Bournemouth University

University Information, Campus and History
(Bournemouth, Dorset, England)

Bournemouth University is a vocational university in and around Bournemouth, England. Its main campus is actually in Poole, bordering Bournemouth, while the second campus is in the Bournemouth town centre. Bournemouth University has a steady reputation for producing highly skilled graduates committed to community service.

Although its forerunners date back to the 1970s, Bournemouth University as it is today was only established in 1992, making it very young by international standards. Its beginnings can be traced back to Bournemouth Municipal College in the 1950s, although its modern history began with the establishment of the Bournemouth College of Technology in 1976. At the time of its completion, the Dorset Education Committee was reviewing higher education standards in the area. The College having met these standards was promptly renamed the Dorset Institute of Higher Education.

The Dorset Institute underwent further review in 1990 from the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council and was again renamed, this time to Bournemouth Polytechnic. Finally, two years later, the Higher and Further Education Act was implemented and the Polytechnic became the present-day Bournemouth University on 27 November 1992.


Today, the University has 15,000 students and ranks highly among other UK universities for graduate employment. It has recently announced plans of shifting from a vocational model to a more traditional academic style, undertaking more extension projects and building a staff of researchers and professors to replace its current vocational lecturers.

Facilities

The University Library is located at the Talbot campus in Poole. Housed in a newly constructed five-floor building, the library contains 200,000 books and 2,500 periodicals, as well as over 30,000 e-books and 10,000 e-journals. The entire building has wireless internet access and has over 200 computers with flat screen panel displays. There are also 440 study areas and seven enclosed study halls, with multimedia rooms for playing audio and video materials.

The university also provides ample facilities for instruction in music and visual arts. The Music Centre in the Talbot House offers several practice and teaching rooms, a wide range of musical instruments, and a recording studio. The studio is supplied with state-of-the-art equipment, including three digital workspaces installed with the latest audio enhancing software.

The Atrium Gallery is the primary venue for displaying student works and contemporary art by artists within and outside the university. It hosts temporary exhibitions year-round, changing every five to six weeks. A more varied selection can be found at the Art Loan Collection in the Poole House foyer, where 2D and 3D works are displayed and renewed every year.

Famous Students

Most of the prominent Bournemouth University graduates are in the fields of media and entertainment. Ray Addison, producer of satire show Celebrity Soup, studied Television and Video Production at Bournemouth. Radio producer Rachel Jones, also a Bournemouth alumnus, produces the Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1. Television presenters Stuart Miles (Blue Peter), Tommy Sandhu (Blind Date), and Luke Toyne (Simply Media, QuizNation) all graduated from the prestigious Bournemouth Media School, a flagship constituent of the university.

Recent Bournemouth graduates seem to favour the film industry and are making a name for themselves in the field. Sophie Williams, who graduated in 2003 with a first class degree in Television Production, is a budding filmmaker whose experimental works have made it to many international film festivals. Recent graduate Henry Dalton is getting much acclaim for his short film Dick Dobson P.I. and the Case of the Kidnapped Cookies, a favourite at the Super Shorts Film Festival 2006. Tim Clague, also a Bournemouth graduate, won the Jerwood Film Prize in 1998 and directed the critically acclaimed short film All or Nothing, said to be one of the pioneers of computer-generated drama.

Prospective students will learn all they need to know at the Bournemouth University website. The Future Students section answers frequently asked questions on applications, courses, fees, immigration, and visas. Undergraduate and postgraduate prospectuses are available by request online or by phone. For specific questions, you can call their admissions office at +44 (0)1202 965470 or email them at enquiries@bournemouth.ac.uk. You can also use the enquiry form provided on the website, which will guide you to the right department.

International students can study at Bournemouth via a student exchange programme with one of its fellow International Student Exchange Programme (ISEP) universities or as an independent student. You can ask about exchange programmes and ISEP schools by calling the Student Exchange team at +44 (0) 1202 965824 or emailing them at studyabroad@bournemouth.ac.uk. For information on independent applications, call the Student Support team at +44 (0) 1202 965654 or email your questions to bmontagna@bournemouth.ac.uk. You can also keep track of your application by calling the Recruitment team at +44 (0) 1202 965470 or emailing them at inta@bournemouth.ac.uk.

Contact Bournemouth University:
Address: Melbury House, Landsowne Campus, 1-3 Oxford Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH8 8ES, England, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1202 524111 Fax: +44 (0)1202 962736 Email: askBU@bournemouth.ac.uk / enquiries@bournemouth.ac.uk Website: http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk