Imperial College London
Encyclopedia
Imperial College London (officially The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public
research university located in London
, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine. Formerly a constituent college of the federal University of London
, Imperial became fully independent in 2007, the 100th anniversary of its founding.
Imperial's main campus is located in the South Kensington
area of central London
on the boundary between the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
and the City of Westminster
, with its main entrance on Exhibition Road
. It has a number of other campuses in central London, including in Chelsea
, Hammersmith
and Paddington
. With a total of 525,233 square metres of operational property, it has the largest estate of any higher education institution in the UK. Imperial is organised into four main academic units – three faculties and the Imperial College Business School – within which there are over 40 departments, institutes and research centres.
Imperial has around 13,500 full-time students and 3,330 academic and research staff and had a total income of £694 million in 2009/10, of which £297 million was from research grants and contracts. Imperial is a major centre for biomedical research and is a founding member of the Imperial College Healthcare
academic health science centre
. It is ranked 24th in the world (and 5th in Europe) in the 2011 Academic Ranking of World Universities
, 6th in the world (and 3rd in Europe) in the 2011 QS World University Rankings
, and 8th in the world (and 3rd in Europe) in the 2011 Times Higher Education World University Rankings
. There are currently 14 Nobel Prize winners and two Fields Medal
winners amongst Imperial's alumni and current and former faculty.
Imperial is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities
, the Association of MBAs
, the European University Association
, the G5
, the IDEA League
, the League of European Research Universities
, Oak Ridge Associated Universities
and the Russell Group
. It forms part of the 'Golden Triangle'
of British universities.
was founded by Sir Henry de la Beche
in 1851, laying one of the foundation stones for scientific teaching in Britain. The Royal College of Science
was established in 1881 and the City and Guilds College in 1884.
, the Royal School of Mines
and the Royal College of Science
was approved and passed, creating The Imperial College of Science and Technology as a constituent college of the University of London
. Imperial's Royal Charter
, granted by Edward VII, was officially signed on 8 July 1907. The main campus of Imperial College was constructed beside the buildings of the Imperial Institute in South Kensington.
The Imperial College Boat Club was founded on 12 December 1919. Imperial acquired Silwood Park in 1947, to provide a site for research and teaching in those aspects of biology not well suited for the main London campus. Felix, Imperial's student newspaper, was launched on 9 December 1949. On 29 January 1950, the government announced that it was intended that Imperial should expand to meet the scientific and technological challenges of the 20th century and a major expansion of the College followed over the next decade. In 1959 the Wolfson Foundation donated £350,000 for the establishment of a new Biochemistry Department. A special relationship between Imperial and the Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi) was established in 1963. The Department of Management Science was created in 1971 and the Associated Studies Department was established in 1972. The Humanities Department was opened
in 1980, formed from the Associated Studies and History of Science departments.
In 1988 Imperial merged with St Mary's Hospital
Medical School, becoming The Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine. In 1995 Imperial launched its own academic publishing house, Imperial College Press
, in partnership with World Scientific
. Imperial merged with the National Heart and Lung Institute in 1995 and the Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School
, Royal Postgraduate Medical School (RPMS) and the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 1997. In that year the Imperial College School of Medicine was formally established. In 1998 the Sir Alexander Fleming Building was opened in order to provide purpose-built headquarters for the College's medical and biomedical research.
In 2000 Imperial merged with both the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology and Wye College
, the University of London's agricultural college in Wye, Kent. It agreed to keep Agricultural Sciences at Wye, but closed them in 2004. In December 2005, Imperial announced a science park programme at the Wye campus, with extensive housing; however, this was abandoned in September 2006 following complaints that the proposal infringed on Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and that the true scale of the scheme, which could have raised £110m for the College, was known to Kent and Ashford Councils and their consultants but concealed from the public. Wye College
will now be run by the University of Kent
from September 2007 in association with Imperial College London and Wye College
, graduates will receive a degree from the University of Kent
and an Imperial Associateship of Wye College.
was proposed in October 2002, but was abandoned a month later following protests from staff over potential redundancies. In 2003 Imperial was granted degree-awarding powers in its own right by the Privy Council. In 2004 the Tanaka Business School (now named the Imperial College Business School) and a new Main Entrance on Exhibition Road were opened by Her Majesty The Queen. In November 2005 the faculties of Life Sciences and Physical Sciences merged to become the Faculty of Natural Sciences.
On 9 December 2005, Imperial College announced that it would commence negotiations to secede from the University of London. The University of London became fully independent from Imperial College in July 2007 and the first students to register for an Imperial College degree were postgraduates beginning their course in October 2007, with the first undergraduates enrolling for an Imperial degree in October 2008.
Imperial's main campus is in South Kensington
, situated in an area with a high concentration of cultural and academic institutions known as Albertopolis
, which also includes the Natural History Museum
, the Science Museum
, the Victoria and Albert Museum
, the Royal College of Music
, the Royal College of Art
, the Royal Geographical Society
and the Royal Albert Hall
. The expansion of the South Kensington campus in the 1960s absorbed the site of the former Imperial Institute, designed by Thomas Collcutt
, of which only the 287 feet (87.5 m) high Queen's Tower
remains among the more modern buildings.
Imperial has two other major campuses – at Silwood Park
(near Ascot
in Berkshire) and at Wye (near Ashford
in Kent). The Wye campus, some of it dating back to the 15th century, is currently vacant and available for sale or rent. The Imperial College NHS Trust has multiple hospitals throughout Greater London
and various medic lectures are conducted within these hospitals, including St. Mary's Hospital, Charing Cross Hospital
, Northwick Park Hospital
& St. Mark's Hospital
and Hammersmith Hospital
. In 1997, the parliamentary Imperial College Act 1997
officially transferred all the obligations, powers and property of Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, the National Heart and Lung Institute and the Royal Postgraduate Medical School to Imperial.
Extensive renovation continues throughout the College estate. Recent major projects include the Imperial College Business School, the Ethos sports centre, the Southside hall of residence and the Eastside hall of residence. Current major projects include the reconstruction of the south-eastern quadrant of the South Kensington campus.
The Imperial College Business School, Graduate Schools, Department of Humanities and Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine exist as academic units outside of the faculty structure.
The humanities department's main purpose is to provide elective subjects and language courses outside the field of science for students in the other faculties and departments. Students are encouraged to take these classes either for credit or in their own time, and in some departments this is mandatory. Courses exist in a wide range of topics including philosophy, ethics in science and technology, history, modern literature and drama, art in the twentieth century, film studies. Language courses are available in French, German, Japanese, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin Chinese. The humanities department also runs a full-time course in scientific translation, and is home to the Science Communication Group which offers Masters degrees in Science Communication
and Science Media Production for science graduates.
At year end Imperial had endowments of £58.8 million (2008/09 – £56.0 million) and total net assets of £744.6 million (2008/09 – £647.4 million).
Average age in Imperial College is 23 for Post Grad.
Imperial's male:female ratio for undergraduate students is uneven at approximately 64:36 overall and 5:1 in some engineering courses. However, medicine has an approximate 1:1 ratio with biology degrees tending to be higher.
In the December 2001 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE)
, 75% of staff achieved a 5* rating, the highest proportion in any UK university. The College was second in the country with an overall score of 6.68 out of 7. The most recent RAE returned 26% of the 1225 staff submitted as being world-leading (4*) and a further 47% as being internationally excellent (3*).
In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise
five subjects – Pure Mathematics, Epidemiology and Public Health, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering – were assessed to be the best in terms of the proportion of internationally recognised research quality.
Imperial has a dedicated technology transfer
company known as Imperial Innovations
. Imperial actively encourages its staff to commercialise its research and as a result has given rise to a proportionally large number of spin-out companies based on academic research.
Imperial College, in conducting research on Parkinson's disease
and Multiple Sclerosis
, hosts a brain bank consisting of brains donated by individuals affected with either of these diseases. This brain bank is the largest in the world, consisting of 296 samples.
, Imperial is ranked 24th overall in the world (and 5th in Europe). In the subject tables it is ranked 23rd in the world (and 5th in Europe) for clinical medicine and pharmacy, 30th in the world (and 3rd in Europe) for engineering/technology and computer sciences, 24th in the world (and 5th in Europe) for natural sciences and mathematics and 14th in the world (and 2nd in Europe) for physics. In the 2010 QS World University Rankings
, Imperial is ranked 7th overall in the world (and 4th in Europe). In the subject tables it is ranked 6th in the world (and 2nd in Europe) for engineering and technology, 11th in the world (and 3rd in Europe) for life sciences and medicine and 11th in the world (and 4th in Europe) for natural sciences.
In the 2011 Times Higher Education World University Rankings
, Imperial is ranked 8th overall in the world (and 3rd in Europe). In the subject tables it is ranked 3rd in the world (and 2nd in Europe) for clinical, pre-clinical and health, 9th in the world (and 4th in Europe) for engineering and technology, 9th in the world (and 3rd in Europe) for life sciences and 13th in the world (and 4th in Europe) for physical sciences.
Imperial is also consistently one of the highest ranked universities in the UK university rankings
and is 3rd overall in the 2011 Complete University Guide, Sunday Times University Guide and Times Good University Guide and 7th in the 2011 Guardian University Guide. In the Complete University Guide subject tables Imperial is currently ranked 3rd for biological sciences, 2nd for chemical engineering, 1st for civil engineering, 3rd for computer science and 3rd for medicine. In the Guardian University Guide subject tables it is currently ranked 2nd for chemical engineering, 1st for civil engineering, 3rd for materials and mineral engineering and 3rd for mechanical engineering. The college has been the only institution to have displaced Oxford from the top two spots in a major university league table.
The Financial Times placed Imperial's Business School within the top 20 in Europe. The Business School is also consistently ranked in the top 10 worldwide for entrepreneurship
. The business school also offers a full time MBA that is ranked 17th in Europe by the Financial Times
and a part time Executive MBA programme that is ranked 4th in Europe.
Human Resources & Labor Review, a human competitiveness index & analysis published in Chasecareer Network, ranked Imperial 26th internationally in 2010 as one of the 300 Best World Universities.
Furthermore, in terms of job prospects, Imperial is one of the best in the UK. The average starting salary of an Imperial graduate is £25,780 which is the highest of any UK university. In 2009, the Sunday Times ranked Computing graduates from Imperial as earning the second highest average starting salary, £34,960, after graduation, over all universities and courses.
The Imperial Faculty of Medicine is one of the largest faculties of medicine in the UK. It was formed through mergers between Imperial and the St Mary’s, Charing Cross and Westminster, and Royal Postgraduate medical schools and has six teaching hospitals. It accepts more than 300 undergraduate medical students per year and has around 321 taught and 700 research full-time equivalent postgraduate students.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
was formed on 1 October 2007 by the merger of Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust (Charing Cross Hospital
, Hammersmith Hospital
and Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital) and St Mary's NHS Trust (St. Mary's Hospital and Western Eye Hospital
) with Imperial College London Faculty of Medicine. It is an academic health science centre and manages five hospitals: Charing Cross Hospital
, Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, Hammersmith Hospital
, St Mary's Hospital, and Western Eye Hospital
. The Trust is currently the largest in the UK and has an annual turnover of £800 million, treating more than a million patients a year. The Trust's chief executive, Professor Stephen Smith, was formerly the principal of the Faculty of Medicine of Imperial College London. The chair of the Trust is Lord Tugendhat
.
Other (non-academic health science centres) hospitals affiliated with Imperial College include Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
, Royal Brompton Hospital
, West Middlesex University Hospital, Hillingdon Hospital
, Mount Vernon Hospital
, Harefield Hospital
, Ealing Hospital
, Central Middlesex Hospital
, Northwick Park Hospital
, St. Mark's Hospital
, St. Charles' Hospital and St.Peter's Hospital (UK).
Imperial, along with University College London
and the University of Cambridge was one of the first universities in the UK to make use of the A* grade at A Level for admissions, with engineering and physics courses requiring an A* in Mathematics. Aeronautical Engineering is the course with the highest entry standards requiring an A* in Mathematics (A grades in every single module) and an A* in Physics and another A grade at A Level (Further Mathematics preferred). Mathematics courses themselves require A* grades in Mathematics and Further Mathematics, along with another A grade at A Level.
Imperial announced in summer 2008 that it was exploring the possibility of entrance exams to help it select the most suitable students. Since then, the College has been reviewing and piloting a range of assessment approaches, such as subject-specific tests, skills tests and motivation-based tests as part of enhanced interviews and will continue to do so during the 2009–10 academic year. The Cambridge Thinking Skills assessment (TSA) was one test trialled on existing Imperial College students. No date is set for the implementation of any entrance exam for applicants. Medicine at Imperial already uses the BMAT as part of the selection process.
, is run by five full-time sabbatical
officers elected from the student body for a tenure of one year, and a number of permanent members of staff. The Union is given a large subvention by the university, much of which is spent on maintaining around 300 clubs and societies, the largest number of any students' union in the United Kingdom. The Union operates two different sites; Beit Quad, South Kensington and Reynold's, Hammersmith.
The Imperial College School of Medicine Students' Union
looks after the social, academic and welfare needs of the 2,200 students within the faculty.
(or ICRadio) was founded in November 1975 with the intention of broadcasting to the student halls of residence
from a studio under Southside, actually commencing broadcasts in late 1976. It now broadcasts from the West Basement of Beit Quad over the internet www.icradio.com and, since 2004, on 1134 AM
in Wye. The radio station has a library of over 51,000 tracks, which are searchable on their website.
In 2006 IC Radio received two nominations in the Student Radio Awards
: Best Entertainment Show for Liquid Lunch and Best Male Presenter for Martin Archer.
Popular shows on IC Radio in recent years (2006/2007) include: Rocktopia, School Daze' (pop), 'Instru(Mental)' (dance
), 'VPT' (Entertainment/Shambles), 'Peter and JamesMoon Unit' and 'The Cornerstone' (both of which play rock and alternative) and 'Album – A Discourse in Musical History' (devoted to seminal albums).
Imperial College Radio is now best known for its specialist dance music shows, with the likes of Believe The Hype (Electro/Indie), Peer Pressure (Techno) and On Dancefloors (Electro/House) gaining critical acclaim and notoriety not just in college but throughout London.
Type A 1-inch videotape recorder and this was used to produce an occasional short news programme which was then played to students by simply moving the VTR and a monitor into a common room. A cable link to the Southside halls of residence was laid in a tunnel under Exhibition Road in 1972. Besides the news, early productions included a film of the Queen opening what was then called College Block and interview programmes with DJ Mike Raven
, Richard O'Brian and Monty Python
producer Ian MacNaughton
.
In 2006 it was named Best Broadcaster at NaSTA and also won awards for Best On-Screen Male and Best On-Screen Female. It now broadcasts from studios in the specially built media centre in the Student Union to the Junior Common Room and occasionally DaVinci's Bar. Programmes are also available to watch on their website.
There is also a non-student Imperial College organisation called Media Services, whose main activity is producing videos of College events.
is the free student newspaper of Imperial College London. It aims to be independent of both the College itself and also the Student Union. The editor is elected annually from the student body; the editorship is a full-time, sabbatical position. There is also a non-student Imperial College newspaper called Reporter, and London Student
distributes on campus.
In 2006 and 2008, Felix won the Guardian Student Media Awards
for Student newspaper of the year and Student journalist of the year.
, the monthly newspaper of CivSoc, the student society in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Content on Live! is text-based news, with one or more photographs per article to illustrate the event. At the start of 2007 the ability to display videos was added, increasing the breadth of its coverage
. Co-operation with Imperial's student television station, stoic tv has led to the introduction of politically-focused video content on the site by syndicating weekly news bulletins and the "Ask the President" show.
Live! was also named the best student website in the 2007 Guardian Student Media Awards
.
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Imperial College owns and manages twenty halls of residence
in Inner London
, Ealing
, Ascot
and Wye. Over three thousand rooms are available, guaranteeing first year undergraduates a place in College residences.
The majority of halls offer single or twin accommodation with some rooms having en suite
facilities. Study bedrooms are provided with basic furniture and with access to shared kitchens and bathrooms. The majority of rooms come with internet access and access to the Imperial network. Most of them are considered among the newest student halls at London universities.
Most students in college or university accommodation are first-year undergraduates, since they are granted a room once they have selected Imperial College as their firm offer at UCAS
. The majority of older students and postgraduates find accommodation in the private sector, help for which is provided by the College private housing office. However a handful of students may continue to live in halls in later years if they take the position of a "hall senior".
Some students are also selected to live in International Students House, London
.
is a charitable volunteer project that is constructing earthquake-proof buildings in the poorer areas of El Salvador
. About 10 students from the Civil and Environmental Engineering department travel to El Salvador each year to carry out construction work.
Teams from Imperial won University Challenge
in 1996 and 2001.
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
research university located in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine. Formerly a constituent college of the federal University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, Imperial became fully independent in 2007, the 100th anniversary of its founding.
Imperial's main campus is located in the South Kensington
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
area of central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
on the boundary between the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a central London borough of Royal borough status. After the City of Westminster, it is the wealthiest borough in England....
and the City of Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
, with its main entrance on Exhibition Road
Exhibition Road
Exhibition Road is a street in South Kensington, London, forming a semi-border between the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the City of Westminster...
. It has a number of other campuses in central London, including in Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
, Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
and Paddington
Paddington
Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
. With a total of 525,233 square metres of operational property, it has the largest estate of any higher education institution in the UK. Imperial is organised into four main academic units – three faculties and the Imperial College Business School – within which there are over 40 departments, institutes and research centres.
Imperial has around 13,500 full-time students and 3,330 academic and research staff and had a total income of £694 million in 2009/10, of which £297 million was from research grants and contracts. Imperial is a major centre for biomedical research and is a founding member of the Imperial College Healthcare
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is an NHS trust based in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest NHS trust in England and together with Imperial College London forms an academic health science centre....
academic health science centre
Academic health science centre
An academic health science centre is a partnership between one or more universities and healthcare providers focusing on research, clinical services, education and training...
. It is ranked 24th in the world (and 5th in Europe) in the 2011 Academic Ranking of World Universities
Academic Ranking of World Universities
The Academic Ranking of World Universities , commonly known as the Shanghai ranking, is a publication that was founded and compiled by the Shanghai Jiaotong University to rank universities globally. The rankings have been conducted since 2003 and updated annually...
, 6th in the world (and 3rd in Europe) in the 2011 QS World University Rankings
QS World University Rankings
The QS World University Rankings is a ranking of the world’s top 500 universities by Quacquarelli Symonds using a method that has published annually since 2004....
, and 8th in the world (and 3rd in Europe) in the 2011 Times Higher Education World University Rankings
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings is an international ranking of universities published by the British magazine Times Higher Education in partnership with Thomson Reuters, which provided citation database information...
. There are currently 14 Nobel Prize winners and two Fields Medal
Fields Medal
The Fields Medal, officially known as International Medal for Outstanding Discoveries in Mathematics, is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians not over 40 years of age at each International Congress of the International Mathematical Union , a meeting that takes place every four...
winners amongst Imperial's alumni and current and former faculty.
Imperial is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities
Association of Commonwealth Universities
The Association of Commonwealth Universities represents over 480 universities from Commonwealth countries.- History :In 1912, the University of London took the initiative to assemble 53 representatives of universities in London to hold a Congress of Universities of the Empire...
, the Association of MBAs
Association of MBAs
The Association of MBAs is a London-based international organization that accredits postgraduate business programs at business schools worldwide. The Association is one of the three main global accreditation bodies in business education and styles itself "the world's impartial authority on...
, the European University Association
European University Association
The European University Association represents and supports more than 850 institutions of higher education in 46 countries, providing them with a forum for cooperation and exchange of information on higher education and research policies...
, the G5
G5 (education)
The G5 is an informal grouping of five British universities first identified by Times Higher Education in 2004. According to Times Higher Education, the five members are the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, the London School of Economics, the University of Oxford and University...
, the IDEA League
IDEA League
The IDEA League is a strategic alliance of five Europe's leading universities of technology. On October 6, 1999, the IDEA league was formed by the signing of a memorandum of understanding between four leading European universities of technology: Imperial College London , Delft University of...
, the League of European Research Universities
League of European Research Universities
The League of European Research Universities is a consortium of Europe's most prominent and renowned research universities.-History and Overview:...
, Oak Ridge Associated Universities
Oak Ridge Associated Universities
Oak Ridge Associated Universities is a consortium of American and British universities headquartered in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, with an office in Washington, D.C., and staff at several other locations across the country.- History :...
and the Russell Group
Russell Group
The Russell Group is a collaboration of twenty UK universities that together receive two-thirds of research grant and contract funding in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1994 to represent their interests to the government, parliament and other similar bodies...
. It forms part of the 'Golden Triangle'
Golden Triangle (UK universities)
The "Golden Triangle" is a term used to describe a number of leading British research universities based in Cambridge, London and Oxford.The city of Cambridge, represented by the University of Cambridge, and the city of Oxford, represented by the University of Oxford, form two corners of the triangle...
of British universities.
Origins
The origins of the constituent elements of Imperial can be traced back as far as the fifteenth century. The College of St Gregory and St Martin at Wye was originally founded in 1447 as a seminary, with an agricultural college being established at Wye in the 1890s after the removal of the theological college. The medical schools of Charing Cross Hospital, Westminster Hospital and St Mary's Hospital were opened in 1823, 1834 and 1854 respectively. The Royal School of MinesRoyal School of Mines
Royal School of Mines comprises the departments of Earth Science and Engineering, and Materials at Imperial College London.- History :The Royal School of Mines was established in 1851, as the Government School of Mines and Science Applied to the Arts...
was founded by Sir Henry de la Beche
Henry De la Beche
Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche FRS was an English geologist and palaeontologist who helped pioneer early geological survey methods.-Biography:...
in 1851, laying one of the foundation stones for scientific teaching in Britain. The Royal College of Science
Royal College of Science
The Royal College of Science was a higher education institution located in South Kensington; it was a constituent college of Imperial College London from 1907 until it was wholly absorbed by Imperial in 2002. Alumni include H. G. Wells and Brian May and are distinguishable by the letters ARCS ...
was established in 1881 and the City and Guilds College in 1884.
20th century
In 1907, the newly established Board of Education found that greater capacity for higher technical education was needed and a proposal to merge the City and Guilds CollegeCity and Guilds of London Institute
The City and Guilds of London Institute is a leading United Kingdom vocational education organisation. City & Guilds offers more than 500 qualifications over the whole range of industry sectors through 8500 colleges and training providers in 81 countries worldwide...
, the Royal School of Mines
Royal School of Mines
Royal School of Mines comprises the departments of Earth Science and Engineering, and Materials at Imperial College London.- History :The Royal School of Mines was established in 1851, as the Government School of Mines and Science Applied to the Arts...
and the Royal College of Science
Royal College of Science
The Royal College of Science was a higher education institution located in South Kensington; it was a constituent college of Imperial College London from 1907 until it was wholly absorbed by Imperial in 2002. Alumni include H. G. Wells and Brian May and are distinguishable by the letters ARCS ...
was approved and passed, creating The Imperial College of Science and Technology as a constituent college of the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. Imperial's Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
, granted by Edward VII, was officially signed on 8 July 1907. The main campus of Imperial College was constructed beside the buildings of the Imperial Institute in South Kensington.
The Imperial College Boat Club was founded on 12 December 1919. Imperial acquired Silwood Park in 1947, to provide a site for research and teaching in those aspects of biology not well suited for the main London campus. Felix, Imperial's student newspaper, was launched on 9 December 1949. On 29 January 1950, the government announced that it was intended that Imperial should expand to meet the scientific and technological challenges of the 20th century and a major expansion of the College followed over the next decade. In 1959 the Wolfson Foundation donated £350,000 for the establishment of a new Biochemistry Department. A special relationship between Imperial and the Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi) was established in 1963. The Department of Management Science was created in 1971 and the Associated Studies Department was established in 1972. The Humanities Department was opened
in 1980, formed from the Associated Studies and History of Science departments.
In 1988 Imperial merged with St Mary's Hospital
St Mary's Hospital (London)
St Mary's Hospital is a hospital located in Paddington, London, England that was founded in 1845. Since the UK's first academic health science centre was created in 2008, it is operated by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which also operates Charing Cross Hospital, Hammersmith Hospital,...
Medical School, becoming The Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine. In 1995 Imperial launched its own academic publishing house, Imperial College Press
Imperial College Press
Imperial College Press was formed in 1995 and is a partnership between Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in London and World Scientific publishing....
, in partnership with World Scientific
World Scientific
World Scientific Publishing is a publisher of scientific, technical, and medical books and journals. The company was founded in 1981 and now employs more than 200 staff at its headquarters in Singapore, with offices worldwide in New Jersey, California, London, New Delhi, Tianjin, Sydney, Hong...
. Imperial merged with the National Heart and Lung Institute in 1995 and the Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School
Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School
Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School existed as a legal entity for 13 years, as the midpoint of a series of mergers which strategically consolidated the many small medical schools in west London into one large institution under the aegis of Imperial College LondonIn 1984, Charing Cross...
, Royal Postgraduate Medical School (RPMS) and the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 1997. In that year the Imperial College School of Medicine was formally established. In 1998 the Sir Alexander Fleming Building was opened in order to provide purpose-built headquarters for the College's medical and biomedical research.
In 2000 Imperial merged with both the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology and Wye College
Wye College
The College of St. Gregory and St. Martin at Wye, more commonly known as Wye College, was an educational institution in Kent, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1447 by John Kempe, the Archbishop of York, as a college for the training of priests. It is located in the small village of Wye, Kent, 60...
, the University of London's agricultural college in Wye, Kent. It agreed to keep Agricultural Sciences at Wye, but closed them in 2004. In December 2005, Imperial announced a science park programme at the Wye campus, with extensive housing; however, this was abandoned in September 2006 following complaints that the proposal infringed on Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and that the true scale of the scheme, which could have raised £110m for the College, was known to Kent and Ashford Councils and their consultants but concealed from the public. Wye College
Wye College
The College of St. Gregory and St. Martin at Wye, more commonly known as Wye College, was an educational institution in Kent, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1447 by John Kempe, the Archbishop of York, as a college for the training of priests. It is located in the small village of Wye, Kent, 60...
will now be run by the University of Kent
University of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
from September 2007 in association with Imperial College London and Wye College
Wye College
The College of St. Gregory and St. Martin at Wye, more commonly known as Wye College, was an educational institution in Kent, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1447 by John Kempe, the Archbishop of York, as a college for the training of priests. It is located in the small village of Wye, Kent, 60...
, graduates will receive a degree from the University of Kent
University of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
and an Imperial Associateship of Wye College.
21st century
In May 2001 a new faculty structure was established, with all departments being assigned to the Faculties of Engineering, Medicine, Physical Sciences and Life Sciences. A merger with University College LondonUniversity College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
was proposed in October 2002, but was abandoned a month later following protests from staff over potential redundancies. In 2003 Imperial was granted degree-awarding powers in its own right by the Privy Council. In 2004 the Tanaka Business School (now named the Imperial College Business School) and a new Main Entrance on Exhibition Road were opened by Her Majesty The Queen. In November 2005 the faculties of Life Sciences and Physical Sciences merged to become the Faculty of Natural Sciences.
On 9 December 2005, Imperial College announced that it would commence negotiations to secede from the University of London. The University of London became fully independent from Imperial College in July 2007 and the first students to register for an Imperial College degree were postgraduates beginning their course in October 2007, with the first undergraduates enrolling for an Imperial degree in October 2008.
Campus
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
, situated in an area with a high concentration of cultural and academic institutions known as Albertopolis
Albertopolis
Albertopolis is the area centred on South Kensington, Kensington & Chelsea, London, England, between Cromwell Road and Kensington Gore, which contains a large number of educational and cultural sites, including:*Imperial College London...
, which also includes the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
, the Science Museum
Science museum
A science museum or a science centre is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of...
, the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
, the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
, the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
, the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
and the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
. The expansion of the South Kensington campus in the 1960s absorbed the site of the former Imperial Institute, designed by Thomas Collcutt
Thomas Edward Collcutt
Thomas Edward Collcutt was an English architect in the Victorian era who designed several important buildings in London.-Biography:...
, of which only the 287 feet (87.5 m) high Queen's Tower
Queen's Tower (London)
The Queen's Tower is situated in the South Kensington Campus of Imperial College London, England. It is tall with a copper covered dome at its top...
remains among the more modern buildings.
Imperial has two other major campuses – at Silwood Park
Silwood Park
Silwood Park is the rural campus of Imperial College London, England. It is situated near the village of Sunninghill, near Ascot in Berkshire. Since 1986, there have been major developments on the site with four new college buildings...
(near Ascot
Ascot, Berkshire
Ascot is a village within the civil parish of Sunninghill and Ascot, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. It is most notable as the location of Ascot Racecourse, home of the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting...
in Berkshire) and at Wye (near Ashford
Ashford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...
in Kent). The Wye campus, some of it dating back to the 15th century, is currently vacant and available for sale or rent. The Imperial College NHS Trust has multiple hospitals throughout Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
and various medic lectures are conducted within these hospitals, including St. Mary's Hospital, Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital is a general, acute hospital located in London, United Kingdom and established in 1818. It is located several miles to the west of the city centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham....
, Northwick Park Hospital
Northwick Park Hospital
Northwick Park Hospital is a large hospital in the northwest corner of the London Borough of Brent in Greater London, England.-Hospital role:...
& St. Mark's Hospital
St. Mark's Hospital
St. Mark's Hospital is a hospital in the Harrow and Wembley border as well as the London Borough of Harrow and London Borough of Brent border in northwest London, UK. It is the only hospital in the world to specialise entirely in intestinal and colorectal medicine and is a national and...
and Hammersmith Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital is a major teaching hospital in West London. It is part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and is associated with the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine...
. In 1997, the parliamentary Imperial College Act 1997
Imperial College Act 1997
The Imperial College Act 1997 is a local Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is a minor piece of legislation that enabled Imperial College London to take over the Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, the National Heart and Lung Institute and the Royal Postgraduate Medical...
officially transferred all the obligations, powers and property of Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, the National Heart and Lung Institute and the Royal Postgraduate Medical School to Imperial.
Extensive renovation continues throughout the College estate. Recent major projects include the Imperial College Business School, the Ethos sports centre, the Southside hall of residence and the Eastside hall of residence. Current major projects include the reconstruction of the south-eastern quadrant of the South Kensington campus.
Organisation and administration
Faculties and departments
Imperial’s research and teaching is organised within a network of faculties and academic departments. Imperial currently has the following three constituent faculties:- Imperial College Faculty of EngineeringImperial College Faculty of EngineeringThe Faculty of Engineering is one of the three main Faculties of Imperial College London. It was formed in 2001 from the former City and Guilds College and the Royal School of Mines - two of the three original 'Constituent Colleges' of Imperial College when the latter was formed in 1907...
- Imperial College Faculty of MedicineImperial College Faculty of MedicineThe Faculty of Medicine is one of the three main Faculties of Imperial College London. It is now what it used to be before several hospitals in London...
- Imperial College Faculty of Natural SciencesImperial College Faculty of Natural SciencesThe Faculty of Natural Sciences is one of the three main Faculties of Imperial College London. It consists largely of the departments of the former Royal College of Science...
.
The Imperial College Business School, Graduate Schools, Department of Humanities and Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine exist as academic units outside of the faculty structure.
The humanities department's main purpose is to provide elective subjects and language courses outside the field of science for students in the other faculties and departments. Students are encouraged to take these classes either for credit or in their own time, and in some departments this is mandatory. Courses exist in a wide range of topics including philosophy, ethics in science and technology, history, modern literature and drama, art in the twentieth century, film studies. Language courses are available in French, German, Japanese, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin Chinese. The humanities department also runs a full-time course in scientific translation, and is home to the Science Communication Group which offers Masters degrees in Science Communication
Science communication
Science communication generally refers to public media aiming to talk about science with non-scientists. This often involves professional scientists but has evolved into a professional field in its own right...
and Science Media Production for science graduates.
Finances
In the financial year ended 31 July 2010, Imperial had total income (including share of joint ventures) of £694.0 million (2008/09 – £672.1 million) and total expenditure of £651.2 million (2008/09 – £657.4 million). Key sources of income included £296.8 million from research grants and contracts (2008/09 – £286.8 million), £172.2 million from Funding Council grants (2008/09 – £178.4 million), £120.9 million from academic fees and support grants (2008/09 – £108.8 million) and £15.0 million from endowment and investment income (2008/09 – £13.3 million). During the 2009/10 financial year Imperial had a capital expenditure of £115 million (2008/09 – £115 million).At year end Imperial had endowments of £58.8 million (2008/09 – £56.0 million) and total net assets of £744.6 million (2008/09 – £647.4 million).
Academics
Imperial has over 6,000 academic staff, including 2 Fields Medallists, 66 Fellows of the Royal Society, 71 Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering and 62 Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences.Student body
For the 2007–08 academic year, Imperial College had a total full-time student body of 12,319: 8741 undergraduate students and 3578 postgraduates. In addition there were 1036 part-time students, all postgraduates. 29% of all full-time students come from outside the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
Average age in Imperial College is 23 for Post Grad.
Imperial's male:female ratio for undergraduate students is uneven at approximately 64:36 overall and 5:1 in some engineering courses. However, medicine has an approximate 1:1 ratio with biology degrees tending to be higher.
Research
Imperial received £286.8 million from research grants and contracts in 2008/09, the second highest amount of any British university (after the University of Oxford).In the December 2001 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE)
Research Assessment Exercise
The Research Assessment Exercise is an exercise undertaken approximately every 5 years on behalf of the four UK higher education funding councils to evaluate the quality of research undertaken by British higher education institutions...
, 75% of staff achieved a 5* rating, the highest proportion in any UK university. The College was second in the country with an overall score of 6.68 out of 7. The most recent RAE returned 26% of the 1225 staff submitted as being world-leading (4*) and a further 47% as being internationally excellent (3*).
In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise
Research Assessment Exercise
The Research Assessment Exercise is an exercise undertaken approximately every 5 years on behalf of the four UK higher education funding councils to evaluate the quality of research undertaken by British higher education institutions...
five subjects – Pure Mathematics, Epidemiology and Public Health, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering – were assessed to be the best in terms of the proportion of internationally recognised research quality.
Imperial has a dedicated technology transfer
Technology transfer
Technology Transfer, also called Transfer of Technology and Technology Commercialisation, is the process of skill transferring, knowledge, technologies, methods of manufacturing, samples of manufacturing and facilities among governments or universities and other institutions to ensure that...
company known as Imperial Innovations
Imperial Innovations
Imperial Innovations is a British technology transfer and commercialisation company. The company was founded in 1986 and its ordinary shares admitted to trading on the Alternative Investment Market of London Stock Exchange plc in July 2006, raising £25 million at an offer price of 365p and £1...
. Imperial actively encourages its staff to commercialise its research and as a result has given rise to a proportionally large number of spin-out companies based on academic research.
Imperial College, in conducting research on Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
and Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
, hosts a brain bank consisting of brains donated by individuals affected with either of these diseases. This brain bank is the largest in the world, consisting of 296 samples.
Rankings
Imperial College is consistently ranked one of the top universities in the world. Most rankings place it in the top 10 globally. In the 2010 Academic Ranking of World UniversitiesAcademic Ranking of World Universities
The Academic Ranking of World Universities , commonly known as the Shanghai ranking, is a publication that was founded and compiled by the Shanghai Jiaotong University to rank universities globally. The rankings have been conducted since 2003 and updated annually...
, Imperial is ranked 24th overall in the world (and 5th in Europe). In the subject tables it is ranked 23rd in the world (and 5th in Europe) for clinical medicine and pharmacy, 30th in the world (and 3rd in Europe) for engineering/technology and computer sciences, 24th in the world (and 5th in Europe) for natural sciences and mathematics and 14th in the world (and 2nd in Europe) for physics. In the 2010 QS World University Rankings
QS World University Rankings
The QS World University Rankings is a ranking of the world’s top 500 universities by Quacquarelli Symonds using a method that has published annually since 2004....
, Imperial is ranked 7th overall in the world (and 4th in Europe). In the subject tables it is ranked 6th in the world (and 2nd in Europe) for engineering and technology, 11th in the world (and 3rd in Europe) for life sciences and medicine and 11th in the world (and 4th in Europe) for natural sciences.
In the 2011 Times Higher Education World University Rankings
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings is an international ranking of universities published by the British magazine Times Higher Education in partnership with Thomson Reuters, which provided citation database information...
, Imperial is ranked 8th overall in the world (and 3rd in Europe). In the subject tables it is ranked 3rd in the world (and 2nd in Europe) for clinical, pre-clinical and health, 9th in the world (and 4th in Europe) for engineering and technology, 9th in the world (and 3rd in Europe) for life sciences and 13th in the world (and 4th in Europe) for physical sciences.
Imperial is also consistently one of the highest ranked universities in the UK university rankings
League tables of British universities
Rankings of universities in the United Kingdom are published annually by The Guardian, The Independent, The Sunday Times and The Times...
and is 3rd overall in the 2011 Complete University Guide, Sunday Times University Guide and Times Good University Guide and 7th in the 2011 Guardian University Guide. In the Complete University Guide subject tables Imperial is currently ranked 3rd for biological sciences, 2nd for chemical engineering, 1st for civil engineering, 3rd for computer science and 3rd for medicine. In the Guardian University Guide subject tables it is currently ranked 2nd for chemical engineering, 1st for civil engineering, 3rd for materials and mineral engineering and 3rd for mechanical engineering. The college has been the only institution to have displaced Oxford from the top two spots in a major university league table.
The Financial Times placed Imperial's Business School within the top 20 in Europe. The Business School is also consistently ranked in the top 10 worldwide for entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as "one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods". This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response...
. The business school also offers a full time MBA that is ranked 17th in Europe by the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
and a part time Executive MBA programme that is ranked 4th in Europe.
Human Resources & Labor Review, a human competitiveness index & analysis published in Chasecareer Network, ranked Imperial 26th internationally in 2010 as one of the 300 Best World Universities.
Furthermore, in terms of job prospects, Imperial is one of the best in the UK. The average starting salary of an Imperial graduate is £25,780 which is the highest of any UK university. In 2009, the Sunday Times ranked Computing graduates from Imperial as earning the second highest average starting salary, £34,960, after graduation, over all universities and courses.
Medicine
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is an NHS trust based in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest NHS trust in England and together with Imperial College London forms an academic health science centre....
was formed on 1 October 2007 by the merger of Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust (Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital is a general, acute hospital located in London, United Kingdom and established in 1818. It is located several miles to the west of the city centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham....
, Hammersmith Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital is a major teaching hospital in West London. It is part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and is associated with the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine...
and Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital) and St Mary's NHS Trust (St. Mary's Hospital and Western Eye Hospital
Western Eye Hospital
Western Eye Hospital includes the only 24-hour emergency ophthalmology department in west London and treats a wide range of eye conditions from glaucoma to wet age-related macular degeneration , a major cause of blindness....
) with Imperial College London Faculty of Medicine. It is an academic health science centre and manages five hospitals: Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital is a general, acute hospital located in London, United Kingdom and established in 1818. It is located several miles to the west of the city centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham....
, Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, Hammersmith Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital is a major teaching hospital in West London. It is part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and is associated with the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine...
, St Mary's Hospital, and Western Eye Hospital
Western Eye Hospital
Western Eye Hospital includes the only 24-hour emergency ophthalmology department in west London and treats a wide range of eye conditions from glaucoma to wet age-related macular degeneration , a major cause of blindness....
. The Trust is currently the largest in the UK and has an annual turnover of £800 million, treating more than a million patients a year. The Trust's chief executive, Professor Stephen Smith, was formerly the principal of the Faculty of Medicine of Imperial College London. The chair of the Trust is Lord Tugendhat
Christopher Tugendhat, Baron Tugendhat
Christopher Samuel Tugendhat, Baron Tugendhat is a British politician belonging to the Conservative party, businessman, company director and chairman, and journalist/author.-Family background:...
.
Other (non-academic health science centres) hospitals affiliated with Imperial College include Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is a public hospital located on Fulham Road, in the Chelsea area of London, England. It is managed by the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and opened in May 1993.-History:...
, Royal Brompton Hospital
Royal Brompton Hospital
Royal Brompton Hospital is the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the United Kingdom .The hospital is part of Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust is a national and international specialist heart and lung centre based in Chelsea, London and Harefield, Middlesex...
, West Middlesex University Hospital, Hillingdon Hospital
Hillingdon Hospital
Hillingdon Hospital is an NHS hospital, located in Pield Heath Road, Hillingdon, Greater London. It is a general hospital serving the local area, providing a wide variety of services including Accident and Emergency , In-patients, Day Surgery and Outpatient Clinics...
, Mount Vernon Hospital
Mount Vernon Hospital
Mount Vernon Hospital is one of two hospitals run by The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, located in Northwood.-History:The hospital was founded in 1860 as The North London Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest in Fitzroy Square and moved in 1864 to Mount Vernon in Hampstead...
, Harefield Hospital
Harefield Hospital
Harefield Hospital is located in Harefield, Middlesex. It is part of the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, which describes itself as "the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the UK and among the largest in Europe". Harefield's sister hospital is the Royal Brompton Hospital in...
, Ealing Hospital
Ealing Hospital
Ealing Hospital, officially called Ealing Hospital NHS Trust, is a general NHS hospital in the Southall district of the London Borough of Ealing, Greater London, England....
, Central Middlesex Hospital
Central Middlesex Hospital
Central Middlesex hospital is in the centre of the Park Royal business estate, on the border of two London boroughs, Brent and Ealing.-Hospital role:CMH is a teaching hospital of Imperial College School of Medicine and part of the...
, Northwick Park Hospital
Northwick Park Hospital
Northwick Park Hospital is a large hospital in the northwest corner of the London Borough of Brent in Greater London, England.-Hospital role:...
, St. Mark's Hospital
St. Mark's Hospital
St. Mark's Hospital is a hospital in the Harrow and Wembley border as well as the London Borough of Harrow and London Borough of Brent border in northwest London, UK. It is the only hospital in the world to specialise entirely in intestinal and colorectal medicine and is a national and...
, St. Charles' Hospital and St.Peter's Hospital (UK).
Admissions
Imperial is among the most selective universities in the UK. From 1999 to 2009 (dates of all the online available records), the overall acceptance rate of Imperial College programmes has been consistently below 20% and, in 2009, the acceptance rate of the college for undergraduates was 15.3%. The acceptance rate for postgraduate courses was 19.5%.Imperial, along with University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
and the University of Cambridge was one of the first universities in the UK to make use of the A* grade at A Level for admissions, with engineering and physics courses requiring an A* in Mathematics. Aeronautical Engineering is the course with the highest entry standards requiring an A* in Mathematics (A grades in every single module) and an A* in Physics and another A grade at A Level (Further Mathematics preferred). Mathematics courses themselves require A* grades in Mathematics and Further Mathematics, along with another A grade at A Level.
Imperial announced in summer 2008 that it was exploring the possibility of entrance exams to help it select the most suitable students. Since then, the College has been reviewing and piloting a range of assessment approaches, such as subject-specific tests, skills tests and motivation-based tests as part of enhanced interviews and will continue to do so during the 2009–10 academic year. The Cambridge Thinking Skills assessment (TSA) was one test trialled on existing Imperial College students. No date is set for the implementation of any entrance exam for applicants. Medicine at Imperial already uses the BMAT as part of the selection process.
Student life
Imperial College Union
Imperial College Union, the Imperial students' unionStudents' union
A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...
, is run by five full-time sabbatical
Sabbatical year
Sabbatical or a sabbatical is a rest from work, or a hiatus, often lasting from two months to a year. The concept of sabbatical has a source in shmita, described several places in the Bible...
officers elected from the student body for a tenure of one year, and a number of permanent members of staff. The Union is given a large subvention by the university, much of which is spent on maintaining around 300 clubs and societies, the largest number of any students' union in the United Kingdom. The Union operates two different sites; Beit Quad, South Kensington and Reynold's, Hammersmith.
The Imperial College School of Medicine Students' Union
Imperial College School of Medicine Students' Union
Imperial College School of Medicine Students' Union is the students' union of Imperial College School of Medicine. It is charged with caring for the educational, pastoral, social and extracurricular needs of the students of the Faculty of Medicine of Imperial College London, and is a faculty union...
looks after the social, academic and welfare needs of the 2,200 students within the faculty.
Imperial College Radio
Imperial College RadioImperial College Radio
Imperial College Radio or IC Radio is the student radio station at Imperial College London-History:IC Radio was founded in November 1975 with the intention of broadcasting to the student halls of residence from a studio under Southside. Broadcasting actually commenced in late 1976 on 999 AM...
(or ICRadio) was founded in November 1975 with the intention of broadcasting to the student halls of residence
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
from a studio under Southside, actually commencing broadcasts in late 1976. It now broadcasts from the West Basement of Beit Quad over the internet www.icradio.com and, since 2004, on 1134 AM
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
in Wye. The radio station has a library of over 51,000 tracks, which are searchable on their website.
In 2006 IC Radio received two nominations in the Student Radio Awards
Student Radio Awards
The Student Radio Awards is a UK awards scheme celebrating talent within the UK student radio industry, held annually since 1996 by the Student Radio Association and supported by BBC Radio 1....
: Best Entertainment Show for Liquid Lunch and Best Male Presenter for Martin Archer.
Popular shows on IC Radio in recent years (2006/2007) include: Rocktopia, School Daze' (pop), 'Instru(Mental)' (dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
), 'VPT' (Entertainment/Shambles), 'Peter and JamesMoon Unit' and 'The Cornerstone' (both of which play rock and alternative) and 'Album – A Discourse in Musical History' (devoted to seminal albums).
Imperial College Radio is now best known for its specialist dance music shows, with the likes of Believe The Hype (Electro/Indie), Peer Pressure (Techno) and On Dancefloors (Electro/House) gaining critical acclaim and notoriety not just in college but throughout London.
stoic TV
stoic tv (Student Television of Imperial College) is Imperial College Union's TV station, founded in 1969 and operating from a small TV studio in the Electrical Engineering block. The department had bought an early AMPEXAmpex
Ampex is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M. Poniatoff. The name AMPEX is an acronym, created by its founder, which stands for Alexander M. Poniatoff Excellence...
Type A 1-inch videotape recorder and this was used to produce an occasional short news programme which was then played to students by simply moving the VTR and a monitor into a common room. A cable link to the Southside halls of residence was laid in a tunnel under Exhibition Road in 1972. Besides the news, early productions included a film of the Queen opening what was then called College Block and interview programmes with DJ Mike Raven
Mike Raven
Austin Churton Fairman , who used the name Churton Fairman but was more widely known under the pseudonym Mike Raven in the 1960s and early 1970s, was a British radio disc jockey, actor, sculptor, sheep farmer, writer, TV presenter and producer, ballet dancer, flamenco guitarist and...
, Richard O'Brian and Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
producer Ian MacNaughton
Ian MacNaughton
Edward Ian Macnaughton was a Scottish former actor-turned-television producer/director, best known for his work with the Monty Python team...
.
In 2006 it was named Best Broadcaster at NaSTA and also won awards for Best On-Screen Male and Best On-Screen Female. It now broadcasts from studios in the specially built media centre in the Student Union to the Junior Common Room and occasionally DaVinci's Bar. Programmes are also available to watch on their website.
There is also a non-student Imperial College organisation called Media Services, whose main activity is producing videos of College events.
Felix
Published weekly, FelixFelix (newspaper)
Felix is the award-winning student newspaper of Imperial College London. It won the Guardian Student Newspaper of the Year award in 2008. The newspaper is published weekly during term time, approximately 30 issues per year, and is distributed around the various Imperial College campuses.The FELIX...
is the free student newspaper of Imperial College London. It aims to be independent of both the College itself and also the Student Union. The editor is elected annually from the student body; the editorship is a full-time, sabbatical position. There is also a non-student Imperial College newspaper called Reporter, and London Student
London Student
London Student is the newspaper of the University of London Union. It began publishing in 1979. It is an editorially independent publication with ultimate control over content and editorial appointments vested in the elected full-time Editor, who is currently Joe Rennison.It distributes 12,500...
distributes on campus.
In 2006 and 2008, Felix won the Guardian Student Media Awards
Guardian Student Media Awards
The Guardian Student Media Awards are an annual UK-wide student journalism competition run by The Guardian newspaper.-History:Since 1947, The National Union of Students have run a student journalism competition of some kind. In 1978, The Guardian joined forces with the NUS for the inaugural...
for Student newspaper of the year and Student journalist of the year.
Live!
Live! is an online student news source and forum run by the City and Guilds College Union. Live! also enables readers to view published articles from LivicLivic
livic is the newspaper of the Civil Engineering Society at Imperial College London. It is a monthly, free, A4-sized paper established in 2004, edited by an elected committee member of the society...
, the monthly newspaper of CivSoc, the student society in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Content on Live! is text-based news, with one or more photographs per article to illustrate the event. At the start of 2007 the ability to display videos was added, increasing the breadth of its coverage
Coverage
-Filmmaking:* Coverage , the size of the image a lens can produce* Camera coverage, the amount of footage shot and different camera setups used in filming a scene...
. Co-operation with Imperial's student television station, stoic tv has led to the introduction of politically-focused video content on the site by syndicating weekly news bulletins and the "Ask the President" show.
Live! was also named the best student website in the 2007 Guardian Student Media Awards
Guardian Student Media Awards
The Guardian Student Media Awards are an annual UK-wide student journalism competition run by The Guardian newspaper.-History:Since 1947, The National Union of Students have run a student journalism competition of some kind. In 1978, The Guardian joined forces with the NUS for the inaugural...
.
Student housing
Imperial College Halls of Residence
Imperial College London currently has twenty principal Halls of Residence almost exclusively in the South Kensington and Chelsea areas of London.Their availability is generally prioritised for new first-year undergraduate students of Imperial, although there are hall seniors and wardens, who are...
in Inner London
Inner London
Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. The area was first officially defined in 1965 and for purposes such as statistics, the definition has changed over time. The terms Inner London and Central...
, Ealing
Ealing
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
, Ascot
Ascot, Berkshire
Ascot is a village within the civil parish of Sunninghill and Ascot, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. It is most notable as the location of Ascot Racecourse, home of the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting...
and Wye. Over three thousand rooms are available, guaranteeing first year undergraduates a place in College residences.
The majority of halls offer single or twin accommodation with some rooms having en suite
Bathroom
A bathroom is a room for bathing in containing a bathtub and/or a shower and optionally a toilet, a sink/hand basin/wash basin and possibly also a bidet....
facilities. Study bedrooms are provided with basic furniture and with access to shared kitchens and bathrooms. The majority of rooms come with internet access and access to the Imperial network. Most of them are considered among the newest student halls at London universities.
Most students in college or university accommodation are first-year undergraduates, since they are granted a room once they have selected Imperial College as their firm offer at UCAS
UCAS
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is the British admission service for students applying to university and college. UCAS is primarily funded by students who pay a fee when they apply and a capitation fee from universities for each student they accept..-Location:UCAS is based near...
. The majority of older students and postgraduates find accommodation in the private sector, help for which is provided by the College private housing office. However a handful of students may continue to live in halls in later years if they take the position of a "hall senior".
Some students are also selected to live in International Students House, London
International Students House, London
International Students House, London is a residence for 700 British and overseas students, interns and trainees whilst staying in London. It is located in Central London close to London's West End at the south side of Regents Park and operates as a financially self supporting charity under a board...
.
Other
The El Salvador ProjectEl Salvador Project
The El Salvador Reconstruction and Development Project is a charitable volunteer project from Imperial College London's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering which was launched in reaction to two major earthquakes that struck the country of El Salvador in 2001...
is a charitable volunteer project that is constructing earthquake-proof buildings in the poorer areas of El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
. About 10 students from the Civil and Environmental Engineering department travel to El Salvador each year to carry out construction work.
Teams from Imperial won University Challenge
University Challenge
University Challenge is a British quiz programme that has aired since 1962. The format is based on the American show College Bowl, which ran on NBC radio from 1953 to 1957, and on NBC television from 1959 to 1970....
in 1996 and 2001.
Notable alumni, faculty and staff
Some of Imperial's most well-known alumni, faculty and staff include:- Sir Alexander FlemingAlexander FlemingSir Alexander Fleming was a Scottish biologist and pharmacologist. He wrote many articles on bacteriology, immunology, and chemotherapy...
(pharmacologistPharmacologyPharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
) (Nobel Prize winner) - T. H. HuxleyThomas HuxleyThomas Henry Huxley PC FRS was an English biologist, known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution....
(biologistBiologyBiology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
) - H. G. WellsH. G. WellsHerbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
(author) - Abdus SalamAbdus SalamMohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk (Urdu: محمد عبد السلام, pronounced , (January 29, 1926– November 21, 1996) was a Pakistani theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate in Physics for his work on the electroweak unification of the...
(physicistPhysicistA physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
) (Nobel Prize winner) - Sir George Paget ThomsonGeorge Paget ThomsonSir George Paget Thomson, FRS was an English physicist and Nobel laureate in physics recognised for his discovery with Clinton Davisson of the wave properties of the electron by electron diffraction.-Biography:...
(physicistPhysicistA physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
) (Nobel Prize winner) - Lord Patrick Maynard StuartPatrick Blackett, Baron BlackettPatrick Maynard Stuart Blackett, Baron Blackett OM CH FRS was an English experimental physicist known for his work on cloud chambers, cosmic rays, and paleomagnetism. He also made a major contribution in World War II advising on military strategy and developing Operational Research...
(physicistPhysicistA physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
) (Nobel Prize winner) - Dennis GaborDennis GaborDennis Gabor CBE, FRS was a Hungarian-British electrical engineer and inventor, most notable for inventing holography, for which he later received the 1971 Nobel Prize in Physics....
(physicistPhysicistA physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
) (Nobel Prize winner) - Harold HopkinsHarold HopkinsHarold Horace Hopkins FRS was a renowned British physicist. His Wave Theory of Aberrations, , is central to all modern optical design and provides the mathematical analysis which enables the use of computers to create the wealth of high quality lenses available today...
(opticsOpticsOptics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
pioneer) - Sir Norman Haworth, Chemistry (Nobel Prize winner)
- Sir Cyril Norman HinshelwoodCyril Norman HinshelwoodSir Cyril Norman Hinshelwood OM PRS was an English physical chemist.Born in London, his parents were Norman Macmillan Hinshelwood, a chartered accountant, and Ethe Frances née Smith. He was educated first in Canada, returning in 1905 on the death of his father to a small flat in Chelsea where he...
, Chemistry (Nobel Prize winner) - Sir Derek Barton, Chemistry (Nobel Prize winner)
- Sir Geoffrey WilkinsonGeoffrey WilkinsonSir Geoffrey Wilkinson FRS was a Nobel laureate English chemist who pioneered inorganic chemistry and homogeneous transition metal catalysis.-Biography:...
, Chemistry (Nobel Prize winner) - Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins, Medicine (Nobel Prize winner)
- Sir Ernst Boris ChainErnst Boris ChainSir Ernst Boris Chain was a German-born British biochemist, and a 1945 co-recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his work on penicillin.-Biography:...
, Biochemistry (Nobel Prize winner) - Sir Andrew Fielding HuxleyAndrew HuxleySir Andrew Fielding Huxley, OM, FRS is an English physiologist and biophysicist, who won the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his experimental and mathematical work with Sir Alan Lloyd Hodgkin on the basis of nerve action potentials, the electrical impulses that enable the activity...
, Medicine (Nobel Prize winner) - Rodney Robert PorterRodney Robert PorterRodney Robert Porter, FRS was an English biochemist and Nobel laureate.Born in Newton-le-Willows, St Helens, Lancashire, England, Rodney Robert Porter received his Bachelors of Sciences degree from the University of Liverpool in 1939 for Biochemistry. He moved to the University of Cambridge where...
, Medicine (Nobel Prize winner) - Sir George PorterGeorge PorterGeorge Hornidge Porter, Baron Porter of Luddenham, OM, FRS was a British chemist.- Life :Porter was born in Stainforth, near Thorne, South Yorkshire. He was educated at Thorne Grammar School, then won a scholarship to the University of Leeds and gained his first degree in chemistry...
, Biology (Nobel Prize winner) - Alfred North WhiteheadAlfred North WhiteheadAlfred North Whitehead, OM FRS was an English mathematician who became a philosopher. He wrote on algebra, logic, foundations of mathematics, philosophy of science, physics, metaphysics, and education...
(mathematicianMathematicianA mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and philosopher), Chief Professor 1923–1924 - Rajiv GandhiRajiv GandhiRajiv Ratna Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India . He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira...
(Indian Prime MinisterPrime Minister of IndiaThe Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
) (failed to graduate) - Nicholas TombazisNicholas TombazisNicholas Tombazis is the chief designer at Ferrari.He was employed at Ferrari as chief aerodynamicist before leaving to work at McLaren in .He returned to Ferrari on March 1, , to become chief designer....
(FerrariFerrariFerrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
's Chief Designer)
Friends of Imperial College
Friends of Imperial College is an association with strong links into the college. It offers anyone interested in the great advances that are being made in science, medicine and technology the opportunity to learn more from leading figures in their fields. Friends provides opportunities for members and their guests to meet and talk with staff, students, alumni and other like-minded people in a programme of visits, talks and social events.External links
- Imperial College's website
- Imperial College Press
- Architecture of Imperial College
- Friends of Imperial College
- Lists of Imperial College students
- Lists of Imperial College military personnel,1914–1918