoniensis), although Oxf is now used in official university publications.
After disputes between students and Oxford townsfolk in 1209, some academics fled north-east to Cambridge, where they established what became the University of Cambridge. The two ancient English universities have many common features and are often jointly referred to as Oxbridge. In addition to their cultural and practical associations, as a historic part of British society, they have a long history of rivalry with each other.
Most undergraduate teaching at Oxford is organised around weekly tutorials at self-governing colleges and halls, supported by classes, lectures and laboratory work organised by University faculties and departments. Oxford regularly contends with Cambridge for first place in the league tables, and consistently ranks among the top ten universities in the world, according to global rankings. For more than a century, it has served as the home of the Rhodes Scholarship, which brings students from a number of countries to study at Oxford as postgraduates or for a second bachelor's degree.
Oxford is a member of the Russell Group of research-led British universities, the Coimbra Group, the G5, the League of European Research Universities, and the International Alliance of Research Universities. It is also a core member of the Europaeum and forms part of the 'Golden Triangle' of British universities.
History
The coat of arms of the University of Oxford.
The University of Oxford has no known foundation date. Teaching at Oxford existed in some form in 1096, but it is unclear at what point a university came into being.
The expulsion of foreigners from the University of Paris in 1167 caused many English scholars to return from France and settle in Oxford. The historian Gerald of Wales lectured to such scholars in 1188, and the first known foreign scholar, Emo of Friesland, arrived in 1190. The head of the University was named a chancellor from at least 1201, and the masters were recognised as a universitas or corporation in 1231. The students associated together on the basis of geographical origins, into two “nations”, representing the North (including the Scots) and the South (including the Irish and the Welsh). In later centuries, geographical origins continued to influence many students' affiliations when membership of a college or hall became customary in Oxford. Members of many religious orders, including Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites, and Augustinians, settled in Oxford in the mid-13th century, gained influence, and maintained houses for students. At about the same time, private benefactors established colleges to serve as self-contained scholarly communities. Among the earliest such founders were William of Durham, who in 1249 endowed University College, and John Balliol, father of a future King of Scots: Balliol College bears his name. Another founder, Walter de Merton, a chancellor of England and afterwards Bishop of Rochester, devised a series of regulations for college life; Merton College thereby became the model for such establishments at Oxford, as well as at the University of Cambridge. Thereafter, an increasing number of students forsook living in halls and religious houses in favour of living in colleges.
The new learning of the Renaissance greatly influenced Oxford from the late 15th century onwards. Among university scholars of the period were William Grocyn, who contributed to the revival of Greek language studies, and John Colet, the noted biblical scholar. With the Reformation and the breaking of ties with the Roman Catholic Church, Recusant scholars from Oxford fled to continental Europe, settling especially at the University of Douai. The method of teaching at Oxford was transformed from the medieval Scholastic method to Renaissance education, although institutions associated with the university suffered losses of land and revenues. In 1636, Chancellor William Laud, archbishop of Canterbury, codified the university's statutes; these to a large extent remained its governing regulations until the mid-19th century. Laud was also responsible for the granting of a charter securing privileges for the University Press, and he made significant contributions to the Bodleian Library, the main library of the university.
In 1605 Oxford was still a walled city, but several colleges had been built outside the city walls. (North is at the bottom on this map.)
The university was a centre of the Royalist party during the English Civil War (1642–1649), while the town favoured the opposing Parliamentarian cause. From the mid-18th century onwards, however, the University of Oxford took little part in political conflicts.
An engraving of Christ Church, Oxford, 1742.
The mid nineteenth century saw the impact of the Oxford Movement (1833–1845), led among others by the future Cardinal Newman. The influence of the reformed model of German university reached Oxford via key scholars such as Edward Bouverie Pusey, Benjamin Jowett and Max Müller.
Administrative reforms during the 19th century included the replacement of oral examinations with written entrance tests, greater tolerance for religious dissent, and the establishment of four women's colleges. Twentieth century Privy Council decisions (such as the abolition of compulsory daily worship, dissociation of the Regius professorship of Hebrew from clerical status, diversion of theological bequests to colleges to other purposes) loosened the link with traditional belief and practice. Although the University's emphasis traditionally had been on classical knowledge, its curriculum expanded in the course of the 19th century to encompass scientific and medical studies.
The mid twentieth century saw many distinguished continental scholars, displaced by Nazism and Communism, relocating to Oxford.
The list of distinguished scholars at the University of Oxford is long and includes many who have made major contributions to British politics, the sciences, medicine, and literature. More than forty Nobel laureates and more than fifty world leaders have been affiliated with the University of Oxford.
Women's education
The University passed a Statute in 1875 allowing its delegates to create preliminary and final examinations at roughly undergraduate level. The first four women's colleges were established thanks to the activism of the Association for Promoting the Higher Education of Women (AEW). Lady Margaret Hall (1878) was followed by Somerville College in 1879; the first 21 students from Somerville and LMH attended lectures in rooms above an Oxford baker's shop. The first two colleges for women were followed by St Hugh's (1886), St Hilda's (1893) and St Anne's College (1952). Oxford was long considered a bastion of male privilege, and it was not until 7 October 1920 that women became eligible for admission as full members of the university and were given the right to take degrees. In 1927 a quota of female students was instituted by the University's dons, a ruling not abolished until 1957. However, until the 1970s all Oxford colleges were for men or women only, so that the number of women was effectively limited by the capacity of the women's colleges to admit students. It was not until 1959 that the women's colleges were given full collegiate status.
In 1974, Brasenose, Jesus, Wadham, Hertford and St Catherine's were the first all-male colleges to admit women. In 2008, St Hilda's became the last of the women's colleges to admit men also, so that all of the Oxford colleges are now co-residential. By 1988, 40% of undergraduates at Oxford were female;
the ratio is now about 48:52 in men's favour.
The detective novel Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers – herself one of the first women to get an academic degree at Oxford – takes place in a (fictional) women's college at Oxford, and the issue of women's education is central to its plot.
Organisation
As a collegiate university, Oxford's structure can be confusing to those unfamiliar with it. The university is a federation: it comprises over forty self-governing colleges and halls, along with a central administration headed by the Vice-Chancellor. The academic departments are located centrally within this structure; they are not affiliated with any particular college. Departments provide facilities for teaching and research, determine the syllabi and guidelines for the teaching of students, perform research, and deliver lectures and seminars. Colleges arrange the tutorial teaching for their undergraduates. The members of an academic department are spread around many colleges; though certain colleges do have subject alignments (e.g. Nuffield College as a centre for the social sciences), these are exceptions, and most colleges will have a broad mix of academics and students from a diverse range of subjects. Facilities such as libraries are provided on all these levels: by the central university (the Bodleian), by the departments (individual departmental libraries, such as the English Faculty Library), and by colleges (each of which maintains a multi-discipline library for the use of its members).
The Sheldonian Theatre, built by Sir Christopher Wren between 1664 and 1668, hosts the University's Congregation, as well as concerts and degree ceremonies.
Central governance
The university's formal head is the Chancellor (currently Lord Patten of Barnes), though as with most British universities, the Chancellor is a titular figure, rather than someone involved with the day-to-day running of the university. The Chancellor is elected by the members of Convocation, a body comprising all graduates of the university, and holds office until death.
The Vice-Chancellor, currently Andrew Hamilton, is the "de facto" head of the University. Five Pro-Vice-Chancellors have specific responsibilities for Education; Research; Planning and Resources; Development and External Affairs; and Personnel and Equal Opportunities. The University Council is the executive policy-forming body, which consists of the Vice-Chancellor as well as heads of departments and other members elected by Congregation, in addition to observers from the Student Union. Congregation, the "parliament of the dons", comprises over 3,700 members of the University’s academic and administrative staff, and has ultimate responsibility for legislative matters: it discusses and pronounces on policies proposed by the University Council. Oxford and Cambridge (which is similarly structured) are unique for this democratic form of governance.
Two university proctors, who are elected annually on a rotating basis from two of the colleges, are the internal ombudsmen who make sure that the university and its members adhere to its statutes. This role incorporates student welfare and discipline, as well as oversight of the university's proceedings. The collection of University Professors is called the Statutory Professors of the University of Oxford. They are particularly influential in the running of the graduate programmes within the University. Examples of Statutory Professors are the Chichele Professorships and the Drummond Professor of Political Economy. The various academic faculties, departments, and institutes are organised into four divisions, each with their own Head and elected board. They are the Humanities Division; the Social Sciences Division; the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division; and the Medical Sciences Division.
The University of Oxford is a "public university" in the sense that it receives a large amount of public money from the government, but it is a "private university" in the sense that it is entirely self-governing and could choose to become entirely private by rejecting public funds.
Colleges
Colleges of the University of Oxford
Keble College, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford
There are thirty-eight colleges of the University of Oxford and six Permanent Private Halls, each controlling its membership and with its own internal structure and activities. All resident students, and most academic staff, must be members both of a college or hall, and of the university. The heads of Oxford colleges are known by various titles, according to the college, including warden, provost, principal, president, rector, master and dean. The colleges join together as the Conference of Colleges to discuss policy and to deal with the central University administration. Teaching members of the colleges (fellows and tutors) are collectively and familiarly known as dons, although the term is rarely used by the university itself. In addition to residential and dining facilities, the colleges provide social, cultural, and recreational activities for their members. Colleges have responsibility for admitting undergraduates and organising their tuition; for graduates, this responsibility falls upon the departments.
Teaching and degrees
Degrees of the University of Oxford and List of Professorships at the University of Oxford
Undergraduate teaching is centred on the tutorial, where 1–4 students spend an hour with an academic discussing their week’s work, usually an essay (humanities, most social sciences, some mathematical, physical, and life sciences) or problem sheet (most mathematical, physical, and life sciences, and some social sciences). Students usually have one or two tutorials a week, and can be taught by academics at any other college—not just their own—as expertise and personnel requires. These tutorials are complemented by lectures, classes and seminars, which are organised on a departmental basis. Graduate students undertaking taught degrees are usually instructed through classes and seminars, though there is more focus upon individual research.
The university itself is responsible for conducting examinations and conferring degrees. The passing of two sets of examinations is a prerequisite for a first degree. The first set of examinations, called either Honour Moderations ("Mods" and "Honour Mods") or Preliminary Examinations ("Prelims"), are usually held at the end of the first year (after two terms for those studying Law, Theology, Philosophy and Theology, Experimental Psychology or Psychology, Philosophy and Physiology or after five terms in the case of Classics). The second set of examinations, the Final Honour School ("Finals"), is held at the end of the undergraduate course. Successful candidates receive first-, upper or lower second-, or third-class honours based on their performance in Finals. An upper second is the most usual result, and a first is generally prerequisite for graduate study. A "double first" reflects first class results in both Honour Mods. and Finals. Research degrees at the master's and doctoral level are conferred in all subjects studied at graduate level at the university. As a matter of tradition, bachelor's degree graduates are eligible, after seven years from matriculation and without additional study, to purchase for a nominal fee an upgrade of their bachelor's degree to a "MA" or Master of Arts. All MAs were members of Convocation and until 1913 all resident members of Convocation were members of Congregation. MAs, as members of Convocation, elected the Chancellor and Professor of Poetry, but recently Convocation has been widened to consist of all graduates.
Tom Quad, Christ Church in the snow.
Academic year
The academic year is divided into three terms, determined by Regulations. Michaelmas Term lasts from October to December; Hilary Term from January to March; and Trinity Term from April to June.
Within these terms, Council determines for each year eight-week periods called Full Terms, during which undergraduate teaching takes place. These terms are shorter than those of many other British universities. Undergraduates are also expected to prepare heavily in the three holidays (known as the Christmas, Easter and Long Vacations).
Internally at least, the dates in the term are often referred to by a number in reference to the start of each full term, thus the first week of any full term is called "1st week" and the last is "8th week". The numbering of the weeks continues up to the end of the term, and begins again with negative numbering from the beginning of the succeeding term, through "minus first week" and "noughth week", which precedes "1st week". Weeks begin on a Sunday. Undergraduates must be in residence from Thursday of 0th week.
Traditions
Academic dress of the University of Oxford
Academic dress is still commonly seen at Oxford; until the 1960s students wore it at all times.
It is required for examinations and when visiting university officers. Other traditions and customs vary by college, one of the most common being the requirement to wear gowns for dinner in hall.
Finances
In 2005/06 the University had an income of £608m, and the colleges £237m (of which £41m is a flow-through from the University). For the University, key sources were HEFCE (£166m) and research grants (£213m). For the colleges, the largest single source was endowments and interest (£82m) and residential charges (£47m). While the University has the larger operating budget, the colleges have a far larger aggregate endowment, at around £2.7bn compared to the University's £900m. The Central University's endowment, along with that of many of the colleges, is managed by the University's wholly owned endowment management office, Oxford University Endowment Management, formed in 2007.
The University also launched a fundraising campaign in May 2008, called Oxford Thinking – The Campaign for the University of Oxford. With a minimum goal of £1.25 billion, the Campaign is looking to support three areas: academic posts and programmes, student support, and buildings and infrastructure.
Admission
Age
Oxford has no upper or lower limit on the age of those admitted as undergraduates. Historically, it was common for boys to become members of the university between the ages of fourteen and nineteen. Jeremy Bentham matriculated in 1761 at the age of thirteen, which was unusually young. At the present time, the usual age range of those admitted to study for first degrees begins at about seventeen, although the majority are eighteen or nineteen. Mature students, while not in great numbers in all colleges, are a higher proportion of those at Ruskin. Harris Manchester caters only to mature students above 21. In theory, much younger people can still be admitted to the university if they meet the entrance standard, and Ruth Lawrence matriculated at Oxford in 1983 at the age of twelve.
Procedure
Prospective students apply through the UCAS application system, in common with most British universities, but (along with applicants for Medicine, Dentistry and Cambridge applicants) must observe an earlier deadline of 15 October. To allow a more personalised judgement of students, who might otherwise apply for both, undergraduate applicants are not permitted to apply to both Oxford and Cambridge in the same year. The only exceptions are applicants for Organ Scholarships and those applying to read for a second undergraduate degree. Students from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply, with "contextual data" (factors that may have influenced prior exam performance) taken into account during the admission procedure. The university believes that there are many potential students from less well off backgrounds who they can't admit, simply because they don't apply.
Most applicants choose to apply to one of the individual colleges, which work with each other to ensure that the best students gain a place somewhere at the University whichever college they choose. Shortlisting is based on achieved and predicted exam results; school references and, in some subjects, written admission tests or candidate-submitted written work. Approximately 60% of applicants are shortlisted, although this varies by subject. If a large number of shortlisted applicants for a subject choose one college, then students who named that college may be reallocated randomly to under-subscribed colleges for the subject. The colleges then invite shortlisted candidates for interview, where they are provided with food and accommodation for at least three days in December. Most applicants will be individually interviewed by academics at more than one college, however some are interviewed at more colleges than this. In 2007 the colleges, faculties and departments published a "common framework" outlining the principles and procedures they observe.
Offers are sent out shortly before Christmas, with an offer usually being from a specific college. One in four successful candidates receive offers from a college that they did not apply to. Some courses may make "open offers" to some candidates, which do not carry an attachment to a particular college until A Level results day in August.
For graduate student admissions, many colleges express a preference for candidates who will be undertaking research in an area of interest of one of its fellows. St Hugh's College, for example, states that it accepts graduate students in most subjects, principally those in the fields of interest of the Fellows of the college.
Perhaps as a consequence of this, it is not uncommon for a graduate student to be a member of his/her supervisor's college, although this is not an official university requirement. For graduate students, admission is first handled by the relevant department, and then by a college.
Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
Access
University of Oxford undergraduate admissions statistics
The University states that its admissions policies avoid bias against candidates of certain socio-economic or educational backgrounds. However, the fairness of Oxford admissions has attracted public controversy through episodes such as the Laura Spence Affair in 2000. Gaining places at Oxford and Cambridge remains a central focus for many private and selective state schools, and the lack of a social mix at the university representing society at large remains a point of controversy. Veiled accusations of racism, however, have been refuted by comparison of A-level results with successful applications. In 2007, the University refined its admissions procedure to take into account the academic performance of its applicants' schools.
Students who apply from state schools and colleges have a broadly comparable acceptance rate to those from independent schools (19% and 24% of applicants accepted respectively, 2010). However, most pupils who are accepted from state schools come from 'elite' grammar and selective schools, rather than comprehensives. More than half of applications come from the state sector, and the University of Oxford funds many initiatives to attract applicants from this sector, including the UNIQ Summer Schools, Oxford Young Ambassadors, Target Schools, and the FE Access Initiative. Regarding the UNIQ Summer School, of all the UNIQ students who went on to make applications in autumn 2010 to enter the University in 2011/12, 39 per cent ended up with places. The overall success rate for Oxford applicants is around 20 per cent.
Most colleges also run their own access schemes and initiatives.
The Ashmolean is the oldest museum in Britain.
In 2002, the University of Oxford commissioned a research project under the auspices of Professor Anthony Heath. Almost 2,000 applicants for admission participated in the project; about one third of them were admitted. The project found that, if anything, admissions tutors treat applicants from state schools more favourably than applicants from private schools with the same attainment. The research also suggested that this discounting was justified as private school students need higher grades at entry to do as well as their state school educated peers in final university examinations. Finally, the study found that applicants to arts subjects had an advantage in admission when they displayed high levels of cultural capital.
Mature and part-time students are supported by the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education. Most part-time students will belong to Kellogg College, although a small number of other colleges also accept admissions.
Scholarships and financial support
There are many opportunities for students at Oxford to receive financial help during their studies. The Oxford Opportunity Bursaries, introduced in 2006, are university-wide means-based bursaries available to any British undergraduate. With a total possible grant of £10,235 over a 3-year degree, it is the most generous bursary scheme offered by any British university. In addition, individual colleges also offer bursaries and funds to help their students. For graduate study, there are many scholarships attached to the University, available to students from all sorts of backgrounds, from Rhodes Scholarships to the new Weidenfeld Scholarships.
Students successful in early examinations are rewarded by their colleges with scholarships and exhibitions, normally the result of a long-standing endowment, although when tuition fees were first abolished, the amounts of money available became purely nominal. Scholars, and exhibitioners in some colleges, are entitled to wear a more voluminous undergraduate gown; "commoners" (originally those who had to pay for their "commons", or food and lodging) being restricted to a short, sleeveless garment. The term "scholar" in relation to Oxbridge, therefore, had a specific meaning as well as the more general meaning of someone of outstanding academic ability. In previous times, there were "noblemen commoners" and "gentlemen commoners", but these ranks were abolished in the 19th century. "Closed" scholarships, available only to candidates who fitted specific conditions such as coming from specific schools, exist now only in name.
From the inception of the Church of England until 1866 membership of the church was a requirement to receive the BA degree from Oxford, and "dissenters" were only permitted to receive the MA in 1871. Knowledge of Ancient Greek was required until 1920, and Latin until 1960. Women were admitted to degrees in 1920.
Collections
The Radcliffe Camera, built 1737–1749 as Oxford's science library, now holds books from the English, History, and Theology collections.
Libraries
All Saints Church, now Lincoln College's library, on the High Street.
Oxford has 102 libraries, of which 30 belong to the Bodleian Library group, Oxford's central research library. With over 11 million volumes housed on 120 miles (190 km) of shelving, the Bodleian group is the second-largest library in the UK, after the British Library. It is a legal deposit library, which means that it is entitled to request a free copy of every book published in the UK. As such, its collection is growing at a rate of over three miles (five kilometres) of shelving every year. Its main central site consists of the original Bodleian Library in the Old Schools Quadrangle, founded by Sir Thomas Bodley in 1598 and opened in 1602, the Radcliffe Camera, the Clarendon Building, and the New Bodleian Building. A tunnel underneath Broad Street connects these buildings. Other libraries within the Bodleian’s remit include the Bodleian Law Library, Indian Institute Library, Radcliffe Science Library, the Oriental Institute Library and the Vere Harmsworth US History Library.
A new book depository opened in South Marston, Swindon in October 2010, and current building projects include the remodelling of the New Bodleian building, which will be renamed the Weston Library when it reopens in 2014-15. The renovation is designed to better showcase the library’s various treasures (which include a Shakespeare First Folio and a Gutenberg Bible) as well as temporary exhibitions.
Other specialised libraries in Oxford include the Sackler Library, which holds classical collections, and the libraries maintained by academic departments and colleges. Almost all of Oxford's libraries share a common catalogue, the Oxford Libraries Information System, though with such a huge collection, this is an ongoing task. Oxford University Library Services, the head of which is Bodley’s Librarian, is the governing administrative body responsible for libraries in Oxford. The Bodleian is currently engaged in a mass-digitisation project with Google.
Category:Libraries in Oxford
The interior of the Pitt Rivers Museum.
Museums
Oxford maintains a number of museums and galleries in addition to its libraries. The Ashmolean Museum, founded in 1683, is the oldest museum in the UK, and the oldest university museum in the world. It holds significant collections of art and archaeology, including works by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Turner, and Picasso, as well as treasures such as the Scorpion Macehead, the Parian Marble and the Alfred Jewel. It also contains "The Messiah", a pristine Stradivarius violin, regarded by some as one of the finest examples in existence. The Ashmolean reopened in November 2009, after a £49m redevelopment, doubling the display space as well as providing new facilities.
The Museum of Natural History holds the University’s anatomical and natural history specimens. It is housed in a large neo-Gothic building on Parks Road, in the University’s Science Area. Among its collection are the skeletons of a Tyrannosaurus rex and triceratops, and the most complete remains of a dodo found anywhere in the world. It also hosts the Simonyi Professorship of the Public Understanding of Science, currently held by Marcus du Sautoy.
Autumn in the Walled Garden of the Botanic Garden.
Adjoining the Museum of Natural History is the Pitt Rivers Museum, founded in 1884, which displays the University’s archaeological and anthropological collections, currently holding over 500,000 items. It recently built a new research annexe; its staff have been involved with the teaching of anthropology at Oxford since its foundation, when as part of his donation General Augustus Pitt Rivers stipulated that the University establish a lectureship in anthropology.
The Museum of the History of Science is housed on Broad St in the world’s oldest-surviving purpose-built museum building. It contains 15,000 artefacts, from antiquity to the 20th century, representing almost all aspects of the history of science. In the Faculty of Music on St Aldate's is the Bate Collection of Musical Instruments, a collection mostly of instruments from Western classical music, from the medieval period onwards. The Botanic Garden is the oldest botanic garden in the UK, and the third-oldest scientific garden in the world. It contains representatives from over 90% of the world’s higher plant families. Christ Church Picture Gallery holds a collection of over 200 old master paintings.
Reputation
| ARWU (2011/12, national) | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| ARWU (2011/12, world) | 10 | |
| QS (2011/12, national) | 2 | |
| QS (2011/12, world) | 5 | |
| THE (2011/12, national) | 1 | |
| THE (2011/12, world) | 4 | |
| Complete/The Independent (2012, national) | 2 | |
| The Guardian (2012, national) | 2 | |
| The Sunday Times (2012, national) | 2 | |
| The Times (2012, national) | 1 | |
In the subject tables of the Times Good University Guide 2008, Oxford is ranked as the top university in the UK with Cambridge as the second. Oxford is ranked first in Politics, Physiological Sciences, English, Fine Art, Business Studies, Middle Eastern and African Studies, Music, Philosophy, and also Education and Linguistics which it shares first with Cambridge. Oxford comes second after Cambridge in a further seventeen subjects. The University then takes three third-places and an equal-third, as well as a fourth, fifth, and equal-sixth place in one subject each.
In The Guardian's subject tables for institutions in tariff-band 6 (universities whose prospective students are expected to score 400 or more tariff points) Oxford took first place for Anatomy and Physiology, Anthropology, Biosciences, Medicine, Business and Management Studies, Earth and Marine Sciences, Economics, English, Law, Materials and Mineral Engineering, Modern Languages, Music, Politics, Psychology, and Sociology. Oxford came second to Cambridge in Geography, Archaeology, Classics, History, History of Art, Mathematics, Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies. Oxford came second in General Engineering, and third in Fine Art, General Engineering and Physics; fourth place in Chemistry; second place in Computer Science and IT.
In the 2010 Academic Ranking of World Universities, Oxford was ranked 10th in the world and second in Europe.
In the 2011 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Oxford placed fourth in the world (Caltech placed first while Harvard and Stanford tied for second) and first in Europe. In the 2011 QS World University Rankings Oxford University placed fifth in the world (while Cambridge University came first), rising from sixth in the 2010 rankings. With the exception of 2010, it has been consistently in the top five since the THE – QS World University Rankings began in 2004 (in 2010 Times Higher Education World University Rankings and QS World University Rankings parted ways to produce separate rankings).
In 2009 it had been ranked second in the world for arts and humanities, third in life sciences and biomedicine, third in social sciences, and fifth in natural sciences. Oxford also came second in the world in terms of graduate employability. According to the 2011 Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings – based on a survey of 13,388 academics over 131 countries which is the largest evaluation of academic reputation to date – Oxford belongs to the elite group of six universities touted as the 'globally recognised super brands'. Oxford is one of four UK universities that belong to the Coimbra Group, one of four UK universities that belong to the League of European Research Universities, and one of three UK universities that belong to both. It is the only UK university to belong to the Europaeum group.
League table rankings
| 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 08 | 07 | 06 | 05 | 04 | 03 | 02 | 2001 | 2000 | 99 | 98 | 97 | 96 | 95 | 94 | 93 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Times Good University Guide | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd |
| Guardian University Guide | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | |||||||||
| Sunday Times University Guide | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | ||||||
| Independent Complete University Guide supported by PricewaterhouseCoopers | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | |||||||||||||||
| Daily Telegraph | 2nd | 4th | 4th | |||||||||||||||||
| FT | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd |
Notable alumni and academics
List of University of Oxford people
There are many notable Oxonians (as alumni of the University are known):
Twenty-six British prime ministers have attended Oxford, including William Gladstone, Herbert Asquith, Clement Attlee, Harold Macmillan, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath, Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and most recently David Cameron.
At least thirty other international leaders have been educated at Oxford. This number includes Harald V of Norway, Abdullah II of Jordan, three Prime Ministers of Australia (John Gorton, Malcolm Fraser and Bob Hawke), two Prime Ministers of Canada (Lester B. Pearson, and John Turner), two Prime Ministers of India (Manmohan Singh and Indira Gandhi), four Prime Ministers of Pakistan (Liaquat Ali Khan, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, and Benazir Bhutto), S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, Norman Washington Manley of Jamaica, Eric Williams (Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago), Álvaro Uribe (Colombia's former President), Abhisit Vejjajiva (former Prime Minister of Thailand) and Bill Clinton (the first President of the United States to have attended Oxford; he attended as a Rhodes Scholar). Arthur Mutambara (Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe ),was a Rhodes Scholar in 1991. The Burmese democracy activist and Nobel laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, was a student of St. Hugh's College. Including Aung San Suu Kyi, forty-seven Nobel prize-winners have studied or taught at Oxford.
Oxford has also produced at least twelve saints, and twenty Archbishops of Canterbury, including the current incumbent, Rowan Williams, (who studied at Wadham College and was later a Canon Professor at Christ Church). Religious reformer John Wycliffe was an Oxford scholar, for a time Master of Balliol College. John Colet, Christian humanist, Dean of St. Paul's, and friend of Erasmus, studied at Magdalen College. The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, studied at Christ Church and was elected a fellow of Lincoln College. Other religious figures were Mirza Nasir Ahmad, the third Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and Shoghi Effendi, one of the appointed leaders of the Baha'i faith.
Some fifty Olympic medal-winners have academic connections with the university, including Sir Matthew Pinsent, quadruple gold-medallist rower. T. E. Lawrence was a student at Jesus College, while other illustrious students include the explorer, courtier, and man of letters, Sir Walter Raleigh, (who attended Oriel College but left without taking a degree) to the Australian media mogul, Rupert Murdoch.
The long list of writers associated with Oxford includes John Fowles, Theodor Geisel, Thomas Middleton, Samuel Johnson, Robert Graves, Evelyn Waugh, Lewis Carroll, Aldous Huxley, Oscar Wilde, C. S. Lewis,
J. R. R. Tolkien, Graham Greene, V.S.Naipaul, Philip Pullman, Joseph Heller, Vikram Seth, the poets Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Donne, A. E. Housman, W. H. Auden, T. S. Eliot, Wendy Perriam and Philip Larkin, and seven poets laureate (Thomas Warton, Henry James Pye, Robert Southey, Robert Bridges, Cecil Day-Lewis, Sir John Betjeman, and Andrew Motion).
Economists Adam Smith, Alfred Marshall, E. F. Schumacher and Amartya Sen, and philosophers Robert Grosseteste, William of Ockham, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Jeremy Bentham, and A. J. Ayer all spent time at Oxford.
Some notable scientists include Robert Hooke, Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, Frederick Soddy, Tim Berners-Lee, co-inventor of the World Wide Web, and Dorothy Hodgkin. Robert Boyle, Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble, Erwin Schrödinger also spent time at the university.
Composers Sir Hubert Parry, George Butterworth, John Taverner, William Walton, James Whitbourn and Andrew Lloyd-Webber have all been involved with the university.
Actors Hugh Grant, Kate Beckinsale, Dudley Moore, Michael Palin, and Terry Jones were undergraduates at the University, as were Oscar-winner Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and film-makers Ken Loach and Richard Curtis. Sportspeople who have attended the university include Imran Khan.
More complete information on famous senior and junior members of the University can be found in the individual college articles (an individual may be associated with two or more colleges, as an undergraduate, postgraduate, and/or member of staff).
Affiliates and other institutions
Notable organisations and institutions officially connected with the University include:
University Church of St Mary the Virgin.
Worcester College, backs of medieval cottages.
Pembroke College, Chapel Quad.
Faculties and departments
Departments of the University of Oxford
Accelerator Science, John Adams Institute for
Advanced Materials and Composites, Oxford Centre for (OCAMAC)
African Economies, Centre for the Study of
African Studies Centre
Ageing, Population, Oxford Institute of
American Institute, Rothermere
Anaesthetics, Nuffield Department of
Analysis of Resource-Rich Economies, Oxford Centre for the
Anatomical Neuropharmacology Unit, MRC
Anatomy & Genetics, Department of Physiology
Ancient Documents, Centre for the Study of
Ancient History & Classical Archaeology, Sub-faculty of
Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, School of
Anthropology, Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary
Anthropology, Institute of Social and Cultural
Arabic
Archaeology and the History of Art, Research Laboratory for
Archaeology, Classical & Ancient History, Sub-faculty of
Archaeology, Institute of
Archaeology, School of
Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama
Archives, Oxford University
Area Studies, School of Interdisciplinary
Art and Material Culture of the Middle East, Khalili Research Centre for the
Art, Fine, Ruskin School of Drawing and
Art, History of, Department
Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology
Asian Languages
Asian Studies Centre (at St Antony's College)
Astrophysics, Sub-department of
Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Planetary Physics, Sub-department of
Atomic and Laser Physics, Sub-department of
Beazley Archive
Begbroke Science Park
Biochemistry, Department of
Biomedical Engineering, Oxford Institute of
Bionanotechnology, Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (IRC)
Blavatnik School of Government
Botanic Garden
Botnar Research Centre
Brazilian Studies Programme
British Inter-University China Centre
Buddhist Studies
Business Economics Programme, Oxford University
Business School, Saïd
Business Taxation, Centre for
Byzantine Studies
Cancer Research UK Epidemiology Unit
Cancer, Childhood, Research Group
Carbon and Energy Reduction in Transport, Institute for
Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of
Careers Service
Catalan
Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Centre for
Celtic
Changing Character of War, Programme on the
Chemical Biology, Laboratory
Chemical Crystallography Laboratory
Chemistry, Department of
Childhood Cancer Research Group
China Centre, British Inter-University
China Centre, University of Oxford
China Studies Programme, Contemporary
Chinese Studies, Institute for
Classical and Byzantine Studies, Ioannou Centre for
Classical Archaeology & Ancient History, Sub-faculty of
Classical Languages and Literature, Sub-faculty of
Classics, Faculty of
Climate Impacts Programme, UK
Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Nuffield Department of
Clinical Medicine, Nuffield Department of
Clinical Neurology, Department of
Clinical Neurosciences, Nuffield Department of
Clinical Pharmacology, Department of
Clinical Trial Service Unit (CTSU) & Epidemiological Studies Unit
Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine, Centre for
Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, Institute of
Cognitive Neuroscience, Centre for
Comparative Media Law and Policy, Programme in
COMPAS - Centre on Migration, Policy and Society
Computational Biology Group
Computer Science, Department of
Computing Services, Oxford University (OUCS)
Computing, Super (Oxford Supercomputing Centre)
Condensed Matter Physics, Sub-department of
Contemporary China Studies Programme
Continuing Education, Department for
Continuing Professional Development Centre (Department for Continuing Education)
Counselling Service
Criminology, Centre for
Crystallography, Chemical, Laboratory
Czech
Development, International, Department of (Queen Elizabeth House)
Diabetes Research Laboratories
Diabetes Trials Unit
Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Oxford Centre for - OCDEM
Distance and Online Learning
Doctoral Training Centre, Life Sciences Interface
Doctoral Training Centre, Medical Sciences
Donald Baden-Powell Quaternary Research Centre
Drawing and Fine Art, Ruskin School of
Dunn School of Pathology, Sir William
e-Horizons Institute
e-Research Centre, Oxford
Earth Sciences, Department of
Economic and Social History
Economic Governance Programme, Global
Economics, Department of
Economies, African, Centre for the Study of
Economies, Resource-Rich, Oxford Centre for the Analysis of
Education, Continuing (Department for Continuing Education)
Education, Department of
Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology
Emerging Infections, Institute for
Employee Relations, Oxford Institute for
Engineering Science, Department of
Engineering, Biomedical, Oxford Institute of
English Language and Literature, Faculty of
Enterprise and the Environment, Smith School for
Enterprise Centre, Science, Oxford
Entrepreneurship, Social, Skoll Centre for
Environment, School of Geography and the
Environment, Smith School for Enterprise and the
Environmental Change Institute
Epidemiological Studies Unit, Clinical Trial Service Unit (CTSU) &
Epidemiology Unit, Cancer Research UK
Epidemiology, Health-Care, Unit of
Epidemiology, National Perinatal Unit of
ESRC Oxford Spring School in Quantitative Methods for Social Research
Ethics and Communication in Health Care Practice, Oxford Institute for (ETHOX)
Ethics and Philosophy of Law, Centre for (at Corpus Christi College, Merton College and University College)
Ethics of the New Biosciences, Program on
Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, Oxford Institute for
ETHOX - Oxford Institute for Ethics and Communication in Health Care Practice
European and Comparative Law, Institute of
European Humanities Research Centre
European Languages
European Research Group: European Democracies (ERG)
European Studies at Oxford
European Studies Centre (at St Antony's College)
Evidence-Based Medicine, Centre for
Executive Education Centre
Experimental Psychology, Department of
Field Ornithology, Edward Grey Institute of
Financial Research Centre, Oxford
Fine Art, Ruskin School of Drawing and
Foreign Service Programme
French, Sub-Faculty of
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Oxford Centre for - FMRIB
Future of Humanity Institute, Oxford
Future of the Mind, Institute for the
Galician
Gender Studies Centre, International
Gene Function, Oxford Centre for
Genetics Unit
Genetics, Department of Physiology, Anatomy &
Genetics, Human, Wellcome Trust Centre for
Genomics and Global Health, MRC Centre for
Genomics, Structural, Consortium
Geography and the Environment, School of
Geratology, Department of
German, Sub-Faculty of
Global Economic Governance Programme
Global Leaders Fellowship Programme, Oxford-Princeton
Glycobiology Institute
Governance in Africa, Oxford Research Network on
Government, Blavatnik School of
Greek and Roman Drama, Archive of Performances of
Greek Personal Names, Lexicon of
Greek, Medieval and Modern, Sub-faculty of
Griffith Institute
Health Economics Research Centre
Health Services Research Unit
Health-Care Epidemiology, Unit of
Hebrew and Jewish Studies
Hindi
History of Art Department
History of Art, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the
History of Medicine, Wellcome Unit for the
History of Science, Museum of the
History, Ancient, and Classical Archaeology, Sub-faculty of
History, Economic and Social
History, Faculty of
Human Genetics, Wellcome Trust Centre for
Human Sciences, Institute of
Humanities Research Centre, European
Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion
ICT Support Team
Immunochemistry Unit, MRC
Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Oxford Centre for - OCIAM
Inequality and Democracy, Oxford Centre for the Study of
Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity, Centre for
Information Management, Oxford Institute of
Information Technology, Office of the Director of
Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory
Instituto Camões Centre for Portuguese Language
Integrative Systems Biology Centre, Oxford
Intellectual Property Research Centre, Oxford (at St Peter's College)
Interdisciplinary Area Studies, School of
International Development, Department of (Queen Elizabeth House)
International Gender Studies Centre
International Migration Institute
International Programmes (Department for Continuing Education)
International Relations, Department of Politics and
International Studies, Centre for
Internet Institute, Oxford
Ioannou Centre for Classical and Byzantine Studies
Italian, Sub-Faculty of
Japanese Studies, Nissan Institute of
Japanese
Jewish Studies, Hebrew and
John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science
Journalism, Reuters Institute for the Study of
Khalili Research Centre for the Art and Material Culture of the Middle East
Korean Studies
Language Centre
Languages, Asian
Languages, European
Languages, Middle Eastern
Languages, Oriental
Laser Science, Oxford Institute for
Latin American Centre
Law, Faculty of
Law, Institute of European and Comparative
Learning Institute, Oxford
Lexicon of Greek Personal Names
Libraries (Oxford University Library Services)
Life Sciences Interface Doctoral Training Centre
Lifelong Learning, Technology-Assisted (Department for Continuing Education)
Linguistics and Philology, Centre for
Linguistics, Philology & Phonetics, Faculty of
Management, Faculty of
Manor Road Building
Martin School, Oxford
Materials, Department of
Mathematical Biology, Centre for
Mathematical Institute
Mathematics, Oxford Centre for Industrial and Applied - OCIAM
McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics and Public Life
Medical Oncology
Medical School
Medical Sciences Doctoral Teaching Centre
Medical Sciences Teaching Centre
Medicine, Clinical, Nuffield Department of
Medicine, History of, Wellcome Unit for the
Medicine, Molecular, Weatherall Institute of
Medieval and Modern Languages, Faculty of
Metabolic Research Laboratory
Mexican Studies, Centre for
Microbiology Unit
Middle East Centre (at St Antony's College)
Migration Institute, International
Migration, Policy and Society, Centre on - COMPAS
Modern Languages (European)
Molecular Biophysics, Laboratory of
Molecular Medicine, Weatherall Institute of
Molecular Sciences, Oxford Centre for
MRC Anatomical Neuropharmacology Unit
MRC Centre for Genomics and Global Health
Musculoskeletal Sciences, Institute of
Music, Faculty of
Nanoscience for Medicine, Institute of
National Perinatal Epidemiology, Unit of
Natural History, Oxford University Museum of
Neurology, Clinical, Department of
Neuroscience, Cognitive, Centre for
Neurosciences, Clinical, Nuffield Department of
Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies
Nuffield Department of Anaesthetics
Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences
Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine
Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences
Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences
Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences
Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology
Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Nuffield Department of
Occupational Health Service, University
Ocean Institute, 21st Century
Oncology, Department of
Oncology, Medical
Online and Distance Learning (Department for Continuing Education)
Ophthalmology, Nuffield Laboratory of
Organic Chemistry Laboratory
Oriental Institute
Oriental Studies, Faculty of
Ornithology, Edward Grey Institute of Field
Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Nuffield Department of
Oxford Martin School
Oxford University Press
Oxford-Man Institute of Quantitative Finance
Oxford-Princeton Global Leaders Fellowship Programme
Oxyrhynchus Papyri Project
Paediatrics, Department of
Pain Relief Unit
Parks, University
Particle Physics, Sub-department of
Particle Therapy Cancer Research Institute
Pathogen Research, Peter Medawar Building for
Pathology, Sir William Dunn School of
Performances of Greek and Roman Drama, Archive of
Perinatal Epidemiology, National Unit of
Persian
Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research
Pharmacology, Clinical, Department of
Pharmacology, Department of
Philology, and Phonetics; Faculty of Linguistics,
Philology, Centre for Linguistics and
Philosophy Centre
Philosophy, Faculty of
Phonetics Laboratory
Phonetics; Faculty of Linguistics, Philogy and
Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory
Physics, Department of
Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, Department of
Physiology, Centre for Cellular and Molecular
Pitt Rivers Museum
Plant Sciences, Department of
Polish
Political Ideologies, Centre for
Politics and International Relations, Department of
Population Ageing, Oxford Institute of
Portuguese Language, Instituto Camões Centre for
Portuguese, Sub-Faculty of
Poverty and Human Development Initiative, Oxford
Practical Ethics, Oxford Uehiro Centre for
Press, Oxford University (OUP)
Primary Care Health Sciences, Department of
Probation Studies Unit
Professional Development, Continuing, Centre (Department for Continuing Education)
Professional Service Firms, Centre for
Project to Investigate Memory and Ageing, Oxford - OPTIMA
Psychiatry, Department of
Psychology, Experimental, Department of
Public Health, Department of
Public Policy Unit
Public Programmes (Department for Continuing Education)
Public Services Programme
Quantitative Finance, Oxford-Man Institute of
Quantitative Methods for Social Research, ESRC Oxford Spring School in
Quantum Computation, Centre for
Quaternary Research Centre, Donald Baden-Powell
Queen Elizabeth House (Department of International Development)
Radiation Oncology and Biology, Department of
Ramsey, Ian, Centre for Science and Religion
Refugee Studies Centre
Research Methods in the Social Sciences, Centre for
Research Network on Government in Africa, Oxford
Resource-Rich Economies, Oxford Centre for the Analysis of
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
Rothermere American Institute
Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art
Russian and East European Studies
Russian and Eurasian Studies Centre (at St Antony's College)
Russian, Sub-Faculty of
Sanjaya Lall Programme for Technology and Management for Development
Sanskrit
Saïd Business School
Science and Religion, Ian Ramsey Centre for
Science Enterprise Centre, Oxford
Science, Innovation and Society, Institute for
Science, Museum of the History of
Simulation Centre, Oxford
Sir William Dunn School of Pathology
Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance, Centre for (SKOPE)
Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship
Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment
Social and Cultural Anthropology, Institute of
Social Entrepreneurship, Skoll Centre for
Social Justice, Centre for the Study of
Social Policy and Intervention, Department of
Socio-Legal Studies, Centre for
Sociology, Department of
Software Engineering Programme
South Asian Studies
Spanish, Sub-Faculty of
Statistics, Department of
Stem Cell Institute, Oxford
Stroke Prevention Research Unit
Structural Biology, Division of
Structural Genomics Consortium
Study of African Economies, Centre for the
Study of Ancient Documents, Centre for the
Study of Inequality and Democracy, Centre for the
Study of Journalism, Reuters Institute for the
Study of Social Justice, Centre for the
Study of the Book, Centre for
Supercomputing Centre, Oxford
Surgical Sciences, Nuffield Department of
21st Century Ocean Institute
Taxation, Centre for Business
Technology and Management for Development, Sanjaya Lall Programme for
Technology-Assisted Lifelong Learning (Department for Continuing Education)
Theology, Ethics and Public Life; McDonald Centre for
Theology, Faculty of
Theoretical Physics, Rudolf Peierls Centre for
Transport Studies Unit
Transport, Institute for Carbon and Energy Reduction in
Tropical Medicine, Clinical Vaccinology and, Centre for
Turkish
Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, Oxford
UK Climate Impacts Programme
Urdu
Visual Studies, Centre for
Voltaire Foundation
War, Oxford Leverhulme Programme on the Changing Character of
Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine
Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics
Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine
Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU)
Yiddish
Zoology, Department of
Clubs and societies
Clubs and societies of the University of Oxford and Oxford student sports clubs
Some of the most well-known and oldest societies of the university include:
- Oxford University A.F.C. (association football club)
- Oxford University Boat Club (rowing club participating in The Boat Race)
- Oxford University Cricket Club (Cricket team whose matches are accorded First Class Status. Participates in The University Match)
- Oxford University Newman Society (Catholic speaker and debating society)
- Oxford University RFC (rugby club participating in the Varsity Match)
- Oxford University Scientific Society
- Oxford University Student Union
- Oxford University Conservative Association
- Oxford University Liberal Democrats
- Oxford University Labour Club
- Oxford University Ski and Snowboard Club (Governing club of the Varsity Trip)
- Stubbs Society (historical society)
- Bullingdon Club (not affiliated)
- Oxford Union Society (not affiliated)
Media
- Cherwell (Student publication)
- Isis (Student publication)
- Oxford Student Publications Limited (Student publishing house)
- The Owl Journal (Student publication)
- Journal of the Oxford University History Society (academic journal)
- Oxford University Press (world's largest university press)
- Oxide Radio (Student radio station)
- The Oxford Student (Student publication)
- The Oxonian Review of Books (Graduate student publication)
- The Triple Helix Oxford (Student publication)
- The Oxymoron (Satirical student publication)
Buildings and parks
Buildings and structures in Oxford, Churches in Oxford and Parks and open spaces in Oxford
- Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
- Oxford University Parks
- Radcliffe Camera
- Rhodes Trust, the centre of the Rhodes Scholarship
- Sheldonian Theatre
- Tom Tower
- University Church of St Mary the Virgin
- Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum
Other institutions
There are other higher and further education institutions in Oxford, including various independent "colleges", not associated with the University. These include Oxford Brookes University; Ruskin College, Oxford – an adult education college – which, although not part of the University of Oxford, has close links with it; and the former Lady Spencer Churchill teaching college (now the Wheatley campus of Oxford Brookes).
The University of Oxford is an Educational Alliance Partner of the Meade 4M Community which supports the University's 'Project Jetwatch' program.
Oxford in literature and other media
Main article: University of Oxford in popular culture
Oxford University is the setting for numerous works of fiction. Oxford was mentioned in fiction as early as 1400 when Chaucer in his Canterbury Tales referred to a "Clerk [student] of Oxenford": "For him was levere have at his beddes heed/ Twenty bookes, clad in blak or reed,/ of Aristotle and his philosophie/ Than robes riche, or fithele, or gay sautrie". As of 1989, 533 Oxford-based novels had been identified, and the number continues to rise. Famous literary works range from Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh, to the trilogy His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, which features an alternate-reality version of the University. Sir Humphrey Appleby, GCB, KBE, MVO, MA (Oxon) attended the fictional Baillie College in Yes Minister, and The Complete Yes Minister book's introduction, dated September 2019, was written from the equally fictitious Hacker College.
Photo of University
No comments:
Post a Comment