Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

, England. The university has over 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Education and Science and Engineering) and is one of the largest universities in the UK for biggest student population in 2020/21.

History

Manchester Metropolitan University was developed from mergers of various colleges with various specialisms, including technology, art and design. Its founding can be traced back to the Manchester Mechanics Institute, and the Manchester School of Design latterly known as the Manchester School of Art. The painter L. S. Lowry attended in the years after the First World War, where he was taught by the noted impressionist

Adolphe Valette Pierre Adolphe Valette (13 October 1876 – 18 April 1942) was a French Impressionist painter who spent most of his career in England. His most acclaimed paintings are urban landscapes of Manchester, now in the collection of Manchester Art ...

. Schools of Commerce (founded 1889), Education (f. 1878), and Domestic Science (f. 1880) were added alongside colleges at Didsbury, Crewe, Alsager and the former Domestic and Trades College (f. 1911). The Manchester College of Science and Technology, which had originally been the Mechanics Institute and would then become UMIST, transferred its non-degree courses to the School of Art by 1966. The school renamed itself as Manchester Polytechnic in 1970, which was followed by series of mergers with the Didsbury College of Education and Hollings College in 1977, as well as City of Manchester College of Higher Education in 1983. In 1987, the institution became a founding member of the Northern Consortium, and became a corporate body on 1 April 1989 as allowed by the terms of the Education Reform Act. On 15 September 1992, Manchester Polytechnic gained university status under the wide-sweeping

Further and Higher Education Act 1992 The Further and Higher Education Act 1992 made changes in the funding and administration of further education and higher education within England and Wales, with consequential effects on associated matters in Scotland which had previously been ...

, and has since rebranded as Manchester Metropolitan University. After earning university status, Manchester Met absorbed

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...

and

Alsager Alsager ( ) is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located to the north-west of Stoke-on-Trent and east of Crewe. The town's population was 13,389 at the 2021 census. ''The Mere'' is a ...

College of Higher Education, and in 2004 the Manchester School of Physiotherapy (MSOP), an institution officially formed in 1991 through the amalgamation of the Schools of Physiotherapy of the

Manchester Royal Infirmary Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) is a large NHS teaching hospital in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England. Founded by Charles White in 1752 as part of the voluntary hospital movement of the 18th century, it is now a major regional and natio ...

(MRI) and of

Withington Hospital Withington Community Hospital is a hospital in south Manchester, England, managed by the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. History Originally known as the Chorlton Barlow Moor Work House, the hospital was purpose-built in 1854–55 ...

. MSOP was previously affiliated with the

Victoria University of Manchester The Victoria University of Manchester, usually referred to as simply the University of Manchester, was a university in Manchester, England. It was founded in 1851 as Owens College. In 1880, the college joined the federal Victoria University. Afte ...

, which conferred degree-level courses by extension until the final class of 2005. MSOP joined Manchester Metropolitan University as the Department of Physiotherapy in 2004, and was later renamed as the Department of Health Professions. The University's logo is derived from the upper part of the shield of the university's coat-of-arms, with six spade-irons positioned together, suggesting hard toil and entrenchment. Ormond Building (14938453242)

Campus

Brooks Building, MMU, Manchester, November 2016 (01)

The university was previously located on seven sites: five in Manchester (All Saints, Aytoun, Didsbury, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Hollings) and two in Cheshire (Alsager and Crewe). However, the university later closed six of the seven sites to rationalise its estate. The university moved the work of the Alsager campus to Crewe, while the Aytoun campus was closed in 2012 following the opening of a Business School on the main campus. The Elizabeth Gaskell, Hollings and Didsbury campuses were closed in 2014, with faculties being relocated to the main city centre campus in Manchester. The Crewe campus closed in summer 2019, a decision taken following a review conducted by financial advisory firm Deloitte. Manchester Metropolitan University now comprises four faculties, led by Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellors, 14 University Centres for Research and Knowledge Exchange, 10 Professional Services Directorates and a range of schools and departments. The four faculties are: Business and Law The Faculty of Business and Law has more than 10,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled on 120 different degree programmes. The faculty consists of the Business School, which holds the globally recognised trio of accreditations from EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA, and the Manchester Law School. The faculty is also home to the majority of the university’s Degree Apprenticeship programmes, with more than 2,400 apprentices studying across 15 programmes with 530 employer partners. Arts and Humanities With more than 9,000 undergraduate, postgraduate taught and postgraduate research students, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities supports a large creative community. The faculty offers a range of subjects, from journalism to fashion to architecture, across 11 departments and schools. Science and Engineering More than 6,000 students in the Faculty of Science and Engineering benefit from nearly 100 undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in a variety of subjects. A new, £115m base for the faculty is currently in development, which will include teaching and research spaces, a 200-student super lab, study areas and green spaces. Health and Education Home to around 9,000 students across 6 departments, the Faculty of Health and Education provides an inclusive learning and training environment based in the Brooks building. File:Statue of John Dalton.jpg, The statue of

John Dalton John Dalton (; 5 or 6 September 1766 – 27 July 1844) was an English chemist, physicist and meteorologist. He is best known for introducing the atomic theory into chemistry, and for his research into Color blindness, colour blindness, which ...

William Theed William Theed, also known as William Theed the younger (1804 – 9 September 1891), was a British sculptor, the son of the sculptor and painter William Theed the elder (1764–1817). Although versatile and eclectic in his works, he specialised ...

outside the university's building in Chester Street File:Manchester School of Art, (Manchester Metropolitan University), Cavendish Street, Manchester, England in 2008.jpg, Manchester School of Art File:Grosvenor Building, Manchester Metropolitan University (15391128821).jpg, The Grosvenor Building, Manchester Met School of Art File:Manchester Metropolitan University Business School.jpg, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School File:Righton Building (14936658501).jpg, Righton Building Library The Library offers a study skills service and houses a number of special collections mainly relating to the fine and applied arts, like the

Laura Seddon Greeting Card Collection Laura Seddon Greeting Card Collection is a collection of 19th to early 20th century British greeting cards, housed in the All Saints Library of Manchester Metropolitan University, England. The collection contains 32,000 cards by various publishe ...

, a collection of Victorian and

Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...

greeting cards. The North West Film Archive is managed by Manchester Metropolitan University’s Library and is located within the Central Library. In 2021, the Manchester Poetry Library opened in the Grosvenor building. Campus investment The University’s 10 year Estate Masterplan 2017 – 2027 was complemented by a £379m commitment to the Estates Investment Programme until 2024, delivering a range of projects including: the Arts and Humanities development, the Science and Engineering development, the School of Digital Arts (SODA), Manchester Metropolitan Institute of Sport, and the Student Residential portfolio.

Organisation

Governance

In common with most universities in the United Kingdom, Manchester Met is headed formally by the Chancellor, currently

Lord Mandelson Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson (born 21 October 1953) is a British Labour Party politician who served as First Secretary of State from 2009 to 2010. He was President of the Board of Trade in 1998 and from 2008 to 2010. He is the ...

but led by the Vice-Chancellor, currently Professor

Malcolm Press Malcolm Colin Press (born 18 September 1958) is a British ecologist, professor and Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), in the United Kingdom. Education Press was educated at Kingsbury High School. He studied environme ...

CBE. The University's Board of Governors is responsible for determining the educational character and mission of the University. It also falls to the Board of Governors to ensure that the University's resources are used in line with the University's Article of Government. It also safeguards the University's assets and approves the annual estimates of income and expenditure. The Board of Governors is responsible for broad policy but the Vice-Chancellor, along with the University Executive Group, is responsible for overall management, policy implementation, organisation, operations and direction of the University. In December 2014, it was announced that

had been appointed to succeed John Brooks as Vice Chancellor on 1 June 2015. Manchester Met has around 40,000 students /sup>, making it currently the 11th in the UK for the biggest student population in 2020/21. The University employs over 4,000 staff.

Finances

In the financial year ending 31 July 2021, Manchester Metropolitan University had a total income of £369m.

Rankings

Manchester Metropolitan University is the ninth most popular university by applications in the UK (UCAS 2021/22 entry). According to

The Complete University Guide Three national rankings of universities in the United Kingdom are published annually – by ''The Complete University Guide'', ''The Guardian'' and jointly by ''The Times'' and ''The Sunday Times''. Rankings have also been produced in the past ...

, Manchester Metropolitan University is ranked #54 out of 130 within the UK, based on overall rating, entry standards, research quality, and graduate prospects. The

Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' (often referred to as the THE Rankings) is an annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' (THE) magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarel ...

places Manchester Met at #65, and continued to rank the university in the #601–800 tier internationally. Manchester Metropolitan University was the highest LGBT+ recruiting university by the number of accepted applicants in 2020 at 720.

Research

30% of Manchester Met’s overall research has been rated at the highest world leading (4*) level and 90% of its research impact is rated ‘world leading’ (4*) or ‘internationally excellent’, (3*) across more than 740 academics. The university has fourteen research centres: * Advanced Materials and Surface Engineering * Business Transformations * Bioscience Research Centre * Centre for Applied Computational Science * Centre for Creative Writing, English Literature and Linguistics * Centre for Decent Work and Productivity * Ecology and Environment * Education and Social Research Institute * Future Economies * Health, Psychology and Communities * History Research Centre * Manchester School of Art Research Centre * Musculoskeletal Science and Sports Medicine * Research Centre for Applied Social Sciences

Students' Union

The

Students' Union A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to ...

exists to represent all members at the Manchester Metropolitan University and students on accredited external courses. The Union is led by the Union Officers Group formed of five students of the university, elected by the students to lead the Union on their behalf. A shop and café catering to university students has also been set up inside the Students' Union. The Students' Union moved in January 2015 to a new purpose-built building on Higher Cambridge Street, next to Cambridge and Cavendish Halls of Residence.

Notable alumni

Some in the list attended institutions which became part of present-day Manchester Metropolitan University.
Arts and Creative *

John Bishop John Marcus Bishop (born 30 November 1966) is an English comedian, presenter, actor and former footballer. Bishop formerly played football as a midfielder for Winsford United F.C., Crewe Alexandra F.C., Runcorn F.C., Rhyl F.C., Witton Albi ...

, comedian, presenter * John Bradley, actor * Sarah Burton OBE, Creative Director, Alexander McQueen *

Steve Coogan Stephen John Coogan (; born 14 October 1965) is an English actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. He is most known for creating original characters such as Alan Partridge, a socially inept and politically incorrect media personality, whi ...

, actor and comedian * James Corner, landscape architect * Brian Cosgrove OBE, animator, producer, director * Malcolm Garrett MBE, Graphic Designer
Ian Griffiths
Creative Director, Max Mara * Thomas Heatherwick CBE, designer *

Bernard Hill Bernard Hill (born 17 December 1944) is an English actor. He is well recognized for playing King Théoden in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, Captain Edward Smith in '' Titanic'', and Luther Plunkitt, the Warden of San Quentin Prison in ...

, actor * Liz Jolly, Chief Librarian, British Library * Gethin Jones, presenter *

Liz Kessler Liz Kessler (Born 15 October 1966) is an English writer of children's books, most notably a series about a half-mermaid named Emily Windsnap. Biography Liz Kessler grew up in Southport in the North West of England, and has lived in Mancheste ...

, writer * L.S. Lowry, artist * Martin Parr CBE, photographer * Peter Saville CBE, graphic designer * John Thomson, actor and comedian * David Threlfall, actor * Dame Julie Walters DBE, actress * Carey Young, artist Business * Helen Connolly, CEO, New Look
Anne-Marie Corner
businesswoman

Chief Executive, Siemens plc
Paul Hudson
CEO, Sanofi
Bridget Lea
Managing Director Commercial Division, BT and EE *

Jonathan Mildenhall Jonathan Mildenhall (born September 9, 1967, Leeds, England) is chief executive officer of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand, a marketing consultancy firm. While working for Airbnb in 2017, he was ranked 8th on the world's most influential CMOs by ''Forbes ...

, CEO, TwentyFirstCenturyBrand * Nick Read, CEO Vodafone Group * Dame Dianne Thompson DBE, businesswoman * Michael Turner CBE, Chairman, Babcock International *

Paul Walsh Paul may refer to: * Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, Executive Chairman, McLaren Group Public sector and law * Keith Bradley (Baron Bradley PC)
Theresa Grant OBE
Interim Chief Executive, Liverpool City Council * Sarah Green MP * Patrick Harvie MSP
Andrew Heyn CMG OBE
* Mike Kane MP * Afzal Khan CBE MP * Rebecca Long-Bailey MP *

Sylvia Pankhurst Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst (5 May 1882 – 27 September 1960) was a campaigning English feminist and socialist. Committed to organising working-class women in London's East End, and unwilling in 1914 to enter into a wartime political truce with t ...

, feminist and campaigner
Christopher Quinlan KC
*

Paul Scriven Paul James Scriven, Baron Scriven (born 7 February 1966) is a Liberal Democrat politician and former Leader of Sheffield City Council (2008–11), who was once described as Nick Clegg's "closest ally in local government". Early and professional ...

(Lord Scriven) * Grant Shapps MP Sport * Michael Appleton, football manager and coach *

Karen Bardsley Karen Louise Bardsley (born 14 October 1984) is a US-born English former Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. She played for Sky Blue FC in the previous top-flight American Women's Profe ...

, professional footballer * Kadeena Cox OBE, parasport athlete * Mark Cueto MBE, former professional rugby player * Ashley Giles MBE, former professional cricketer * Danny Grewcock MBE, former England rugby player *

Steve Round Steve Round (born 9 November 1970) is an English professional football coach and former player. He was until 6th July 2023, assistant first team coach of Premier League club Arsenal. After a brief playing career operating as a full-back, re ...

, Assistant Manager, Arsenal * Gordon Taylor OBE, former professional footballer
Tim Williams
Chief Executive, Oxford United Football Club

References

External links

* University Alliance Educational institutions established in 1970 1970 establishments in England Buildings and structures in Manchester Universities UK {{coord missing, Greater Manchester