University of Sheffield

Overview

Located in Sheffield, a city in South Yorkshire in northern England, the University of Sheffield is one of the country’s most prestigious public research universities. Boasting a reputation for excellence recognized globally, it is a member of the elite Russell Group, which is composed of research-led institutions. It is also one of Great Britain’s six original red brick universities.

The university was established in 1905 as the result of the merger of three local institutions in higher learning: Sheffield Medical School (est. 1828), Firth College (est. 1879), and Sheffield Technical School (est. 1884). Before the merger, Sheffield was the only large city in the UK that did not have its own university. Firth College’s principal from 1892 to 1897, William Mitchinson Hicks, had the ambition to build a university in their city. Working towards his goal, he moved to extend Firth College by adding new departments and buildings. Merging with other institutions also became part of his plan. In 1897, the college officially merged with the Medical and Technical schools, forming the University College of Sheffield. On May 31, 1905, the institution adopted the name University of Sheffield by virtue of the University College of Sheffield’s charter.

As of 2020, Sheffield comprises at least 50 academic departments, which are divided into five in-house faculties: (1) Arts and Humanities, (2) Engineering, (3) Medicine, Dentistry and Health; (4) Science; and (5) Social Sciences. The university also has one international faculty called the CITY College. Aside from educating full-time undergraduate and graduate students, the university also offers non-degree courses that are focused on technical and vocational skills.

As a public research university, the University of Sheffield is home to globally-recognized research centers. It has around 80 research centers and institutes. Researchers at the university share a passion for tackling contemporary challenges that affect the modern world. Researches from the University of Sheffield have had an impact on both national and international policymaking. Furthermore, the university’s research work consequently helps the institution improve its world-class teaching across a wide range of disciplines.

To date, the institution has garnered recognition from various organizations. For starters, in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, the University of Sheffield was included in the top 10% of UK universities, and 33% of the research it submitted were classified as ‘world-leading,’ while 52% were categorized as ‘internationally excellent.’

Its academic and research excellence aside, the University of Sheffield is also known for prioritizing student experience. Its Students’ Union is considered the best in the country. Students also voted the University of Sheffield as number one in terms of the student experience in a Times Higher Education survey.