University of Derby

The University of Derby is home to students from more than 100 countries around the world, making them part of a diverse, international community.

Whether students are progressing from undergraduate study, want to change or develop their career, or simply study the subject they love in more depth, the university offers a wide range of courses and flexible study methods including full-time, part-time and online learning.

From criminology to science, education to business, the university also offers a wide range of courses designed for continuing professional development (CPD), that will help students enhance their skills, maintain their professional registration and take their career to the next level.

£200 million has been invested into facilities at the university over the past ten years, offering students access to exceptional learning environments, including an NHS-standard hospital ward, forensic training facility, a mock Crown courtroom, film and music studios and a sports and fitness centre.

During their spare time, students can get involved with extra-curricular activities to both enhance their university experience and add additional skills and experiences to their CV. These range from special interest groups to volunteering opportunities. 

Whatever their area of interest, the university’s professional qualifications, career support and links with industry will help students achieve their goals.

All students have access to the university's Careers and Employability Service, which can be used up to three years after graduation. This service provides support and guidance to help students develop their broader skills.

These include:

• Access to database of vacancies
• Work experience opportunities and graduate schemes
• Application and job search advice
• Employer events
• Networking and showcase events
• Employability lectures and seminars
• Wide range of workshops and programmes
• Online resources

The university also has an Employability and Enterprise Hub at its Kedleston Road site. The hub helps students network with senior business figures, attend exclusive business seminars and workshops, partner with business mentors, access funding to start up their own enterprise, gain employment with top-level companies and use their skills to help good causes. Employers use the hub to identify and interview talented students, so it’s a great place to get noticed too.

The university also runs the Student Employment Agency which can help students find temporary, part-time, paid work. It’s an excellent way to gain valuable work experience, enhance their skills and earn money while studying and during the holidays.

If students are interested in starting their own business, the university offers a range of support, including:

• An employability award focused on enterprise and business start-ups
• Introductory workshops covering business basics
• Links to online tutorials and resources to help get your business started
• Networking events
• Access to specialist in-depth support, workshops and business advice appointments.

The University of Derby has a growing reputation for high-impact, high-profile research that informs its teaching. The University of Derby’s expert academics are of extremely high calibre and bring with them a wealth of industry experience.

Students can choose from a range of professional qualifications, from MBA and LLM to various teacher training options. Alternatively, online courses provide flexible study, which allows them to continue working while gaining their qualifications.

Courses are developed in partnership with employers and industry bodies to provide students with skills relevant to today’s workplace. Placements and work-based projects will give them the professional edge and in many cases students can tailor their postgraduate studies to their specific career needs.

Courses include ACCA and CIPS accredited qualifications, standalone modules for health or education professionals (which provide transferable university credits), workshops, online short courses, free online courses, and qualifications in environmental sciences and psychology.

If students are interested in studying for a PhD to progress academically or advance their career, the university offers opportunities across a range of disciplines, including:

• Art and Design
• Business
• Criminology
• Education
• Engineering and Technology
• Health and Social Care
• Humanities
• Law and Justice
• Science

Some postgraduate courses start in January as well as September, giving students flexible study options to suit their lifestyle and commitments.

The Union of Students at Derby is run completely by students and is independent from the university, although the two organisations work closely together to help implement positive changes. There are five office trustees, along with part-time officers and academic reps on board.

Visit the website for more information.

If students are relocating to Derby for their postgraduate course, the University of Derby halls of residence provide a convenient base, close to the city or town centre and within easy reach of university facilities.

In Derby students can choose to live in a postgraduate apartment or to immerse themselves in student life in the larger and more traditional halls of residence.

Flamsteed Court, Derby

This complex is made up of 30 two-bedroom apartments, which are perfect for postgraduate and mature students looking to study at Derby. Students will benefit from being in a quiet, residential area, close to the university’s Kedleston Road site.

The apartments in this complex comes with two double en-suite rooms, as well as a kitchen/diner and a lounge. A television is included and the licence has been paid for. Students will be close to the university’s library, students union and sports centre and can enjoy the free parking each apartment boasts. Links to the city centre are close and convenient with bus stops a minute away. Prices at Flamsteed Court are £150.01 per week in 2018/19.

Flats in the traditional halls of residence accommodate between four and eight people. Where possible the university allocates rooms by age. Students can apply for a place in halls individually or with friends. Safe and secure and within easy reach of both local and university facilities, staff are on site 24 hours a day so there’s always someone students can contact if they need to.

Students can benefit from cost effective accommodation if they choose to live in halls. Prices for 2021/22 start from £138.88 per week and include electricity, gas, water, Wi-Fi and room contents insurance. If  preferred, students can opt for an en suite bedroom, and there are rooms available to accommodate students with a disability or medical condition.

Students can also rent a private property with friends or by themselves, and can find the right place through the university’s registered private housing scheme.

To find out more about university-approved private accommodation please visit the website.

To find out more about the types of accommodation available, visit the website.

With over £200 million invested over the past ten years, the university has plenty of state-of-the-art facilities across its three campuses. From learning spaces in five libraries to state-of-the-art equipment and a modern sports centre, there’s everything students need to get the most out of their studies.

Subject-specific facilities include:

• Bloomberg financial markets lab
• Dance studio
• Clinical skills suite (With a mock hospital ward and cutting-edge X-ray suite – the first of its kind in a UK university)
• Mock crown court
• STEM center (including a wind tunnel, turbojet, geotechnics, fluids lab and hemianechoic chamber)
• Computing laboratories
• Research and laboratory facilities (including a specialist aquatic research facility, forensic science and biomedical health laboratories.)
• Visual communication studios
• Five well-stocked libraries

When it comes to relaxing in-between studying, students will find on-campus shops, coffee and food outlets, plus the Union of Students bar.

To take a look around Derby’s sites, visit their website.

Derby is a thriving city full of culture and close to the countryside, with stunning parks and plenty of museums and galleries to visit. There is also an expanding art scene and arts events around the city like the sketching club. Students can visit exhibitions and go to film screenings throughout the week.

When it comes to shopping there is a great choice of high street brands and independent shops, based in the artistic Cathedral Quarter.

Students can enjoy sampling the many bars, pubs and restaurants across the city, along with clubs, live music venues, multiplex cinemas and other leisure activities, including the University’s own Derby Theatre.

The University of Derby offers over 150 clubs and societies, from sports clubs to enthusiast groups. There are also plenty of volunteering opportunities available, as well as a student newspaper, TV channel and radio station, which encourage budding journalists to create and share content across all three platforms.

Find out what societies are available by visiting their website.

The university is committed to the wellbeing of all students and offers a wide range of student support services. These include a dedicated disability support team, a free and confidential counselling service, support for students wishing to improve their English language skills and a student center which provides a range of information and advice for their studies.

Students that plan to study at postgraduate level will need to make sure they have considered how to pay for their studies. Derby’s postgraduate courses are competitively priced and all the essential equipment and activities are included.

All course fees can be found on the course page on Derby’s website.

Depending on where students usually live and what they intend to study, they may be eligible for funding. Funding may include:

• Postgraduate loan – available for masters study. Restrictions apply.
• Career development loan
• Bursary for vocational courses – including teaching, social work and health care
• Sponsorship by their employer
• Doctoral loan – available for doctoral students. Restrictions apply. To find out more, click here

The university also offers bursaries and scholarships, including:

25% Alumni Discount

Students who graduated from the University of Derby within a year of applying for a postgraduate degree are eligible for a 25% discount.

10% Alumni Discount

Students who graduated before the last academic year will be eligible for a 10% discount.

Funding for Teaching Qualifications

Students on a teacher-training course are eligible to apply for a bursary via the Get in to Teaching website.

Disabled Students’ Allowance

Higher education students living in England that have a disability or long-term health condition may be eligible for support through the Disabled Students’ Allowance scheme.

Full details of all the funding options are on Derby’s website.

For more ideas on organisations who may be able to fund a postgraduate degree visit the website.

The University of Derby is renowned for its high-quality, research-informed teaching, delivered by expert teaching staff, and has been ranked as a Top 10 University in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2020.

The University of Derby has a greater staff to student ratio than most universities, so students are guaranteed dedicated time and support during their studies. Many of the university’s lecturers still work in industry or are actively involved in ground-breaking research, so the content of their modules is up-to-date with the latest developments in the subject and combines both their industry experience and subject knowledge.

The University of Derby is also at the forefront of vital research in order to help find solutions for the most pressing issues affecting society, including climate change and modern slavery. Looking to the future, the university has also invested in a new generation of research centres with exciting projects being developed across a wide range of disciplines both locally and internationally.

Upcoming Postgraduate and Professional Open Events

Students will usually need a qualification equivalent to a UK undergraduate degree (2:2 or above). They will also need an English language qualification.

The university accepts all UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approved tests. Students will need at least IELTS 6.0 (with a minimum of 5.5 in all areas – speaking, listening, reading, writing). Derby also accepts International GCE O-level English Language, grade C or above, or International GCSE English or English as a Second Language, grade C or above.

Please note that some courses have higher English language entry requirements, so please check the specific course details.

The University of Derby offers a variety of postgraduate research degrees:

MPhil and PhD

These degrees allow students to undertake original research, resulting in the production of a thesis or creative work and a critical appraisal. This will then lead to the award of either a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The MPhil takes two years full-time or four years part-time. The PhD takes between three and six years, depending on whether students study full-time or part-time. For both awards students will be fully supported by two supervisors.

Students may wish to follow this route if they already have a series of research-informed published or creative works. They will need to prepare these works for examination and undertake a critical appraisal of them.

Professional or practice-based doctorate

Derby offers professional or practice-based doctorates in education, health and social care practice (in a named field) and professional practice. Unlike the MPhil and PhD degrees, these qualifications are all part-time, include a substantial modular-based element and students are expected to complete a thesis related to their area of practice.

Studying a postgraduate taught degree allows students to specialise in an area that closely matches their interests, skills or career ambitions. Most postgraduate students build on the knowledge they gained in their undergraduate degree, but some courses allow them to change direction and study a completely different subject.

There are a range of master’s degrees available, including:

• Master of Arts (MA)
• Master of Science (MSc)
• Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• Master of Laws (LLM)
• Master of Research (MRes)

The master’s degrees are made up of modules totalling 180 credits. They usually consist of three stages: Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma and Masters. Students will need to successfully complete each stage before progressing to the next.

Some of the postgraduate taught degrees are only available at Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma level – these include the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).

As one of the UK’s leading providers of online learning, the University of Derby Online Learning (UDOL) offers an alternative, flexible way to study for a postgraduate qualification.

There’s a wide range of courses for students to choose from and they will study in a structured and supported online environment. Students will be guided through their studies by a personal tutor and academic teams who are experts in their fields and specialists in online learning.

Students can study at a time and place to suit them, with access to course materials at any time of day or night. The content is engaging and interactive, and meets high academic and professional standards.

To find out more, please click here.

For more information visit their website.