 Bournemouth Universitycoat of arms | |
| Motto | Discere Mutari Est (Latin) |
|---|---|
Motto in English | To Learn is to Change |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1992 |
| Endowment | £1.85 million (2022)[1] |
| Budget | £169.6 million (2021-22)[1] |
| Chancellor | Kate Adie |
| Vice-Chancellor | Alison Honour |
| Students | 16,860 (2024/25)[2] |
| Undergraduates | 12,705 (2024/25)[2] |
| Postgraduates | 4,155 (2024/25)[2] |
| Location | Poole, England 50°44′36″N1°53′49″W / 50.743213°N 1.896901°W /50.743213; -1.896901 |
| Campus | Talbot CampusLansdowne Campus |
| Colours | |
| Affiliations | EUA |
| Website | bournemouth |
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Bournemouth University is apublic university inBournemouth,England, with its main campus situated in neighbouringPoole. The university was founded in 1992; however, the origins of its predecessor date back to the early 1900s.
The university currently has over 17,000 students, including over 3,000 international students.The university is recognised for its work in themedia industries. Graduates from the university have worked on a number ofHollywood films, includingGravity, which was awarded the Achievement in Visual Effects Oscar at the86th Academy Awards in 2015.[3]
In 2023, Bournemouth University received a silver rating in theTeaching Excellence Framework, a government assessment of the quality of undergraduate teaching in universities and other higher education providers in England.[4]
The university was first founded in the early 20th century as the predecessor Bournemouth Municipal College. The college initially offered courses to prepare students forUniversity of London degrees (1942-1976).[5] In the mid-1960s there were 6,850-day and evening students.[6] As early as 1965, in the House of Commons, the number of students at the college was highlighted, and the Secretary of State was asked to consider a university application.[6] At the time the Government did not intend to create any new universities until the late 1970s,.[6]
In the 1970s the college became the Bournemouth College of Technology. Later that decade, following a review by the Dorset Education Committee, the College of Technology changed to become Dorset Institute of Higher Education (DIHE).
Bernard MacManus was appointed Director in 1983 and presided over a significant expansion in curriculum and student numbers, against a backdrop of initial uncertainty over the Weymouth Campus.[7] During this time the Talbot Campus was consolidated having been established in 1976. The neighbouring Student Village was also constructed. A second campus was established at Lansdowne. The period between 1983 and 1994 saw the Institute expand into new disciplines including heritage, tourism, tax, public relations, computer animation and information systems.[8]Two foundation stones remain within university buildings. The foundation stone for the College of Technology (1970s) resides in the main lobby of Poole House, Talbot Campus. The foundation stone for the Dorset Institute is mounted in Dorset House near what is now calledThe Edge. Bernard MacManus was honoured by Bournemouth University with an honorary doctorate in 2007.
The expansion under Dr MacManus allowed the institute to make a strong case to become apolytechnic, which was gained in 1990. In 1992 all polytechnics were awarded university status and the institute was renamed to become Bournemouth University.[7]
By September 1994, over 9,000 students had been recruited nationally, and internationally, to undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.[5] By 1996 the university had 11 endowed professorial posts, including:[9]
In recent years the university has announced a significant investment programme, and by 2018 it plans to invest £200 million in new buildings and facilities[needs update] including a new Student Centre, which opened in March 2015.[10]
The university coat of arms was granted in 1992 by the official heraldic authority for England, theCollege of Arms.[11] Thetalbots, the heraldic beasts on the shield, represent the location of the main campus.[11] The crowns denote the three Saxon crowns of the Kingdom ofWessex, and the nearby boroughs.[11] The blue represents the nearby sea, reflecting the location of the university,[11] on theJurassic Coast ofDorset. The reddragon in the coat of arms represents Dorset, and the scroll represents learning.[11]
The Latin mottoDiscere Mutari Est meansTo Learn is to Change.
Bournemouth University has two campuses: Talbot Campus and Lansdowne Campus.
The Talbot Campus is situated at Fern Barrow on the Poole side of the boundary with Bournemouth. It is where the main University buildings are located, including the students' union which hosts the student radio (Nerve Radio) studio; which has hosted the greatest show in history "Agony Uncle". The main library is andDyalns bar also found here.
TheLansdowne Campus is just outside Bournemouth's town centre, housing three teaching and administrative buildings, the students' union nightclub and various halls of residence located around Christchurch Road, Oxford Road and Holdenhurst Road. A new Bournemouth University International College is currently being built at the campus.[12] Unlike Talbot, Lansdowne is not a self-contained campus.
Bournemouth University is currently divided into the following faculties:
| National rankings | |
|---|---|
| Complete (2026)[20] | 72= |
| Guardian (2026)[21] | 112 |
| Times / Sunday Times (2026)[22] | 79= |
| Global rankings | |
| QS (2026)[23] | 801–850 |
| THE (2026)[24] | 401–500 |
In 2011 the university was awarded theQueen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, for "world-class computer animation teaching with wide scientific and creative applications".[25] In 2014 the courses at the university were praised by the Prime Minister in Parliament.[26]
Bournemouth University appeared for the first time in theTimes Higher Education World University Rankings[27] in 2015/16: ranked joint 401–500 in the world and 57th among UK universities. The university experienced a brief upward trend in national rankings: in 2016, it rose from 65th to 54th inThe Complete University Guide,[28] from 71st to 63rd place inThe Guardian University League Table[29] and from 88th to joint 82nd in theSunday Times Good University Guide.[30] The high salary increases awarded to Bournemouth University Vice Chancellor John Vinney were justified as a reflection of this improvement.[31][32]
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TheStudents' Union at Bournemouth University (SUBU) is based on the Talbot Campus at the Student Centre, which was opened in 2015. Its facilities are open to students at Lansdowne Campus and the partner colleges.
SUBU has over 120 clubs and societies for students to take part in alongside their studies at Bournemouth University. SUBU itself is composed of various departments, such as SUBU Advice, Democracy and Equality, Representation, Volunteering, Insight and Policy and Activities.
SUBU operates numerous venues including the nightclub The Old Fire station on the Lansdowne campus, the Student Shop, Ground Up Cafe and with Dylans Bar on Talbot.[33]
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