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The University of Stirling founded in 1967, in Stirling
Stirling

Stirling is a City status in the United Kingdom and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling .The city is clustered around a large Stirling Castle and medi?val old-town....
, Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
. The Times 2008 University Ranking tables
League tables of British universities

League tables of British universities which rank the performances of universities in the United Kingdom on a number of criteria, have been published every year by The Times newspaper and several other newspapers since October 1992....
 placed the university fifth in Scotland and thirty-seventh in a list of 113 UK universities. The original vision for the university at its inception, reflecting the national zeitgeist of expanding the University sector, was to provide higher education for people from all walks of life, encouraging them to fulfil their academic potential.






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The University of Stirling founded in 1967, in Stirling
Stirling

Stirling is a City status in the United Kingdom and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling .The city is clustered around a large Stirling Castle and medi?val old-town....
, Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
. The Times 2008 University Ranking tables
League tables of British universities

League tables of British universities which rank the performances of universities in the United Kingdom on a number of criteria, have been published every year by The Times newspaper and several other newspapers since October 1992....
 placed the university fifth in Scotland and thirty-seventh in a list of 113 UK universities. The original vision for the university at its inception, reflecting the national zeitgeist of expanding the University sector, was to provide higher education for people from all walks of life, encouraging them to fulfil their academic potential. The legacy of this egalitarian approach to education continues to permeate the University today, with some 92.2% of undergraduates entering from state school
State school

State school is an expression used in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to distinguish schools provided by the government from private school....
s or further education
Further education

Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities ....
. The University of Stirling has also established itself as one of the UK's leading research-intensive universities in the fields of health and well-being, the environment, culture and society, enterprise, economics, and sport.

History & Campus Development

The main campus is situated around 2 miles (3km) from the centre of Stirling
Stirling

Stirling is a City status in the United Kingdom and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling .The city is clustered around a large Stirling Castle and medi?val old-town....
, but is much closer to the town of Bridge of Allan
Bridge of Allan

Bridge of Allan is a town in Stirling council area in Scotland, just north of the city of Stirling. It was formerly administered by Stirlingshire and Central Scotland....
. It was formerly the estate of the Robert Adam
Robert Adam

Robert Adam was a Scotland neoclassicism architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him....
-designed Airthrey Castle
Airthrey Castle

There are two suggested origins of the name "Airthrey" - a corruption of Ard-rhedadie , or from the Scottish Gaelic "Airthrin" - "a sharp point" or "conflict"....
, which the University has retained and incorporated into the campus as teaching facilities and offices. It is regularly described as one of the most beautiful campuses in the world, and nestles at the foot of Abbey Craig
Abbey Craig

The Abbey Craig is the hill upon which the Wallace Monument stands, at Causewayhead, just to the north of Stirling, Scotland.The Abbey Craig is part of a complex quartz-dolerite intrusion or sill within carboniferous strata, at the western edge of the Central Coal Field, known as the Stirling Sill....
 and the Ochil Hills
Ochil Hills

The Ochil Hills is a range of hills in Scotland north of the River Forth valley bordered by the towns of Stirling, Alloa, Kinross and Perth, Scotland....
 in 300 acres (1.2 km²) of grounds centred around the 18th century man-made Airthrey Loch. In 2002, the University of Stirling and the landscape of the Airthrey Estate was designated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites
International Council on Monuments and Sites

The International Council on Monuments and Sites is a professional association that works for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places around the world....
 as one of the top 20 heritage sites of the 20th century within the UK.

Stirling University is a Plate Glass University
Plate glass university

The term plate glass university has come into use by some to refer to one of the several universities founded in the United Kingdom in the 1960s in the era of the Robbins Report on higher education....
, established as a result of the Robbins Report
Robbins Report

The Robbins Report was commissioned by the British government in the 1960s to look into the future of higher education in the United Kingdom. The Committee on Higher Education was chaired by Lionel Robbins from 1961 to 1964....
 on Higher education
Higher education

Higher education refers to a level of education that is provided by university, vocational university, community colleges, liberal arts colleges, Institute of technology and other collegiate level institutions, such as Vocational school, trade schools and career colleges, that award academic degrees or professional certifications....
, along with Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University

Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, is the eighth-oldest higher education institution in the United Kingdom , although it only received its university charter in 1966....
, the University of Dundee
University of Dundee

The University of Dundee is a university in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee, Scotland.Founded in 1881 and existing for most of its early existence as a Collegiate university of the University of St Andrews, the University of Dundee became an independent institution in 1967 whilst retaining much of its ancient universities of Scotland he...
 and the University of Strathclyde
University of Strathclyde

The University of Strathclyde , is a university in Glasgow, Scotland. It takes its name from the historic Kingdom of Strathclyde, the name of which also served as a Strathclyde from 1975 to 1996....
. This increased the number of universities
List of universities in Scotland

The following is a list of universities in Scotland, detailing the year of foundation, the location and other information.The oldest university in Scotland is the University of St Andrews, established in 1413, while the newest is the Queen Margaret University, converted in 2007....
 in Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
 from four to eight. Stirling was however the only completely new institution of its kind established in Scotland since the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh founded in 1582, is an internationally renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom....
 was founded in 1582. The campus was selected from a shortlist of competing sites that also included Dumfries
Dumfries

Dumfries is a town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland and is situated close to the Solway Firth, near the mouth of the River Nith....
, Inverness
Inverness

Inverness is a City status in the United Kingdom in northern Scotland. The city is the administrative centre for the Highland Council areas of Scotland, and it is promoted as the capital of the Scottish Highlands....
, Ayr
Ayr

Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde, in south-west Scotland. It has been a royal burgh since 1205 and the county town of the former Counties of Scotland of Ayrshire....
, Falkirk
Falkirk

Falkirk The town lies at the junction of the Forth and Clyde Canal and the Union Canal , a location which proved pivotal to the growth of Falkirk as a centre of heavy industry during the Industrial Revolution....
, Perth
Perth, Scotland

Perth is a town and former royal burgh in central Scotland. Sitting on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative headquarters of Perth and Kinross council area....
 and Cumbernauld
Cumbernauld

Cumbernauld is a new town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was created in 1956 as a population overspill for Glasgow City. It is the eighth most populous settlement in Scotland, the largest in North Lanarkshire, and also larger than two of Scotland's cities, Inverness and Stirling, although being part of the Greater Glasgow urban area....
. The report's author, Lord Robbins, was later appointed the University's first Chancellor in 1968. The campus was originally designed by the Scottish architectural practice, Robert Matthew Johnson Marshall
RMJM

RMJMA global, design-driven architectural practice, the RMJM Group is a 1,200-person firm composed of architects, urban planners, landscape and interior designers working around the world, "creating architecture that says something about the culture and civilization in which we live," according to the firm's website....
, in a low-rise, highly functional
Functionalism (architecture)

Functionalism, in architecture, is the principle that architects should design a building based on the purpose of that building. This statement is less self-evident than it first appears, and is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern architecture....
, modern
Modern architecture

Modern architecture is a set of building styles with similar characteristics, primarily the simplification of form and the elimination of Ornament ....
 style, envisaged in order to integrate with the contours of the surrounding landscape. When the University first received its Royal Charter
Royal Charter

A royal charter is a charter granted by a Monarch to create institutions or other forms of incorporated bodies . In the United Kingdom legal tradition a royal charter is in the form of letters patent....
 on 13 November 1967, there were 164 undergraduate and 31 postgraduate students. Around 45,000 students have graduated since. The University of Stirling however has a relatively small student population, ranking 87th
List of UK universities by size

This is a list of UK universities and other higher education institutions according to the size of their student population. The source for the figures is the most recently published Higher Education Statistics Agency statistics, from 2005-2006, which list full-time, part-time, further education, undergraduate, and postgraduate students....
 in the UK.

Fmstirlinguni
The principal administrative and teaching facilities were originally housed in the Pathfoot Building, which was completed in 1968 and subsequently saw several extensions over the years, including a Tropical Aquarium
Aquarium

An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. fishkeeping use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants....
 in 1979 and a Virology
Virology

Virology is the study of virus : their structure, classification and evolution, their ways to infect and exploit cell for virus reproduction, the diseases they cause, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their use in research and therapy....
 unit in 1987. In 1993 the Pathfoot Building was selected by the international conservation organisation DoCoMoMo as one of sixty key Scottish monuments
DoCoMoMo Key Scottish Monuments

DoCoMoMo Key Scottish Monuments is a list compiled in 1993 by the international architectural conservation organisation DoCoMoMo.The buildings date from the period 1945-1970, and were selected by a panel as being significant examples of architectural style, building materials and location....
 of the post-war
Post-war

A post-war period is the interval immediately following the beginning of a war and enduring as long as war does not resume. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum when a war between the same parties resumes at a later date ....
 era. It was also voted as one of Prospect's 100 best modern Scottish buildings
Prospect 100 best modern Scottish buildings

In 2005, the Scotland architecture magazine Prospect published a list of the 100 best modern architecture Scottish buildings, as voted for by its readers....
. Pathfoot was later complemented by the Cottrell Building, which began development in 1970 and houses numerous lecture
Lecture

A lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher....
 theatres, departmental offices, classrooms and computer labs. The Cottrell Building was further enhanced with the completion of the Courtroom extension in 1998 and is currently undergoing a façade recladding
Facade engineering

Building facades make a major contribution to the overall aesthetic and technical performance of a building. Facade engineers work in consultancy for architects, building owners, cladding manufacturers and construction managers....
 project. The University Library and Andrew Miller Building were completed in 1971. The Library holds over 500,000 volumes, over 9,000 journals and is about to undergo a major refurbishment programme. The Andrew Miller Building incorporates an Atrium
Atrium (architecture)

In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within an office and usually located immediately beyond the main entrance doors....
, which has several retail and food outlets, including a bookstore, bank
HBOS

HBOS plc is a banking and insurance group in the United Kingdom, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lloyds Banking Group having been taken over in January 2009....
 and general store
General store

The general store or general merchandise store is a store that carries a general line of merchandise.In Australia, Canada and the United States, a store named or subtitled "general store" is traditionally a retailer located in a small town or in a rural area....
. The Atruim also acts as the principal hub for most day-to-day campus activities, due to its central location, linking together the Library and Robbins' Centre Students Union, as well as connecting bridges to both the Cottrell Building and on-campus student residences. The University's first Principal, Professor Tom Cottrell, believed that art should be part of the everyday cultural experience at the University, and his inspiration led to the establishment of the MacRobert Arts Centre
MacRobert Arts Centre

The macrobert is a theatre and Movie theater complex, located on the main campus of The University of Stirling, Scotland. It was originally opened in 1971 as Scotland's first purpose built arts centre, the brainchild of the University's first Principal, Dr Tom Cottrell, who wanted appreciation of the arts to be literally at the heart of the U...
, which is a small theatre and cinema complex, located adjacent to the Andrew Miller Building. The Centre is open both to members of the University community and to the general public. Stirling has also developed a considerable Fine art
Fine art

Fine art describes any art form developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than utility. This type of art is often expressed in the production of art objects using Visual arts and performing art forms, including painting, sculpture, dance, theatre, architecture, photography and printmaking....
 collection since 1967, comprising over 300 works including; paintings, tapestries and sculpture.

A Royal visit to the site in the early seventies caused considerable controversy; student protests against the Queen's visit were vociferous and, in some cases, fuelled by alcohol, and the disturbances were widely condemned in the press and the local community, where students were refused access to buses and other facilities for a time.

As the University has continued to expand since its inception, further development has taken place including; the R.G. Bomont Building, which was completed in 1998, and houses the Department of Nursing and Midwifery, the Iris Murdoch building, opened in 2002 for The Dementia Services Development Centre, and the Colin Bell Building, completed in 2003 for the Department of Applied Social Science.

In 2006, the University catered for nearly 9,000 students, around a third of whom live on-campus. There are several student Halls of Residence
Dormitory

Dormitory typically refers in the United States to residence halls, which are sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students....
 located on-campus, which include; Andrew Stewart Hall, A.K. Davidson Hall, Murray Hall, Geddes Court, Alexander Court and Muirhead House. There are also other halls of residence located off-campus, within Stirling city centre, including; Union Street and John Forty's Court. Students of over 80 nationalities are represented at the university, with 14 per cent of students coming from overseas.

The University has developed major industrial research links, with a large science park
Science park

A science park or science and technology park is an area with a collection of buildings dedicated to scientific research on a business footing....
 - Innovation Park, located immediately adjacent to the main university campus. Innovation Park has grown since its initiation in 1993, and is now home to 40 companies engaging in various forms of research and development
Research and development

The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications [sic]" ...
. The university also owns a highly successful International Conference Centre, Stirling Management Centre, which is located on campus, and is a purpose built conference and management training centre and the first Conference Centre of Excellence in Scotland.

Sport facilities

Wfm Scottish Institute of Sport
As Scotland’s leading university for sport, the University has a comprehensive range of sports facilities and is one of only sixteen universities in the UK with 5-star sports facilities. The University has its own 9-hole Golf
Golf

Golf is a sport in which players using many types of Golf club including wood , iron , and putter , attempt to hit golf ball into each hole on a golf course in the lowest possible number of strokes....
 course and driving range
Driving range

A driving range is an area where golfers can practice their swing. It can also be a recreational activity itself for amateur golfers or when enough time for a full game is not available....
, and a host of other sporting facilities are located in and around the campus. The Gannochy National Tennis Centre on the University campus is recognised as a national centre of excellence, and also has an indoor swimming pool, badminton and squash courts, gymnasium, sports halls and all-weather
Artificial turf

Artificial turf, or synthetic turf, is a man-made surface manufactured from chemical synthesis materials, made to look like natural grass....
 playing fields available for student, staff and public use. The campus has been selected as the headquarters for the Scottish Institute of Sport
Scottish Institute of Sport

The Scottish Institute of Sport is the national sports development body in Scotland. It is part of sportscotland, a Public ownership company which is partly funded by the UK's National Lottery ....
, the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland
Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland

The Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland is the national sporting organisation responsible for entering a Scotland team in the Commonwealth Games and the Commonwealth Youth Games....
 and Scottish Swimming
Scottish Swimming

Scottish Swimming, also known as the Scottish Amateur Swimming Association , is the national Sport governing body for swimming, diving, water polo and synchronised swimming in Scotland....
. A new 50-metre swimming pool
Swimming pool

A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is an artificially enclosed body of water intended for swimming or water-based recreation....
 was completed in 2002 as part of the Scottish National Swimming Academy. Further development is planned, with the creation of a football academy on campus by March 2008 and the proposed development of a Centre for Sporting Excellence. Scholarship
Scholarship

A scholarship is an award of access to an institution, or a Student financial aid award for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award....
s are available in six core sports: canoeing, golf, squash, swimming, tennis and triathlon, which allows student athletes to prepare for international competition.

Stirling University Rugby Football Club
Stirling University Rugby Football Club

Stirling University Rugby Football Club is a Rugby Union club based at The University of Stirling, Scotland.The club plays at Monument Park near the University's golf centre....
 (SURFC) is a Rugby union
Rugby union

Rugby union is a competitive outdoor contact sport, played with an oval ball, by two teams of 15 players. It is one of the two main codes of rugby football, the other being rugby league....
 club based at The University of Stirling.

The Highland and Western Isles campuses

As well as the main campus in Stirling, the University also has campuses in Inverness
Inverness

Inverness is a City status in the United Kingdom in northern Scotland. The city is the administrative centre for the Highland Council areas of Scotland, and it is promoted as the capital of the Scottish Highlands....
 and Stornoway which specialise in Nursing and Midwifery. The Highland site is on the outskirts of Inverness and within the grounds of Raigmore Hospital
Raigmore Hospital

Raigmore Hospital in Inverness is the main hospital in the area of NHS Highland NHS_Scotland#Health_Boards. It serves patients from its own and adjacent CHP areas as well as those from adjacent Health Board areas....
. The site has purpose-built teaching facilities and student accommodation, recently benefiting from its relocation to the new Centre for Health Science, officially opened in January 2007. The Highland Health Sciences Library is also on this campus, and caters for both the students and staff of the University as well as the employees of NHS Highland
NHS Highland

NHS Highland is one of the fourteen regions of NHS Scotland. Geographically, it is the largest Health Board, covering an area of 32,500 km? from Kintyre in the south-west to Caithness in the north-east, serving a population of 300,000 people....
 and its associated Trusts.

The Western Isles campus is located in Stornoway and the teaching accommodation is an integral part of the recently built Western Isles Hospital
NHS Western Isles

NHS Western Isles, also known as B?rd SSN nan Eilean Siar in Scottish Gaelic, is the Health Boards serving the Western Isles of Scotland....
. This is a small campus site which also has student accommodation within the environs of the Lewis Hospital.

Academic Departments

The University is organised academically into 19 departments:

  • Department of Accounting and Finance
  • Department of Applied Social Science
  • Institute of Aquaculture
  • School of Biological and Environmental Sciences
  • Department of Computing Science and Mathematics
  • Department of Economics
  • The Stirling Institute of Education
  • Department of English Studies
  • Department of Film and Media Studies
  • Department of History
  • School of Languages, Culture and Religion
  • School of Law
  • Department of Management
  • Department of Marketing
  • Department of Nursing and Midwifery
  • Department of Philosophy
  • Department of Politics
  • Department of Psychology
  • Department of Sports Studies


Teaching

Since its inception, Stirling has offered modular degree programmes allowing greater flexibility and choice. Stirling was the first United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 university to introduce the system of two semesters rather than having three terms. The first semester lasts from mid-September to Christmas and the second from mid-February to the end of May Programmes are also offered in the evening and during the summer through the Summer Academic Programme.

There are now over 256 courses (including combination courses) at the undergraduate degree
Undergraduate degree

An undergraduate degree is an academic degree taken by an undergraduate. It is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a university....
 level. A wide variety of courses are also available at the postgraduate level.

The University has always been highly rated for teaching. Excellent teaching ratings for politics
Politics

Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. The term is generally applied to behaviour within civil governments, but politics has been observed in all human group interactions, including corporation, academia, and religion institutions....
, accounting, finance
Finance

The field of finance refers to the concepts of time, money and risk and how they are interrelated. Banks are the main facilitators of funding through the provision of credit, although private equity, mutual funds, hedge funds, and other organizations have become important....
, economics
Economics

File:Ballard Farmers' Market - vegetables.jpgEconomics is the Social sciences that studies the Production theory basics, Distribution , and Consumption of Good and Service ....
, sociology
Sociology

Sociology is a branch of the social sciences that uses systematic methods of Empiricism and critical theory to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and activity, sometimes with the goal of applying such knowledge to the pursuit of social welfare....
, religious studies
Religious studies

Religious studies, or Religious education, is the academia field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religion beliefs, behaviors, and institutions....
, business studies
Business studies

Business studies is the name of an academic subject taught at high school level in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, India, and Canada , as well as at university level in many countries....
, psychology
Psychology

Psychology is an academic and applied science discipline involving the science study of human mental functions and behavior. Occasionally it also relies on symbolic hermeneutics and critical theory, although these traditions are less pronounced than in other social sciences such as sociology....
 and English language
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
 demonstrate Stirling's expertise in the arts and social sciences. Among the natural sciences, environmental science
Environmental science

Environmental science is an expression encompassing the wide range of scientific disciplines that need to be brought together to understand and manage the natural environment and the many interactions among physics, chemistry, and biology components....
 also achieved high ratings, its success reflected in the recently completed School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, with substantially refurbished facilities for both teaching and research. All but one of the subjects assessed for teaching quality were rated at least "highly satisfactory" and was ranked in the top ten in the UK for Teaching Assessment by The Times Higher Education Supplement
The Times Higher Education Supplement

The Times Higher Education , formerly The Times Higher Education Supplement , is a magazine based in London reporting specifically on news and other issues related to British higher education, largely the University, including former and current polytechnics....
. The Philosophical Gourmet report ranks Stirlings' joint graduate philosophy programme with the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews

The University of St Andrews is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation university in Scotland and third oldest in the English-speaking world, having been founded between 1410 and 1413....
 as second in the UK and joint 13th in the English-Speaking world.

Despite a fall in graduate recruitment in recent years, the percentage of Stirling graduates in employment six months after graduation continues to rise. Stirling is ranked third in the UK for graduate employability, according to the 2006 Sunday Times Good University Guide.

Research

Stirling University's range of specialist research centres include; the Scottish Network for Economic Methodology, the Institute of Aquaculture, the Centre for European Neighbourhood Studies, the Centre for Environmental History and Policy, Stirling Media Research Institute, Social Work Research Centre, Centre for Social Research on Dementia, Scottish Addiction
Addiction

The term "addiction" is used in many contexts to describe an obsession, compulsion, or excessive physical dependence or psychological dependence, such as: drug addiction, video game addiction, crime, alcoholism, compulsive overeating, problem gambling, computer addiction, pornography addiction, etc....
 Studies, Scottish Network for Chronic Pain Research Centre, Scottish Centre for Information on Language
Language

A language is a form of symbol communication in which elements are combined to represents something other than themselves. Language can also refer to the use of such systems as a general phenomenon....
, Teaching and Research, the Centre for Lifelong Learning and Institute for Retail Studies.

In the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise
Research Assessment Exercise

The Research Assessment Exercise is an exercise undertaken approximately every 5 years on behalf of the four UK higher education funding councils to evaluate the quality of research undertaken by British higher education institutions....
 (RAE), Stirling witnessed a dramatic upturn in its research performance, with more than half of the University’s research-active academics now working in subjects in the top rated category of "5" (which indicates that the majority of the research in these areas is deemed to attain levels of at least national excellence, with a high proportion meeting international standards of excellence). Half the academic departments are ranked top in Scotland for research. The "5"-rated subjects include: accounting, finance
Finance

The field of finance refers to the concepts of time, money and risk and how they are interrelated. Banks are the main facilitators of funding through the provision of credit, although private equity, mutual funds, hedge funds, and other organizations have become important....
 and law
LAW

LAW may refer to:* Anti-tank warfare, e.g. the US Army M72 LAW or the British Army LAW 80*Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights ...
; aquaculture
Aquaculture

Aquaculture is the farming of freshwater and saltwater organisms including molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants. Unlike fishing, aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, implies the cultivation of aquatic populations under controlled conditions....
; film and media studies
Media studies

Media studies is a collection of academic programs regarding the content, history, meaning and effects of various media . Media studies scholars vary in the theoretical and methodological focus they bring to mass media topics, including the media's political, social, economic and cultural roles and impact....
; English studies
English studies

English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics , and English sociolinguistics ....
; French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
; history; psychology; philosophy
Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, truth, beauty, justice, validity, mind, and language....
; social work
Social work

Social work is a discipline involving the application of social theory and research methods to study and improve the lives of people, groups, and societies....
; religious studies
Religious studies

Religious studies, or Religious education, is the academia field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religion beliefs, behaviors, and institutions....
. Other subject areas were also highly rated: biological sciences; business and management; economics
Economics

File:Ballard Farmers' Market - vegetables.jpgEconomics is the Social sciences that studies the Production theory basics, Distribution , and Consumption of Good and Service ....
; education
Education

File:Inukshuk Monterrey 1.jpgEducation can be seen as a product or a process and considered in a broad sense or a technical sense. According to philosophy of education George F....
; German
German language

German is a West Germanic languages, thus related to and classified alongside English language and Dutch language. It is one of the world's world language and the most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union....
; sports studies
Sports science

Sport Science is a discipline that studies the application of Scientific method and techniques with the aim of improving sporting performance. Human movement is a related scientific discipline that studies human movement in all contexts including that of sport....
.

The University's funding
Funding

Funding or finance is to provide Capital , which means money for a project, a person, a business or any other private or public institutions....
 for research following the 2001 RAE increased more than any other pre-1992
New Universities

In the United Kingdom, the term New University has various meanings regarding British universities.New University has referred to several waves of new university foundations in the UK....
 university in Scotland, and was amongst the largest increases in the UK. The University has a developing track record in externally funded research, attracting grants and awards from bodies such as the Research Councils, central and local government, the European Union
European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European Union member state, located primarily in Europe. It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community....
, and charitable sources. It conducts high quality research ranging from basic through strategic to applied, making a vital contribution to the economic, social and cultural life of Scotland and beyond.

Governance and administration


Unlike the Ancient universities of Scotland
Ancient universities of Scotland

The ancient universities of Scotland are medieval universities and renaissance university which continue to exist until the present day. The majority of the ancient universities of the British Isles are located within Scotland, and have a number of distinctive features in common, being governed by a series of measures laid down in the Univers...
, Stirling University's constitution is laid out in its Royal Charter, rather than the Universities (Scotland) Acts
Ancient university governance in Scotland

The ancient university governance structure in Scotland is the organisational system imposed by the Universities Acts, a series of Acts of Parliament enacted between 1858 and 1966....
. The administrative structure is however broadly similar, with the University Court
University Court

A University Court is an administrative body of a university in the United Kingdom. In England's Oxbridge such a Court carries out limited judicial functions; whereas in Scotland it is a University's supreme governing body, analogous to a Board of Directors or a Board of Trustees....
 (governing and financial body) and the Academic Council
Academic Senate

An Academic Senate is a governing body in some universities and colleges in the English-speaking world and typically the supreme academic authority for the institution....
 (academic affairs) based upon the ancient model. The University's constitution, academic regulations, and appointments are comprehensively outlined in the University calendar.

University Court


The governing body of the University is the University Court
University Court

A University Court is an administrative body of a university in the United Kingdom. In England's Oxbridge such a Court carries out limited judicial functions; whereas in Scotland it is a University's supreme governing body, analogous to a Board of Directors or a Board of Trustees....
. It has overall responsibility for the management of the University’s resources, the ongoing strategic direction of the University and the approval of major developments. It also receives regular reports from Executive Officers on the day to day operation of the University's business. The Court meets four times over the course of the academic year.

Academic Council


Academic Council
Academic Senate

An Academic Senate is a governing body in some universities and colleges in the English-speaking world and typically the supreme academic authority for the institution....
 is the body which is responsible for the management of academic affairs, awarding of all degrees, and for the regulation and superintendence of the education, discipline and welfare of the students of the University. While the Court has the final responsibility for governing the University, on academic matters it will normally only act on the recommendation of Academic Council. The Council consists of various academics and is chaired by the Principal of the university.

Committees and Executive Officers

There are also a number of committees supporting both the Court and Academic Council, that make important decisions and investigate matters referred to them. Day to day management of the University is undertaken by the University Principal (who is also Vice-Chancellor
Vice-Chancellor

A Vice-Chancellor of a university in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, India other Commonwealth of Nations countries, and some universities in Hong Kong, is the chief executive of the University....
) and the Chairman of Court. The role of Chancellor itself is largely honorific, the current Chancellor is Dr James Naughtie
James Naughtie

James Naughtie is a Scotland journalism and radio news presenter for the BBC. Since 1994 he has been one of the main presenters of BBC Radio 4's Today programme....
. The current principal is Professor Christine Hallett and the current chairman of court is Alan Simpson.

There are also several Deputy Principals, each with a specific remit. They, along with the University Secretary, play a major role in the day to day management of the university.

Student representation

The student
Student

The word student is etymology derived through Middle English from the Latin Latin conjugation#Principal parts for the active voice Grammatical conjugation verb "studere", Meaning "to direct one's zeal at"; hence a student could be described as 'one who directs zeal at a subject'....
s of the University are represented by Stirling University Students' Association (S.U.S.A.) which was named "Best Students' Union
Students' union

A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges, universities and has started to appear in some high schools....
 in Scotland" by the Bar Entertainment and Dance Association in 2003. The Association is based on-campus in the Robbins Centre Students' Union. It is primarily responsible for providing entertainment, welfare and information services to students and also, through the SUSA Council and Executive
Students' Representative Council

A Students' Representative Council represents student interests in the government of a university, school or other educational institution. Generally the SRC forms part of a broader Students' Association which may include other functions such as societies, entertainments and sports ...
, representing students interests to organisations including the University itself, which includes senior members being entitled to seats on the University Court
University Court

A University Court is an administrative body of a university in the United Kingdom. In England's Oxbridge such a Court carries out limited judicial functions; whereas in Scotland it is a University's supreme governing body, analogous to a Board of Directors or a Board of Trustees....
. On its premises in the Robbins Centre it runs two bars: Studio and Long-Bar. SUSA is also affiliated to an eclectic body of clubs and societies, ranging from the Philhellenic Society to the Labour Students
Scottish Labour Party

Scottish Labour, often described as the Scottish Labour Party, is that part of the Labour Party which operates in Scotland. It is historically the largest List of political parties in Scotland in modern Politics of Scotland, having won the largest share of the vote in Scotland at every UK general election since the 1960's, every Europe...
 Society. The Sports Union branch of SUSA also supports some 40 sports clubs ranging from Athletics
Athletics (track and field)

Track and field athletics, commonly known as athletics or track and field, is a collection of sports events that involve running, throwing and jumping....
 to Waterpolo via Octopush
Underwater hockey

Underwater hockey is a non-contact sport in which two teams compete to manoeuvre a hockey puck across the bottom of a swimming pool into Goal s....
 and Fencing
Fencing

Fencing is a family of sports and activities that feature armed combat involving cutting, stabbing, or slapping Club ing weapons that are directly manipulated by hand, rather than shot, thrown or positioned....
. There are also a number of clubs within the University that are not affiliated to SUSA, such as the Debating Union and Tayforth Officers Training Corps
Officers Training Corps

The Officers' Training Corps is a part of the British Army which provides military leadership training to students at UK universities. The name Officer Training Corps is misleading in that its mission is not the training of officers; only a minority of OTC members go on to join the Regular or Territorial Army....
.

Stirling University also has student-run media services. Brig has been the campus newspaper since 1969. Air3 1350, was the first campus radio station in Scotland and AirTV (formerly Videoworks) is a television station for students.

Ratings

  • Ranked 1st in UK for widening access to Higher Education, teaching and research standards, and low non-completion rates (Times Higher Education Supplement, 2002)
  • The University was ranked among the Top 10 Universities in the Times Higher Education Supplement Award for the UK's Best Student Experience 2006
  • In 2006, The Times University Ranking tables
    League tables of British universities

    League tables of British universities which rank the performances of universities in the United Kingdom on a number of criteria, have been published every year by The Times newspaper and several other newspapers since October 1992....
     placed the university thirty-seventh in a list of 109 UK universities
  • Ranked in Top 20 in UK for the following subjects: "Education" (#6), "Philosophy
    Philosophy

    Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, truth, beauty, justice, validity, mind, and language....
    " (#14), "Communications and Media Studies" (#14), and "Hospitality, Leisure, Recreation, Sport and Tourism" (#15)
  • One of only 16 universities in the UK with 5 star sports facilities (Sunday Times, 2003)
  • Ranked 1st in Scotland for the Best Students' Union in Scotland award (Bar Entertainment and Dance Association, 2003)
  • Ranked 23rd in the UK for awarding firsts and upper seconds (Times Higher Education Supplement, 2003)
  • In The Times Good University Guide (June 2006), Accounting and Finance
    Finance

    The field of finance refers to the concepts of time, money and risk and how they are interrelated. Banks are the main facilitators of funding through the provision of credit, although private equity, mutual funds, hedge funds, and other organizations have become important....
     was listed as one of the Top 20 university departments in the UK for Accounting and Finance
    Finance

    The field of finance refers to the concepts of time, money and risk and how they are interrelated. Banks are the main facilitators of funding through the provision of credit, although private equity, mutual funds, hedge funds, and other organizations have become important....
     - one of only four Scottish departments to make the Top 20
  • Ranked 20th in the UK for Politics and 28th in the UK for Economics by The Guardian
    The Guardian

    Sorry, no overview for this topic


Notable academics and alumni



Academics

  • Norman Longworth
    Norman Longworth

    Norman Longworth is an honorary Professor of Lifelong Learning at the University of Stirling in the UK. He is the creator of the 'information ladder', a diagram which describes the stages in human learning....
    , honorary Professor of Lifelong Learning
  • Duncan Pritchard, Professor of Philosophy and founding member of the Knowledge, Mind and Value project.
  • Douglas Brownlie, Professor of Marketing
  • Ray Kent, Professor of Marketing
  • Jimmy Young
    Jimmy Young

    Jimmy Young may refer to:*Jimmy Young *Jimmy Young , singer See also*Jim Young *James Young ...
    , Professor of Marketing
  • Jean Redpath
    Jean Redpath

    Jean Redpath Order of the British Empire is a singer of folk songs and Music of Scotland.Redpath was born in Edinburgh, to musical parents. Her mother knew many Scots language songs and passed them on to all four of her daughters; her father played the hammer dulcimer....
    , (honorary staff) folk singer
  • Norman MacCaig
    Norman MacCaig

    Norman MacCaig was a Scotland poet. His poetry, in modern English, is known for its humour, simplicity of language and great popularity. ...
    , reader in poetry
  • Herbert Wilson
    Herbert Wilson

    Professor Herbert Wilson was a physicist, who was one of the team who worked on the structure of DNA at King's College London, under the direction of Sir John Randall....
    , Emeritus Professor of Physics
  • Steward Sutherland
    Stewart Sutherland, Baron Sutherland of Houndwood

    Stewart Ross Sutherland, Baron Sutherland of Houndwood, Order of the Thistle, Royal Society of Edinburgh, British Academy, Fellow of King's College London is a Scotland academic and public servant....
    , former lecturer, later Baron Sutherland of Houndwood
  • David Bebbington
    David Bebbington

    David W. Bebbington , , is professor of history at the University of Stirling in Scotland and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Dr. Bebbington joined the department of history at Stirling in 1976 and was appointed to a Personal Chair in 1999....
    , honorary Professor of History
  • David Blanchflower
    David Blanchflower

    David Graham "Danny" Blanchflower is a leading labour economist, currently a tenured economics professor at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, and an external member of the Bank of England's interest rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee ....
    , Professor of Economics, Monetary Policy Committee
    Monetary Policy Committee

    The Monetary Policy Committee is a committee of the Bank of England, which meets every month to decide the official interest rate in the United Kingdom....
     Member.


Alumni

Arts
  • Iain Banks
    Iain Banks

    Iain Menzies Banks is a Scottish people writer. He writes mainstream fiction under his birth name Iain Banks, and science fiction as Iain M....
    , author
  • Alan Bissett
    Alan Bissett

    Alan Bissett is an author from Hallglen, an area of Falkirk in Scotland. After the publication of his first two novels, "Boyracers" and "The Incredible Adam Spark", he became known for his different take on Scots dialect writing, evolving a style specific to Falkirk, suffused with popular culture references and Socialist politics....
    , writer
  • Jonathan Clements
    Jonathan Clements

    Jonathan Clements is a British author and scriptwriter. His non-fiction works include biographies of Confucius, Koxinga and Qin Shihuangdi , as well as monthly opinion columns for Neo magazine....
    , author
  • Jackie Kay
    Jackie Kay

    Jackie Kay Order of the British Empire is a Scotland poet and novelist....
    , poet and writer
  • Davy King, writer
  • Fiona Ritchie
    Fiona Ritchie

    Fiona Ritchie is a radio broadcaster best known as the producer and host of The Thistle & Shamrock, an hour long Celtic music program that airs throughout the United States on National Public Radio ....
    , radio presenter
  • Mark Hughes
    Mark Hughes

    Leslie Mark Hughes nicknamed Sparky, is a former Wales national football team association football player and currently coach of Manchester City F.C.....
    , editor of "attitude" magazine, leading gay publication
  • Mark Cousins
    Mark Cousins

    Mark Cousins may refer to:* Mark Cousins , Northern Irish writer on film* Mark Cousins , goalkeeper* Mark Cousins , British intellectual* Mark Cousins , Sports Therapy lecturer at The University Of Bedfordshire...
    , film critic
  • Grace Dent
    Grace Dent

    Grace Dent is an England journalist, author and broadcaster. Dent is well known in the UK as a columnist for newspapers and magazines, she is also a prolific television critic and author....
    , reporter, author and television critic
Politics
  • Jack McConnell
    Jack McConnell

    Jack Wilson McConnell is a former First Minister of Scotland, leader of the Scottish Labour Party and current Member of the Scottish Parliament of the Scottish Parliament for the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency....
    , Former First Minister of Scotland
    First Minister of Scotland

    The First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government....
  • Michael Connarty
    Michael Connarty

    Michael Connarty is a Scottish Labour Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Linlithgow and East Falkirk ....
    , MP for Falkirk East
    Falkirk East (UK Parliament constituency)

    Falkirk East was a county constituency represented in the British House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 2005....
  • John Reid
    John Reid (politician)

    Dr John Reid is a United Kingdom politician who was formerly the Home Secretary and also filled several other cabinet positions, including Secretary of State for Defence and Secretary of State for Health....
    , MP, former Home Secretary
    Home Secretary

    The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office and is one of the Great Offices of State....
  • Tommy Sheridan
    Tommy Sheridan

    Tommy Sheridan is a Scotland socialist politician. He has had various prominent roles within the socialist movement in Scotland and is currently one of two co-convenors of the left-wing Scottish political party Solidarity ....
    , Leader of Solidarity - Scotland's Socialist Movement, former MSP
    Member of the Scottish Parliament

    Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament....
  • Gordon Banks
    Gordon Banks (politician)

    Gordon Raymond Banks is a United Kingdom Labour Party politician and is the Member of Parliament for Ochil and South Perthshire ....
    , Labour MP
  • Bill Butler
    Bill Butler

    Bill Butler is a Scotland Scottish Labour Party Co-operative Party politician and former teacher. He represents Glasgow Anniesland in the Scottish Parliament, elected in the Glasgow Anniesland by-elections, 2000 following the death of First Minister of Scotland Donald Dewar....
    , Labour MSP
  • Daniel Kawczynski
    Daniel Kawczynski

    Daniel Robert Kawczynski is the Conservative Party Member for Parliament for Shrewsbury and Atcham in Shropshire, England....
    , Conservative
    Conservative Party (UK)

    The Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservative Party, is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom....
     MP
  • Scott Barrie
    Scott Barrie

    Scott Barrie, is a Scottish Labour Party politician and former social worker. He represented Dunfermline West in the Scottish Parliament from 1999 to 2007, where he was a member of the Communities Committees of the Parliament....
    , Labour MSP
  • Richard Lochhead
    Richard Lochhead

    Richard Neilson Lochhead is a Scottish National Party politician, Scottish Executive and Member of the Scottish Parliament of the Scottish Parliament for Moray ....
    , SNP MSP
  • Kenneth Gibson
    Kenneth Gibson

    Kenneth James Gibson is a Scottish National Party politician and Member of the Scottish Parliament of the Scottish Parliament for Cunninghame North ....
    , SNP MSP
  • Shirley-Anne Somerville
    Shirley-Anne Somerville

    Shirley-Anne Somerville is a Scotland politician and member of the Scottish National Party. She replaced retiring list Member of Scottish Parliament Stefan Tymkewycz in the Scottish Parliament for the Lothians on 31 August 2007 after he resigned his parliamentary seat in order to concentrate on serving as a City of Edinburgh Councillor foll...
    , SNP MSP


Sport:
  • Gordon Sherry
    Gordon Sherry

    Gordon Sherry is a professional golfer from Scotland and former member of the PGA European Tour.Sherry was born in Kilmarnock. He attained his greatest successes at an early age as an amateur and fledgling professional....
    , professional golfer
    Professional golfer

    In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who plays for money even once usually loses his or her amateur status permanently and is banned from all amateur tournaments....
  • Colin Fleming
    Colin Fleming

    Colin Fleming is a professional tennis player who lives in Linlithgow, Scotland.He has recently been selected for 2009 Great Britain Davis Cup team....
    , professional tennis player
  • Richie Ramsay
    Richie Ramsay

    Richie Ramsay is a Scotland professional golfer, who represented Great Britain & Ireland in the 2005 Walker Cup. He is an honorary member of Royal Aberdeen Golf Club and was a student at the Stirling University in Scotland ....
    , winner of the 2006 United States Men's Amateur Golf Championship
    United States Men's Amateur Golf Championship

    The U.S. Amateur Championship is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association....
  • Sir Bill Gammell
    Bill Gammell

    Sir William Benjamin Bowring Gammell, commonly known as Bill Gammell is a Scotland sportsman and industrialist....
    , rugby international and businessman
  • Angela Mudge
    Angela Mudge

    Doctor Angela Mudge is a champion fell running and trail running. Despite being born with birth defects in both legs, and finding athletics not to her liking, she discovered her sport while a postgraduate student in Scotland in the mid 1990s, and developed rapidly....
    , former world champion hill runner


Other:
  • Chris Lilley
    Chris Lilley (W3C)

    Chris Lilley was educated at Broxburn Academy in West Lothian, Scotland. He obtained a Bachelors degree in Biochemistry at the University of Stirling, Scotland and then worked in Haematology and Blood transfusion at the hospital laboratories of Stirling and Falkirk....
    , W3C internet architect
  • Neil Brailsford QC, Treasurer of the Faculty of Advocates
    Faculty of Advocates

    The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary....
  • Michael Kassotakis, Business Consultant and Services Provider, www.e-bcr.com
  • Derek Lambie
    Derek Lambie

    Derek Lambie is editor of the Sunday Express.He was educated at the University of Stirling and graduated with a BA Hons in Film & Media Studies in 1997....
    , Journalist, Editor Scottish Sunday Express
  • Jayne Secker, Journalist, Sky News
  • Paul Lewis, Presenter, BBC Radio 4 Money Box
  • Neil Davidson
    Neil Davidson, Baron Davidson of Glen Clova

    Neil Forbes Davidson, Baron Davidson of Glen Clova, Queen's Counsel is a Scotland lawyer.He was educated at the University of Stirling, the University of Bradford and the University of Edinburgh....
    , QC, Solicitor General for Scotland 2000-01, Advocate General for Scotland 2006- . Created a Life Peer, March 2006: Baron Davidson of Glen Clova
  • Susan Morrison, Presenter, Talk 107
  • James Paterson
    James Paterson

    James Paterson may refer to:*James Paterson , Scottish artist from Moniaive*James Paterson , British poet, won Newdigate Prize in 1964*James Paterson , List of mayors and lord mayors of Melbourne, 1876–1877...


Philip Gilchrist, Vice President,Global Product Development,Mobile Devices, Motorola USA

External links