University of Worcester

History

• Originally founded in 1946 as a Teacher Training College.
• Degree-awarding powers held since 1996.
• Granted full university status in 2005.

Location and transport

• Worcester is 51.5 km (32 miles) south west of Birmingham and is easily accessible by air, rail and the M5 motorway network.
• The University campus is located centrally, just a shot walk from the train and bus stations. The St John's Campus is a 15 minute walk/5 minute drive/10 minute bus journey from Worcester city centre.
• Worcester has two train stations – Foregate Street and Shrub Hill. National Express operate eight buses a day to Worcester.

Entry standards

• Find out about entry requirements at Worcester online.

Student mix

• 75% of students are female.
• 70% of students are mature (21 years old and over).
• 45% of students study on a part-time basis.
• Applications to places ratio 5:1.

Course flexibility

• Joint and major minor degree courses are widely available.
• All single honours students have opportunities to take free choice modules in other subjects.
• There are opportunities to mix full-time and part-time study.

Teaching standards

• The university's mission is to provide high quality, inclusive, education.
• Student satisfaction levels are high.
• The university performs well in all external quality assessments.

Research standards

• All academic staff are expected to engage in advanced scholarship and research.
• The university has a number of well-regarded research centres, including the National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Centre, the Centre for Rural Research, and the International Centre for Children's Literature.
• Other particularly strong subjects include English, History and Sociology.

Academic strengths

• Initial Teacher Education, Sports Studies, Media Studies.

Disability services

• Visit the website for information about disability services at Worcester.

Student facilities, including library and computing

• Over £1.2m recently invested in ICT facilities, including 24-hour-access computer rooms, a wireless campus and 320 computer workstations.
• The library contains around 130,000 books, extensive on-line journals and services with over 360 single space study areas.
• All halls of residence have internet access and on-campus media services offer students a wide range of multi-media support.
• The University has invested significantly in a new library opening in July 2012. It will be the first joint university and public library in the Country, housing more than 275,000 books and over 12 miles of history records.

Students' union

• Runs over 50 clubs and societies, ranging from American football and archaeology to volleyball and urban music.
• The 'Dive Bar' on campus has an 850 capacity and hosts a range of live bands and music nights.
• The union runs a Student Advice Bureau, offering a range of welfare support and financial advice to students.

Sport

• £3-million sports centre with a 6-court sports hall and air conditioned fitness centre with cardio resistance and free weights.
• Two outdoor tennis courts, dance studio, full-sized synthetic sports pitch, sports field.
• Off-campus sports fields (cricket, rugby, football) 10 minutes drive from campus. The Rowing Club boat house on the River Severn is a 10 minute walk.
• The University is currently building a state-of-the-art new sports arena, which opens in early 2013. The Worcester Arena is the first sports arena to be built specifically with disabled and able bodied athletes in mind.

Recent/prospective new builds

• The University is currently building a state-of-the-art new sports arena, which opens in early 2013. The Worcester Arena is the first sports arena to be built specifically with disabled and able bodied athletes in mind.
• The £60-m joint university and public library, The Hive, will open in July 2012.
• The University has opened its City Campus in the refurbished buildings of the former Worcester Royal Infirmary in the City Centre, housing its business school, a health and wellbeing centre along with spacious teaching and learning spaces.
• A new centre has opened at the University's Riverside site, offering spacious learning for all aspects of sports and performance.

Availability of part-time work

• The University has a strong earn-while-you-learn programme, with a range of part-time work available within the University itself and in Worcester and the surrounding area.
• The university has a 'Job Pod' and a free phone line on campus, which directly links students to part-time vacancies on JobCentre Plus.