University of Portsmouth

Overview

The University of Portsmouth is a public research university located in Hampshire, England. Serving over 24,000 students, the university offers practical undergraduate and postgraduate courses taught across five faculties. It offers an outstanding, distinctive student experience and is a highly regarded university based on student satisfaction and graduate employment. Some of its most notable alumni include TV presenter Ben Fogle and artist Grayson Perry.

With roots tracing back to 1869, the university originally served as a technical higher education institution that offers plenty of science-based subjects. It was called Portsmouth and Gosport School of Science and Art and was funded through subscription until it became the responsibility of local authorities. Throughout the years, the college diversified and was renamed Portsmouth College of Technology in 1953.

In 1992, the institution was granted full university status and was duly authorized to validate its own degrees under the provision of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. It soon became one of the largest polytechnics in the United Kingdom, with several academic buildings being added across the campus premises situated on the south coast of England. The university also began the expansion of its student facilities, including housing facilities for creative arts students, seminar rooms, creative studios, and a cinema-quality screen room with 200 seats.

As one of the U.K.’s leading public institutions, the University of Portsmouth consistently strives for transformational education, research, and innovation. It holds a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework, making it one of the country’s best universities for teaching. Overall, it offers 200 undergraduate degrees and 150 postgraduate degrees throughout its five highly regarded faculties—Faculty of Business and Law, Faculty of Technology, Faculty of Science and Health, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries.

Some of the university’s most popular study areas include geology, psychology, mechanical engineering, earth and environmental sciences, pharmacy and sport science, law, computing and computer science, software engineering, and international relations. The University of Portsmouth is also considered as a top institution in the U.K. for boosting graduate salaries. As part of its degree programs, the university actively supports students in finding work experience, placements, and networking opportunities.

In the research department, the university covers a broad range of study areas, such as biological sciences, business and management, cosmology and astrophysics, earth and environmental sciences, economics, marketing, and digital and creative technologies. Most of the university’s research activities are also rated as world-leading or internationally excellent under REF 2014.