Cardiff University (Welsh: Prifysgol Caerdydd) is a leading university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, almost 60 per cent of all research at Cardiff University was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent - 4* and 3* the top two categories of assessment.
Ranked number 133 of the world's top universities, Cardiff University celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2008. Before August 2004, the university was officially known as University of Wales, Cardiff (Welsh: Prifysgol Cymru, Caerdydd), although it used the name Cardiff University publicly.
History
The Aberdare Report of 1881 recommended the foundation of university colleges in North Wales and South Wales to complement the already established University College, Wales (now the University of Wales, Aberystwyth) in Aberystwyth. Following a public appeal that raised £37,000, the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire opened on October 24, 1883, offering studies in Biology, Chemistry, English, French, German, Greek, History, Latin, Mathematics & Astronomy, Music, Welsh, Logic & Philosophy and Physics. The University College was incorporated by Royal Charter the following year. John Viriamu Jones was appointed as the University’s first Principal, at age 27. The only college in Wales with its own degree awarding powers at this time was St David's University College. As such, Cardiff entered students for the examinations of the University of London until, in 1893, it became one of the founding institutions of the University of Wales and began awarding their degrees.
In 1885, Aberdare Hall opened as the first hall of residence, allowing women access to the university. This moved to its current site in 1895, but remains a single-sex hall. 1904 saw the appointment of the first female professor in the UK, Millicent McKenzie. Architect John Caroe sought to combine the charm and elegance of his former college (Trinity College, Cambridge) with the picturesque balance of many of the University of Oxford colleges. Building work on Main Building commenced in 1905 and was completed in many stages, the first in 1909.
In 1988, financial problems caused University College, Cardiff and the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology to merge, forming the University of Wales College, Cardiff. Following changes to the constitution of the University of Wales in 1996, this became the University of Wales, Cardiff.
In the early 1990s, the university's computer systems served as the home for The Internet Movie Database. In 1997, the College was granted full independent degree awarding-powers by the Privy Council (though, as a member of the University of Wales it could not begin using them) and in 1999 the public name of the university was changed to Cardiff University. On 1 August 2004 the University of Wales, Cardiff merged with the University of Wales College of Medicine. The merged institution separated from the collegiate University of Wales and officially took the name Cardiff University.
Research
Cardiff is internationally recognised as being among the very top tier of Britain's research intensive universities and is a member of the prestigious Russell Group of leading universities.
Research is undertaken in all 28 academic schools and the vast majority of the University's academic staff are working in areas which are acknowledged by independent assessors as undertaking work of national and international significance. Such research annually earns grants and investments totalling many tens of millions of pounds and attracts to Cardiff top researchers from around the world.
Whilst seeking to establish new knowledge and extend the frontiers of human understanding through fundamental research, our work in this area also provides substantial economic, social and cultural benefits.
Even though it is often the breakthroughs in science and technology that capture the public imagination, scholarship too plays a significant role in our mission, developing and extending our understanding of human culture and increasing our creativity.
In 2002, ideas were floated to re-merge Cardiff with the University of Wales College of Medicine following the publication of the Welsh Assembly Government's review of higher education in Wales. This merger became effective on August 1, 2004. In 2005, The Wales College of Medicine, which is part of the University, launched the North Wales Clinical School in Wrexham in collaboration with the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education in Wrexham and the University of Wales, Bangor and with the National Health Service in Wales.
Facilities
There are sporting facilities and sports teams in the BUCS university league, including men's and women's hockey. The Cardiff University Students' Union building is over the main railway going north from Cardiff to the Valleys, next door to Cathays railway station. It has shops, a nightclub and the studios of Xpress Radio (which is piped throughout the union) and Gair Rhydd (Welsh for 'Free Word'), the student newspaper
Academic Reputation
Cardiff University has a long standing tradition of providing the best education in Wales, as shown in its five year standing as the best centre of excellence in Wales in the Sunday Times League Tables. Cardiff is also the only university in Wales to be a member of the Russell Group of Research Intensive Universities. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, 33 out of the 34 research areas submitted by the University for assessment were shown to be undertaking research that includes world-leading work.
- Times Higher Education ranked Cardiff University 99th in the top 100 universities in the world in 2007.
- The Times Higher-QS World University Rankings
2008 - Ranked 133 globally
2007 - Moved into the top 100 globally at position 99
2006 - placed 141 globally and 8-25 in Europe - The Times Online - Good University Guide 2009
Ranked 29th overall
Ranked 1st for Architecture
Ranked 2nd for Town and Country Planning and Landscape
Ranked 11th for Biological Sciences
Ranked 20th in Business Studies - The Guardian University Guide 2007
Ranked 33rd overall out of 149 universities in the institution-wide league table
Ranked 38th out of 140 universities for business and management studies
Academic Schools
- Architecture
- Bioscience
- Business
- Chemistry
- City & Regional Planning
- Computer Science
- Dentistry
- Earth and Ocean Sciences
- Engineering
- English, Communication and Philosophy
- European Studies
- Healthcare Studies
- History and Archaeologs
- Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies
- Law
- Lifelong Learning
- Mathematics
- Manufacturing Engineering Centre
- Medicine
- Music
- Nursing and Midwifery
- Optometry and Vision Sciences
- Pharmacy
- Physics & Astronomy
- Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education
- Psychology
- Religious and Theological Studies
- Social Sciences
- Welsh
Cardiff University was ranked 133 in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking.
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