 Coat of arms of the University of Plymouth | |
Former names |
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|---|---|
| Motto | Latin:Indagate Fingite Invenite |
Motto in English | Explore Dream Discover |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1992 – University status 1862 – School of Navigation[1][2] |
| Budget | £235.1 million(2021–22)[3] |
| Chancellor | Jonathan Kestenbaum, Baron Kestenbaum |
| Vice-Chancellor | Richard Davies |
Academic staff | 1,560[4] |
Administrative staff | 915 (est.)[5] |
| Students | 18,910 (2020/21)[6] |
| Undergraduates | 15,200 (2020/21)[6] |
| Postgraduates | 3,710 (2020/21)[6] |
| Location | , England 50°22′27″N4°08′19″W / 50.374121°N 4.138512°W /50.374121; -4.138512 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colours | Terracotta Dark Blue Black[7] |
| Affiliations | Association of Commonwealth Universities Channel Islands Universities Consortium EUA Universities UK |
| Website | www |
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TheUniversity of Plymouth is apublic research university based predominantly inPlymouth, England, where the main campus is located, but the university has campuses and affiliated colleges acrossSouth West England. With 18,410 students, it is the57th largest in the United Kingdom by total number of students (including theOpen University).
The university was originally founded as the Plymouth School of Navigation in 1862,[1][2] before becoming a university college in 1920 and apolytechnic institute in 1970,[1] with its constituent bodies being Plymouth Polytechnic,Rolle College inExmouth, theExeter College of Art and Design (which were, before April 1989, run byDevon County Council) andSeale-Hayne College (which before April 1989 was an independent charity). It was renamedPolytechnic South West in 1989, a move that was unpopular with students as the name lacked identity. It was the only polytechnic to be renamed and remained as "PSW" until gaining university status in 1992 along with the other polytechnics. The new university absorbed the Plymouth School of Maritime Studies.
In 2006, part of the remains of the World War II Portland Squareair-raid shelter were rediscovered on the Plymouth campus.[8] On the night of 22 April 1941, duringthe Blitz, a bomb fell on the site killing over 70 civilians, including a mother and her six children.[8] The bomb blast was so strong that human remains were found in the tops of trees. Only three people escaped alive, all children.
The university's first vice-chancellor was John Bull. He was succeeded byRoland Levinsky until his death on 1 January 2007, when he walked into live electrical cables brought down during a storm.[9] He was temporarily replaced byMark Cleary (now vice-chancellor of theUniversity of Bradford),[10] and then by Steve Newstead.
Wendy Purcell became vice-chancellor on 1 December 2007, however she was later suspended in on 2 July 2014 whilst an internal review was conducted.[11] The suspension was in part due to a dispute over the commissioning of ceremonial chairs at a cost of £95,000 without the board's approval.[12] A linked case saw the chair of the board of governorsWilliam Taylor investigated of sexual harassment of female staff.[13] Purcell was later appointed to a newly created role of president with compensation of £125,000 for loss of office and maintaining her salary of £250,000.[14][15] A month after the review was concluded, theHigher Education Funding Council for England requested an independent external review of the university's governance.[16] In August 2014, the university was instructed byHEFCE to undertake an external review of its governance after vice-chancellor Wendy Purcell was placed on leave.[17]
Judith Petts CBE was appointed the University of Plymouth's vice-chancellor and chief executive in February 2016. She joined Plymouth from theUniversity of Southampton, where she had been pro-vice-chancellor research and enterprise and previously the inaugural dean of the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences (2010–2013).
The university was selected by theRoyal Statistical Society in October 2008 to be the home of its Centre for Statistical Education.[18] It also runs courses in maritime business, marine engineering, marine biology,[19] and Earth, ocean and environmental sciences.
In 2021 work began to completely renovate the interior and exterior of theBabbage Building. The renovations will add an extra 10,000m² worth of space to the building, and create rooftop gardens which will be open to students.[20] Renovation works also began on theInterCity Place tower down by thePlymouth railway station.[21]
The University has plans to tear down the Brunel Building which currently sits opposite Babbage and turn it into an urban park, but no timeline has been released yet.[21]
Richard Davies was appointed the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Plymouth in October 2024 followingJudith Petts's retirement.[22] In his first official message to the University, Davies said that he would "put students first" and that he is "optimistic about the future".[23]
In May 2025, the university announced that it had a £22 million budget shortfall[24] shortly after announcing that over 200 jobs were risk across the organisation,[25] and that some courses were being reviewed. Students in the affected School of Arts, Humanities, and Business started a petition against the cuts which received almost 2000 signatures.[26]
When university status was gained in 1992, the university was based in on multiple sites. Under Vice-Chancellor Levinsky the university began a policy of centralising its campus activities in Plymouth.
The Exmouth campusRolle College housed the Faculty of Education and relocated to the new Rolle Building in August 2008. The decision was unpopular with students and the town ofExmouth itself. There were several protest marches and a campaign to keep the campus open.[27]
Recent developments include Portland Square, a library extension, refurbished and new laboratory and teaching facilities in many of the campus buildings, halls of residence near the Business School and a new £16 millionPeninsula Medical School headquarters atDerriford Hospital, in the north of the city.[28] A Marine Building has been constructed behind the Babbage Building to house civil engineering,coastal engineering andmarine sciences.
The Roland Levinsky Building, designed by architectsHenning Larsen withBuilding Design Partnership, isclad with copper sheets in a seamed-cladding technique, is nine storeys high and has 13,000 square metres (140,000 sq ft) of floor space.[29] The Faculty of Arts, previously based in Exmouth and Exeter moved here in August 2007. The building contains two large lecture theatres, the Jill Craigie Cinema, used by the film students to display their films and for showing of films to the public; three performance rehearsal studios; digital media suites; and a public art gallery which displays work by local artists groups, students and famous artists.
Intercity Place is an 11-story tower building adjacent toPlymouth railway station currently undergoing renovations to turn the building into a centre for students studying medical degrees. The tower is being renovated by contractorKier Group and is set to open in 2023.[30] The building used to be the Intercity House office block. The building is currently owned byNetwork Rail, but is being given to the University on a 150 year lease.[31] The renovated building will provide a brand new space to train and develop the next generation of nurses, midwives and allied health professionals from the School of Health Professions and School of Nursing and Midwifery.
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The Babbage Building, also known as the New Engineering and Design Facility,[32] is a teaching building named afterCharles Babbage, a mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a digital programmable computer.[33] After renovations in 2021–2023, the building contains a number of fabrication and computing laboratories.[34]
University-managed or approved accommodation in the first year of study is guaranteed for all applicants who choose Plymouth as their first choice institution.[35] The university provides an approved accommodation database, which is available to all continuing students. There are six university-managed halls: Francis Drake, Gilwell, Mary Newman, Pilgrim, Radnor and Robbins. Special accommodation arrangements can be made for students with disabilities or medical conditions.
There are three faculties which each contain a number of schools:
The Arms, Crest, Badge and Supporters forming the university’sCoat of Arms were granted on 10 April 2008, in Grant 173/189, by theCollege of Arms.[36]
The books represent the university's focus on learning and scholarship. The scattering of small stars, representnavigation, which has played a key role in the history of the city and the university. The scallop shells in gold, represents pilgrimage, a sign of the importance of the departure of thePilgrim Fathers from a site near theMayflower Steps in thePlymouth Barbican aboard theMayflower in 1620. A Pelican and aGolden Hind support the shield and reflect both the original and later, better known, name ofSir Francis Drake's ship. The crest contains the Latin motto, "Indagate Fingite Invenite" which translates as "Explore Dream Discover" and is a quote fromMark Twain, reflecting the university's ambitions for its students and Plymouth's history of great seafarers.
TheLetters Patent granting Arms to the University of Plymouth were presented byEric Dancer,Lord Lieutenant of Devon, in a ceremony on 27 November 2008, in the presence ofHenry Paston-Bedingfeld,York Herald of theCollege of Arms, the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Plymouth, Judge William Taylor, the Recorder of Plymouth, andBaroness Judith Wilcox.[37]
The Coat of Arms are rarely seen in use, other than at graduation. The university uses the "with Plymouth University" brand on stationery and signs and keeps the Coat of Arms exclusive. The use of the arms is therefore restricted to graduations and other formal ceremonies, degree certificates and associated materials and the exclusive use by the Office of the Vice-Chancellor.[citation needed]
A wide variety of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes are taught at the main city campus in Plymouth. The university scores well in law, psychology, geographical sciences, computing (including digital media) and computer science, fine art and art history.[38] Key developments include: the creation of a new business school; bringing together complementary subjects in a new combined faculty of Science and Engineering; and creating the largest marine science and engineering school in Europe.[citation needed]
This faculty is host to the School of Art, Design and Architecture, the School of Humanities and Performing Arts, and the Plymouth Institute of Education. Arts subjects are usually taught in theRoland Levinsky building and the Scott building, a 19th-century building located next to Roland Levinsky which was modernised externally in 2008 to keep to the university's current design.
Thefaculty offers degrees inArchitecture, Built environment, English, History,Illustration,Art history,3D Design,Fine Art, Music,Photography,Media arts, Theatre & Performance andDance Theatre. Postgraduate research degree supervision is available across the disciplines in all three Schools, with specific expertise in artistic research.
Home to the Schools of Psychology, Social Science and Social Work, Health Professions, and Nursing and Midwifery. As well asPGCE programmes, the Faculty offers degrees in Adult Nursing, Child Health Nursing, Mental Health Nursing, Midwifery, Dietetics, Optometry, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Paramedicine.
This faculty is home to the School of Biological and Marine Sciences, the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, and the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences.
The university provides professional diving qualifications on a number of its courses, the only university in the country to do so. The university's diving centre is located within its Marine Station teaching and research facility based next to Queen Anne's Battery marina, and has a full-time team of instructors and dedicated boats and equipment.[citation needed]
In October 2005,The Sun newspaper voted the university as having the most bizarre degree course in the country, the BSc (Hons) in Surf Science & Technology. Commonly known as "surfing", this course is actually centred on coastal and ocean sciences, surfing equipment, clothing design, and surfing-related business, which is popular owing to the geographical location of the university.
The faculty is home to the Plymouth Business School, the School of Law, Criminology and Government, the Plymouth Graduate School of Management and the School of Tourism and Hospitality. Plymouth's Business School has most notably been very successful in national rankings by subject, where subjects like economics have ranked 16th, according to The Guardian.[39] Plymouth Graduate School of Management also offersMaritime Studies through the BSc (Hons) Maritime Business and Maritime Law and the MSc in International Shipping.
The university has strong links with the cruising industry, offering courses in the Maritime and Cruising sector. The school offers BSc (Hons) in Cruise Management, where students can opt to take a year out to work withP&O orPrincess Cruises for two four-month periods.[40]
Medicine and Dentistry were first established as part of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry in 2000, which operated as a partnership between Plymouth University and theUniversity of Exeter.[41] In January 2012 the two founding members of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD) the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, outlined their plans to expand independently and grow the success of the now nationally recognised professional health education provider. These changes came into effect from the start of the 2013 academic year. PUPSMD consists of the School of Medicine, the School of Dentistry, and the School of Biomedical and Healthcare Sciences.
The Academic Partnerships network is a collaboration between the university and local colleges across the South West and South of England. There are hundreds of higher education courses available providing opportunities for progression to other qualifications.[citation needed] For example, someone who has spent two years studying for a foundation degree at their local college – and who has successfully passed their exams – can move on to the final year of a full honours degree at the university.[citation needed]
Plymouth is the main sponsor ofMarine Academy Plymouth.[44] It is also the main sponsor ofUTC Plymouth, which opened in September 2013.
In 2005 the university was awarded fourHEFCE funded Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs). In addition, Plymouth was a partner in a fifth successful bid, led byLiverpool Hope University.[citation needed]
The university's CETLs are:
| National rankings | |
|---|---|
| Complete (2026)[45] | 75 |
| Guardian (2026)[46] | 84 |
| Times / Sunday Times (2026)[47] | 58 |
| Global rankings | |
| ARWU (2025)[48] | 701–800 |
| QS (2026)[49] | 613= |
| THE (2026)[50] | 501–600 |
The University of Plymouth ranks 503rd in the CWUR World University Rankings 2017[51] InThe Times and Sunday Times University League Table 2018, the University of Plymouth's world ranking was listed as joint 701st[52] and 601–650 inQS World University Rankings 2019.[53]Times Higher Education ranked Plymouth 401–500 in its World University Rankings 2017–18,[54] and ranked it 65th among 200 institutions in its World Young University Rankings 2017.[55]
The results of the 2014Research Excellence Framework showed that, overall, Plymouth was ranked joint 66 of 128 UK institutions, rising 9 places from the previousResearch Assessment Exercise in 2008.[56] Across all assessed subject areas Plymouth showed substantial evidence of 3* (internationally excellent) and 4* (world leading) research, and this was particularly evident in Clinical Medicine, Computer Sciences & Informatics, Psychology, Psychiatry & Neuroscience, and Earth Systems & Environmental Sciences, where 79–85% of research was ranked as 3* or 4*.[57]
Plymouth was the first university to be awarded the Social Enterprise Mark in recognition of working as a genuine social enterprise, caring for communities and protecting the planet.[citation needed]
Staff include political scientists/psephologistsColin Rallings andMichael Thrasher, who have written extensively onelectoral systems, voting behaviour, polling results and British politics. Other notable academics include mathematicianRichard Jozsa; health informaticianMaged N. Kamel Boulos; composer and filmmakerAlexis Kirke; Professor inComputer music and composerEduardo Reck Miranda;Roy Lowry who in August 2006 broke the world record for launching the most rockets at once;[58]Iain Stewart who has fronted BBC documentaries such asJourneys into the Ring of Fire andJourneys from the Centre of the Earth;Alexis Kirke an interdisciplinary performer and artist; sociologistJohn Scott, a sociologist focused on elites, power, social stratification, and social network analysis;Jacqueline Andrade, professor of psychology;[59] andRichard Thompson, who coined the term "microplastics".[60][61][62][63] Emeritus ProfessorJonathan St B. T. Evans from the school of Psychology has contributed greatly to the discussion ofDual-Process theory and has been publishing for over 40 years. Dr. Mike McCulloch, physicist and developer of the Quantised Inertia Theory.
Alumni include the world's youngest single-handed cross-Atlantic sailorSeb Clover, historianPhilip Payton, BBC wildlife presenterMonty Halls, television presenterMichael Underwood, life peerJudith Wilcox, Baroness Wilcox, (Plymouth Polytechnic), travel writer and physicianJane Wilson-Howarth, children's authorSteve Augarde, artistsSue Austin,Julian Bovis,Pen Dalton,Andrea Polli,Hatice Güleryüz, multimedia artist and scholarEllen Levy, computer scientist at IBMMandy Chessell, MP forBristol North WestDarren Jones, journalistMatt Cooke, politiciansLaura Anne Jones,Mark Williams andDarius J. Pearce, marine biologistsHeather Koldewey andDavid Sims, meteorologistClare Nasir, members of the bandMeeky Rosie, Indonesian businessman and politicianJaka Singgih, andTom Rivett-Carnac, Officer of theUnited Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
University of Plymouth Students' Union, usually abbreviated "UPSU" is anon-profit making organisation. Each year, students elect the officers who will represent them for the following year. The Union offers a range of services and stages a number of events throughout the year. As well as events, the Union is the base for most of the sports teams and societies at the university.
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