History

• Derby University can trace its origins back to 1851  and has a long history of teaching art and design, education, health, technology and photography.   
• Derby became a university in 1992 and was the only UK higher education college to do so.
• In 2006 the Buxton Campus was opened by HRH Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.
• In 2006 the Arts, Design and Technology building Markeaton Street was opened by Sir Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic.

Notable alumni

• Kathryn Jeffs, BSc Biological Imaging, graduated 1995 – Producer BBC Frozen Planet.
• Matt Warwick, HND Business Studies, graduated 2001 – former editor of Loaded magazine.
• Alan Hill, professional catering qualification, graduated mid 1980s – award-winning chef, Chef Patron at the Devonshire Arms on the Chatsworth Estate.
• Jon Bridle and Dan Hobson, BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing and BA (Hons) Creative Writing with Film Studies, graduated 2001 – Mitchell and Webb writers.
• Edward Hogan, BA (Hons) Creative Writing and English, graduated 2001 – author.
• Laura Ellen Bacon, BA (Hons) Applied Arts, graduated 2001 – artist.
• Lorna Steel, BSc (Hons) Biology, graduated 1995 – Curator of Palaeontology at the Natural History Museum.

Location and transport

• The University has two main campuses, one in Derby and one in Buxton.
• Derby  is a thriving city both economically and culturally, with lots going on, and it's the safest city in the East Midlands. Our Campus is on the outskirts of the city and all the halls of residence are between the Campus and the city centre, so you'll be living within easy walking distance of both.
• The city has a Westfield shopping centre, as well as boutique shops, thriving markets and ethnic shops. It also has Cinema De Lux, Quad arts centre, Assembly Rooms, Derby Theatre (owned by the University), Deda (the Derby dance centre), Derbyshire Cricket Club and Derby County Football Club. There is the annual Feste arts festival and the internationally renowned Format photography festival is held in Derby every four years.    
• The Derby Campus is made up of the Kedleston Road, Britannia Mill and Markeaton Street sites. They are all very close together, so you can easily walk between them and they are linked by a free shuttle bus.
• At Kedleston Road, you will find a number of shops, including the Students' Union shop Keddies, Waterstones bookshop, a hair salon and various cafes.
• Buxton is a beautiful, small and friendly town, with lots of character, on the edge of the Peak District National Park. The halls of residence are right in the town centre and just a couple of minutes walk from the Campus and Waitrose. Manchester is a train ride away.
• The Buxton Campus  is located in a beautiful Grade II listed building, the Dome. You will find a small shop, bistro, spa, hair salon and fine dining restaurant.

Entry standards

• UCAS points for Derby’s BA/BSc (Hons) degrees range from 240 to 320 points. In 2011 our applicants had an average of 300 UCAS points. 
• We welcome applicants from a wide range of backgrounds, with a range of qualifications and working experience 
• Find out about more about our specific course entry requirements.

Student mix

Of our first degree new entrants:

• 48% are school leavers aged 19 or under.
• 30% have 320 UCAS points or more, that’s equivalent to ABB or AAC grades at A level.
• 67% have A levels or equivalent qualifications.

Considering our full-time undergraduate students:

• 80% are aged 24 or under.
• 48% are from the East Midlands region.
• 54% are female, 46% are male.

Course flexibility

• We offer a comprehensive range of undergraduate degrees ranging from traditional subjects such as English, History, Geology, Biology and Law through to degrees that prepare more specifically for a particular career such as Computer Gaming, Nursing, Fashion, Spa Management and Teaching. 
• We also offer a range of apprenticeships, foundation degrees and, of course, postgraduate masters courses.
• We have a pioneering range of around 30 online degrees, which allow you to study wherever and whenever you like. Our online courses include Psychology (which is the only online Psychology degree accredited by the British Psychological Society), Education, Ergonomics and an online MBA.  
• The vast majority of our courses are also available to study part time allowing you to balance your studies with work or family commitments. 

Teaching standards

• We are a teaching orientated university, so the quality of our teaching really matters. 
• In the National Student Survey, overall satisfaction at Derby is an impressive 81%, with our teaching scoring most highly among our students. 
• 88% of students think Derby staff are good at explaining things and 82% find their course intellectually stimulating.
• We have courses where overall satisfaction with the course is 100%. These include: History and Music and Initial Teacher Training achieved 97% satisfaction. This puts a number of our courses in the top 10 nationally.
• The University’s most recent audit by the Quality Assurance Agency confirmed that quality systems are excellent at Derby.

Research standards

• The research we deliver actively informs what we teach you in the classroom or lab – it is not just research for its own sake. 
• Even though we are small in terms of research, in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, the research we submitted was rated as either 'world class' or 'of international excellence'.
• Our research interests include Law, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Visual Communications, Psychology, Biology and Creative Technologies. 

Academic strengths

• Derby is mainly known for its vocational courses, with it delivering student centred vocational learning, much of it in real working environments, thereby helping to maximise your employment potential.
• Our real strength is in preparing you for employment. This can be by finding a job with a variety of employers or by setting up your own business and creating jobs, which around 12% of our graduates do every year. 
• Most of our students have work based experience during their studies and we have links with top employers in the region.
• We are the biggest provider of incubation units for business start ups in the region and we actively help our graduates start out in business.
• Derby graduates work at Rolls-Royce, the BBC, Toyota, the Olympics, the Natural History Museum, Clothes Show Live, as well as in teaching roles and jobs within the NHS.
• We have a particularly strong reputation for joint honours courses where you can study up to three subjects together, to gain a range of skills that are particularly sought after by employers.
• All of Derby's courses feature 'real world' facilities that give you the chance to practise your skills before you start your career.

Student facilities, including library and computing

• We are fully equipped to support students' library and computing needs.
• University email and storage space is provided by Microsoft live@edu services.
• There are IT help desk services dedicated to support you.
• You will have access to over 1,100 computer workstations across both campuses with a wide range of applications, plus specialist labs for Engineering, Music Technology and Games Programming.
• You will have online, 24/7 access to learning materials and the University learning systems.
• There is high speed, wireless access across both campuses.
• All student rooms are wired for internet access, free broadband, free internal phone calls and TV channels with options to upgrade.
• You will have free access to PCs and loan laptops.
• You will have access to loan audio visual equipment.
• There are lots of social spaces with provision for learning.
• In 2010 the library at Kedleston Road underwent a £250,000 refurbishment to create the spaces that students had specifically asked for.
• For vocational subjects we have real world environments including a clinical skills suite, law courts and a theatre.
• At the Buxton Campus you will find a major events venue, bistro,  an award-winning spa, demonstration kitchens, sports science laboratory, hair and beauty salons and fine dine restaurant , all of which serve as venues for student centred experiential learning. Other university facilities in Buxton include a sports centre, gym and climbing wall.

Disability services

• University of Derby Students’ Union (UDSU) provides advice and representation to all students.
• There is a wide range of sports clubs and societies to get involved with as well as the student radio station d:one and magazine Dusted.
• The UDSU organises great nights out from Freshers’ Fortnight in September to weekly student club nights.
• UDSU runs its own bar, the Academy (which was designed by Derby Architectural Venue Design students), coffee shop, Blends and retail outlets across the University providing students with a place to eat, drink and shop on site.
• There are lots of ways to get involved with the Students’ Union, whether you want to run for a full time Officer Trustee position or a part time officer position, be a programme representative, volunteer or even be a fundraiser ... there is something for everyone!

Sport

• Since the launch of Team Derby in 2009 to support recreational, competitive and high performance sport, the University has improved by 31 places in the British Universities’ and Colleges’ Sport Championships.
• Over £3 million has been spent at our Buxton and Derby campuses on sports facilities, including new fitness suites, performance labs, floodlit all weather facilities at Derby and a refurbished sports hall and new climbing wall at Buxton.
• We have a range of sporting partners who use our facilities, provide placements, coaching support and great ticket deals for you. Derbyshire County Cricket, Derby County Football Club, Derby Trailblazers Basketball Club, Stockport County Football Club and Buxton Rugby Club are just some of our partners.
• There are 36 different sports clubs for you to join and a range of recreational activities, including fitness classes.
• Team Derby is committed to training and deploying 88 new coaches and officials by 2014, and providing the local community 1,446 hours of sport volunteering as part of our Olympic commitment. 
• Ex-Olympian Donna Kellogg is a member of Team Derby and is the University’s head badminton coach.
• In 2011 Team Derby won promotion in four leagues, won two gold medals in BUCS, won one national championship in Cheerleading and funded eight Team Derby athletes to compete in national and international competition.

Team Derby has an increasing pedigree of athletes, including:

• 2011 National Association of Basketball Coaches First Team All American Troy Whittington – basketball.
• Wales Under 20 player Ceri White – rugby union.
• England women’s rugby player, Natasha Jones – rugby union.
• British cycling coaching scholar, Jason Knox – cycling.
• World Jiu Jitsu Bronze medal winner, Vanessa Williams – jiu jitsu.
• Best Overall World Powerlifting Lifting Championships, Hymsuen Liu – powerlifting

Recent/prospective new builds

• The University of Derby has spent over £100 million on new facilities in the last few years. These include:
• £23-million Campus in Buxton.
• £700,000 all-weather pitch for hockey, football and rugby
• £1.5-million Clinical Skills Suite consisting of a fully functioning hospital ward, the most up to date radiography and imaging facilities, robot patients to practise on, a domestic living suite, counselling rooms and a behavioural study suite
• £21-million building for arts, design, media and technology courses.
• Fantastic legal training facilities, including a Crown Court, a Family Courtroom, an interview suite, crime scene house and forensic labs.
• Dedicated computing facilities with two games development suites, a networks lab and three computing labs.
• The three towers at Kedleston Road, which have been transformed at a cost of £13 million to make them three times more energy efficient.
• A new £8-million business and enterprise Centre contains the University of Derby Corporate as well as conference facilities and incubation space.
• A £450,000 state-of-the-art gym.

Availability of part-time work

• Our Student Employment Agency will help you find part-time work and the majority of our students have a part-time job. Many work for the University or local employers and gain valuable transferrable skills as well as extra income.