North Highland College provides

further education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is education in addition to that received at secondary school, that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. I ...

and

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

in the north of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

through a network of learning centres and by distance learning. It is a constituent college of the University of the Highlands and Islands.

History

The college opened in 1959 and became an independent entity in 1993. In July 2014, the college had 8,000 students enrolled in full-time and part-time courses, including more than 750 studying for university degrees. The college has campuses in

Thurso Thurso (pronounced ; sco, Thursa, gd, Inbhir Theòrsa ) is a town and former burgh on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. Situated in the historical County of Caithness, it is the northernmost town on the island of Great ...

Halkirk Halkirk ( gd, Hàcraig) is a village on the River Thurso in Caithness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. From Halkirk the B874 road runs towards Thurso in the north and towards Georgemas in the east. The village is within the parish o ...

Alness Alness (, ; gd, Alanais) is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. It lies near the mouth of the River Averon, near the Cromarty Firth, with the town of Invergordon 3 miles (5 km) to the east, an ...

and

Dornoch Dornoch (; gd, Dòrnach ; sco, Dornach) is a town, seaside resort, parish and former royal burgh in the county of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, near to where it opens into the Moray ...

Thurso campus

Centre for Energy and Environment

The Centre for Energy and Environment building was designed by HRI Architects and completed in January 2011. It received a rating of excellent by

BREEAM BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), first published by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in 1990, is the world's longest established method of assessing, rating, and certifying the sustainability of ...

. and was awarded "best new building in the north region" at the Highlands and Islands Design Awards in 2012.

Rural studies centre

The college has been offering equestrian courses since 1990. In September 2012 it has used a converted farm that combines stabling, classrooms and a purpose-built indoor arena. Dale Farm is a facility that is situated approximately six miles from the main campus in Thurso. The college also offers a gamekeeping and wildlife management course.

Environmental Research Institute

Environmental Research Institute (ERI) is a centre for environmental research

Centre for History

The centre in Dornoch opened in 2005. Since 2007 a number of degree courses have been offered that are centred on the history of the

Highlands and Islands The Highlands and Islands is an area of Scotland broadly covering the Scottish Highlands, plus Orkney, Shetland and Outer Hebrides (Western Isles). The Highlands and Islands are sometimes defined as the area to which the Crofters' Act of 1886 ...

Governance

The principal, Mrs Debbie Murray, took up the post in May 2021.

References

External links

North Highland College

Environmental Research Institute
{{coord, 58.585742, N, 3.534689, W, region:GB-HLD_type:edu, display=title University of the Highlands and Islands Education in Highland (council area) Further education colleges in Scotland Higher education colleges in Scotland Thurso 1959 establishments in Scotland Educational institutions established in 1959