The University of the West of England (also known as UWE Bristol) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...

, located in and around

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England. The institution was know as the Bristol Polytechnic in 1970; it received university status in 1992 and became the University of the West of England, Bristol. In common with the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

and

University of Bath (Virgil, Georgics II) , mottoeng = Learn the culture proper to each after its kind , established = 1886 (Merchant Venturers Technical College) 1960 (Bristol College of Science and Technology) 1966 (Bath University of Technology) 1971 (univ ...

, it can trace its origins to the Merchant Venturers' Technical College, founded as a school in 1595 by the Society of Merchant Venturers. UWE Bristol is made up of several campuses in Greater Bristol. Frenchay Campus is the largest campus in terms of student numbers, as most of its courses are based there. City campus provides courses in the creative and cultural industries, and is made up of Bower Ashton Studios,

Arnolfini Arnolfini is an international arts centre and gallery in Bristol, England. It has a programme of contemporary art exhibitions, artist's performance, music and dance events, poetry and book readings, talks, lectures and cinema. There is also a ...

, Spike Island, and Watershed. The institution is affiliated with the

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre. BOVTS is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. ...

and validates its higher education courses. Frenchay Campus and Glenside Campus are home to most of the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, with a further Adult Nursing cohort based at

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

Campus.

Hartpury Hartpury is a civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It has an area of about , about 270 homes and a population of about 700 people, increasing to 1,642 at the 2011 census. The village is about north of Gloucester. Geographically the parish ...

Campus provides training in animal sciences, sport, equine, agriculture and conservation.

History

Early foundations

The University of the West of England can trace its roots back to the foundation of the Merchant Venturers Navigation School in 1595. In 1894, the school became the Merchant Venturers Technical College. The

was formed just a few years after this, leaving the college for the foundation of UWE Bristol. The college was partly responsible for the creation of the Bristol College of Science and Technology (BCST) in 1960, which later gained a royal charter to form the

in 1965. The technical college in turn became ''Bristol Polytechnic'' in 1970; the then-main campus was at Ashley Down, now a campus of the

City of Bristol College City of Bristol College is a further education and higher education college in Bristol, England. It provides courses for young people and adults aged 16 and above in areas such as: A Levels, Animal Care, Floristry, Horticulture, Applied Forensic ...

. Bower Ashton Studios was formed in 1969 as the West of England College of Art, which was formerly the art school of the Royal West of England Academy in Queens Road, Bristol. The St Matthias site (which is no longer owned by the university) was originally built in Victorian times and was a teacher training college. These campuses, together with campuses in Redland, Ashley Down, Unity Street and Frenchay became part of Bristol Polytechnic around 1976.

University status

The institution gained university status and its present name as a result of the

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 g ...

. The Avon and Gloucestershire College of Health, which is now Glenside Campus, and the Bath and Swindon College of Health Studies joined in January 1996. Hartpury campus joined in 1997. The university is a lead academic sponsor of

Bristol Technology and Engineering Academy Bristol Technology and Engineering Academy (or BTE Academy) was a University Technical College (UTC) that opened in September 2013 in Stoke Gifford, just north of Bristol, England. The University of the West of England and City of Bristol College ...

, a new

university technical college A university technical college (UTC) is a type of specialist secondary school in England that is led by a sponsor university and has close ties to local business and industry. These university and industry partners support the curriculum developm ...

Rebrand

In the spring of 2016, UWE Bristol launched a rebranding campaign which introduced a new look to the university, with a new logo as part of the Strategy 2020.

Campuses

Frenchay Campus

UWE Bristol's largest and primary campus is named after the nearby village of

Frenchay Frenchay is a village in the County of South Gloucestershire, England, and the Civil Parish of Winterbourne. It is on the outskirts to the north east of the city of Bristol. Frenchay was first recorded in 1257 as ''Fromscawe'' and later as '' ...

in the civil parish of Winterbourne. It is located 4 miles north of Bristol city centre, with

Filton Filton is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England, north of Bristol. Along with nearby Patchway and Bradley Stoke, Filton forms part of the Bristol urban area and has become an overflow settlement for the city. Filton Church ...

to the West and

Stoke Gifford Stoke Gifford is a village and parish in South Gloucestershire, England, in the northern suburbs of Bristol. It had around 11,000 residents at the 2001 census, increasing to 15,494 at the 2011 census. It is home to Bristol Parkway station an ...

to the North. In August 2006, a new sports centre was opened at Frenchay. In September 2008 UWE Bristol purchased the major part of neighbour Hewlett Packard's adjoining land, resulting in a expansion to their existing campus. In 2012, major changes were introduced to the Frenchay campus at UWE Bristol. First, the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, the largest robotics laboratory in Europe, was opened and later on in the same year the UWE Bristol International College was opened to students. The International College provides international students with the necessary academic, subject-based and English language skills needed to successfully progress to a degree course at UWE Bristol. The Students' Union opened its new building in 2015; it is two interlinked buildings bringing all Students' Union services together. In autumn 2016 Future Space, a

business incubator Business incubator is an organization that helps startup companies and individual entrepreneurs to develop their businesses by providing a fullscale range of services starting with management training and office space and ending with venture c ...

for hi-tech companies, was opened adjacent to the Bristol Robotics Laboratory on Frenchay Campus. It is one of only four universities in the UK to have a University Enterprise Zone providing space for over 70 businesses. The new Bristol Business School building at Frenchay Campus was completed in 2017. It houses the Bristol Business School and

Bristol Law School Bristol Law School (BLS), formerly known as the Faculty of Law, is an academic school at the University of the West of England. This is different from the University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate po ...

. A new state-of-the-art, 4-storey engineering building with teaching and research facilities, located close to the new Bristol Business School in the heart of the Frenchay Campus, was opened to students and staff in June 2020. As of the 2021/22 academic year it has been put into use with state of the art laboratories, workshops and lecture theatres that cater explicitly to Engineering disciplines.

City Campus

City Campus is made up of Bower Ashton Studios, Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed.

Bower Ashton Studios

Bower Ashton Studios is home to the creative and cultural subjects, which are part of the Faculty of Arts, Creative Industries and Education. Adjacent to the

Ashton Court Ashton Court is a mansion house and estate to the west of Bristol in England. Although the estate lies mainly in North Somerset, it is owned by the City of Bristol. The mansion and stables are a Grade I listed building. Other structures on th ...

estate, on the edge of the city of Bristol, the West of England College of Art was established in purpose-built premises in 1969, moving from its previous location as the art school of the

Royal West of England Academy The Royal West of England Academy (RWA) is Bristol's oldest art gallery, located in Clifton, Bristol, near the junction of Queens Road and Whiteladies Road. Situated in a Grade 2* listed building, it hosts five galleries and an exhibition progr ...

in Clifton. In 1970 the college became part of Bristol Polytechnic, the precursor of the university. Every year in June the campus houses a degree show attended by Bristol residents as well as friends and families of the graduating students.

Glenside Campus

Glenside Campus is the home of the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences. It is located on Blackberry Hill in the suburb of

Fishponds Fishponds is a large suburb in the north-east of the English city of Bristol, about from the city centre. It has two large Victorian-era parks: Eastville Park and Vassall's Park (once the Vassall Family estate, also known as Oldbury Court). ...

. The Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences (formerly the Faculty of Health and Social Care) was created in 1996 when the former Avon and Gloucestershire College of Health and Bath and Swindon College of Health Studies joined with the existing Faculty of Health and Community Studies at UWE Bristol. The Glenside Museum is situated within the campus. The Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences includes the following departments: * Department of Allied Health Professions * Department of Applied Sciences * Department of Health and Social Sciences * Department of Nursing and Midwifery It offers full- and part-time courses at all levels in the areas of

Midwifery Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (including care of the newborn), in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many ...

Nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy,

Radiography Radiography is an imaging technique using X-rays, gamma rays, or similar ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation to view the internal form of an object. Applications of radiography include medical radiography ("diagnostic" and "therapeu ...

, Social Work and other health-related professions.

Gloucester Campus

Alexandra Warehouse is the Gloucester home of the Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, at the University of the West of England (UWE),

. It is located on West Quay in the

Gloucester Docks Gloucester Docks is an historic area of the city of Gloucester. The docks are located at the northern junction of the River Severn with the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal (also known as the Gloucester and ...

. This campus delivers nurse training in the heart of

with UWE Bristol ~ Pre-registration Adult and Mental Health nursing; Return to Practice; Post-graduate and CPD courses. Alexandra Warehouse, a historic listed building, has been fully refurbished.

St Matthias Campus

St Matthias Campus was located in the suburb of Fishponds in Bristol. Built in the Victorian times by the Church of England, the campus has some

Victorian Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

buildings, set around a sunken lawn. St Matthias campus was home to various departments of the faculty of Creative Arts, Humanities and Education. The University of the West of England closed the campus in September 2014 (with operations on the site ceasing on 4 July 2014) as a part of a relocation project. The various departments of the faculty of Creative Arts, Humanities and Education from St Matthias and Bower Ashton have moved to new facilities at Frenchay campus. In March 2014 it was announced that, subject to planning permission, the site would be sold and redeveloped by Barratt Developments for housing and the listed buildings would become a Steiner School.

Organisation and administration

Structure

The university is divided into four faculties which are then subdivided into departments: * Faculty of Arts, Creative Industries and Education ** Department of Arts and Cultural Industries ** School of Art and Design ** Department of Education and Childhood ** School of Film and Journalism ** Bristol School of Animation (Affiliated School) **

(Associate School) * Faculty of Business and Law ** Bristol Business School ***Department of Accounting, Economics and Finance ***Department of Business and Management **

* Faculty of Environment and Technology ** Department of Architecture and the Built Environment ** Department of Computer Science and Creative Technologies ** Department of Engineering Design and Mathematics ** Department of Geography and Environmental Management * Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences ** Department of Allied Health Professions ** Department of Biological, Biomedical and Analytical Sciences ** Department of Health and Social Sciences ** Department of Nursing and Midwifery *

Hartpury College Hartpury University and Hartpury College, formerly Hartpury College, is a provider of further and higher education which describes itself as specialising in the "agriculture, animal, equine, sport and veterinary nursing" sectors. The university a ...

(Associate Faculty) ** Sport ** Equine ** Agriculture ** Professional ** Veterinary nursing

School of Art and Design

Bower Ashton Campus, UWE (geograph 3712271)

The School of Art and Design became part of the Faculty of Arts, Creative Industries and Education (ACE) following the university's reorganisation in 2010/11. Adjacent to the

estate in

Bower Ashton Bower Ashton is a small district in south west Bristol on the western boundary with North Somerset, lying within the Southville ward, approximately two miles from the city centre. Ashton Court estate, a recreational area owned by Bristol City ...

, the West of England College of Art was established in purpose-built premises in 1969, moving from its previous location as the art school of the

in Clifton. Among its principals and deans were the war artist

Jack Bridger Chalker Jack Bridger Chalker (10 October 1918 – 15 November 2014), was a British artist and teacher best known for his work recording the lives of the prisoners of war building the Burma Railway during World War II. Biography Chalker was born in Lo ...

, the graphic designer Paul van Der Lem, and Paul Gough RWA, a researcher and art historian, who became the first pro-vice chancellor and executive dean of the former faculty in its expanded form of over 2,600 students.

Department of Education and Childhood

The Department of Education and Childhood (formerly the School of Education) is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. Its origins lie in teacher training colleges at Redland and St Matthias which became part of the former Bristol Polytechnic in 1969. The dean of the school is Ron Ritchie, who is also an assistant vice-chancellor of the university. A new purpose built home for the department was completed in 2000 for the department at the university's Frenchay campus. The department offers undergraduate degrees in initial teacher education in early years education or primary education, as well as an education studies + PGCE (3+1) programme.

Postgraduate Certificate in Education The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE/PGCertEd) is a one- or two-year higher education course in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which provides training in order to allow graduates to become teachers within maintained schools. In ...

courses are offered as well as a range of professional development courses for teachers, further and higher education teachers and lecturers, and school support staff.

Coat of arms

Echoing Bristol's long connection with the sea and the Merchant Venturers' Navigation School, the top of the crest depicts a ship's mainmast and rigging. The flaming fire basket indicates guidance, hope and the desire for learning. The shield at the centre is adapted from that of the College of St Matthias with the wavy line representing the rivers of Avon and

Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

. The

unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years o ...

is taken from the arms of the City of Bristol and the sea stag from those of the former

County of Avon Avon () was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in the west of England that existed between 1974 and 1996. The county was named after the River Avon, which flows through the area. It was formed from the county boroughs of Bristol and Bat ...

. Both these creatures wear a crown of King Edgar around their necks. Edgar is regarded as a local monarch because he was crowned in Bath Abbey in 973. The wavy lines enclosed in circles on the shoulders represent the fountain of knowledge and learning. The unicorn and sea stag each support an apple tree, known as the tree of knowledge and is taken from the coat of arms of the

Council for National Academic Awards The Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) was the national degree-awarding authority in the United Kingdom from 1965 until its dissolution on 20 April 1993. Background The establishment followed the recommendation of the UK government Com ...

which used to authorise degrees awarded to students of Bristol Polytechnic. The motto ''Light, Liberty, Learning'' is a

Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a centr ...

quotation and corresponds directly to the symbolism of the coat of arms. The fire basket represents the Light, the Bristol and Avon supporters represent liberty, and the trees of knowledge and learning.

Academic profile

League tables

UWE Bristol was ranked within the top 25 universities in the UK by ''

The Guardian 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 ...

'' 2023. UWE Bristol is only one of four universities in the UK to have a University Enterprise Zone providing space for over 70 businesses, and the largest UK robotics lab."Giving Graduates a Head Start in Business "
official website) (accessed 30 September 2017). The 2018

Teaching Excellence Framework The Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) is a controversial government assessment of the quality of undergraduate teaching in universities and other higher education providers in England, which may be used from 2020 to determine ...

, a government assessment of the quality of undergraduate teaching in universities, awarded the university with a Gold rating. In 2017, UWE Bristol was ranked as one of the top 150 universities in the world under 50 in THE Times' ranking. In 2019, it ranked 464th among the universities around the world by ''

SCImago Institutions Rankings The SCImago Institutions Rankings (SIR) since 2009 has published its international ranking of worldwide research institutions, the SIR World Report. The SIR World Report is the work of the SCImago Research Group,Research Excellence Framework The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a research impact evaluation of British higher education institutions. It is the successor to the Research Assessment Exercise and it was first used in 2014 to assess the period 2008–2013. REF is under ...

(REF) 2014. The REF 2014 results reveal that 57 percent of the research submitted by UWE Bristol was judged to be either world leading or internationally excellent. The results highlight UWE Bristol's particular strengths in the areas of allied health and nursing, and communications, cultural and media studies. Results were also outstanding in areas such as architecture, built environment and planning; engineering; art and design; computer science; and business and management. In 2010, UWE Bristol launched a research

repository Repository may refer to: Archives and online databases * Content repository, a database with an associated set of data management tools, allowing application-independent access to the content * Disciplinary repository (or subject repository), an ...

in order to host electronic versions of the research of its academics. The UWE Bristol Research Repository is open access.

Bristol Robotics Laboratory and Future Space

Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL), the largest robotics laboratory of its type in the UK was officially opened on 10 May 2012 by

David Willetts David Linsay Willetts, Baron Willetts, (born 9 March 1956) is a British politician and life peer. From 1992 to 2015, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the constituency of Havant in Hampshire. He served as Minister of State for ...

, Minister for Universities and Science. The laboratory is a partnership between University of the West of England (UWE) and the University of Bristol. According to EE/Times, it is the largest robotics laboratory in Europe. The BRL is home to a community of 70 academics and businesses who are leading current thinking in nouvelle and service robotics, intelligent autonomous systems and bio-engineering. Over £1.65 million has been spent on the new facilities. The total area of the BRL is circa 2,400 m², with over 300 square metres of specialised laboratory space and two Flying Arenas. Future Space is a

adjacent to the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, in a former Hewlett Packard factory building which was bought by UWE Bristol in 2015 and converted. It can house up to 70 hi-tech

startup companies A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship refers to all new businesses, including self-employment and businesses that never intend t ...

and early-stage companies. It is the £16.5 million realisation of the West of England University Enterprise Zone (UEZ), one of four UEZs supported by the UK government, which were initially announced by Chancellor

George Osborne George Gideon Oliver Osborne (born Gideon Oliver Osborne; 23 May 1971) is a former British politician and newspaper editor who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010 to 2016 and as First Secretary of State from 2015 to 2016 in the ...

in 2014. The main areas of focus of the UEZ are robotics,

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...

and

biomedicine Biomedicine (also referred to as Western medicine, mainstream medicine or conventional medicine)

. It is a collaboration with the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership and the University of Bristol, supported by

South Gloucestershire Council South Gloucestershire Council is the local authority of South Gloucestershire, England, covering an area to the north of the city of Bristol. As a unitary authority it has the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. I ...

, the

and the West of England Academic Health Science Network. Future Space opened in autumn 2016.

National College for Legal Training

The National College of Legal Training (NCLT) is a collaboration between UWE Bristol and Central Law Training, launched in January 2010 to provide postgraduate legal training. NCLT Study centres are located at

Coventry University , mottoeng = By Art and Industry , established = , type = Public , endowment = £28 million (2015) , budget = £787.5 million , chancellor = Margaret Casely-Hayford , vice_chancellor = John Latham , students = () , undergr ...

Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, 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 Educat ...

Southampton Solent University Solent University (formerly Southampton Solent University) is a public university based in Southampton, United Kingdom. It has approximately 10,500 students (2019/20). Its main campus is located on East Park Terrace near the city centre and th ...

and

University of Westminster The University of Westminster is a public university, public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first Polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic to open in London. The Polyte ...

The Bristol Distinguished Address Series

Based at the University of the West of England Campus in Frenchay the series of lectures provide a unique opportunity to hear about the challenges, issues and decisions being made at the highest level of strategic leadership. These free public lectures bring top level business leaders to Bristol. The conference covers a wide range of topics including business, technology & innovation, science and local & global issues.

Student life

Students' Union

The Students' Union at UWE, formerly UWE Students' Union (‘UWESU’), is based at Frenchay campus and was established in 1971. It is run by a team of five sabbatical officers, who are elected annually from the student population. The new Students' Union building was completed in Summer 2015 and operates a bar, a coffee shop and two convenience stores at Frenchay Campus. A Students' Union bar and shop is also available at Glenside Campus and Bower Ashton Studios. The student radio station, Hub Radio operates out of a studio on campus.

Student accommodation

In September 2006, Frenchay Student Village opened providing on-campus accommodation for 1,932 students, adding to the 252 units already provided in Carroll Court. Campus accommodation is also provided at Glenside. In partnership with UNITE Student Housing a further 1,500 places are provided in Bristol City Centre and UWE Bristol Accommodation services also places students in vetted private rentals. All accommodation at UWE is self-catering. In September 2014, Wallscourt Park opened on Frenchay Campus. Following the 2020–21 academic year, Carroll Court is to be knocked down as replaced with accommodation similar to that of the Student Village in order to accommodate extra students. The main halls of residence are: Student Village – Frenchay Campus * Brecon Court * Cotswold Court * Mendip Court * Quantock Court Frenchay Campus * Ashley Village (demolished around 2005 to make way for the S Block) * Carroll Court (demolished in 2022 to make way for new accommodations) * Wallscourt Park Glenside Campus * Glenside (on Glenside campus) * The Hollies (opposite Glenside Campus) Bristol City Centre * Marketgate (owned by Unite Group) * Nelson and Drake House (owned by Unite Group) * Blenheim Court (owned by Unite Group) * Phoenix Court (owned by Unite Group) * Transom House (owned by Host students)

Sport

The

University of the West of England Boat Club University of the West of England Boat Club is a rowing club on the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, based at Wycliffe College boathouse, Junction Bridge, Saul, Gloucestershire. History The club runs four squads and belongs to the University of ...

is the rowing club belonging to the university.

Notable alumni

Silas Adekunle Silas Adekunle is a Nigerian inventor and technology entrepreneur known for creating the world's first intelligent gaming robot. Professional life Adekunle is the co-founder and former CEO of Reach Robotics, an augmented reality gaming compan ...

– entrepreneur *

Angellica Bell Angellica Bell (born 24 March 1976) is a British television and radio presenter, best known for her presenting on CBBC between 2000 and 2006. She is also known for providing occasional cover on ''The One Show'' and for co-presenting ''The M ...

–

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...