Bournemouth University

University in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, England

Not to be confused with the Arts University Bournemouth.

Bournemouth University

Bournemouth University coat of arms

Motto| Discere Mutari Est (Latin)

Motto in English

| To Learn is to Change
Type| Public
Established| 1992
Endowment| £1.85 million (2022)[1]
Budget| £169.6 million (2021-22)[1]
Chancellor| Kate Adie
Vice-Chancellor| Alison Honour
Students| 18,620 (2023/24)[2]
Undergraduates| 13,435 (2023/24)[2]
Postgraduates| 5,185 (2023/24)[2]
Location|

Bournemouth, England

50°44′36″N 1°53′49″W﻿ / ﻿50.743213°N 1.896901°W﻿ / 50.743213; -1.896901
Campus| Talbot Campus Lansdowne Campus
Colours|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

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Affiliations| EUA
Website| bournemouth.ac.uk

Bournemouth University is a public university in Bournemouth, England, with its main campus situated in neighbouring Poole. The university was founded in 1992; however, the origins of its predecessor date back to the early 1900s.

The university currently has over 16,000 students, including over 3,000 international students. The university is recognised for its work in the media industries. Graduates from the university have worked on a number of Hollywood films, including Gravity, which was awarded the Achievement in Visual Effects Oscar at the 86th Academy Awards in 2015.[3]

In 2023, Bournemouth University received a silver rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework, a government assessment of the quality of undergraduate teaching in universities and other higher education providers in England.[4]

## History

[edit]

### Predecessor institutions

[edit]

The university was first founded in the early 20th century as the predecessor Bournemouth Municipal College. The college initially offered courses to prepare students for University of London degrees (1942-1976).[5] In the mid-1960s there were 6,850-day and evening students.[6] As early as 1965, in the House of Commons, the number of students at the college was highlighted, and the Secretary of State was asked to consider a university application.[6] At the time the Government did not intend to create any new universities until the late 1970s,.[6]

In the 1970s the college became the Bournemouth College of Technology. Later that decade, following a review by the Dorset Education Committee, the College of Technology changed to become Dorset Institute of Higher Education (DIHE).

Bernard MacManus was appointed Director in 1983 and presided over a significant expansion in curriculum and student numbers, against a backdrop of initial uncertainty over the Weymouth Campus.[7] During this time the Talbot Campus was consolidated having been established in 1976. The neighbouring Student Village was also constructed. A second campus was established at Lansdowne. The period between 1983 and 1994 saw the Institute expand into new disciplines including heritage, tourism, tax, public relations, computer animation and information systems.[8] Two foundation stones remain within university buildings. The foundation stone for the College of Technology (1970s) resides in the main lobby of Poole House, Talbot Campus. The foundation stone for the Dorset Institute is mounted in Dorset House near what is now called The Edge. Bernard MacManus was honoured by Bournemouth University with an honorary doctorate in 2007.

### University status

[edit]

The expansion under Dr MacManus allowed the institute to make a strong case to become a polytechnic, which was gained in 1990. In 1992 all polytechnics were awarded university status and the institute was renamed to become Bournemouth University.[7]

By September 1994, over 9,000 students had been recruited nationally, and internationally, to undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.[5] By 1996 the university had 11 endowed professorial posts, including:[9]

* Royal Mail Chair in Business Performance Improvement
* Intel Chair in Computer Supported Cooperation
* British Property Federation Chair in Archaeology and Development
* IBM Chair in Concurrent Engineering
* Intergraph Chair in Electronic Design Automation
* GPT Chair in Software Engineering
* Steele Raymond Chair in Business Law
* Hewlett-Packard Chair in Computer Animation
* Sutcliffe Chair in Catering Management
* Marks & Spencer Chair in Retail Management

In recent years the university has announced a significant investment programme, and by 2018 it plans to invest £200 million in new buildings and facilities including a new Student Centre, which opened in March 2015.[10]

### List of chancellors

[edit]

* 1992 – Caroline Cox, Baroness Cox, First Chancellor of university
* 2001 – John Taylor, Baron Taylor of Warwick
* 2006 – Dione Digby, Lady Digby
* 2009 – Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, former President of the Supreme Court and Senior Law Lord
* 2019 – Kate Adie CBE, DL

### List of directors and vice chancellors

[edit]

* 1983 – Bernard MacManus, as Director of the Dorset Institute
* 1990 – Bernard MacManus, as first Vice Chancellor
* 1994 – Gillian Slater
* 2005 – Sir Paul Curran, subsequently Vice Chancellor of City University London
* 2010 – John Vinney[11][12][13][14]
* 2024 - Alison Honour

### Coat of arms

[edit]

The university coat of arms was granted in 1992 by the official heraldic authority for England, the College of Arms.[15] The talbots, the heraldic beasts on the shield, represent the location of the main campus.[15] The crowns denote the three Saxon crowns of the Kingdom of Wessex, and the nearby boroughs.[15] The blue represents the nearby sea, reflecting the location of the university,[15] on the Jurassic Coast of Dorset. The red dragon in the coat of arms represents Dorset, and the scroll represents learning.[15]

The Latin motto Discere Mutari Est means To Learn is to Change.

## Campuses

[edit]

Main entrance on the Talbot Campus

Bournemouth University has two campuses: Talbot Campus and Lansdowne Campus.

### Talbot Campus

[edit]

The Talbot Campus is situated at Fern Barrow on the Poole side of the boundary with Bournemouth. It is where the main University buildings are located, including the students' union and the main library.

### Lansdowne Campus

[edit]

The Lansdowne Campus is just outside Bournemouth's town centre, housing three teaching and administrative buildings, the students' union nightclub and various halls of residence located around Christchurch Road, Oxford Road and Holdenhurst Road. A new Bournemouth University International College is currently being built at the campus.[16] Unlike Talbot, Lansdowne is not a self-contained campus.

## Organisation and governance

[edit]

Bournemouth University is currently divided into the following faculties:

* The Faculty of Science and Technology (Archaeology, Anthropology, Biology, Geography, Design, Engineering, Computing and Informatics, Forensic Sciences, and Psychology) - home to the Festival of Design & Innovation[17]
* The Faculty of Media and Communication – home to the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy & Management (CIPPM), the Centre for Excellence in Media Practice, the National Centre for Computer Animation and the Centre for Broadcasting History Research[18][19]
* The Faculty of Health and Social Sciences
* The Bournemouth University Business School – home to the International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality Research

## Academics

[edit]

RankingsNational rankings

Complete (2026)[20]| 72=
Guardian (2025)[21]| 105
Times / Sunday Times (2025)[22]| 82
Global rankings
ARWU (2024)[23]| 801—900
QS (2026)[24]| 801–850
THE (2025)[25]| 401–500

### Awards

[edit]

In 2011 the university was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, for "world-class computer animation teaching with wide scientific and creative applications".[26] In 2014 the courses at the university were praised by the Prime Minister in Parliament.[27]

### Rankings and reputation

[edit]

Bournemouth University appeared for the first time in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings[28] in 2015/16: ranked joint 401–500 in the world and 57th among UK universities. The university experienced a brief upward trend in national rankings: in 2016, it rose from 65th to 54th in The Complete University Guide,[29] from 71st to 63rd place in The Guardian University League Table[30] and from 88th to joint 82nd in the Sunday Times Good University Guide.[31] The high salary increases awarded to Bournemouth University Vice Chancellor John Vinney were justified as a reflection of this improvement.[32][33]

## Student life

[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2013)

|

The Students' Union at Bournemouth University (SUBU) is based on the Talbot Campus at the Student Centre, which was opened in 2015. Its facilities are open to students at Lansdowne Campus and the partner colleges.

SUBU has over 120 clubs and societies for students to take part in alongside their studies at Bournemouth University. SUBU itself is composed of various departments, such as SUBU Advice, Democracy and Equality, Representation, Volunteering, Insight and Policy and Activities.

SUBU operates numerous venues including the nightclub The Old Fire station on the Lansdowne campus, the Student Shop, Ground Up Cafe and with Dylans Bar on Talbot.[34]

## Notable people

[edit]

### Notable academics

[edit]

* Timothy Darvill, awarded an OBE in the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to archaeology.[citation needed]
* Derek Pitman, archaeologist and co-host of the Career in Ruins podcast.[35]

### Notable alumni

[edit]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Bournemouth University" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

See also: Category:Alumni of Bournemouth University

* Sir David Amess – Member of Parliament
* Carl Ashmore – children's author
* Angela Browning – Member of Parliament
* Holly Budge - conservationist, co-founder of the charity How Many Elephants[36]
* Neil Duncan-Jordan \- Member of Parliament for Poole
* C. E. M. Hansel – Emeritus Professor of Experimental psychology
* Nick Hector – award-winning filmmaker
* Rebecca Huxtable – assistant producer of The Scott Mills Show on BBC Radio 1
* Paul Kavanagh – short-listed for Oscar and lead animator for Industrial Light and Magic
* David Lassman – scriptwriter, author of Rejecting Jane and The Regency Detective series of novels set in Jane Austen's Bath
* Max McMurdo \- designer, entrepreneur, author, and television presenter
* Dan O'Hagan – commentator, BBC Match of the Day
* Gary Taphouse – commentator, Football First on Sky Sports
* Sophie Petzal \- award-winning screenwriter, writer of Channel 5's Blood and Hollington Drive for ITV

## See also

[edit]

* Armorial of UK universities
* List of UCAS institutions
* List of universities in the UK
* Post-1992 universities

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 July 2022" (PDF). Bournemouth University. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
2. ^ a b c "Where do HE students study?". Higher Education Statistics Agency. Students by HE provider: HE student enrolments by HE provider. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
3. ^ "Bournemouth University graduates celebrating Oscar success". Retrieved 14 January 2015.
4. ^ "Teaching Excellence Framework 2023 Outcomes". Office for Students. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
5. ^ a b "Bournemouth University". Archived from the original on 30 October 1996. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
6. ^ a b c Hansard, HC Deb 1 July 1965
7. ^ a b "Dr Bernard MacManus". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
8. ^ "Error 404 - Bournemouth University" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
9. ^ "Archived copy". www.bournemouth.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 30 October 1996. Retrieved 11 January 2022.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
10. ^ "New £10.5 million student centre opens at BU". Retrieved 15 July 2015.
11. ^ Slade, Darren. "Under fire Bournemouth University boss best paid public sector chief in Dorset". Bournemouth Daily Echo. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
12. ^ Slade, Darren. "BU chief under fire for taking 20 per cent pay rise (he now earns £305k a year)". Bournemouth Daily Echo. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
13. ^ Khomami, Nadia (23 February 2017). "University vice-chancellors' average pay now exceeds £275,000". The Guardian.
14. ^ "Bournemouth managers under fire over pay rises". 8 January 2014.
15. ^ a b c d e "Error 404 - Bournemouth University". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
16. ^ "Work begins on Bournemouth University International College - News & Events". Retrieved 15 July 2015.
17. ^ Bournemouth University. "Festival of Design and Innovation 2012 - Bournemouth University - School of Design, Engineering & Computing - Home Page". Archived from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
18. ^ "Bournemouth Media School". Archived from the original on 4 November 2006. Retrieved 25 November 2006.
19. ^ "Centre for Excellence in Media Practice". Archived from the original on 4 September 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2006.
20. ^ "Complete University Guide 2026". The Complete University Guide. 10 June 2025.
21. ^ "Guardian University Guide 2025". The Guardian. 7 September 2024.
22. ^ "Good University Guide 2025". The Times. 20 September 2024.
23. ^ "Academic Ranking of World Universities 2024". Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. 15 August 2024.
24. ^ "QS World University Rankings 2026". Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd. 19 June 2025.
25. ^ "THE World University Rankings 2025". Times Higher Education. 9 October 2024.
26. ^ "Winners of the Queen's Anniversary Prizes announced". Retrieved 15 July 2015.
27. ^ Hansard, https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140305/debtext/140305-0001.htm
28. ^ "World University Rankings 2015-16". Times Higher Education. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
29. ^ "BU leaps 11 places in The Complete University Guide table". 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
30. ^ "BU jumps eight places in Guardian University League Table". 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
31. ^ "Bournemouth University rises six places in Sunday Times Good University Guide". 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
32. ^ "Under fire Bournemouth University boss best paid public sector chief in Dorset". Bournemouth Echo.
33. ^ "'It's bringing Bournemouth University into disrepute': calls made to freeze vice-chancellor's pay". Bournemouth Echo.
34. ^ "EVENTS, VENUES, SHOP". Retrieved 15 July 2015.
35. ^ "New podcast engages audiences in a 'Career in Ruins'". UK Archaeology News. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
36. ^ "Women in Sustainability: Holly Budge – Adventurer, Conservationist". Women in Sustainability. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2021.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bournemouth University.

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* Bournemouth University Students' Union website

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