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The University of Buckingham is the UK's first and only Private University. It is located in Buckingham (Buckinghamshire), 10 miles from Northamptonshire.
History
The university was founded as the University College of Buckingham in 1976, before being granted university status in 1983.
The development of the University was heavily influenced by the libertarian Institute of Economic Affairs, in particular, Harry Ferns and Ralph Harris, heads of the Institute. In keeping with its adherence to a libertarian philosophy, the University's foundation stone was laid by Margaret Thatcher, who was also to be the university's Chancellor (nominal and ceremonial head) between 1993 and 1998. The university's two first Vice Chancellors (academic and administrative heads) were Lord Beloff and Sir Alan Peacock, both of whom were distinguished academics and prominent libertarians.
Statistics
It has 757 students and 75 academic staff.
Student population
The charging of tuition fees has traditionally discouraged applications from UK students (who account for about 25 per cent of students) - although there may be a significant change to this with the new fee regime in the state-sector being instituted in Sep 2006. Unlike public universities, Buckingham fees will continue to be required in advance of graduation, rather than following entry into the workplace, although some grants and scholarships are available to help offset this. Most of the University's students are from overseas, particularly from outside the EU. Many are from Commonwealth countries such as India, Pakistan, Malaysia, as well as such EU member states as Germany and Sweden.17% are from Nigeria, forming the second largest cultural group at the university.
Fees
From Sep 06, tuition fees for full-time UK / EU undergraduate students will be £7500 per year for the 2-year fast track Bachelors degree programmes. For non-EU students, fees will be equivalent to £13,000 p.a. (£3,125 per term). Because Buckingham's degrees take only two years to complete, the University views its courses as cost-effective compared to ordinary UK tuition fees, once the calculation for living expenses and the income from an extra year's employment are factored in. The University's staff:student ratio is low by UK standards at 1:10 (the average is 1:17).
Studies
Unlike other UK universities, the University features as standard a two-year undergraduate degree course, consisting of four terms, with the academic year running from January to December. The University was created as a liberal arts college, and the major humanities subjects such as history and politics are offered with economics as a degree in International Studies'. Economics, however, is available as a stand-alone degree, as is English Literature. The Professor of Economics, Professor Martin Ricketts, is the chair of the Institute of Economic Affairs's Academic Advisory Council, thus cementing the links between the two libertarian bodies.
The University's largest school is now law, followed by business studies and accounting. Some science departments such as biology are heavily focussed on research and offer only research degrees, others such as psychology and computer and information sciences offer the full range of degrees.
The University has close links with colleges abroad including the Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, an independent college in Bosnia. The University has also entered into a collaborative agreement with Brunel University to create a medical school under the leadership of Professor Karol Sikora.
The new Department of Education has some of the most prominent educationalists in Britain including Professor Chris Woodhead (former head of OFSTED), Professor Anthony O'Hear (the director of the Royal Institute of Philosophy) and Professor Alan Smithers on the staff, and its Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), which specialises in the independent sector, has recently been accredited qualified teacher status (QTS) and so also now qualifies graduates to teach in the state sector.
Press
University of Buckingham Presspublishes books and journals in the areas of law, education, business, and freedom, including [http://www.predictionmarketjournal.com The Journal of Prediction Markets and The Denning Law Journal.
External links
"University of Buckingham"