Durham University

Overview

Durham University is a collegiate public research institution based in the county town of Durham, England. It is recognized as the third oldest university in England, well after Oxford and Cambridge. As a collegiate university, it manages 17 individual colleges and multiple academic departments. It is also considered as one of the United Kingdom's most outstanding centers of teaching and research excellence.

The university’s origins date back to early as 1286, when Benedictine monks of Durham established a learning hall at Oxford University. Upon receiving an endowment from the Bishop of Durham, Thomas Hatfield, Durham College was founded in 1381, with the college fully granted the university status in the year 1832. As the university’s academic activities expanded, it became the first university in the U.K. to establish partnerships with overseas institutions.

Throughout the centuries, the university retained its status as one of the most distinctive and most prestigious universities in the world. It attracts over 17,000 students at all levels, with roughly 21% of the student population coming from different countries all over the world. Overall, the university serves international students representing over 150 countries and nationalities. It is also a member of the Russell Group, a select association of 24 public research institutions in the U.K.

Durham University is currently made up of three faculties: Faculty of Science, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and Faculty of Social Science and Health. Academic subjects are taught across its 16 colleges and 25 schools and departments, among which are undergraduate and postgraduate studies in the fields of chemistry, computer science, geography, education, sociology, English studies, and sports and exercise sciences.

The university has two main campuses—Durham City and Queen's Campus, Stockton—which are connected via a bus service that operates on a daily basis. The campus premises is spread across 563 acres of land, covering an ancient monument, a part of a UNESCO world heritage site, and several grade-one and grade-two listed buildings. Durham City serves as the main campus of the university and houses most of the colleges and academic departments of the institution.

Moreover, the university serves as home to the Durham University Library system, which holds special and heritage collections and more than 1.5 million printed items. The library system has a total of five branches located within the university: the Durham University Business School Library, the Bill Bryson Library, the Queen's Campus Library, the Leazes Road Library, and the Palace Green Library.

Aside from an extensive library system, the university also maintains several state-of-the-art student facilities and resources, such as reading rooms, drama theaters, sports facilities, and science laboratories.