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Newcastle University is a British university located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north of England. It was founded as the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne by an Act of Parliament in August 1963.
History
The University has its origins in the College of Medicine which was established in the city in 1834, and formally became a college of Durham University in 1851. In 1871 the College of Physical Science was founded, which subsequently became Armstrong College (named after William George Armstrong).
Armstrong College and the College of Medicine were merged in 1937 to form King's College, Durham (the Durham Division remained predominantly dedicated to the teaching of theology and liberal arts).
Growth of the Newcastle Division of the federal Durham University led to tensions within the structure and in 1963 an Act of Parliament separated the two divisions, leaving Durham as an 'Oxbridge'-style collegiate university and creating the University of Newcastle upon Tyne as a civic university similar to Birmingham, Leeds, and Manchester.
Today
The University has a core population of 17,784 students (2005-2006), including more than 2,000 overseas students from over 100 countries.
Its medical school consistently ranks as one of the top in the UK due to its high level of teaching and research. It was also the first institution in Europe, 2nd in the world, to be given permission to pursue stem-cell research in human embryos.
The current Chancellor of the university is Chris Patten, former Chairman of the Conservative Party and European Commissioner for External Affairs (1999-2004). He is also Chancellor of Oxford University.
The university won the Sunday Times University of the Year award in 2000. In December 2004 it sparked controversy when it announced the closure of its physics course because of declining interest and financial pressures. However, a month later the university noted that there had been a rise in applications to its chemistry course.
Student Organisations
The Union Society aims to represent the interests of students at the University.*
Notable alumni
- Rowan Atkinson - comedian/actor
- Kate Adie - journalist
- Bruce Babbitt - U.S. politician
- Ed Coode - G.B. Olympic gold medallist
- Alexander Downer - current Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs
- Bryan Ferry - singer with Roxy Music
- Adrian Henri - 'Mersey Scene' Poet and painter
- Wilko Johnson - guitarist, particularly with 1970s British rhythm and blues band Dr. Feelgood
- Paul Kennedy - Historian of international relations and grand strategy
- Lord Rupert Mitford - Liberal Democrat spokesman in the House of Lords for International Development
- Alan Plater - Playwright and screenwriter
- Stuart Prebble - former chief executive of ITV.
- Paul Tucker - member of Lighthouse Family
- Philip Williamson - Chief Executive of Nationwide Building Society
Research Institutes
- Informatics Research Institute (IRI)
- Institute for Ageing and Health (IAH)
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences
- Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology (INSAT)
- Institute for Policy and Practice (IPP)
- Institute for Research on Environment and Sustainability (IRES)
- Institute of Human Genetics (IHG)
- Institute of Neuroscience
- Newcastle Institute for the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (NIASSH)
- Northern Institute for Cancer Research (NICR)
Schools and Faculties
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
- Architecture, Planning and Landscape
- Arts and Cultures
- University of Newcastle upon Tyne Business School
- Education, Communication and Language Sciences
- English Literature, Language and Linguistics
- Geography, Politics and Sociology
- Historical Studies
- The Language Centre
- Newcastle Law School
- Modern Languages
Faculty of Medical Sciences
- Biomedical Sciences
- Clinical and Laboratory Sciences
- Clinical Medical Sciences
- Dental Sciences
- Medical Education Development
- Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and Dentistry
- Neurology, Neurobiology and Psychiatry
- Population and Health Sciences
- Surgical and Reproductive Sciences
Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering
- Agriculture, Food and Rural Development
- Biology
- Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials
- Civil Engineering and Geosciences
- Computing Science
- Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering
- Marine Science and Technology
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Mechanical and Systems Engineering
- Natural Sciences
See also
Universities in England | Education in Newcastle upon Tyne | Education in Tyne and Wear | Alumni of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne | Educational institutions established in 1963
"University of Newcastle upon Tyne"