The Ranking of University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a major teaching and research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire and, with over 33,000 full-time students, one of the largest universities in the United Kingdom. It has an ambitious vision to join the top 50 universities in the world by 2015 through its distinctive ability to integrate world-class research, scholarship and education. It is a member of the Russell Group and is ranked in the top ten of UK universities for market share of research funding. Dating back to the establishment of the Leeds School of Medicine in 1831 and consolidated as a university in 1904, it is one of the six original civic 'red brick' universities, and in 2006 was ranked second in the UK for the number of applications received.
History
The University's history is linked to the development of Leeds as an international centre for the textile industry and clothing manufacture in the Victorian era. Its roots stretch back to the early nineteenth century and it was one of six civic universities in industrial cities given royal charters at the beginning of the twentieth century. Prior to this wave of expansion in higher education, only four universities - Oxford, Cambridge, London and Durham - were established in England.
In 1831, the Leeds School of Medicine was set up, serving the needs of the five medical institutions that had sprung up in the city. Then in 1874, the School was joined by the Yorkshire College of Science, intended to provide education for the children of middle-class industrialists and merchants. Financial support from local industry was crucial (there is a Clothworkers' Court at the University to this day).
Leeds was given its first university the following year when the Yorkshire College joined the federal Victoria University, which had begun life when Owens College was awarded a royal charter in 1880. Leeds now found itself in an educational union with close social cousins from Manchester and Liverpool.
Unlike Owens College, the Leeds section of the Victoria University had never barred women from its courses. However, it was not until special facilities were provided at the Day Training College in 1896 that women enrolled in significant numbers. The first female student to begin a course here was Lilias Annie Clark, who studied Modern Literature and Education.
The Victoria University was short-lived. Manchester and Liverpool were keen to establish independent universities, unhappy with the practical difficulties posed by maintaining a federal arrangement across broad distances, and spurred by the granting of a charter to the University of Birmingham in 1900. The University of Leeds was granted a royal charter as an independent body by King Edward VII in 1904.
Campus
The University has 1,230 acres (498 ha) of land, with the main campus taking up 98 acres (40 ha). The main campus is located 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Leeds City Centre. It is within walking distance of both the city centre and Headingley, a popular residential area for students. The main entrance to the campus for visitors by car is on Woodhouse Lane (A660), near the Parkinson Building. The tower of this building is a well-known landmark and is used in the University's logo.
In addition to the main campus, there is also a satellite location at Wakefield. Until the 2006–07 academic year, some courses were taught at the Bretton Hall campus in West Bretton. The site closed in summer 2007 after which the courses taught there were relocated to the main campus in Leeds.
Library
The University Library is spread over five locations and holds, in total, 2.78 million books, 26,000 print and electronic journals, 850 databases and 6,000 electronic books: making it one of the largest research libraries in the UK. The main arts, social sciences and law library is the Brotherton Library, located in the Parkinson Building. The main science, engineering and student library is the Edward Boyle Library, located in the centre of the campus. Medicine, dentistry and healthcare students are served by the Health Sciences Library, located in the Worsley building, and there is an extension of this library at St James's University Hospital. There is also a library located on the Wakefield campus.
Research
The University of Leeds is among the top ten research universities in the UK. We have some 3,000 researchers, including postgraduates, and annual research income of more than £90.7m.
The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise confirmed the University of Leeds as one of the top ten research institutions with departments undertaking research of national and international excellence. The variety of research activity extends across all faculties and departments, often crossing traditional subject boundaries. Interdisciplinary research is promoted through our faculties, research centres and institutes.
Businesses ranging from small local companies to major multinationals benefit from collaboration with our researchers. We were the first university in the country to create a technology transfer company, thirty years ago, called Leeds Innovations. The University has an important alliance with IP2IPO, a hugely successful intellectual property company which helps universities create thriving spin-out companies.
In September 2005 Getech, which specialises in mapping areas targeting for oil exploration, was the first University spin-out to float on the alternative investment market. Together with the universities of Sheffield and York, Leeds has pioneered regional research collaboration through the White Rose partnership.
Academic Reputation
Leeds is a leading research institution, and a member of the Russell Group, a group of the United Kingdom's elite research orientated universities. In the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise the University was placed seventh nationally for the number of top scoring researchers and eighth for 'research power' out of 173 institutions taking part in the exercise. Just under 800 researchers at the University were given ratings of 5* or 5, meaning that 70 per cent of the University's researchers were working at the highest level on projects of international importance. The University received the highest 5* grade, denoting work at the forefront of international research, in six subjects: Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, English, Town and Country Planning (i.e Transport), Food Science, and Italian.
In The Times Higher Education Supplement rankings 2007, Leeds was placed 16th in the UK, 27th in Europe and 80th in the world.
The University has an excellent reputation for teaching and provides a wide range of courses for students. The Guardian University Guide 2008 rated it top in the country for Dentistry and Chemical Engineering, while a majority of its courses were ranked in the top ten or twenty.
The University of Leeds Business School is regarded as one of the best in the UK. In its most recent ranking the school's MBA programme was placed 15th in Europe by The Economist. In the Financial Times' Global MBA ranking for 2008, the Leeds MBA was ranked 48th in the world.
The Times Good University Guide 2009 ranks its School of Law 30th overall out of 87 Law Schools across the UK.
Faculties
- Faculty of Arts
- Faculty of Biological Sciences
- Faculty of Business
- Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Environment
- Faculty of Mathematics and Physical Sciences
- Faculty of Medicine and Health
- Faculty of Performance, Visual Arts and Communications
- Cross-faculty centres
University of Leeds was ranked 104th in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking.
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