Kingston University is a range of undergraduate and postgraduate work spread across seven faculties as well as some further education provisions

Kingston University

Kingston University
Established	1992 – gained University Status 1899 – Kingston Technical Institute
Type	Public
Endowment	£1.45m
Chancellor	Sir Peter Hall
Vice-Chancellor	Professor Julius Weinberg
Students	23,135
Undergraduates	18,200
Postgraduates	4,805
Other students	130 FE
Location	Kingston upon Thames, England, United Kingdom
Campus	Urban
Colours	Blue and Black
Sports	Kingston University Boat Club
Website	www.kingston.ac.uk

Kingston University  is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992.

Campuses are located in Kingston and Roehampton. There is a range of undergraduate and postgraduate work spread across seven faculties, as well as some further education provisions.

History

The Kingston Technical Institute opened in 1899. A School of Art in Kingston was founded in the 1890s. In 1970 the two institutions were merged in Kingston Polytechnic, which was granted university status under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992.

Campuses

Penrhyn Road

Main building, Penrhyn Road campus

This is the main university campus located close to Kingston town centre. In addition to teaching facilities, it features a library, health centre and canteen. Students based here study; Arts and Social Sciences, Civil Engineering, Computing and Information Systems and Mathematics, Earth Sciences and Geography, Statistics, Science, and Radiography. Across the road is the Reg Bailey Theatre which houses a stage area used by drama and dance students. Recent developments on this site has seen the opening of the John Galsworthy Building, providing extra teaching and office space.

The site also features Kingston University Students' Union (KUSU), which, next door to is Penrhyn road's Student Union bar, The Space Bar. Penrhyn Road also houses the recently refurbished Fitness Centre. A short walk from the campus is Cooper House, also known as the Student Information and Advice Centre, which houses a number of student services and administration departments as well as the credit control department who collect tuition and other fees.

There are the usual facilities on the main campus for printing, health and fitness, shops and cafes. A free bus service for students runs between the campuses and Kingston town centre.

Kingston Hill

Kingston Hill campus, Kingston University

This campus underwent a major redevelopment in 1997. With its own halls and numerous car parks (including the main seven storey car park) Kingston Hill mainly caters to Nursing, Law, Education, Business, Music, Health and Social Sciences. Located near the top of Kingston Hill, it connects to the other campus sites by use of a free University Bus service. Recent development at this site has seen an extension to the current Learning Resources Centre. Massive construction projects took place and recently a new modern building in memory on John Galsworthy was finished. Prior to 1989, this campus was known as Gipsy Hill.

The music department is situated in Coombehurst House, which was once owned by Florence Nightingale's aunt and uncle. Nightingale was a frequent visitor to the house and indeed the new Learning Resource Centre on Kingston Hill was named the Nightingale Centre after her.

Knights Park

Knights Park campus

This campus, located on Grange Road, close to Penrhyn Road, is the home of the University's Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture, and provides undergraduate courses in Architecture, Art & Design History, Interior Design, Product & Furniture, Graphic Design, Filmmaking, Photography, Illustration & Animation, Fine Art and Fashion amongst others. The facility also features a student bar, café and arts library. The building is on the River Hogsmill (the banks of which were immortalised in the Pre-Raphaelite painting of Ophelia (painting) by John Everett Millais). The 'Middle Mill' hall of residence is situated across from the campus, close to the University's Stanley Picker Gallery.

Roehampton Vale

Roehampton Vale campus

The Roehampton Vale campus is based on Friars Avenue, on the outskirts of Kingston. Students studying all Engineering courses (except for Civil Engineering) are based here. Facilities on site include a wind tunnel, engineering workshops, flight simulator, a flying condition Learjet-200 plus automotive and aeronautical learning resources. Recent development at this site has seen the opening of the Hawker Wing, providing further teaching space.

Other locations

In addition to the four main campuses are three administration buildings: Cooper House near the Penrhyn Road Campus, Millennium House and River House in Kingston town centre – the latter is so named as it is overlooks the River Thames and includes the office of the Vice-Chancellor.

Academics

Faculties

Teaching and research are organised in five faculties.

Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture

Based at the Knights Park campus, the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture can be traced back to the original School of Art in Kingston which was founded in the 1890s. The Dean of Faculty is Dr Simon Ofield.

The faculty delivers both Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes of study across the following schools – Architecture & Landscape, Art & Design History, Fine Art, Surveying & Planning, 3D Design and Communication Design. The Faculty also has a school of Foundation Studies which delivers the BTEC Foundation in Art and Design which prepares undergraduate students for entry into honours degree Art and Design programmes.

Galleries

The Stanley Picker Gallery is the Faculty's exhibition space which is now used to present a variety of research-based projects, fellowships and exhibitions.

In 2003, the Stanley Picker Gallery gave birth to transitstation, which was created/curated by Stanley Picker Fellow Dagmar Glausnitzer-Smith, and the then gallery curator Charles Ryder.

In 2003, The Director of Foundation Studies in Art and Design, Paul Stafford, converted a run-down public convenience in Kingston town centre into The Toilet Gallery.

Kingston University also runs Dorich House which houses a huge collection of sculptor Dora Gordine's work, plus fine examples of Russian Imperial art and furniture. Dorich House is also used as meeting and conference venue.

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Primarily based at the Penrhyn Road campus, although as part of a restructure in 2005, the faculty also incorporates the now former School of Music and the School of Education which are both based at the Kingston Hill Campus. The faculty offers a 15-credit (30 for special studies and dissertations) modular degree system for undergraduate courses, and a range of taught and research postgraduate programmes of study.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Masters by Research (MA) degrees can be undertaken in any of the following areas – Drama, Dance, Creative Writing, Criminology, Economics, Education, English Literature, European Studies, Film Studies, History, Human Rights, Journalism, Linguistics and Languages, Media, Music, Politics, Psychology, Sociology.

Faculty of Business and Law

Based at the Kingston Hill campus and incorporating the Kingston University Business School and Kingston Law School. The dean is Professor Jean-Noël Ezingeard. The Faculty is home to almost 5,000 students.

The Faculty of Business and Law offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses as well as executive education in the five following groupings: Law, Accounting and Finance, Informatics and Operations Management / Business, Information Technology, Leadership, Human Resources and Organisation and Strategy, Marketing and Entrepreneurship.

The faculty also offers PhD and DBA research degrees in addition to its MBA programme. The Business School was the first in the world to receive AMBA accreditation for its MBA, DBA and Masters in Business Management. Other accreditations include the Law Society, the Bar Council, CIMA, CIPD.

Faculty of Health and Social Care Sciences

A collaboration with St George's, University of London (SGUL), the faculty is based at St. George's Hospital in Tooting, and Kingston Hill (KH) and Penrhyn Road (PR) at Kingston University. Subjects offered include all branches of Nursing (KH), Midwifery (KH), Paramedic Sciences (SGUL), Physiotherapy (SGUL), Diagnostic Radiography (PR), Therapeutic Radiography (PR) and Social Work (KH), along with postgraduate and Continuing Professional Development courses for those already employed in the healthcare profession.

Degrees within the Faculty of Health and Social Care are awarded by either Kingston University (Nursing, Social Work, Midwifery) or the University of London (Radiography and Physiotherapy).

Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing

The Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing was formed in summer 2011. The Faculty is composed of eight schools: Aerospace and Aircraft Engineering; Civil Engineering and Construction; Computing and Information Systems; Geography, Geology and Environment; Life Sciences; Mathematics; Mechanical and Automotive Engineering; and Pharmacy and Chemistry.

The Faculty's teaching is split between undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Students benefit from extensive facilities at the Roehampton Vale campus including a Learjet 25, flight simulator, wind tunnel and automotive workshops including a range of vehicles and testing facilities.

The current dean is Professor Edith Sim.

Research

The Faculty of Arts & Design runs a number of research centres:

• Contemporary Art Research Centre ("CARC")
• Colour Design Research Centre
• Screen Design Research Centre
• Modern Interiors Research Design
• Sustainable Design Research Centre
• Centre for the Contemporary Visual & Material Culture
• Curating Contemporary Design Research Group
• Real Estate Research Group
• Fashion Industry Research Centre

The Faculty of Business & Law has a number of specialist research units which cover the principal business disciplines. It achieved the highest grade point average of all post-1992 University Business Schools in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. These research units include: Asia Business Research Centre, Business-to-Business Marketing Research Centre, Centre for Insolvency Law and Policy, Centre for Working Life Research, Consumer Research Unit, Marketing in New Contexts Group, Small Business Research Centre, Centre for Research in Employment, Skills & Society, Institute of Leadership & Management in Health.

The Faculty of Computing, Information Systems & Mathematics' research interests are spread across a wide range of topics, from emerging wireless and network technologies for healthcare, computationally intensive computer vision to computer-based learning technologies, networking and mathematics. Research activities are organised into smaller research groups and larger research centres. The three current research centres are:

• Digital Imaging Research Centre (DIRC)
• Mobile Information Networking Technologies (MINT)
• The Mobile Information Engineering and E-Med Systems group, is part of the MINT Research centre. It conducts research in the areas of bio-information systems and the application of emerging mobile and network technologies for health care systems. The group is active both nationally and internationally. The group brings together clinicians, engineers, and scientists in information and communication technologies for medicine and solutions to health care problems.

The Faculty of Engineering places emphasis on commercially useful research with significant funding from external bodies. The faculty has three research centres –

• Aerospace Research Centre
• Applied Engineering Research Centre
• Sustainable Technology Research Centre

Student life

Students' Union

Kingston University Students' Union (KUSU) is a charitable organisation in place primarily to represent the student body and provide services and activities beneficial to that body. They are a student union in the mearning of the term given in the Education Act 1994 and whilst independent of the university are funded by a compulsory block grant from them.

The main offices are housed on the Penrhyn Road campus along with the 'Space' bar and the Penrhyn Road Students' Union shop. From their head office Kingston University Students' Union represents student views to the University through membership on university committees and the board of governors.

They also support students to enhance their experience at university through sports, societies and volunteering. Over 30 sports clubs and 70 societies are operated by KUSU and the volunteering department is the largest supplier of volunteers for the Royal Borough of Kingston. KUSU also offers independent advice (including Citizens' Advice) and representation through their Student Support services. They can advise on a range of issues from Housing to Academic Misconduct. This department also delivers a course rep system to the university's 26,000

KUSU runs 3 bars and 2 shops and the money is reinvested in the student benefit. Hannafords bar is located on Kingston Hill along with the Kingston Hill shop. Penrhyn Road is host to the space bar, KUSU's largest venue and the penrhyn road shop. Knights Park boasts a popular bar set on the bank of the Hogsmill river.

The Students' Union is run by an executive committee composed of mostly part time officers. The four full time elected officers take a sabbatical year to work full time for the Students' Union as President, Vice President Education, Vice President Activities and Vice President Communications.

Elections are held every year to elect a new executive committee and KUSU is in the process of registering as a charity.

Halls of residence

The University has six halls of residence. Chancellors' and Walkden are based at the Kingston Hill campus. Middle Mill is adjacent to Knights Park campus, while Clayhill and Seething Wells are on opposite sides of Surbiton. Finally, there is Kingston Bridge House which is situated on the edge of Bushy Park at the Hampton Wick end of Kingston Bridge, London.

There are also contracted out halls of residence which are not owned by the university but licensed by them. IQ Wave halls were contracted due to Rennie being demolished to make way for a new education building at Kingston Hill.

The university operates a "headed tenancy" scheme in which the university sublets local properties to students from landlords.

Controversies

National Student Survey exaggeration

In 2008, an audio recording obtained by student media included two psychology lecturers asking students to inflate their graded opinions given as part of the National Student Survey. One member of staff was recorded as encouraging students to boost specific satisfaction scores, because "if Kingston comes down the bottom [of the league tables], then the bottom line is that nobody is going to want to employ you because they are going to think your degree is shit". In response, Vice-Chancellor Peter Scott confirmed that the recording was genuine but added that he believed that the incident was an isolated one. In July 2008, the Higher Education Funding Council of England removed the University's Department of Psychology of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences from the League Tables for the year as its sanction for having fraudulently manipulated the National Student Survey results.

External examiner controversy

In 2008, the BBC obtained e-mails circulated within Kingston's School of Music, relating to the opinions of an external examiner moderating the BMus course. The messages showed that her final report caused considerable concern within the department. The examiner was persuaded to moderate her criticism following contact from a member of the University's staff. The e-mails also detailed a plan to replace her (at the end of her term) with a more experienced and broad-based external examiner, a process which Kingston stressed breaks no rules relating to the appointment of such examiners. In October 2008, Peter Williams, Chief Executive of the UK Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), presented the agency's findings to a Parliamentary Select Committee charged with investigating standards in British higher education. Following an investigation of the allegations by a former University staff member that undue pressure was applied to the School of Music's External Examiner, QAA upheld all charges of wrongdoing, as alleged.

Notable people

Notable faculty and staff

Henry Bond

David Chipperfield

Lawrence Dallaglio

Nick Hornby

Glenda Bailey

• Henry Bond, Senior Lecturer in Photography
• Scott Bradfield, Lecturer in Literature
• Brian Brivati, Visiting Professor
• Brycchan Carey, Reader in English Literature
• Peter J. Conradi, Professor Emeritus
• Alex Ellery, Senior Lecturer in Astronautics and Space Systems
• Philippa Gregory, Fellow
• Todd Swift, Lecturer in Creative Writing
• Robert Istepanian, Professor of Data Communications
• Catherine McDermott, Professor of Design
• Jane Manning, Visiting Professor
• Peter Osborne, Professor of Philosophy
• Paul Andrew Williams, Film studies lecturer.

Notable alumni

• Aphex Twin, musician Richard David James (did not graduate)
• Richard Archer, musician, singer and songwriter, Hard-Fi
• Glenda Bailey, journalist, Editor in Chief, Harper's Bazaar
• Tony Ball, marketer, former Chief Executive of BSkyB
• Fiona Banner, artist, Turner Prize nominee
• Felipe Oliveira Baptista, fashion designer
• Ben Barnes, actor
• David Chipperfield, architect
• John Bratby, artist
• Sam Chan, actor
• Eason Chan, singer (did not graduate)
• Eric Clapton, musician (did not graduate)
• Lawrence Dallaglio, rugby union player
• Gail Emms, badminton player, Commonwealth Gold and Olympic Silver medallist
• Trevor Eve, actor (did not graduate)
• Anya Gallaccio, artist
• Lavinia Greenlaw, poet and novelist
• Karen Hall, illustrator
• Jim Holdaway, illustrator
• Stewart Home, artist and novelist
• Nick Hornby, novelist
• Laura Harling, actor
• Charles Ingram, British novelist, made famous by cheating on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
• James Irvine, product designer
• Just Jack, musician
• Graeme Le Saux, footballer
• Ed McKeever, Kayak World Champion
• Jasper Morrison, product designer
• Laura Noble, art writer and gallerist
• Keith Relf, lead singer of The Yardbirds
• John Richmond, fashion designer
• Fletcher Sibthorp, artist
• Francis Yeoh, businessman, Chief Executive Officer of YTL Corporation

Faculties

• Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture
• Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
• Faculty of Business and Law
• Faculty of Health and Social Care Sciences
• Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing

 

Courses

Undergraduate courses

• Architecture and Landscape
• Art and Design
• Business
• Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Computing
• Drama, Dance, Film, TV and Music
• Economics
• Education
• Engineering
• Environment
• Geography/Geographical Information Systems
• Geology and Earth Sciences
• Health and Social Care Sciences
• History, Human Rights and Politics
• Humanities
• Journalism, Media and Communication
• Law
• Life Sciences
• Management
• Mathematics and Statistics
• Psychology, Criminology and Sociology
• Sports Sciences
• Surveying and Planning

 Postgraduate courses

• Accounting, Finance and Banking
• Architecture and Landscape
• Art and Design 
• Business
• Business Information Technology
• Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Computing and Information Systems
• Creative Industries and the Creative Economy
• Digital Media
• Economics
• Education
• Engineering
• Environment and Hazards
• Geographical Information Systems and Science
• Healthcare
• Human Resource Management
• Humanities
• Law
• Life Sciences 
• Management (General)
• Marketing
• Music
• Performance, Film, Media and Cultural Studies
• Social Sciences
• Social Work
• Surveying and Planning

Foundation courses

What is the difference between the foundation programmes at Kingston?

1Preparatory year for science, engineering or computing and mathematics

If you want to study a science, engineering or computing and mathematics subject, but don't have the right qualifications, you can include a preparatory year of study within your degree.

The integrated foundation year provides an alternative entry route if:

• you have studied an advanced course, such as A-levels, but not in science or computing and mathematics areas;
• you studied relevant subjects at an advanced level, but didn't get high enough grades;
• you're a mature student without the formal entry qualifications needed for university; or
• you want to refresh your knowledge and study skills before starting Year 1.

The foundation year is taught at Kingston University for engineering degrees. It is taught at Kingston College2 for science, maths and computing degrees.

View our course pages for more information:

• Computing and Mathematics foundation year 3
• Engineering foundation year4
• Science foundation year5

1International Foundation Year (IFY)

The International Foundation Year6 is for international students who do not meet the entry requirements for an undergraduate degree at Kingston. It will prepare you for a wide range of courses in subject areas ranging from engineering, computing and mathematics to science. Teaching takes place at the International Study Centre7.

1Art and Design (Foundation) Diploma

This one-year course will prepare you for entry to degree-level art and design programmes.

If you would like to progress to a BA(Hons) art and design degree at Kingston, you can have a pre-UCAS interview for a place at the University (subject to the content and standard of your work). View the Art and Design (Foundation) Diploma8 course pages for more information.

We also run a 13-week intensive foundation course9 each summer for international students, with direct entry onto our BA(Hons) courses.

1Work-based foundation degrees

Foundation degrees are a new type of qualification that let you undertake academic studies while you're employed. Foundation degrees:

• are assessed partly on work-based learning;
• have flexible entry requirements and study times; and
• run for two years full-time (or at least three years part-time).

Once you've completed the foundation degree, you have the option of taking your studies further to honours level.

1What foundation programmes are available for 2012 entry?

Foundation programmes for 2012 entry include:

• Aircraft Engineering introductory year, foundation degree FdEng and top-up year BSc(Hons)
• Aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul introductory year, foundation degree FdEng and top-up year BSc(Hons)
• Art and Design (Foundation) Diploma
• Art and Design Foundation Degree (FdA)
• Biomedical Science FdSc
• Breast Imaging FdSc
• Business and Law Administration FdA
• Business and Professional Administration FdA
• Child Centred Interprofessional Practice FdA
• Children's Special Educational Needs Foundation Degree FdA
• Computing and Mathematics foundation year3
• Early Years: Foundation Degree FdA
• Early Years: Management and Leadership FdA
• Engineering Foundation with pathways in Aerospace, Civil, Mechanical Engineering
• Engineering HND with pathways in Aerospace, Automotive or Mechanical Engineering
• Historic Building Conservation FdSc and BSc top-up
• International Intensive Foundation: Art & Design
• International Intensive Foundation: Art & Design with English
• IT for E-Business FdSc
• IT Support FdSc
• Medical Technologies FdSc
• Paramedic Science FdSc
• Pharmaceutical and Chemical Sciences FdSc
• Science foundation year

Research programmes

Research degrees

Kingston University degrees1 offer a flexible approach to carrying out research. They allow you to study on a full-time basis or to combine your research studies with employment.

We carry out a wide range of research activities2 at Kingston, ranging from traditional academic disciplines to more contemporary problems or developments.

Why choose Kingston?

Research students at Kingston benefit from:

• the opportunity to acquire specialist subject and more general key skills to enhance your future career prospects;
• a supportive3 research environment, centred on focused research groups;
• top-quality teaching4 and staff who are active researchers themselves;
• a regular programme of specialist subject and interdisciplinary research seminars5, plus the chance to circulate your research findings to the wider academic community; and
• massive investment in our learning resources and facilities6.

Plus central London is only 25 minutes away by train, offering world-class libraries and archives as well as cultural and leisure activities.

Short courses

Enrol on a short course at Kingston University to develop your academic skills, improve specific subject knowledge, pursue a personal interest or just try something new!  

Our flexible courses and qualifications are taught through intensive programmes, day and evening sessions and a Summer School across our four campuses.

Kingston University is the largest provider of higher education in south-west London, with an excellent reputation for teaching. As well as first-class educational provision, the University offers a range of amenities and facilities for community use.  

We also run programmes and bespoke training that specifically support business and professional development.

Download the Kingston University short courses and continuing professional development guide for Autumn/Winter 2011 (PDF).

For further information, please contact enterprise@kingston.ac.uk.

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Short courses by subject

• Architecture and landscape
• Art and design
• Assessment of Professional Competency (APC) for surveyors
• Business (for individuals)
• Business (executive development for companies)
• Chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences
• Computing and information systems
• Education
• Engineering
• Environment and hazards
• Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and science
• Healthcare (NHS)
• Healthcare training
• Human resource management
• Journalism, media and communication
• Languages
• Law
• Life sciences
• Management (for individuals)
• Management (executive development for companies)
• Marketing
• Mathematics and statistics
• Music (djembe and gamelan)
• Social sciences
• Social work
• Surveying and planning
• TV production

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Short courses by faculty/department

• Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture
• Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
• Faculty of Business and Law
• Faculty of Healthcare and Social Care Sciences
• Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing
• Sustainability

Arts and culture

Arts and culture at Kingston University

These pages show you the range of creative and cultural activity across the University, and celebrate our belief that the arts are essential to the enjoyment, understanding and development of our community and of society as a whole.
Here you can view examples of our exciting new work in writing, art and design, music, dance and drama, and browse the future events list to see what's coming up in exhibitions, screenings, talks and performances. You will find distinguished visiting writers and artists from Britain and beyond coming to the University, and will have the chance to see work from the professionals of the future in the best of our student work.
Events are open to all – members of the public as well as students and staff – and we hope you will take advantage of the richness of our artistic and cultural offering.

Discover arts and culture at Kingston

• Art and design
• Dance
• Drama
• Fashion
• Literature and writing 
• Moving image
• Music

 

 

 

 

Art and design at Kingston

Art and design at Kingston University has a long and successful history, with the original school of art founded in the 1890s. We are committed to the future and building a reputation locally, nationally and internationally.
We have two galleries at our Knights Park campus – Platform, our foyer gallery, which has a constantly changing exhibition of work; and the Stanley Picker Gallery2, which organises an acclaimed programme of international exhibitions and events. We also have a collection of sculpture, painting and decorative art at Dorich House3 – a museum run by the University. Over the years we have established strong links with, amongst others, the BFI and the Design Museum.

Distinguished associates

Paola Antonelli  has an honorary doctorate from Kingston University. She is currently a curator at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Her goal is to promote the understanding of design, until its positive influence on the world is fully acknowledged.

Fiona Banner has an honorary doctorate from Kingston University. Her work encompasses sculpture, drawing and installation but text remains at the heart of her practice. Much of her art explores the problems and possibilities of written language.

Michael Day has an honorary doctorate from Kingston University. In 2003, he became chief executive of Historic Royal Palaces, the education and conservation charity responsible for the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and the Banqueting House in Whitehall.

James Irvine has an honorary doctorate from Kingston University. He is currently professor for industrial design at the Hochschule für Gestaltung, Karlsruhe. His design studio in Milan has worked with various internationally-renowed companies, including Alfi, Canon Japan, Muji and Whirlpool.

Michele de Lucchi has an honorary doctorate from Kingston University. In 1990, De Lucchi set up Produzione Privata, a small-scale concern through which he, unsolicited by clients, designs products that are made using artisan techniques and crafts.

Jasper Morrison has an honorary doctorate from Kingston University. His design company – Jasper Morrison Ltd – is currently based in London and Paris, and has an impressive international client list. He has recently exhibited in Tokyo, Paris, Palermo and Athens.

Helen Storey is a Kingston graduate who was nominated for British Designer of the Year in 1990 and 1991. She set up The Helen Storey Foundation in 1997 to promote creativity, innovation, and science through the arts, as well as new models for teaching and learning.

Dance at Kingston

We have regular public performances at the Kingston Performing Arts Centre and the Rose Theatre, and perform in the International Youth Arts and Kingston Dance Festivals. Our accelerated learning programme provides weekly classes such as Zumba, break dance, ballet, contemporary dance, Glee show choir, bhangra and yoga. Taught by some of the best teachers in London, all classes are open to Kingston students and members of the local community (subject to space).
We have over 50 work experience partners in and around the London area. To date, we have fostered business and creative links with over 30 educational and corporate entities, including London Southbank Centre, Salon International, London Contemporary Dance School, The Rose Theatre and New Adventures Dance Company.

Distinguished associates

Matthew Bourne was awarded an honorary doctorate by Kingston University in 2011. He is the creator of the all male swans production of Swan Lake – the world’s longest running ballet – a five-time Olivier Award winner and a Tony Award winner.

Drama at Kingston

Our drama department provides a wealth of productions, dramatic readings, masterclasses and talks, drawing on its vibrant student groups as well as its strong community of professional practitioners and scholars. We have been closely linked with Kingston’s Rose Theatre from its earliest beginnings; and the Rose’s artistic director, Stephen Unwin, is one of our visiting professors.
Our students have performed alongside Judi Dench in Peter Hall’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and in Stephen Unwin’s As You Like It. The department performs regularly at the Rose’s Culture Café, as well as at the Edinburgh Fringe, Kingston’s International Youth Arts Festival2 and at other festivals in Brighton and Camden. Regular performances in the University’s studio theatre display the excitement, creativity and sheer talent of our students. We hope you will come and enjoy these events with us.

Fashion at Kingston

Fashion is a fascinating and complex phenomenon; an expression of what people feel and think. It’s about evolution and radical change, a unique mix of design, marketing, media and business with cultural, social, historical, economic and even political influences. Creative people working in fashion are barometers of their times – anticipating and generating change.
The taste for newness creates unprecedented challenges for new designers. In order to satisfy an increasingly sophisticated and discerning market, the design process must build, more than ever, on serious consideration of consumers’ needs and desires.

Distinguished associates

Glenda Bailey has been editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar since 2001, having quickly established herself as a force in fashion publishing after graduating from Kingston University in 1983. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2008.

Caryn Franklin shot to prominence as presenter of BBC’s The Clothes Show. The Kingston graduate has now worked in the fashion industry for more than 25 years and is co-chair of the award-winning Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign.

John Richmond is a Kingston graduate who has emerged as one of the most important and creative fashion designers in the world. After completing his studies at Kingston, he created a collection under his own name and became a leading exponent of the British avant-garde.
Helen Storey is a Kingston graduate who was nominated for British Designer of the Year in 1990 and 1991. She set up The Helen Storey Foundation in 1997 to promote creativity, innovation, and science through the arts, as well as new models for teaching and learning.

Literature and writing at Kingston

Literature and writing covers a range of activity across an open and vibrant community of writers and scholars. Staff in literature, journalism, creative writing, publishing and media include many award-winning fiction and non-fiction writers, poets, scriptwriters, journalists and internationally respected scholars who are engaged with students and the public as well as their academic and professional audiences.
We offer a rich and varied programme of activities that is open to students and the public throughout the week. Events include guest lectures and readings, masterclasses and seminars. See below to explore the diversity and quality of our activity, and join us at any of the events or perhaps enrol on one of our short courses2.
Read about the special collections3 at Kingston University Archives, including the Sheridan Morley collection.

Distinguished associates

Paul Bailey has been shortlisted twice for the Booker Prize and won a clutch of other awards. His work focuses on the often grim lives of families and outcasts. His novels include At the Jerusalem; Peter Smart's Confessions; Gabriel's Lament; Sugar Cane; and Kitty and Virgil.

Andy Beckett was shortlisted in 2003 for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year for his first book Pinochet in Piccadilly: Britain and Chile's Hidden History. In 2009 he published the widely-acclaimed When the Lights Went Out: Britain in the Seventies.

Dr Eva Hoffman is an internationally-renowned writer and academic. Her most important publications include The Secret (2002) and Time (2009). She teaches at Kingston, offering MA students the chance to study the personal essay as well as supervising dissertations.

Dr Barrie Keeffe is an English dramatist and screenwriter, best-known for his screenplay for the 1981 film The Long Good Friday. Barrie provides extra lectures, workshops and tutorials for MA and MFA students, and supervises MA dissertations.

Alexander Masters is the writer and illustrator of Stuart: A Life Backwards, the innovative biography of a young man who became a criminal and lived homeless. It won an Arts Council Writers' Award and Guardian First Book Award.

Dr Fiona Sampson has published 15 books, including works of poetry, and volumes on the philosophy of language and the writing process. Her poetry has been published and broadcast in more than 30 languages.

Dr Elif Şhafak is an internationally-acclaimed writer and the bestselling female writer in Turkey, publishing novels and non-fiction in Turkish as well as English. Her novels in English include The Saint of Incipient Insanities, The Flea Palace andThe Bastard of Istanbul.

Moving image at Kingston

Our activity covers a wide range, including film, television, new broadcasting media, animation, and design for film and television. Staff are both high level practitioners, working in the professions as well as with students, and academic researchers in such areas as early cinema, film and philosophy, contemporary Hollywood and American Quality Television.
Our practice-based work includes sound design, community-based film and photography projects, and international documentaries. We have affiliations with the BFI and the Natural History Museum, and are one of the founder members of w.in.c films, an independent collective of women filmmakers. We offer many events based on talks, screenings and masterclasses, which are open to the public as well as to all staff and students.

Distinguished associates

Shelley Page has an honorary doctorate from Kingston University. She has been working in the field of feature animation since 1986 and is currently head of international outreach for DreamWorks Animation (USA) based in London.

Paul Andrew Williams is one of the most exciting new British filmmakers working today, and a Visiting Professor in Film at Kingston. His breakthrough feature, London to Brighton (2006), was described by The Guardian as "the best British film of the year".

Music at Kingston

Our music department has expertise across the spectrum of contemporary music – from classical to popular, from main stream to avant-garde, from the concert hall to music for film and TV, from notated to improvised and from acoustic to electroacoustic.
Technology, intermedia and multimedia productions, and live performance are the hallmarks of music at Kingston – we like a challenge. We are part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad with a project called 'Bodies in Motion', making reference not only to the athletics but also to the work of pioneering photographer Eadweard Muybridge (1830–1904), who was born and died in Kingston. It will be a multimedia production making use of all the diverse talents in our team of students and staff.

Distinguished associates

Charlie Dark is founder of the revolutionary Blacktronica collective and one-third of the critically-acclaimed ensemble Attica Blues. In addition to his work as a musician, he plays a dynamic part in the UK’s poetry and performance arena as a writer, producer and teacher.

Photo of University