University of Gloucestershire

Join the University of Gloucestershire and you will be part of a creative, professional community of 1,000 postgraduate students, 2,000 staff and an alumni network of 40,000 graduates.

The University has recently been ranked 6th globally in the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey 2019 and has a growing reputation for its high level of satisfied students and excellent teaching. They strive to be outward looking and are intensively engaged in partnerships with local industry to enrich students’ learning and boost their career prospects.

The University of Gloucestershire has three campuses in the vibrant regency town of Cheltenham and historic, bustling city of Gloucester. The university offers over 100 postgraduate degree pathways through seven schools, which are:

• Arts
• Business and Technology
• Education and Humanities
• Health and Social Care
• Media
• Natural and Social Sciences
• Sport and Exercise

Gloucestershire is ideally located in the UK, with quick access to Birmingham, Bristol and London, yet offers students a beautiful, historic and inspiring environment in which to study. And strong national and international industry links make it the ideal location to advance your career and make those all-important professional connections.

The picturesque Park campus includes a brand-new Design Centre, a Media Centre and a Computing and Technology Suite – where design, media, engineering and technology students can get hands-on experience with the latest industry-standard technology.

At the historic Francis Close Hall campus, the university has been training the teachers of tomorrow since 1847. This campus is also where aspiring historians, philosophers, geographers, creative writers, psychologists and criminologists are inspired and supported by published experts and have access to cutting-edge technologies.

Hardwick is a hub of creativity where photographers and artists create and exhibit their work to the public and professionals.

Oxstalls campus is home to the new business school, state-of-the-art clinical simulators, a world-class sports arena, complete with top-spec sports science labs, and a specialist performing arts centre. Not only will students be building their knowledge and getting hands-on practical skills, they will be supported every step of their journey by professional businesspeople, top athletes, expert clinical practitioners, and experienced performers.

More than 40% of the university’s research was classified as world-leading or internationally excellent. Research Excellence Framework.

The University of Gloucestershire knows that life away from the classroom is just as important and has invested in brand-new halls of residence in Cheltenham and Gloucester. Blackfriars Residences in Gloucester offers nearly 300 rooms, and is close to the restaurants, bars and shopping outlets at the popular Gloucester Quays. Over in Cheltenham, Pittville Student Village offers over 800 rooms and a wide range of facilities, including an on-site gym. In addition, there are halls of residence onsite at all campuses.

The majority of University of Gloucestershire postgraduate degrees are accredited by professional bodies and courses are designed with professional development as a central concern: all of this helps make their graduates stand out in the job market.

Based at the Oxstalls campus, The Growth Hub (a partnership between the university and Gloucestershire Local Enterprise Partnership) offers a wealth of business resources and access to networks within the local community. The Growth Hub also hosts a series of free business workshops led by external speakers, covering topics such as marketing, planning, GDPR guidance and social media for SMEs.

The University of Gloucestershire’s strong reputation for student satisfaction is closely tied to the quality of its courses and lecturers, with an emphasis on creating a supportive environment to facilitate students’ learning.

Awarded 22 National Teaching Fellowships, the university has a strong portfolio of lecturers with industry experience. The university has an impressive network, with links to Saatchi & Saatchi, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, London Book Fair, Vogue, BMW, NHS, Superdry, BBC and Universal Music – to name but a few.

Each of the university’s seven schools contributes to a learning-led, research-informed environment. Research is embedded into all activities, ensuring students and staff benefit from, and contribute to, fundamental applied research. Students study alongside like-minded professionals and learn from experienced industry practitioners and research-active tutors, providing learners with the tools to excel.

The University of Gloucestershire’s Students’ Union offers over 80 societies and sports clubs, as well as hosting an award-winning Freshers’ Fayre! The SU represents the voice of students on campus, with part-time student representatives in each subject area and elected officers working full time in leadership roles.

There are lots of accommodation options at the university, with most rooms being en-suite and prices ranging from £126 to £202 per week (2020/21 figures. Including utilities, internet and contents insurance). Students can choose to be right in the heart of campus life, with halls on every site, or in Cheltenham town or Gloucester city centre.

The University offers dedicated postgraduate areas attheir Pittville Student Village in Cheltenham and halls in Gloucester. Find out about their accommodation guarantee here: www.glos.ac.uk/accommodation

Pittville Student Village in Cheltenham opened in 2017 and boasts an on-site refectory and bar, gym, multi-use studio, faith space, launderette and 24-hour security. There are almost 800 rooms available within villas, townhouses and studio apartments. The town centre is a 20-minute walk and a subsidised bus service runs to all campuses several times each hour.

In Gloucester, just a stone’s throw from the bustling Gloucester Quays, where you’ll find bars, restaurants, outlet shopping and a cinema, are Blackfriars Residences, containing 300 rooms within flats, townhouses and studio apartments. Just a couple of minutes’ walk to the bus station, Blackfriars is well connected to campus and the city centre (or you can walk to Oxstalls in 25 minutes if you’re feeling energetic!).

Postgraduate students often prefer the freedom of private renting and the university holds a large database of approved housing in both locations that meets strict safety standards.

Libraries are 24/7 access on every campus, with free wi-fi and over 500 computers for student use, as well as access to dedicated quiet study and group areas.

Each campus also has an SU bar and several canteens, plus a Medical Centre at Park.

On campus at Park you’ll find the Media and Design Centres, as well as the Computing and Technology Suite. Media students create and collaborate in top spec editing suites and production galleries, specialist studios for animation, TV, film, radio and music, and a dubbing theatre and newsroom within the journalism suite. Budding designers and advertising creatives work in the brand-new Design Centre, which houses a multimedia gallery space, product design studio and workshops, advertising, fashion, interior and graphic design studio facilities. For tech and engineering students, there are also industry-standard cyber security labs, games design and programming suites and brand-new engineering facilities.

Across town at Francis Close Hall and Hardwick, there are landscape architecture and illustration studios, forensic interview suites and brand new crime scene simulator, dedicated labs for biology, geography and environmental science, EEG and virtual reality kit, fine art gallery and studio, and photography dark rooms, studio, kit rooms and editing suites.

At Oxstalls, the new business school boasts fantastic facilities such as a live trading room, moot court and innovative teaching spaces, as well as being home to the Growth Hub, where students and local business can collaborate on live briefs. For sport and exercise students there is an international-standard sports arena (opened 2018), 3G pitches, environmental chamber, strength and conditioning facilities, cricket pavilion and pitch, biomechanics labs and sport therapy suites. Future nurses, paramedics and physiotherapists prepare for professional practice in the clinical skills suite and paramedic science simulator with cutting-edge Lifecast manikins.

Gloucestershire is a beautiful county in the south west of England, with close proximity to Bristol to the south and Birmingham to the north, two vibrant cities famed for their multiculturalism, and good links to London. Cheltenham and Gloucester might be small, but there is still a lot for students to get excited about, with over 100 bars and many more restaurants, clubs and venues catering to the student community. With over 45 festivals each year, the county is also a hub of cultural festivals, from the world-famous Cheltenham Jazz, Science, Literature and Music Festivals to Wychwood and Cricket, providing a vibrant atmosphere all year around.

For students who want to enjoy the peace of the countryside, it’s within easy reach of both towns, with the Cotswolds providing some of England’s most picturesque scenery: a great way to clear your head after a week in the library. And for the more adventurous, there’s rock climbing, paintballing, kayaking, skiing, mountain biking and snowboarding – plus the world-famous Cheltenham Racecourse and Gloucester Rugby’s Kingsholm Stadium.

Joining a society is a great way to meet others who share your interests and hobbies and to socialise after lectures.

Overseen by the Students’ Union there are over 80 student run clubs and societies to join, ranging from the Biology Society to the Dr Who society. Sports clubs include cheerleading, dance, rowing, trampolining and American football. Sports are a great way get healthy and make new friends beyond the lecture theatre, and the involvement of all is encouraged by fostering an inclusive environment regardless of skill level.

Just as the University of Gloucestershire has sought to cultivate a supportive learning environment between students and academic staff, help and additional support is also available for students who require it beyond the lecture theatre or seminar room.

The Helpzone offers a range of services to students on each campus, from advice on disabilities, mental health and the provision of counselling, to support with academic writing skills or help with managing finances and finding affordable accommodation. If you have an issue that may be affecting your studies, the Helpzone has trained professionals to support you through it.

And if you’re looking for specialist careers or employability advice, trained consultants run free regular workshops and offer 121 advice and mentoring.

Fees vary dependent on the type of course and method of delivery. Visit the university website for more information on postgraduate fees.

The University of Gloucestershire has a number of scholarships and bursaries open to postgraduate students. These include:

Alumni bursary

Students who have successfully completed a University of Gloucestershire undergraduate degree in 2019/20 and opt to study a postgraduate master’s degree or postgraduate diploma in the academic year 2020/21, will receive a 20% discount off the course tuition fee. Students who completed their undergraduate course in 2018/19 or earlier will receive a 10% discount. This now includes PGCE courses, which have previously been excluded.

International Bursaries

If you’re an international student, you may be eligible for an automatic discount of up to £4,000 off fees for the first year of study.

A number of 50% merit scholarships are also available for high-achieving international students entering certain courses.

For more information on bursaries and scholarships from the university, head to their website. Terms and conditions apply, offered scholarships and bursaries subject to change.

Art and Design

Cross-disciplinary collaboration and co-creation with fellow performers, artists and designers and also with media and technology students, means students are ready for the multi-disciplinary world of the creative industries. Access to industry standard facilities and the support of practicing professionals helps give UoG graduates the competitive edge.

Business and Technology

Access to the thriving Gloucestershire and national business community and specialist facilities such as the new business school, Growth Hub and C11 Cyber Security and Digital Innovation Centre gives students opportunities to work on live briefs with real businesses, as well as making valuable professional connections in industry.

Education and Humanities

With a strong focus on leadership and the role of education in society, UoG’s education and humanities students are challenged to inspire and shape the community around them by re-writing the stories we live by.

Health and Social Care

Caring for yourself so that you can care for others is the ethos of healthcare at the University of Gloucestershire. Known as their Culture of Care, this philosophy means that you’ll be fully supported while you study, and access to state of the art facilities ensures you’re always at the cutting edge of healthcare practice.

Media

Working with professional directors, animators, musicians and producers, you’ll make those valuable industry contacts and influential connections, as well as developing your skills. Lecturers are industry-active professionals who will help take your career to the next level.

Natural and Social Sciences

As well as using virtual reality and crime scene investigation to understand the criminal mind or working to further animal conservation in the wild, you’ll be encouraged to be curious about the world and be part of shaping its future.

Sport and Exercise

Students graduate ready to empower elite athletes, educate community groups, rehabilitate injured professionals and produce active, world leading research. With an emphasis on science as a way of reshaping the way we understand sport, and access to state-of-the-art-facilities, studying sport and exercise at UoG gives graduates a head start in their career.

For the majority of postgraduate courses, the University of Gloucestershire specify that applicants have a ‘good Honours degree or equivalent’, however the exact entry requirements vary from course to course.

For example, if you wish to study Fine Art you will be required to submit a proposed programme of study and examples of recent work, while Accounting and Finance applicants may not need an Honours degree if they have completed ACCA Fundamentals level.

International students who speak English as second language need an IELTS score of 6.0 for all courses (no less than 5.5 for all skills).

The University of Gloucestershire prides itself on being an institution that embeds research in all areas of study, with every academic school at the university engaged in research. The government’s 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) classified more than 25% of its research as world leading and internationally excellent in all submitted research areas.

The university has identified various Research Priority Areas in fields where they are particularly strong and feel their research could offer solutions to contemporary challenges.

These include:

• Sport, Exercise, Health and Wellbeing
• Environmental Dynamics and Governance
• Being Human: Past, Present and Future
• Creative Practice as Research
• Applied Business and Technology
• Learning for Professional Contexts

Postgraduate degrees at the University of Gloucestershire are designed to allow students to develop the vocational skills they need to advance their careers.

For example, an MSc in Finance uses contemporary examples and data to allow students to develop the knowledge needed to enter the world of finance, while an MSc in Computing (Masters Stage Award) gives students the opportunity to gain an understanding of the importance of cyber security.

Distance learning is available for a number of postgraduate courses at the University of Gloucestershire, allowing students to gain a degree from the university wherever they live in the world.

Some courses, for example, the MSc Computing (Masters Stage) are offered solely through distance learning, with seminars and lectures recorded and posted online, and students given support in order to develop the necessary skills to excel at studying remotely.