Oxford Brookes University is a
modern universityThe term New University has been used informally to refer to several different waves of new university movements in the United Kingdom. As early as 1928, the term was used to describe the then-new civic universities, such as Bristol University and the other 'Red Bricks'...
in
OxfordOxford is a city, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England. The city has a population of just under 165,000, with 151,000 living within the district boundary. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes.
History
Oxford Brookes has roots in
OxfordOxford is a city, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England. The city has a population of just under 165,000, with 151,000 living within the district boundary. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre...
that go back to 1865, when it was known as the Oxford School of Art, located in a single room on the ground floor of the
Taylor InstitutionThe Taylor Institution comprises the buildings in Oxford which harbour the libraries dedicated to the study of the European Mediæval and Modern Languages at Oxford University, and serves to house the Faculty of the same name.Having been established in 1845, it was funded largely by a bequest from...
,
St. GilesSt Giles is a wide street leading north from the centre of Oxford, England. At its northern end, the road divides into Woodstock Road to the left and Banbury Road to the right, both major roads through North Oxford. At the southern end, the road continues as Magdalen Street at the junction with...
. In 1870 the School of Science was incorporated into the School of Art. In 1891, under the administration of the City Council's Technical Instruction Committee, it was renamed the Oxford City Technical School, incorporating the School of Art, and plans were made to relocate to the former Blue Coat School for Boys on St. Ebbes. In 1934 the School of Art and the Technical School were merged, and John Henry Brookes, Vice Principal of the Technical School, was appointed the first principal of the merged institution. Renamed "Oxford College of Technology" in 1956, its first residence hall was established in 1960 and the college relocated to
HeadingtonHeadington is a suburb of Oxford, England. It lies on top of Headington Hill overlooking the city in the river valley below. The life of the large residential area congregates around London Road, the main thoroughfare from London to Oxford....
in 1963. In 1970, it became Oxford Polytechnic, and in 1992, following enactment of the Further and Higher Education Act was renamed Oxford Brookes University. In October 2003 Oxford Brookes university became the first university in the world to be awarded Fairtrade status. In 2007 Oxford Brookes came fifth in the new environmental league table of universities and received a first class rating for its environmental credentials.
Although not a part of Oxford University, it is among the eight non-university institutions whose members are eligible for Long-Term Temporary Membership in the
Oxford UnionThe Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, UK, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
.
Oxford Brookes is the eighth largest employer in Oxfordshire, providing 2,500 jobs across the University.
Schools
Oxford Brookes comprises eight schools:
- School of Arts and Humanities
- School of the Built Environment
- Business School
- School of Health and Social Care
- School of Life Sciences
- School of Social Sciences and Law
- School of Technology
- Westminster Institute of Education
Specialist study
The Centre for Development and Emergency Practice (CENDEP) in the School of the Built Environment was awarded the
Queen's Anniversary PrizeThe Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education is a biennially awarded series of prizes awarded to Universities and Colleges in the further and higher education sectors within the United Kingdom. Uniquely it forms part of the British honours system, to date rounds have occurred in...
and is well known for its programme for humanitarian practitioners. CENDEP provides an academic setting for the study of cities, humanitarianism and refugees. Singer and activist
Annie LennoxAnnie Lennox is a Scottish musician and recording artist. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, Lennox showed aptitude in music when she was a child and later studied classical music at the Royal Academy of Music in London...
is patron of the Master's Course in Humanitarian and Development Practice.
In 2007, The MSc in Primate Conservation was awarded the highly-prestigious Queen's Anniversary Prize – a national honour recognising the outstanding contribution by the MSc programme team and the Department of Anthropology & Geography at Oxford Brookes.
The Oxford Brookes School of Technology is well known for its automotive and motorsports technology/engineering.
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants...
world champion
Fernando AlonsoFernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, racing for the Renault team....
provides scholarships for masters degree students to study motor sport engineering at the university.
Automotive engineering
The Oxford Brookes School of Technology is well known for its automotive and motorsports technology/engineering courses leading to undergraduate BSc(Hons), BEng(Hons) and MEng(Hons) degrees. Due to the close links between Oxford Brookes and several Formula 1 teams around Oxfordshire, the syllabus development for the undergraduate and post graduate courses are carried out in collaboration with F1 teams. Over the decade, the school has developed a niche for producing Formula 1 design and race engineers, who go on to build championship winning cars, participating in the FIA Formula 1 Championships. The school is also home and lead institution to Motorsport Knowledge Exchange which is a Government-funded small cooperative of institutions, involved in delivering motorsport education at a variety of different levels, from technician to post-graduate.
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants...
world champion
Fernando AlonsoFernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, racing for the Renault team....
provides scholarships for masters degree students to study motor sport engineering at the university. Participants, in specific will study either an MSc in motorsports engineering or in race engine design with the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mathematical Sciences at Oxford Brookes. The university, which is based in the centre of the UK's "motorsport valley", boasts a teaching staff that includes Prof. Geoff Goddard, a former chief designer at
CosworthCosworth is an automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines for automobile racing . It supplies a wide range of motorsport series, including the World Rally Championship, World Superbikes and, as of 2010, Formula One...
.
The School of Technology at Oxford Brookes is one of the three core universities in Faraday Advance, the partnership in advanced materials for transportation. Faraday Advance works to increase the impact of science on UK business competitiveness in the automotive, aerospace and transport sectors by developing future materials and technology for low-pollution, high-efficiency, cost-effective transport. The core partners in Faraday Advance are the
University of OxfordThe University of Oxford , located in the UK city of Oxford, is the oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world and is regarded as one of the world's leading academic institutions. Although the exact date of foundation remains unclear, there is evidence of teaching there as far back...
, Oxford Brookes University and
Cranfield UniversityCranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire; the other is at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire...
.
Campuses
Oxford Brookes University has three main campuses.
Headington campus
The Headington campus is located in
HeadingtonHeadington is a suburb of Oxford, England. It lies on top of Headington Hill overlooking the city in the river valley below. The life of the large residential area congregates around London Road, the main thoroughfare from London to Oxford....
, a residential area of
OxfordOxford is a city, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England. The city has a population of just under 165,000, with 151,000 living within the district boundary. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre...
, one
mileA mile is a unit of length in a number of different systems. In contemporary English, mile most commonly refers to the statute mile of 1,609.344 meters or the nautical mile of 1,852 meters...
from the city centre. It consists of the Gipsy Lane site, which is the main teaching site, the Marston Road site, being the school of Health and Social Care, and the
Headington HillHeadington Hill is a hill in the east of Oxford, England, in the suburb of Headington. The Headington Road road goes up the hill leading out of the city. There are good views of the spires of Oxford from the hill, especially from the top of South Park....
site across the road from Gipsy Lane, where the Students' Union and main halls of residence are located. It has seven halls of residence: Crescent Hall,
Cheney Student VillageCheney Student Village is one of the nine halls of residence at Oxford Brookes University in Oxford, England. Located on Cheney Lane in Headington, a few minutes walk away from the Gipsy Lane campus, it houses 750 students in single study bedrooms with en suite shower rooms and self catered...
, Clive Booth Hall, Clive Booth Non-Ensuite (formerly Morrell Hall), Warneford Hall,
Cotuit HallCotuit Hall is one of the nine halls of residence at Oxford Brookes University in Oxford, England. Located on Pullens Lane in Headington, a few minutes walk away from the Gipsy Lane campus, it houses 102 students in single rooms, with full catering.-History:...
, Paul Kent Hall,
Wheatley campus
The Wheatley campus is set near
WheatleyWheatley is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, east of Oxford.-History until the 18th century:There was a Roman villa on Castle Hill, about southeast of the parish church. It was excavated in 1845, when fragments of pottery, tiles and coins dating from AD 260 to 378 have been found.The...
in the Oxfordshire countryside, seven miles south-east of the city centre, and is where
businessA business is a legally recognized organization designed to provide goods and/or services to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, most being privately owned and formed to earn profit that will increase the wealth of its owners and grow the business itself...
,
ITInformation technology , as defined by the Information Technology Association of America , is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware." IT deals with the use of electronic...
,
mathematicsMathematics is the science and study of quantity, structure, space, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns, formulate new conjectures, and establish truth by rigorous deduction from appropriately chosen axioms and definitions....
and more recently engineering subjects are taught. It has one hall of residence:Lady Spencer Churchill Hall.
Harcourt Hill campus
The Harcourt Hill campus is situated on
Harcourt HillHarcourt Hill is a hill and community in North Hinksey in Oxfordshire, England, west of the city of Oxford. There is a good view of the city from the hill. It lies between Hinksey Hill to the south-east, Boars Hill to the south and Botley to the north. In 1974 it was transferred from...
on Oxford's western perimeter, two and a half miles from the city centre.
EducationEducation in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual...
,
PhilosophyPhilosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing these questions by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on reasoned...
,
TheologyThe term "theology" literally means the study of God, deriving from the Greek word theos, meaning 'God', and the suffix -ology from the Greek word logos meaning "discourse", "theory", or "reasoning"...
,
Media and CommunicationMass media denotes a section of the media specifically designed to reach a very large audience such as the population of a nation state. The term was coined in the 1920s with the advent of nationwide radio networks, mass-circulation newspapers and magazines. However, some forms of mass media such...
and many other subjects are taught here, in a landscaped setting overlooking the city. It was formerly the site of
Westminster College, OxfordWestminster College, Oxford was founded in 1851 in Horseferry Road, London, and originally specialised in the training of teachers for Methodist schools. Its neo-Gothic buildings were requistioned during World War I and used as a station for Australian servicemen, during which time the College...
, the only independent
MethodistMethodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to Reverend John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement in the Anglican Church. His younger brother...
higher education institution in Europe, which specialised in Teacher Training and Theology and whose students were awarded their degrees by the
University of OxfordThe University of Oxford , located in the UK city of Oxford, is the oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world and is regarded as one of the world's leading academic institutions. Although the exact date of foundation remains unclear, there is evidence of teaching there as far back...
upon successful completion of their course. It has one hall of residence: Harcourt Hill Hall.
The 'campus' was purpose-built for the College's move from
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
to
OxfordOxford is a city, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England. The city has a population of just under 165,000, with 151,000 living within the district boundary. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre...
in the 1950s and was leased to Brookes by the
Methodist ChurchThe Methodist Church of Great Britain or British Methodist Church is the largest Wesleyan / Methodist body in the United Kingdom, with congregations across Great Britain . It is the United Kingdom's fourth largest Christian denomination, with around 330,000 members and 6,000 churches...
. The College lives on in the Westminster Institute of Education at Oxford Brookes University, which is the school responsible for those subjects taught at the Harcourt Hill Campus by Brookes.
Future plans
Oxford Brookes is currently redeveloping its campuses in cooperation with Design Engine architects (architects of the British Embassy at Sana'a, Yemen and University Centre, Winchester). Plans include a New Student Centre Building acting as a core for the Gipsy Lane Campus and extension to the Abercrombie building for the School of the Built Environment. These are two examples of an ambitious "masterplan" that promises to revamp the entire campus.
Academic reputation
Oxford Brookes University pioneered the use of modular degree courses and has earned recognition for quality in
architectureFor a topical guide to this subject, see Outline of architecture. Architecture is the art and science of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures for human shelter or use....
,
artArt is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, sculpture, and paintings...
,
economicsEconomics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
,
computer scienceComputer science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation, and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems. It is frequently described as the systematic study of algorithmic processes that create, describe and transform...
, automotive/motorsports engineering,
historyHistory is the study of the human past, with special attention to the written record. Scholars who write about history are called historians. It is a field of research which uses a narrative to examine and analyse the sequence of events, and it often attempts to investigate objectively the patterns...
,
modern languageA modern language is any human language that is currently in use. The term is used in a language education context to distinguish between languages such as French and German, which are spoken by millions of people and are learned for their usefulness as tools of communication or lingua franca, and...
s and
publishingPublishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information – the activity of making information available for public view...
. The Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies is one of several programmes at Brookes that has expanded the university's reputation abroad.
The
Department of ArchitectureFounded in 1927, the Department of Architecture at Oxford Brookes University is one of the largest architecture schools in the UK, with around 500 students and 60 staff.-The department:...
is one of the largest in Britain and is consistently ranked in the top five schools in the UK. In the most recent 2008 survey by the
Architect's Journal it was ranked fourth overall.
According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, land and property programmes at Oxford Brookes University were placed second in the UK in The Times Good University Guide League Table for 2005. The Department of Real Estate and Construction was assessed by the Quality Assurance Agency in 1998 and was awarded the excellent mark of 23 out of 24.
Long regarded as a poor relation to its venerable neighbor, Oxford Brookes obtained a higher rating (5*) for its history department than Oxford University (5), in the 1992 Research Assessment Exercise.
Oxford Brookes has been named as the leading modern university in the UK four years running from 1996 to 1999, and 7 times in the first 10 years of the Sunday Times annual ratings.
UK University RankingsLeague tables of British universities have been published annually, by The Times, The Independent and several other organizations, since October 1992. These league tables have become increasingly popular over the last few years in the perception of British public,The main aim of these ranking is to...
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Sports
Football
Andrew Melville, ex Wales International captain and Fulham Football Club centre back is currently head coach for Oxford Brookes University Football Club 1st XI.
Rowing
Oxford Brookes Rowing Club currently has eight student and four alumni Olympic / World medalists at varying levels. The men’s group contains eight Great Britain under-23 international athletes, and 15 athletes with Great Britain junior international experience. The club boasts 18 wins in 17 years at Henley Royal Regatta, most recently in 2009.
The university boathouse is located at Cholsey, near Wallingford, a land-based rowing facility situated at the Centre for Sport at Headington Campus.
Boxing
Although Oxford Brookes Amateur Boxing club is under two years old, with full capacity at every training session.
Cricket
The
University of OxfordThe University of Oxford , located in the UK city of Oxford, is the oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world and is regarded as one of the world's leading academic institutions. Although the exact date of foundation remains unclear, there is evidence of teaching there as far back...
and Oxford Brookes combine the best cricket players to make up the Oxford Universities Centre of Cricket Excellence (UCCE).
Basketball
The men's team has repeatedly reached the British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) Final Eight Championship Finals. This success has led to the entry of a men's team into England Basketball's National League. Our ladies' team plays in BUSA and the Buckinghamshire and Oxford Local League. The former Great Britain captain, Ken Walton, is the head of basketball coaching at Oxford Brookes.
Climbing/Outdoor Pursuits
Brookes is well known for its climbing wall and lead tower which combine the excitement of rock climbing with a safe indoor environment. There are weekend climbing trips in the UK throughout the year and overseas trips to the French Alps and the Pyrenees.
Hockey
Oxford Brookes Hockey Club is the largest sports club at Brookes and currently runs four men’s and four women’s teams in the BUSA leagues, as well as mixed teams that play locally at weekends. The men’s first team plays in the Midlands Premier Division and are BUSA shield winners. The club has a full-time experienced coach who runs weekly training for all teams and additional fitness and skills sessions. Although the club does not play League Hockey at weekends, Brookes has close links with local clubs offering opportunities up to National League premier level, and many Brookes players take advantage of this.
Rugby
Brookes Rugby shares ground and clubhouse facilities with Oxford Harlequins and Oxford Rugby Club. Students play competitive rugby with three men’s and one women’s team entered into the BUSA leagues. The men’s first XV plays in the BUSA Premier League South B. September 2008 saw the birth of the Brookes Bulls Rugby League team, winningthe BUSA Rugby League South title. The Bulls remain unbeaten in competitive action since their inception.
Global partnership
Oxford Brookes University's partnership with the
Association of Chartered Certified AccountantsThe Association of Chartered Certified Accountants is a British accountancy body which offers the Chartered Certified Accountant qualification worldwide. It is one of the world's largest and fastest-growing accountancy bodies with 131,500 members and 362,000 affiliates and students in 170 countries...
(
ACCA-ACCA as an abbreviation:ACCA may refer to:In Accountancy and Finance:* Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, a British accountancy body which offers the Chartered Certified Accountant qualification worldwideIn Christianity:...
) allows ACCA students to earn a BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting with the submission of a Research & Analysis project work while taking their ACCA examinations .
Tsinghua UniversityTsinghua University , is a university in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Tsinghua University was established in 1911, originally under the name “Tsinghua Xuetang”. The school was renamed the "Tsinghua School" in 1912. The university section was founded in 1925 and the name “National Tsinghua...
will recognise the Oxford Brookes University
BScBSC is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:Science and technology* Bachelor of Science, an academic degree* Base Station Controller, part of a mobile phone network; see: Base Station subsystem...
Applied Accounting degree, which has been successfully developed in conjunction with ACCA and which enables students who have completed two parts of the ACCA qualification to apply for the Oxford Brookes degree.
Munich Business SchoolThe Munich Business School is a private university of applied science located in Munich . The MBS confers degrees in Business Administration....
is the German partner institution of the university.
The University is also in partnership with the Budapest (Hungary) based institution of International Business School (Budapest) (Nemzetközi Üzleti Főiskola). IBS students can attend courses which, besides the Hungarian degree also provides OBU BA degrees in different subjects, such as Marketing, Communications, etc.
The University is also affiliated with Nilai University College in Malaysia. Affiliated subjects are computing, accounting & finance, business management, marketing management and hospitality management. All the subjects mentioned above are 3+0 programs.
External links