University of Central Lancashire

Motto

Latin: Ex solo ad solem

Motto in English

"From the Ground to the Sun"

Established

1828 - Institution for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge established
1992 - University status granted

Type

Public

Chancellor

Sir Richard Evans

Vice-Chancellor

Dr Malcolm McVicar

Students

34,863

Undergraduates

26,734

Postgraduates

8,129

Location

Preston, England
Coordinates: 53°45′47″N 2°42′27″W / 53.763021°N 2.7074°W

Campus

Urban

Colours

Affiliations

Million+

Website

www.uclan.ac.uk

The University of Central Lancashire (or UCLan) is a university based in Preston, Lancashire, England.

The university has its roots in The Institution For The Diffusion Of Useful Knowledge which was founded in 1828. Subsequently known as Harris Art College, then Preston Polytechnic, then Lancashire Polytechnic, in 1992 it was granted University status by the Privy Council. The university is the fourteenth largest in the UK in terms of student numbers.

History

The Institution for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge was founded in 1828 by Joseph Livesey's Temperance Society. The society was born from a pledge made by seven Preston working men (whose names can be seen on a plaque in the university's library) to never again consume alcohol.

The Institute was housed in a classical-revivalist building on Cannon Street, before eventually expanding under the endowment of a local lawyer, Edmund Robert Harris, who died in 1877. The expansion brought with it several new buildings and houses in the nearby Regent Street were purchased and demolished as a consequence. The institute became a regional centre of excellence for the arts and sciences.

As part of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1897, the Institute's trustees paid the Victorian/Edwardian architect Henry Cheers to design the "Victoria Jubilee Technical School" (later known as the Harris Institute and now known as the Harris Building), to be built on Corporation Street. Its goal was to provide local youths with a technical education in all areas. The building was progressive for the period, being powered entirely by electricity.

The Institute existed in this state until 1932 when it changed its name to become the Harris Art College. It underwent further expansion and in 1952 and became the Harris College. In 1973 this became Preston Polytechnic then the Lancashire Polytechnic in 1984. In 1992, full university status was awarded and the University of Central Lancashire came into existence.

The Journalism division, now part of the School of Journalism, Media and Communication, is one of the oldest in the country, opening as part of the Harris College in 1962. In 1991, it became one of the first to teach journalism undergraduate degrees, with a strong emphasis on practical work.

University structure

The Harris Building, built in 1897

The Adelphi Building

The University contains the following schools:

Art, Design and Performance
Built and Natural Environment
Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences
Dentistry
Education and Social Science
Forensic and Investigative Sciences
Health
Journalism, Media and Communication, University of Central Lancashire
Lancashire Business School
Lancashire Law School
Languages and International Studies
Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences
Psychology
School of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education
Social Work
Sport, Tourism and the Outdoors

International collaborations

Via partnerships with local organizations, students have the possibility to register to UCLan undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in almost twenty countries on the globe, in Europe, Africa, Asia, the middle-East and the USA. In some of the partnerships, students have the possibility to study an entire programme of studies, for instance a Bachelor from Year 1 to Year 3 included, and thus graduate from the university, without being physically there.

Students' Union

The Students' Union venue, 53 Degrees.

The nightclub and live music venue at the Students' Union, '53 Degrees', has two floors with a bar on each and often hosts top bands. Across two rooms, total capacities are 1,200 & 400 for club nights and 1,500 and 400 for all live gigs. The adjoining bar, 'Source', is open seven days a week during term times.

Sport

The new Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre (STFSC) opened, replacing the Foster Sports Centre, in 2011. It is a completely new purpose built indoor facility on the main University campus and offers Student Union sports Clubs, instructor-led classes and individual training. There are seven activity areas on seven floors:

Fitness Suite: Technogym cardiovascular, resistance machines, kinesis and free weights.
Cardio Zone: Cardiovascular workout area.
Sports Hall One and Two: Badminton, Basketball, Dodgeball, Fencing, 5-a-side Football, Hockey, Netball, Rock-it-ball, Tennis and Volleyball.
Studio Red: Belly Dancing, Circuit, Dance, Hatha Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Karate, Jiu Jitsu, Legs, Bums and Tums, Spinning, Tai Chi, Table Tennis and Yolates.
Studio Blue: Aerobix, Boxercise, Circuit, Kombat, Kung Fu, Pilates, Salsa, Step, Studio Weights, Tae Kwon Do and Zumba.
Squash Court

There are over 25 Sports Clubs run by the Students’ Union. Many have block bookings at STFSC in term-time for training and matches. The Sports Clubs participate in British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) competitions and have home and away fixtures.

The University outdoor sport facilities can be found at UCLan Sports Arena (USA) which is located just 2 miles away and was opened in 2000 by The Princess Royal. The £12 million arena provides facilities for Rugby League, Rugby Union, Football (5 grass pitches) Hockey (2 floodlit all weather pitches) Netball and Tennis (4 floodlit courts) and Cycling (1 mile (1.6 km) circuit), as well as an eight lane athletics area, equipped for school, club and county competitions. Local facilities are hired to provide sports not available on the main campus e.g Canoeing, Climbing, Golf, Horse Riding, Tennis, Trampolining and Windsurfing.

The University's Motor Sports Engineering and Operations students run a motor racing team, UCLAN Racing.

Student Accommadition

At UCLAN there are 11 choices of student accommodation which are:

Derwent (Standard Hall)
Douglas (Standard Hall)
Eden (Standard Hall)
Ribble (Standard Hall)
Whitendale (Standard Hall)
Roeburn (En-suite Hall)
Boatmans Court (En-suite Hall)
Bowran House (En-suite Hall)
IQ Kopa (En-suite Hall) (University leased)
Lawson Hall (En-suite Hall) (University leased)
Pendle Hall (En-suite Hall)

Notable alumni

Category:Alumni of the University of Central Lancashire

Paul Moseley, Journalist BBC
Mike Allen, broadcaster on Smooth Radio
Jim Bamber, illustrator for Autosport (Preston College of Art)
Barra Best (Journalist and weather presenter, BBC Newsline)
Polly Billington, journalist and special adviser to Ed Miliband
Angelique Chrisafis, Paris correspondent, The Guardian
Isioma Daniel, journalist
Victoria Derbyshire, broadcaster on BBC Radio Five Live
Mary Fitzpatrick, photographer, visual artist Liverpool Art Prize
Andy Goldsworthy, visual artist.
Nina Hossain, ITV News broadcaster
Lee Mavers, founding member of Liverpool band The La's
Sally Naden, broadcaster on BBC Radio Lancashire
Mark Jenkins, Chief Executive of West Bromwich Albion Football Club
Simon Kelner, Editor of The Independent.
James O'Donnell, Actor, Comedian and Hero.
Ian Payne, Sky sports broadcaster
Darren Phillips, author.
Jonathan Thompson Presenter for shows on SKY, BBC & Nickelodeon. He is also a well known video game entrepreneur.
Bryan Talbot, award winning comic book artist and writer.
Brent Sadler, CNN correspondent
Ben Sebborn, Co-Founder of Skiddle_Ltd
Kevin Silverton, head of news, BBC Asian Network
Ranvir Singh, BBC Radio Five Live and television presenter
Tjinder Singh, lead singer of Cornershop
John Stapleton, television presenter on Watchdog and many others
Donald Stokes, Baron Stokes, industrialist and life peer.
Mike Sutton (criminologist) Originator of the Market Reduction Approach
Kevin Silverton, head of news, BBC Asian Network
Mark Tattersall, television presenter Granada Reports
Jonathan Thompson Presenter for shows on SKY, BBC & Nickelodeon.
Don Warrington, veteran actor.
William Watt (journalist), 2010 Digital Journalist of the Year

Subjects

Agriculture, forestry and food
American studies
Anatomy and physiology
Anthropology
Archaeology and Forensics
Architecture
Art and design
Biosciences
Building and town and country planning
Business and management studies
Chemistry
Classics
Computer sciences and IT
Dentistry
Drama and dance
Earth and marine sciences
Economics
Education
Engineering: chemical
Engineering: civil
Engineering: electronic and electrical
Engineering: general
Engineering: materials and mineral
Engineering: mechanical
English
Geography and environmental studies
History and history of art
Law
Mathematics
Media studies, communications and librarianship
Medicine
Modern languages and linguistics
Music
Nursing and paramedical studies
Pharmacy and pharmacology
Philosophy
Physics
Politics
Psychology
Religious studies and theology
Social policy and administration
Social work
Sociology
Sports science
Tourism, transport and travel
Veterinary science

Location and transport

Excellent road and rail links. The first section of the M6 motorway was completed at Preston!
The university is 50 minutes away from Manchester and Liverpool and a little over 2 hours from London by train. Also on the doorstep of the Lake District.
The city is served by an excellent local bus network with several services stopping frequently at university locations.
Preston and South Ribble benefit from over 50km of traffic-free cycle paths and the 20mph zones around the campus mean that it is safer to cycle on the campus roads too. There are bike racks across campus. Cycling is the best way to explore Preston's canals, docks and parks. In particular, the Canal Cycle Route is a great way of getting from the University to the UCLan Sports Arena.

Entry standards

Requirements range from 260 to 320 entry points (2011 entry).

Student mix

43% male: 57% female (undergraduate).
91% home: 9% overseas (undergraduate).
97.7% state schools.
Applications to places ratio 25,000:6,700. Applications were up by 22% for the September 2010 entry, following an impressive increase the previous year.

Course flexibility

A large programme of combined honours courses.
Opportunities for part-time and distance learning.
Electives are used to broaden the curriculum, so that up to 11% of a student's time is spent on subjects outside their normal range.

Teaching standards

UCLan has consistently performed well in subject reviews and institutional audits undertaken by the Quality Assurance Agency over a period of fifteen years and is recognised in particular for its "strategic, thorough and effective institutional approach to quality enhancement". (2008 QAA Institutional Audit)
In the 2010 National Student Survey, UCLan gained top six satisfaction ratings in Forensics and Archaeological Science, Journalism, Physical Geography and Environmental Science. Cinematics and Photography, Design Studies, Fine Art, Psychology, Sociology and Tourism Transport and Travel were all rated in the national top twenty.

Research standards

Our researchers are helping to shape the future of the world beyond academic life with many of our staff being internationally-renowned experts in their field.
All 17 of UCLan's submitted subject areas in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise were ranked internationally excellent.
Eleven of UCLan's subject areas contain research that is 'World Leading': Linguistics; Communications, Cultural and Media Studies; Nursing and Midwifery; Social Work and Social Policy & Administration; History; Allied Health Professions and Studies; Physics; Architecture and the Built Environment; Business and Management Studies; Psychology; and Archaeology.
The University consistently invests in its international research centres which include the UK's first International Centre for Sign Language and Deaf Studies, the John Tyndall Nuclear Research Institute and a nanotechnology research base in China's Shenzhen Virtual University Park. The University's Confucius Institute promotes and supports the development of Chinese language and culture throughout the North West region.
Recent research funding awards include a £1-million, three-year partnership with BAE Systems to conduct research into energy management. Other notable awards include £800,000 from the Department for Children, Schools and Families for research into evaluating social work, nearly £630,000 of funding for research into after-stroke care from the National Institute of Health Research, and a £450,000 funding award for research into Health Inclusion and Citizenship from the Big Lottery Fund.
An example of the scale of the research undertaken is seen with astrophysics which benefits from two observatories in Britain and a share in the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) project (in which the University is a lead partner). SALT is the largest single dish telescope in the Southern Hemisphere and enables UCLan students and researchers to see distant stars, galaxies and quasars a billion times too faint to be seen with the unaided eye – as faint as a candle flame at the distance of the moon.
UCLan is working closely with NASA to investigate, store, manage and ultimately share the images produced by the space agency’s new solar observing satellite, the Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Academic strengths

A wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate taught courses available.
New courses launched regularly – for example, the UK’s first new architecture degree for ten years was launched by UCLan in 2009.
Strong focus on employability for all courses. Many of UCLan’s courses are accredited by professional and statutory bodies and include employability features such as live projects, work experience and workplace learning. As a result of close links with a huge range of employers such as BAE Systems, the NHS, BNFL and NASA, visitors from industry contribute to career development activity while students can undertake short-term internships and longer term work placements to gain essential work experience and enhance employability skills.
For the last three years, the university has produced the most graduate business start-ups in the North West and is in the top five nationally.
UCLan’s futures centre brings together advice on careers and work placements, employability and enterprise course electives, business start-up and self-employment services. Futures, was ranked top in the International Students Barometer (ISB) survey.
The University offers a truly international experience. UCLan’s Travel Bursaries have been taken up by hundreds of UCLan students, keen to experience an overseas work placement, study period or assignment during their time at UCLan and adding a truly international aspect to their CV. For example, four journalism undergraduates were funded to report from the Delhi Commonwealth Games.
Students are also offered the opportunity to study a range of world languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Russian.
UCLan draws on its links across the globe to provide keynote lectures, seminars and talks to help enrich and enhance student employment opportunities. The University is also actively engaged in international research collaborations: a research team from UCLan won The Times Higher Education’s International Collaboration of the Year Award 2010 for their work with the Khyber Teaching Hospital in Pakistan and the South Asian population in Blackburn. UCLan has also recently opened a base in China’s Shenzhen Virtual University Park, where a team is conducting research in nanotechnology. In 2010, UCLan was the only UK University to be newly admitted to the QS World University Rankings.
UCLan was selected by the National Skills Agency for Nuclear to develop foundation degrees and other awards for the entire nuclear industry. A new suite of nuclear postgraduate courses is being launched for 2011.
Media Access Bureaus launched and available on both Preston and Burnley campuses.
The British Council has selected UCLan to develop engineering education collaborations with China which will help boost the UK's future competitiveness. UCLan is one of only three universities in the UK to receive a second, two-year grant from the prestigious Prime Minister's Initiative for International Education (PMI2). Over the past year , UCLan has won two further awards under PMI2. The first is to develop an Entrepreneurship training programme for University lecturers in Nigeria. The second is work with South China Agricultural University to develop entrepreneurial fashion graduates.
In the 2010 Times Higher Education awards UCLan was shortlisted for Entrepreneurial University of the year.

Student facilities, including library and computing

Over £120 million being invested in teaching, learning and leisure activities.
24/7 access to a recently refurbished library with a fantastic range of new facilities including group and individual study pods, laptops to borrow and a cafe.
24-hour access to computers, with more than 2,000 situated throughout the university.
Excellent online resources and Europe's largest 3D lecture theatre.
Through UCLan's new futures award scheme students can gain credit in a host of different ways ranging from the recognition of work experience or volunteering activities, language development, industrial placements, live student projects, mentoring work and much more. Possession of the Futures award enables UCLan graduates to demonstrate clearly a range of practical skills demanded by employers such as communication, initiative and leadership.

Disability services

Visit the website for information about the disability services at UCLan.
To contact the Disability Advisory Service at UCLan, telephone/textphone 01772 892593, fax 01772 892939 or email.

Students' union

The award-winning SU has one of the largest student venues in the country: the £6.5-million '53 Degrees' (with a 1,500-capacity venue on the ground floor and a more intimate 400-capacity club upstairs) hosts concerts, club nights and comedy. Voted SU of the year in 2005.
Five students elected each year lead the union body, with offices centrally-based within the university campus.
An independent advice service makes sure you are properly represented.
Diverse range of sporting clubs, societies and a 'give it a go' programme ensures you have the opportunity to get involved.

Sport

UCLan Sports Arena provides for a wide range of outdoor sports including cycling, athletics, cricket, football, rugby, hockey, tennis, netball and rounders as well as a quality strength & conditioning room, an 18-station fitness suite and spaces for meetings,teaching and children’s parties.
The new £15-million on-campus Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre offers a wide ranging programme of activities for indoor team games, racket sports and martial arts as well as exercise classes and a fully equipped fitness suite. The double sports hall (eight badminton courts) has a wooden sprung floor for international standard badminton, basketball, fencing, 5-a-side football, indoor hockey, netball, tennis, volleyball, and several martial arts. There is bleacher seating for circa 300 spectators, a viewing gallery and a squash court. The extensive fitness suite has 100 stations (cardiovascular and resistance machines, free weights) including a cardiozone and is fully air conditioned. Two large studios have wooden sprung floors and host over 25 health and fitness classes per week including aerobics, belly dancing, boxercise, circuits, kombat aerobics, step, studio cycling, studio weights, zumba, pilates and yoga. The activities room caters for pilates, table tennis, yoga and martial Arts. There are various tournaments and events throughout the year, for example, badminton, dodgeball, 5-a-side, rowing, 3v3 basketball, table tennis and ultimate challenge.
UCLan’s partner institution Myerscough College boasts the International Centre for Golf Education.

Recent/prospective new builds

UCLan has invested £120 million in new facilities with £15 million on the Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre and £12.5million on the new forensic science building named after local pioneer J.B. Firth (both due to open spring 2011).
Other recent facilities include the £15-million Media Factory which supports work in art, design and performing arts, as well as providing business facilities for entrepreneurial graduates, the £2-million restoration of the Tyn Dwr Outdoor Sports Centre in North Wales, a £5.25-million School of Dentistry building and the £5-million re-development of Westlakes Campus in Cumbria.
In additioon the campus boasts the largest 3D lecture theatre in Europe and the library has recently been upgraded.
The £10-million new Burnley Campus opened in 2009.

Availability of part-time work

Every year The Bridge, a job shop run by the Students' Union, finds employment for over 2,800 students and generates over £3.1 million for them.
Plenty of opportunities for part-time work in retail and bar work.

University of Central Lancashire Tuition Fees 2012

The tuition fees for full-time UK and other EU students beginning their undergraduate studies at English universities in 2012 have been announced. The average fee across all universities will be £8,393 as compared to that for 2011 entry of £3,375. To offset this increase in fee levels, there will be additional financial support for students from lower income families and other groups not well represented in higher education. This will be in the form of fee waivers, grants, bursaries and scholarships, and accommodation discounts. It is a comprehensive package of income and expenditure but most of the media coverage has concentrated on the cost and not enough on the benefits and help.

Students resident in Wales will receive a non-repayable Fee Grant equal to the fee amount above £3,465, no matter where in the UK they study.

Minimum fee	£6000	Average fee	£8447
Maximum fee	£9000	Average cost to student*	£7395

* The estimated average cost per student after allowing for financial support (eg. fee waivers and bursaries) from the institution.

University of Central Lancashire Tuition Fees to 2011

The table below lists the annual tuition fees that were charged to new students entering the first year of an undergraduate degree or a one-year taught postgraduate course, most recently for those entering in September/October 2011. Note that these are tuition fees only for the full academic year and do not include accommodation, living costs or travel costs, etc.

Fees for UK nationals with UK residence (home students) and EU nationals with EU residence (EU students) are the same, whereas fees for other overseas students are typically differentiated by course, usually in two bands: one for arts/classroom based courses and the other, typically higher, for science/laboratory based courses (fees for medicine and dentistry are generally much higher).

Postgraduate course fees do not necessarily fit neatly in fee bands and further enquiry should be made to a university (or its website) for the exact fees for a particular course.

Year	UK and EU Students		Overseas - Art		Overseas - Science
Year	Undergrad	Postgrad	Undergrad	Postgrad	Undergrad	Postgrad
2006–2007	£3000	£3130	£7950	£8650	£7950	£8650
2006–2007	* "Scholarships are available on all courses-please see the website for more details"
2007–2008	£3070	£3240	£7950	£8650	£7950	£8650
2008–2009	£3145	£3300*	£8950	£8950	£9450	£9450
2008–2009	* PGHEU £3300 'standard fee' £4400 Lancashire Business School Courses
2009–2010	£3225	£3390	£8950	£8950	£8950	£8950
2009–2010	* Lancs Business School PG £9200
2010–2011	£3290	£3440	£8950	£8950	£9950	£9950
2011–2012	£3,375	£4,000	£9,450	£10,450	£10,450	£11,500
2011–2012	* MBA – additional fee of £1,500 if taken residentially.

We wish to acknowledge and warmly thank the late Mike Reddin for permission to publish extracts from his tables of university and college fees.

Bursaries and scholarships

Tuition fees (2011): £3,375.
Read about the University’s Bursary Schemes and Scholarships for 2011 entry on the website.
Find out about the UCLan Travel Bursary to enable periods of overseas work on the website.