University of Wales, Newport
This week we are showcasing the University of Wales, Newport. Find out more about the university below, read Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Hagen’s blog, ‘Creating the Entrepreneurial University’ and learn about the exciting work taking place at 3VTV and The Dyscovery Centre.
The University of Wales, Newport can trace its roots back to 1841 and today attracts students from all over the world.
It has a long tradition of providing high quality undergraduate, postgraduate and professional courses. Newport has well-qualified and experienced academic and support staff who care about their students. The Quality Assurance Agency recently gave the University a ‘confidence’ rating (the top rating given) for the quality of its academic teaching standards. Newport’s courses are modern, challenging, innovative, creative and relevant to the needs of the 21st Century.
In recent years, the University has placed increasing emphasis on developing an entrepreneurial underpinning to its programmes, developing greater focus on employability and support for local businesses.
Some of the University’s key strengths include:
- The University is internationally recognised and renowned for many of its highly advanced facilities. It has some of the best-equipped, fully serviced workshops and studios in Europe, having opened a new City Centre campus in 2011 to compliment its 100 year old, traditional campus in the idyllic rural setting of nearby Caerleon.
- Excellent reputation for part-time professional study, including industry standard qualifications, like ACCA, CIMA, CIM and CIPD.
- Strong links with industry and commerce – and rated for three years running as the best University in Wales for entrepreneurship by the Knowledge Exploitation Fund (KEF).
- A strong focus on collaboration including a new Faculty structure to encourage cross curricular development and entrepreneurialism amongst students and graduates.
- Best ever results in the latest Research Assessment Exercise, with 70% of research in Art and Design, jointly submitted with Cardiff Metropolitan University (UWIC), rated world leading or internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour.
- Renowned for widening access and attracting non-traditional learners, the University operates the UHOVI (the Universities Heads of the Valleys Institute), in collaboration with the University of Glamorgan, to meet the specific needs of the Valleys and develop high level skills in South East Wales.
- Attracting students from 100 countries in its own right, the University is also the location for the Wales International Study Centre, a superb new facility delivering the International Foundation Year, preparing students for undergraduate degree study across Wales.
- With growing environmental credits to its name, Newport has been awarded a number of environmental accolades for its buildings and ethical and environmental policies.
- In response to calls from the Welsh Government for widespread reconfiguration of the Higher Education sector in Wales, the University responded positively, calling for the creation of a brand new, entrepreneurially focused university in South Wales. As of December 2012, Newport is engaged in discussions with nearby University of Glamorgan to create a new University for South Wales.
