About UCLan
The University of Central Lancashire is going global – and is evolving every minute of every day. We are now one of the largest universities in the UK with a student and staff community of more than 35,000 students, 500 undergraduate courses and 180 postgraduate courses – and it’s not stopping there.
UCLan was only created in 1992 but its roots go way back to 1828 and the humble beginnings of the founding of the ‘Institution for the Diffusion of Knowledge’. From this small acorn, the university has propelled itself into becoming a major player, both at home and across the world.
Around 70 percent of UCLan’s students come from the North West and the University is proving to be a vital heartbeat to the region’s booming regeneration. It employs 3,000 people, has a turnover of £120m a year and contributes £300m to the regional economy.
The University is in the heart of the UK’s newest city, Preston, and is a key element in the shaping of this exciting city’s bright future.
Overseas, UCLan has launched new programmes such as fire engineering with partners in Hong Kong, the Gulf and Russia. A spectacular show on the streets of Hong Kong marked the launch of the University’s new International Fashion Institute (IFI).
During 2009 IFI will launch the UK’s first MBA in fashion to a worldwide market. The exciting initiative will enable IFI graduates to succeed in the workplace by combining creative flair with sound business acumen and expertise.
Another new international initiative is the newly opened Confucius Institute which promotes and supports the development of Chinese language and culture throughout the North West region.
In the latest Research Assessment Exercise the University submitted 17 subject areas for rigorous review and was rated as having produced research of international excellence in all of them. No fewer than 11 areas were assessed as containing research which is world-leading.
UCLan has invested £60m on new campus developments – including the £15.3m ‘media factory’ to aid work in art, design and performing arts plus help graduates get a helping hand in business.
The University is also getting its teeth into the region’s dental crisis with the launch of the £5.5m School of Dentistry and the first School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Lancashire, which both opened in September 2007.
And the facility upgrades are set to continue with the announcement of plans to build a new £16 million indoor sports centre on the Preston Campus (completion early 2011) which will complement our outdoor multi-million pound facility (Preston Sports Arena) which was recently visited by Lord Sebastian Coe and is now listed as a potential holding camp for teams competing in the 2012 Olympic Games.
A new £12.5 million facility for the University’s renowned forensic science courses has also been unveiled (due for completion 2011). The new building will house a range of science focused students including those studying on UCLan’s new MSc in Forensic and Conservation Genetics which applies the DNA profiling expertise of UCLan staff to the investigation and prosecution of wildlife crimes and allows students to take part of their studies at our well-established Masaai Conservation Centre in Kenya.
An initiative to further boost the employability skills of UCLan students was unveiled in 2008 through the launched of the Futures Centre. Located at the heart of the University’s Preston campus, the facility brings together the huge range of services already on offer at UCLan, including advice on careers and work placements, employability and enterprise course electives, business start-up and self-employment services and a host of extra-curricular workshops, competitions, seminars and events.
UCLan continues to build on its long association with the nuclear industry, from bases at Preston and its West Cumbrian Campus at Westlakes. Educational provision, research and consultancy for the industry are being undertaken in areas such as leadership, environmental science, materials science, engineering, chemistry, genetics, epidemiology and sustainable development.
The University’s unique partnership with the National Skills Academy for Nuclear has inspired the development of an exciting raft of qualifications specific to the nuclear sector. These range from foundation degrees in nuclear related technologies to innovative leadership programmes for nuclear team leaders. UCLan’s foundation degree in Nuclear Decommissioning is the first in the UK.
UCLan has a strong sustainable development agenda and in 2008 it became one of only two universities and 10 organisations nationally to achieve the new Carbon Trust Standard for demonstrating a reduction in its carbon emissions year-on-year. It has the largest solar panel array of any UK university.
In the latest People and Planet’s University Green League for environmental performance UCLan improved its position from 5th spot in 2008 to 4th position in 2009 (out of 119 universities).
People thrive here – and we are proud that. Our commitment to student enterprise, knowledge transfer and regional wealth generation was recognised recently in the 2009 Higher Education Business and Community Interaction survey. UCLan was placed in the top five nationally and top regionally for the number of graduate start-up businesses being nurtured by the University.
UCLan continually produces students equipped to thrive in a modern, ever-changing world. You, too, could be one of them.
