University of Salford

History

• Salford Technical Institute founded in 1896.
• Royal Charter gained in 1967.
• Merged with University College Salford in 1996.

Location and transport

• 2.4km (1.5 miles) from Manchester city centre.
• Salford Crescent railway station on campus with frequent trains to Manchester, Manchester Airport and Lancashire
• Frequent buses into and out of Manchester.
• A free bus service runs between the University and MediaCityUK and another free service operates between linking academic sites, car parks and accommodation.
• Set in 24 ha (60 acres) of parkland with River Irwell running through campus.

Entry standards

• Entry requirements range from between 220 and 320 UCAS tariff points for degree entry; slightly lower for foundation degrees. Visit the website for more details on entry requirements for each course.
• Salford is committed to widening access to higher education for all sections of the community: applicants with BTECs and Access qualifications are welcomed.
• For those without formal qualifications, we offer an assessment service to demonstrate potential to succeed at university: support is provided pre-test to ensure candidates are appropriately prepared.

Student mix

• 51.5% of students are female.
• 5.8% of undergraduates are from outside the EU.
• 22.6% of UK-based undergraduate new entrants are from black or minority ethnic backgrounds.
• 64.3% of UK-based undergraduate students are mature (over 21) on entry.

Course flexibility

• We offer a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Three quarters of our undergraduate courses offer the opportunity to go on work or study exchange placements in the UK or abroad.
• We provide opportunities for part-time and distance learning study.
• Our postgraduate courses offer varying course start dates, through from September to March.
• Modes of delivery vary from course to course and students are advised to discuss their requirements with the relevant course tutor.

Teaching standard

• The University works closely with business and industry to ensure its courses are relevant to the real world. Additionally, many tutors are industry consultants and practitioners, ensuring their teaching is in tune with industry needs.
• There are a number of high profile visiting lecturers to provide teaching across all four colleges. Among the most famous are former Smiths guitarist, Johnny Marr, and David Threlfall, who plays Frank Gallagher in Shameless.
• Many of our courses are accredited by external professional bodies such as; Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists, British Psychological Society, Royal Aeronautical Society and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Research standards

• Research Fortnight's 'research power' league table rated the university's Built Environment research top in the country in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). Information and Library Management was ranked second in its subject area.  Both were judged by the government to have 25% of their research in the 'world-leading' 4* category.
• 83% of the university's research was judged to be of international class by the government's latest RAE. What's more, 12% was judged to be 'world-leading' – at the very cutting edge of its discipline.
• Overall, the University was ranked 48 out of 158 universities in the Research Fortnight power ranking tables, placing us in the top third of UK Universities.
• There is a close link between research and business – in media we work closely with the BBC as part of our MediaCityUK partnership. In energy we are working with a number of businesses to develop energy efficient products in our Energy House – a fully functional terraced house built inside a climate controlled lab.

Academic strengths

• Salford was one of the first universities to develop sandwich courses – over three quarters of courses now offer work and study placements in the UK and abroad.
• Salford has one of the largest arts and media faculties in the country with over 4,500 students.
• Salford includes the UK's pre-eminent school for the built environment and the UK's largest research institute in this sector.
• Science and engineering is a traditional strength of the University, with particular highlights including engineering, acoustics and aeronautics.
• The University of Salford is the North West’s largest provider of health and social care education and training.

Student facilities, including library and computing

• Extensive library facilities and resources are located across the wi-fi enabled campus, including a state of the art facility at MediaCityUK, providing access to more than 600,000 printed books, 400,000 e-books and 35,000 e-journals. Our cutting edge resource discovery tool allows access to all our academic resources from a single search interface. The Library has a subject specialist for each school, providing training and helping you to make the most of the high quality resources available.
• More than 800 open access student PCs and printing facilities are provided across the campus, with a system that reveals where available PCs are located; 240 laptops are available for loan within libraries.
• We offer 24/7 access to our largest library all year round and all libraries have both silent areas and spaces for working with others. The Library has received the Customer Service Excellence Award for its high standards of service.

Disability services

• Student Life has a full support service including specialist professional wellbeing advisers, in disability and physical and mental health.
• Contact the Disability Service via email; by phone on 0161 295 9000; fax on 0161 295 2018; text only phone (for D/deaf/Hearing Impaired) 07749 651 108, or visit the website at www.advice.salford.ac.uk/disability.

• Every student at the University of Salford is automatically a member of the Students’ Union, so there is nothing to join and you get all of services for free. Our mission is to enhance students’ lives, ensuring that your time at University is the amazing, life changing experience it should be.
• The most important way we make a positive difference is by telling the University what students want them to change, then working with them to deliver it.
• Every College has a Sabbatical Officer dedicated to gathering feedback from students and working with the University to ensure that their needs are met.
• The Union operates over 80 sports and activity groups that you can get involved in, from performing arts to snow sports.
• Students who don't have the time to commit to a group can participate in our pay as you go, no commitment Give Sport A Go programme, which is completely free.
• Student-led media at Salford is exciting and dynamic and completely directed by students. You have the opportunity to work for our weekly newspaper, the Salfordian and for Salford's own Shock Radio.
• The Students' Union Advice Centre offers independent, friendly and professional advice on a number of areas, specialising in academic related issues.
• You'll find our bar and Café Yours venues on campus. There are also three USSU shops providing everything you need to get through the day at University.

Sport

• The Sports Centre on campus has a 25-m swimming pool. In addition there are four fitness, conditioning and strength rooms and an air conditioned fitness studio, a climbing wall, two squash courts and a large multi-use sports hall.
• The sports hall has six badminton courts, two basketball courts, five-a-side football pitch, netball court, handball court and in line hockey court.
• We offer Astroturf pitches for football, hockey, rugby matches etc. and also grass pitches for football and rugby.
• The centre offers a full fitness programme and supports our University’s sports clubs and societies with access to facilities and coaching
• Each year Salford University Boat Club races Manchester University down the Ship Canal in the Two Cities Boat Race, drawing thousands of spectators. For the last two years the rugby league team have taken on Manchester University at the home of the Salford City Reds Super League team in a Varsity Match, drawing over 1,000 spectators each time.

Recent/prospective new builds

• The University’s building at MediaCityUK opened in 2011. Over 100,000 sq ft of space houses 1,500 students on creative, digital and media courses. The new building is next door the six national BBC departments including Sport and Children’s and ITV will soon be taking space there too. Salford has established partnerships leading to work experience with major companies such as Adobe and BT as a result of this new development.
• A new multi-million pound Arts Building is currently in development. This will include a theatre, studio space, tuition and practice space, and social learning areas. It will mainly house students from media, music, performance, art and design courses. It will overlook a newly developed green square which will provide a focus for the campus’ communal life.
• The new £10-million Salford Law School opened in September 2007. The purpose-built building features a Law Society-approved law library and a mock court room known as a 'moot'.
• The £22-million purpose-built Mary Seacole building opened in May 2006 and houses health and social care students, with state-of-the-art human performance labs
• The Student Life department recently had a £3-million refit to provide the best possible environment for students to get advice on anything from careers to finance.
• The University has refitted its Chapman Building to offer modern teaching and learning spaces for students with a greatly improved environmental performance. Students now enjoy six lecture theatres equipped with the very latest technology and large screen displays, a series of learning and breakout spaces, plus a Fairtrade café with views across the campus.
• 2,000 new and modern student rooms are also in planning. Overlooking the historic Peel Park, the new residences will create a 24 hour campus with shops, restaurants and cafes.
• Other recent refits include new gallery space in the Allerton Building for art and design students, and a refurbishment of the leisure centre.
• The University has acquired and refurbished the historic Joule House. This research centre was home to James Joule the physicist who gave his name to the Joule unit of energy. Joule House will continue this work as a research and teaching centre for energy efficiency and other built environment disciplines.

Availability of part-time work

• Part-time, vacation, and voluntary work opportunities are available at all times of year through the Careers & Employability Service with a major part-time work and placements fair at the start of each academic year.
• Advice and guidance is available from Careers and Employability across all subjects with support for CVs and interview techniques.
• Dedicated team promotes hundreds of vacancies all year round including volunteering opportunities and placements to boost employability. Student and Graduate Enterprise Academy offers year round support and regular events to encourage students to set up their own ventures.

Notable alumni

Academia

• Michael Atchia – Mauritian academician, former Chief and Programme Director with the United Nations Environment Programme.
• M. Kamal Bedewy – Professor of Mechanical Engineering and former Vice Dean for Education and Students Affairs, then Dean of Engineering at Cairo University, and former Dean of Engineering at Misr University for Science and Technology.
• Professor Richard Barnett – Vice-Chancellor, University of Ulster.
• Sydney Chapman – British mathematician and geophysicist.
• Robert Lomas – writer, business studies and science academic, Freemasonry researcher.
• Dato Paduka Dr Hj Ismail bin Hj Duraman – former Vice-Chancellor, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
• Professor Susan Price – Vice-Chancellor of Leeds Metropolitan University.

Business

• Andy Bond – Former Chief Executive of Asda.
• Howard Graham – accountant, entrepreneur, and businessman.
• Keith Ludeman – Chief Executive of the Go-Ahead Group.
• Chris Moyes – Former Chief Executive of the Go-Ahead Group.
• Richard Parry-Jones – former group vice president-Global Product Development, and Chief Technical Officer, Ford Motor Company.
• Mohammad Hashem Pesaran – British-Iranian economist.

Media, Entertainment & Design

• Emma Atkins – Actress.
• Chris Bisson – Actor.
• Richard Boardman & James Cook – members of Delphic.
• Wes Butters – Writer and radio broadcaster.
• Nigel Clarke – Associate Composer to the Band of HM Grenadier Guards.
• Rasshied Din – Designer, including of the Princess Diana memorial museum at Althorp.
• Rudi Dharmalingam – Actor.
• Christopher Eccleston – Actor – the ninth Doctor Who.
• Steve Edge – Comedian and actor.
• James Gourlay – conductor and internationally renowned tuba soloist.
• Shobna Gulati – Actress.
• John Hammond – BBC weather presenter.
• Matt Healy – Actor.
• Joanna Higson – Actress.
• Peter Kay – Comedian.
• Sir Ben Kingsley – Actor.
• Frances Lennon MBE – Artist.
• John Vernon Lord – Illustrator & author.
• L. S. Lowry – Awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters in 1975, also studied at the technical college.
• Karl Lucas – Comedian, writer, actor.
• Conor McNamara – Football commentator for the BBC.
• Jason Manford – Manchester comedian and Perrier nominee.
• Sarfraz Manzoor – Writer, journalist and documentary maker.
• Kristyna Myles – Singer-songwriter (studied Popular Music and Recording).
• Karl Newton – Executive Producer at ITV Studios.
• Maxine Peake – Actress.
• Nigel Pivaro – former actor, Edinburgh Fringe First winner, producer, Journalist.
• Jen Pringle – TV presenter on Channel 5 children's show Milkshake!
• Samantha Siddall – Actress.
• Richard Smith – Scottish screenwriter and film director.
• Rosie Smith – Former keyboardist in Cradle of Filth.
• Ash Soan – Drummer in Del Amitri, Faithless and Squeeze as well as session musician.
• Richard Stowe – Television producer at ITV Studios.
• Jim Sturgess – Actor.

Military

• Major General Bill Moore CBE 1976–79.

Physiotherapy

The University has held a link for Physiotherapy with the Professional Footballers' Association since 1991. As of 2007 over 70 former professional footballers have graduated from Salford. In 2009 the PFA reported that they had 33 members undertaking the programme at the University.

• Nigel Adkins – current manager of Southampton.
• Ritchie Barber – Silver Olympic medalist in Swimming at the 2000 Summer Paralympics.
• Paul Lake – currently on the medical staff with Bolton Wanderers.
• Les Parry – current manager of Tranmere Rovers.

Politics

• Anwar Choudhury – British diplomat, former British High Commissioner to Bangladesh.
• David Clark, Baron Clark of Windermere.
• Andrew Gwynne – Labour Member of Parliament for Denton and Reddish.
• George Howarth – Labour Member of Parliament for Knowsley North and Sefton East.
• Barbara Keeley – Labour Member of Parliament for Worsley and Eccles South.
• Ruth Turner – Labour political advisor; co-founder of The Big Issue in the North.
• André Walker – British political and media figure.
• Maxine Wrigley – Chief Executive of A National Voice.

Science

• Professor Darwin Caldwell – Research Director, Italian Institute of Technology, key person in iCub project.
• B. N. Suresh (Byrana Nagappa Suresh) – Indian aerospace scientist; 2002 recipient of Padma Shri.

Sports

• Ieuan Evans – Former international rugby union player for Wales.
• Paul Smith – Rugby league player who played in the Super League with Huddersfield Giants.
• Norman Whiteside – former Manchester United and Northern Ireland footballer who studied Podiatry.

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