The University of Brighton is a

public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

based in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

on the south coast of England. Its roots can be traced back to 1858 when the Brighton School of Art was opened in the Royal Pavilion. It achieved university status in 1992. The

University A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

focuses on practical, creative, and professional education, with the majority of degrees awarded also recognised by professional organisations or leading to professional qualifications. Subjects include

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

ecology Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...

computing Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computer, computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and the development of both computer hardware, hardware and softw ...

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

nursing Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

teaching Teaching is the practice implemented by a ''teacher'' aimed at transmitting skills (knowledge, know-how, and interpersonal skills) to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the of an educational institution. Teaching is closely related ...

sport science Sports science is a discipline that studies how the healthy human body works during exercise, and how sports and physical activity promote health and performance from cellular to whole body perspectives. The study of sports science traditionally i ...

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

criminology Criminology (from Latin , 'accusation', and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'', 'word, reason') is the interdisciplinary study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is a multidisciplinary field in both the behaviou ...

and business. It has around 18,000 students and 2,400 staff. The QS World University Rankings places the university within the top 100 internationally for Art and Design.

History

1858—1900: Early years

In 1858 the Brighton School of Art opened its doors to its first 110 students, in rooms by the kitchens of the Royal Pavilion. It moved in 1876 to its own building in Grand Parade, with the Prime Minister,

William Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he was Prime Minister ...

, witnessing the laying of the new building's foundation stone. The Municipal School of Science and Technology opened in Brighton in 1897 with 600 enrolled students. In the 1960s new buildings were constructed in Moulsecoomb for what had become the Brighton College of Technology. In 1970 the School of Art and Brighton College of Technology merged to form Brighton Polytechnic. What became known as the Chelsea College of Physical Education opened in 1898 in London under the headship of Dorette Wilkie. A two year course was offered where teachers were taught to teach. The college moved to Eastbourne in 1947. In 1976 it merged with Eastbourne and Seaford Colleges of Education to form the East Sussex College of Higher Education. The same year, Brighton College of Education (the teacher training college) merged with Brighton Polytechnic, giving the Polytechnic a campus at Falmer. It had opened in 1909 as the Municipal Day Training College in Richmond Terrace, Brighton.

1900—2000: University status

There was a further merger in 1979, when the East Sussex College of Higher Education merged with the polytechnic, creating a campus in

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...

. That institution had opened in London in 1898 as an institution training women and girls in physical education and moved to Eastbourne in 1949. UK polytechnics were granted university status in 1992 and Brighton Polytechnic became the University of Brighton under the provisions 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 ...

. In 1994 the Sussex and Kent Institute of Nursing and Midwifery became part of the University, increasing the number of students based in

2000—present

In 2003 the Brighton and Sussex Medical School opened as a partnership between the University of Brighton, the

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

and the Universities Hospitals Trust, the first medical school in

South East England South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, regions of England that are in the ITL 1 statistical regions of England, top level category for Statistics, statistical purposes. It consists of the nine counties of england, ...

outside London. A

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

campus was opened in 2003, originally named

University Centre Hastings The University Centre Hastings was a small higher education institute located in Hastings, England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, o ...

; it was subsequently closed in 2016. In 2011, the Brighton International College, part of Kaplan International Colleges, opened on the Moulsecoomb campus, to provide international students with English language courses and preparatory academic tuition for undergraduate and postgraduate courses. In October 2019 the University launched the first new contemporary publics arts space in the city since 1999, named the Brighton Centre for Contemporary Arts. Brighton CCA is accessible to students and the public, hosting public exhibitions, events and commissioned work. In 2023, students and staff protested in opposition to the university's plans to make 110 staff redundant, the protests ultimately failed to prevent redundancies and 104 lecturers were made redundant through 82 voluntary redundancies and 22 compulsory redundancies. In May 2023, the University's Centre for Contemporary Arts was closed, the university says this is due to rising inflation, the " tuition fee freeze", and high energy costs.

Campuses and facilities

The University currently has three campuses: Falmer, City and Moulsecoomb. In 2018, the University of Brighton gained a first class award in the People & Planet's University League table – UK universities ranked by environmental and ethical performance.

Falmer campus, Brighton

Checkland-building-falmer-faculty-of-arts-university-of-brighton

The Falmer campus is approximately three miles from

city centre. The School of Education, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Sport and Health Sciences, Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Research, International Health Development and Research Centre, Social Science Policy and Research Centre, Education Research Centre, the Centre for Learning and Teaching and the

Brighton and Sussex Medical School Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) is a medical school formed as a partnership of the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex. Like other UK medical schools it is based on the principles and standards of 'Tomorrow's Doctors' ...

are all based on this campus. Falmer railway station is immediately adjacent, as is the

Falmer Stadium Falmer Stadium, currently known as the American Express Stadium for sponsorship reasons and more commonly referred to as the Amex, is a association football, football stadium in Falmer, Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. With a capacity o ...

, home to Brighton & Hove Albion FC, which opened in 2011. Facilities on the Falmer campus include a library, computer pool rooms, restaurant and cafe/bar, and the Students' Union cafe, aka The Hive, and shop. Sports facilities on the campus include floodlit 3G

AstroTurf AstroTurf is an American subsidiary of SportGroup that produces artificial turf for pitch (sports field), playing surfaces in sports. The original AstroTurf product was a pile (textile), short-pile synthetic turf invented in 1965 by Monsanto. Si ...

pitch, netball and tennis courts, a sports centre with fitness suite, two activity studios and a sports hall with six badminton courts, and a new sports pavilion which opened in 2015.

City campus, Brighton

City campus in Brighton city centre is home to the University's School of Art and Media, (formerly the Faculty of Arts), the School of Humanities and Social Science, the University of Brighton gallery and Sallis Benney Theatre (presumably named after E. A. Sallis Benney, former principal of the Brighton School of Art). The University's archives include the University of Brighton Design Archives, which houses collections from the

Design Council The Design Council, formerly the Council of Industrial Design, is a United Kingdom Charitable trust, charity incorporated by royal charter. Its stated mission is "to champion great design that improves lives and makes things better". It was instr ...

and other British and global design organisations, and the moving image archive Screen Archive South East. Facilities include the specialist humanities, art and design library at St Peter's House, computer pool rooms, a media centre, a restaurant and cafe.University of Brighton Guide 2012.
Brighton.ac.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2011

Moulsecoomb campus, Brighton

The Moulsecoomb campus is to the north of Brighton city centre on Lewes Road. Moulsecoomb railway station is nearby. It is the largest of the three campuses with over 8,000 students based there in the School of Applied Sciences, School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering and the School of Business and Law. Teaching and learning resources include rapid prototyping and design equipment including 3D scanners, CNS lathes and laser cutters, clinical skills and molecular biology laboratories, specialist labs for structural dynamics, geotechnics, thermal dynamics, hydraulics and avionics, a flight simulator, real-time trading room, and architecture and interior architecture studios. Facilities include Aldrich Library, computer pool rooms, two restaurants and five cafes. The new advanced engineering building opened in September 2017, and Elm House opened in 2021. The University of Brighton and Ricardo UK jointly opened the Sir Harry Ricardo Laboratories on 14 November 2006. The laboratories are one of the largest UK research teams dedicated to internal combustion engines, the development of laser-based measurement techniques, fundamental modelling and computational simulation. The University of Brighton Students' Union has its main offices in Cockcroft Building.

Eastbourne

The Eastbourne campus was in the south-western part of the town of

, and had almost 3,000 students before its closure in 2024.University of Brighton guide 2012. brighton.ac.uk/prospective. Retrieved 15 November 2011. Teaching and learning facilities at Eastbourne campus included exercise physiology laboratories, an environmental chamber, a human movement laboratory and the Leaf Hospital podiatry and physiotherapy clinic. Study facilities in Eastbourne included Queenwood library, computer pool rooms, a learning technologies suite, restaurants, and a students' Union shop. Sports facilities included a 25-metre swimming pool, sports hall, artificial outdoor pitch and dance studio. The University closed this campus in 2024.

Libraries

The University has three libraries spread around its campuses. * Aldrich Library (Moulsecoomb campus) * Falmer Library * St. Peter's House Library (City campus) Each library is typically open between 55 and 68 hours per week, including evenings and weekends.

Organisation and administration

The University is organized in academic schools: *School of Applied Sciences *School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering * School of Art and Media *

– joint with University of Sussex * School of Business and Law *School of Education *School of Humanities and Social Science *School of Sport and Health Sciences

Medical school

The

is one of four medical schools to have been created as part of the UK government's strategy of increasing the number of qualified doctors from the UK working in the NHS. The school is a joint school of the University of Brighton and the

. The University of Brighton provides professional aspects of the course while the University of Sussex provides biological science teaching.

School of Business and Law

The School of Business and Law delivers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, part-time courses for professionals, and programmes for commercial organisations. Formerly part of Brighton Technical College, the school has been teaching business and management courses since the 1960s. It took its current name in 1986. The school is in Elm House on the Moulsecoomb campus, following a large redevelopment. The University of Brighton is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) – an accreditation achieved by fewer than 6% of business schools globally.

Academic profile

The University of Brighton offers over 400 courses in a wide range of subjects. University of Brighton's International College provides academic preparatory programmes for students outside the EU. On successful completion of their programme and achievement of the required grades, students can progress to undergraduate and postgraduate degrees offered at the university. University of Brighton Doctoral College provides academic, administrative and practical support for the University's community of postgraduate research students. There are Doctoral College campus centres on the Eastbourne and each of the Brighton campuses.

Partnerships

The University validates degree-level courses taught at a number of partner colleges.
East Sussex College Group
*

Greater Brighton Metropolitan College Greater Brighton Metropolitan College was a large further education college based in Brighton, Worthing and Shoreham-by-Sea in Sussex on the south coast of England. It was formed in early 2017 by the merger of Brighton-based City College Brighto ...

* Plumpton College The University of Brighton also validates higher education courses taught at the KLC School of Design, London.

Reputation and rankings

The University's Community University Partnership Programme received an honourable mention at the 2010 Community-Campus Partnerships for Health awards and was highly commended in the Social Responsibility category at the 2009 Green Gown Awards. Brighton is in the top 50 universities in England for graduate prospects in the Complete University Guide league tables – reflecting the number of graduates who are in highly skilled employment or further study 15 months after they graduate. The university gained a Silver award in the national Teaching Excellence Framework 2023, recognising the quality of their teaching and student outcomes. The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise confirmed that 79% of the University of Brighton's research output is of international standing. Taking the top three grades, the results show that 15 per cent of the research is 'world-leading' (the highest grade), 29 per cent is internationally excellent (the second highest grade) and 35 per cent is internationally recognised (the third highest grade).Facts and figures, RAE 2008 information – University of Brighton
. Brighton.ac.uk. Retrieved on 6 June 2011. The University's RAE ranking rose from 80th place in 2001 to 59th in 2008, leading it to be described as one of the "rising stars" in the UK. Sixty-five per cent of research in art and design at the Faculty of Arts was classified as either "world-leading" or "internationally excellent". This places Brighton amongst the leading research centres in the country for art and design and Research Fortnight ranked the submission second in terms of the volume and quality of research. Brighton is also ranked as one of the leading modern universities in terms of the quality of its research by the

Research Fortnight ''Research Fortnight'' is an independent publication that reports on research policy and funding in the U.K. It is sold by institutional subscription, and around 95% of universities in the UK subscribe to it, along with government agencies and ...

newsletter.

Research centres and groups

* Advanced Engineering Centre: The University is known for its contributions in

automotive engineering Automotive engineering, along with aerospace engineering and naval architecture, is a branch of vehicle engineering, incorporating elements of Mechanical engineering, mechanical, Electrical engineering, electrical, Electronic engineering, electro ...

, for example developing the 2/4 SIGHT Engine. The automotive engineering course is offered jointly with the University of Sussex. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, the Automotive Engineering research group had 70% of its research rated internationally excellent or world leading and 95% deemed to be internationally recognised.

Student life

Students on each campus have access to services including a careers advisory service, counselling service, student advice service, disability and

dyslexia Dyslexia (), previously known as word blindness, is a learning disability that affects either reading or writing. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, wri ...

service, and chaplaincy. Brighton

Students' Union A students' union or student union, 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 social, organizat ...

is the representative body for students. The BSU is a charity and is headed up by four full-time elected student officers. The BSU represent the student voice at the University, ensuring that they're using student feedback to make positive changes that make student life better. They support students with appeals, mitigating circumstances and other academic issues that may occur. The BSU also organises a variety of activities and events throughout the year; including societies, sports, student media and more. Buzz Radio is a student-led

campus radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...

station with studios in Brighton. There are a number of shops and cafés across University of Brighton campuses that are run by the BSU.

Notable alumni, staff and associates

Many prominent figures in the arts have attended the University, or the institutions from which it was formed. These include

Turner Prize The Turner Prize, named after the English painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist. Between 1991 and 2016, only artists under the age of 50 were eligible (this restriction was removed for the 2017 award). ...

winners

Keith Tyson Keith Tyson (born Keith Thomas Bower,Keith Tyson

and

Rachel Whiteread Dame Rachel Whiteread (born 20 April 1963) is an English artist who primarily produces sculptures, which typically take the form of casts. She was the first woman to win the annual Turner Prize in 1993. Whiteread was one of the Young British ...

(1982–85) studied at the Faculty of Arts, Brighton, as did Keith Coventry, the winner of 2010 John Moores Painting Prize, the photographer Ewen Spencer, the artist Alison Lapper, the designer Julien Macdonald and the writer-illustrator

Emily Gravett Emily Gravett (born 1972) is an English author and illustrator of children's literature, children's picture books. For her debut book ''Wolves (book), Wolves'' published in 2005 and ''Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears'' published three years late ...

. Former students also include the artists Paine Proffitt, Cliff Wright, illustrator of the

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

books, the designer Julien Macdonald OBE, and musicians Natasha Khan, (who performs as Bat for Lashes), and

The Haxan Cloak Bobby Krlic (born 20 December 1985), known by his stage name The Haxan Cloak, is a British composer, artist, music producer and musician. He has released two full-length albums (2011's ''The Haxan Cloak'' and 2013's '' Excavation''). As a prod ...

The list of students, lecturers and researchers once at Brighton includes Kate Greenaway Medal winners

Raymond Briggs Raymond Redvers Briggs (18 January 1934 – 9 August 2022) was an English illustrator, cartoonist, graphic novelist and author. Achieving critical and popular success among adults and children, he is best known in Britain for his 1978 story ...

and

Quentin Blake Sir Quentin Saxby Blake (born 16 December 1932) is an English cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and children's writer. He has illustrated over 300 books, including 18 written by Roald Dahl, which are among his most popular works. For his l ...

; children's writer-illustrator Lucy Cousins; Magnum photographer Mark Power; fashion designer

Barbara Hulanicki Barbara Hulanicki (b. 1936) is an English fashion designer, born in Warsaw, Poland, to Polish parents and best known as the founder of clothes store Biba. Early life Hulanicki was born in Warsaw, Poland, to Polish parents. Her father, Witol ...

; world champion

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

player Sandra Landy; and adventurer and conservationist Holly Budge. Liz Aggiss, the live artist, dance performer, choreographer and film maker, taught visual performance at Brighton from 1982. She is now Emeritus Professor of Visual Performance. Contributions made to modern visual culture by Brighton Faculty of Arts and Architecture members include Royal Designer for Industry George Hardie's cover designs for

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...

's ''The Dark Side of the Moon'', and several series of Royal Mail stamps, and John Vernon Lord's sleeve for

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...

's ''Book of Taliesyn''. In 2000 a group of graduates from the BA Illustration course formed the successful Peepshow Collective. The longer history of the school of art in Brighton includes the artists Conrad Heighton Leigh, and poster designer John Bellany. The artist Helen Chadwick took the sculpture course at Brighton Polytechnic (1973–76) and later returned to the institution to teach. The artist Cherryl Fountain also attended the polytechnic. The sculptor/woodcarver Robert Koenig, author of the woodcarving project Odyssey also studied on the sculpture course at the same time as Helen Chadwick. The sculptor Antony Gormley formerly taught at Brighton. Alexandra Gage, Viscountess Gage is a fine arts senior lecturer at Brighton.

List of vice-chancellors

* Sir David Watson (1992 to 2005) * Julian Crampton CBE (2005 to 2015) * Debra Humphris (2015 to 2024) * Donna Whitehead (2025 to present)

References

External links

University of Brighton

Brighton Students' Union
{{authority control Education in Brighton and Hove Educational institutions established in 1992 1992 establishments in England

Higher education colleges in England