University of East London
Encyclopedia
The University of East London (UEL) is a university
located in the London Borough of Newham
, East London
, England
, based at two campuses in Stratford
and Docklands areas. The university has more than 26,000 students from 110 countries worldwide.
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UEL can trace its roots back to 1892 when the newly formed Borough of West Ham
decided to establish a technical institute to serve the local community. The institute was to be a “people’s university” in the words of John Passmore Edwards
, speaking at the building’s opening ceremony. The college provided courses in science, engineering and art and also established its own internal degree courses in science and engineering, which were ratified by the University of London
. In addition, it had a Women's Department.
As demand for technical education grew throughout the 1930s and 1940s, the county council created two further colleges at Walthamstow
and Dagenham
. In 1970, these three colleges (West Ham, Walthamstow, Dagenham) were combined as a merger of higher education
colleges to create the North East London Polytechnic. Campuses were modernised and revitalised by buildings such as the Arthur Edwards building on the Stratford campus, completed in 1982.
In 1988, the North East London Polytechnic became a Higher Education Institution. It was renamed the Polytechnic of East London in 1989.
In 1992, the Polytechnic of East London became the University of East London. A "new university
", the UEL's history of founding institutions exemplify the developments that took place in British further and higher education
policy throughout the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The University of East London consisted of the Barking Campus (closed 2006) and the Stratford Campus. In 1999 the Docklands Campus was opened, the first new university campus built in London for over 50 years.
The university is located on two campuses, at Stratford and Docklands. UEL also delivers a range of programmes and short courses at the Barking Learning Centre
in a nearby borough. Off-campus, there are students registered on programmes with UK and non-UK academic partners.
, Physiotherapy and Sports Science
was opened in January 2008. Operating in partnership with the National Health Service
, the centre is London's only provider of podiatric education.
Duncan House is near to the campus. It is used by the university's human resource
services and by the School of Law. It contains a library servicing the needs of those who attend the building. It is expected that in 2013 the School of Law
will move from Duncan House to a new campus at the Stratford Island Centre. UEL's Institute of Performing Arts will move into the same building.
In 2011 UEL appointed architects to lead on the design of a new, replacement library at the Stratford Campus. The project has a budget of £13 million and a target opening date of 2015.
is the larger of the two campuses and is located in the redeveloped Docklands area of East London. The campus opened in 1999.
It is on the waterfront of the Royal Albert Dock
, closed to commercial shipping since the 1980s and now largely used as a water sports centre and rowing course, for example for the London Regatta Centre
.
London City Airport
is across the dock from the campus. The Cyprus station
of the Docklands Light Railway
is adjacent to the campus, and offers links to Canary Wharf
and central London.
The campus was short-listed for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' Building of the Year in 2001.
The centre for the Architecture and Visual Arts School was set up in 2004. Housing the architecture, fashion, textiles and graphic design departments, the AVA centre was the first major development on the Docklands campus after the student accommodation. Also based at the Docklands Campus are the Business School, the School of Computing, Information Technology and Engineering, and the School of Social Sciences, Media and Cultural Studies. The Business School and Knowledge Dock centre were opened on the site in February 2007. The Business School will incorporate the Petchey Centre for Entrepreneurship, named in honour of its benefactor, entrepreneur Jack Petchey
.
New student accommodation opened in 2008 and the campus now has 1,200 student rooms, together with shops, cafés and a restaurant, launderettes and an open-air fitness suite. A sports centre is scheduled for construction with a planned opening in 2011. The campus library is housed in the Business School building.
UEL is an official pre-games training venue for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. The Docklands Campus has been selected by the United States Olympic team as their base before and during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
A £21 million sports and leisure complex is scheduled to open at the Docklands Campus early in 2012, provisionally named the SportsDock
.
and short courses:
is home to the Centre on Human Rights in Conflict. The School of Law teaches six undergraduate courses and ten postgraduate courses. The School is attended by over 1,000 students. The majority of the School's courses are taught at the University of East London's Duncan House, near to its Stratford Campus, however the Law School's Refugee Studies course is based at the University of East London's Docklands Campus.
The Centre on Human Rights in Conflict
(CHRC) is a research centre based within the UEL School of Law which was founded in 2006 by Professor Chandra Lekha Sriram.
The international nature of the research undertaken by the CHRC is evidenced by its collaborations with, for example, the universities of Lund and Uppsala, Sweden
; the Regional Centre on Conflict Prevention, Jordan
; and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
.
The researchers at the CHRC have been awarded grants from the European Union
, the British Academy
, the Leverhulme Trust
, and UEL's Promising Researcher Scheme. Currently the centre's director is Prof. John Strawson
.
, a student may choose to study two different subjects in one of two ways:
In addition, extended degree programmes are available for many of the single honour programmes. By taking an extended degree programme, students add a preliminary foundation year to the otherwise typically three-year programme.
UEL also offers a range of postgraduate degrees, including taught master's degrees, professional doctorates (which offer the title Dr but contain a significant taught element at advanced level, rather than being purely research based) and research degrees including MPhils and PhDs.
concluded that "broad confidence can be placed in the soundness of the University's present and likely future management of the quality of its programmes and the academic standards of its awards". It also made recommendations for improvement in certain areas.
Statistics announced in January 2011 by the University and Colleges Admissions Service showed that UEL had experienced a 13% increase in applications in the previous year, compared to a figure of 5% nationally.
There are over 50 societies at UEL.
REFUEL is the student newspaper, and there is an e-zine called The UNIverse.
There are a number of restaurants and on the campuses: five at the Docklands campus one of which being a bar, and four at Stratford.
There are ten halls of residence called the Student Village, located at the Docklands Campus.
Staff and students with children below school age can use the campus nursery, the Children’s Garden Early Years Centre, which is located on the Docklands campus.
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
located in the London Borough of Newham
London Borough of Newham
The London Borough of Newham is a London borough formed from the towns of West Ham and East Ham, within East London.It is situated east of the City of London, and is north of the River Thames. According to 2006 estimates, Newham has one of the highest ethnic minority populations of all the...
, East 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, based at two campuses in Stratford
Stratford, London
Stratford is a place in the London Borough of Newham, England. It is located east northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an agrarian settlement in the ancient parish of West Ham, which transformed into an industrial suburb...
and Docklands areas. The university has more than 26,000 students from 110 countries worldwide.
History
West Ham
West Ham is in the London Borough of Newham in London, England. In the west it is a post-industrial neighbourhood abutting the site of the London Olympic Park and in the east it is mostly residential, consisting of Victorian terraced housing interspersed with higher density post-War social housing...
decided to establish a technical institute to serve the local community. The institute was to be a “people’s university” in the words of John Passmore Edwards
John Passmore Edwards
John Passmore Edwards was a British journalist, newspaper owner and philanthropist. The son of a carpenter, he was born in Blackwater, a small village between Redruth and Truro in Cornwall, United Kingdom.-Biography:...
, speaking at the building’s opening ceremony. The college provided courses in science, engineering and art and also established its own internal degree courses in science and engineering, which were ratified by 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...
. In addition, it had a Women's Department.
As demand for technical education grew throughout the 1930s and 1940s, the county council created two further colleges at Walthamstow
Walthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
and Dagenham
Dagenham
Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...
. In 1970, these three colleges (West Ham, Walthamstow, Dagenham) were combined as a merger of higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
colleges to create the North East London Polytechnic. Campuses were modernised and revitalised by buildings such as the Arthur Edwards building on the Stratford campus, completed in 1982.
In 1988, the North East London Polytechnic became a Higher Education Institution. It was renamed the Polytechnic of East London in 1989.
In 1992, the Polytechnic of East London became the University of East London. A "new university
New Universities
The term new universities has been used informally to refer to several different waves of new universities created or renamed as such in the United Kingdom. As early as 1928, the term was used to describe the then-new civic universities, such as Bristol University and the other "red brick...
", the UEL's history of founding institutions exemplify the developments that took place in British further and higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
policy throughout the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The University of East London consisted of the Barking Campus (closed 2006) and the Stratford Campus. In 1999 the Docklands Campus was opened, the first new university campus built in London for over 50 years.
Campuses
Barking Learning Centre
The Barking Learning Centre, in Barking, East London, is a community-based learning facility. The centre hosts a library, a cafe, an art gallery, a one stop shop for enquiries, and offers a range of courses and qualifications...
in a nearby borough. Off-campus, there are students registered on programmes with UK and non-UK academic partners.
Stratford Campus
The Stratford Campus is close to the 2012 Olympic Park. It is centred around University House, a 19th century listed building. The campus is home to the School of Distance and E-Learning, the Sir John Cass School of Education (which moved into its new centre in 2009), and the Schools of Health & Bioscience and Psychology. The Centre for Clinical Education in PodiatryPodiatry
Podiatry is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and lower leg. The term podiatry came into use first in the early 20th century United States, where it now denotes a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine , a specialist who is qualified by their...
, Physiotherapy and Sports Science
Sports science
Sport science is a discipline that studies the application of scientific principles and techniques with the aim of improving sporting performance...
was opened in January 2008. Operating in partnership with the National Health Service
National Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
, the centre is London's only provider of podiatric education.
Duncan House is near to the campus. It is used by the university's human resource
Human resource
human resource may stand for:* another name for an employee* human resources, another name for labor* Human resource management, the strategic approach to management of human resources* Human Resources , a Doctor Who audio drama...
services and by the School of Law. It contains a library servicing the needs of those who attend the building. It is expected that in 2013 the School of Law
University of East London School of Law
The School of Law is one of eight academic schools at the University of East London in East London, England. The School is home to the Centre on Human Rights in Conflict. The School of Law teaches six undergraduate courses and ten postgraduate courses...
will move from Duncan House to a new campus at the Stratford Island Centre. UEL's Institute of Performing Arts will move into the same building.
In 2011 UEL appointed architects to lead on the design of a new, replacement library at the Stratford Campus. The project has a budget of £13 million and a target opening date of 2015.
Docklands Campus
The University of East London Docklands CampusUniversity of East London Docklands Campus
The University of East London Docklands Campus is a campus of the University of East London situated in the Docklands area of east London. The campus opened in 1999...
is the larger of the two campuses and is located in the redeveloped Docklands area of East London. The campus opened in 1999.
It is on the waterfront of the Royal Albert Dock
Royal Albert Dock
The Royal Albert Dock is one of three docks in the Royal Group of Docks of east London, now part of the redeveloped Docklands.-History:The dock was constructed to the east of the earlier Victoria Dock by the St Katharine and London dock companies and opened in 1880...
, closed to commercial shipping since the 1980s and now largely used as a water sports centre and rowing course, for example for the London Regatta Centre
London Regatta Centre
The London Regatta Centre, a state-of-the-art rowing centre, is located in the heart of the Docklands area in the East End of London. It is built at the west end on the north of the historic Royal Albert Dock directly opposite London City Airport...
.
London City Airport
London City Airport
London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering...
is across the dock from the campus. The Cyprus station
Cyprus DLR station
Cyprus DLR station is a station on the Docklands Light Railway located in Cyprus, to the south of Beckton, in the Docklands area of east London. The station serves the University of East London Docklands Campus and the eastern end of the north quay of the Royal Albert Dock.The station is located...
of the Docklands Light Railway
Docklands Light Railway
The Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London...
is adjacent to the campus, and offers links to Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is a major business district located in London, United Kingdom. It is one of London's two main financial centres, alongside the traditional City of London, and contains many of the UK's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest , One Canada Square...
and central London.
The campus was short-listed for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' Building of the Year in 2001.
The centre for the Architecture and Visual Arts School was set up in 2004. Housing the architecture, fashion, textiles and graphic design departments, the AVA centre was the first major development on the Docklands campus after the student accommodation. Also based at the Docklands Campus are the Business School, the School of Computing, Information Technology and Engineering, and the School of Social Sciences, Media and Cultural Studies. The Business School and Knowledge Dock centre were opened on the site in February 2007. The Business School will incorporate the Petchey Centre for Entrepreneurship, named in honour of its benefactor, entrepreneur Jack Petchey
Jack Petchey
Jack Petchey CBE is a businessman, now involved in many charitable enterprises. He was born and brought up in the East End of London. During the second world war, he served in the Royal Navy, and used his Navy discharge pay to start a car hire and car sales business. This grew into a business...
.
New student accommodation opened in 2008 and the campus now has 1,200 student rooms, together with shops, cafés and a restaurant, launderettes and an open-air fitness suite. A sports centre is scheduled for construction with a planned opening in 2011. The campus library is housed in the Business School building.
UEL is an official pre-games training venue for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. The Docklands Campus has been selected by the United States Olympic team as their base before and during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
A £21 million sports and leisure complex is scheduled to open at the Docklands Campus early in 2012, provisionally named the SportsDock
University of East London Docklands Campus
The University of East London Docklands Campus is a campus of the University of East London situated in the Docklands area of east London. The campus opened in 1999...
.
Organisation and structure
Degree programmes and other courses are taught at UEL by one of eight teaching Schools. In addition, there are three Schools that carry out administrative roles within the academic structure: the School of Combined Honours, the Graduate School and UELconnect, which manages Distance & E-learningDistance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
and short courses:
Royal Docks Business School
This houses a range of business support, enterprise development services and conferencing facilities. The Knowledge Dock helps students start their own companies by supplying help and business start up incubators.UELSports
This department has a range of facilities, some based on campus, and others at a range of professional and amateur sports clubs in East London and several local sports centres. UELSports teaches a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses.School of Law
The University of East London School of LawUniversity of East London School of Law
The School of Law is one of eight academic schools at the University of East London in East London, England. The School is home to the Centre on Human Rights in Conflict. The School of Law teaches six undergraduate courses and ten postgraduate courses...
is home to the Centre on Human Rights in Conflict. The School of Law teaches six undergraduate courses and ten postgraduate courses. The School is attended by over 1,000 students. The majority of the School's courses are taught at the University of East London's Duncan House, near to its Stratford Campus, however the Law School's Refugee Studies course is based at the University of East London's Docklands Campus.
The Centre on Human Rights in Conflict
Centre on Human Rights in Conflict
The Centre on Human Rights in Conflict is a research centre based within the University of East London School of Law directed by John Strawson. The Centre was founded in 2006 by Professor Chandra Lekha Sriram...
(CHRC) is a research centre based within the UEL School of Law which was founded in 2006 by Professor Chandra Lekha Sriram.
The international nature of the research undertaken by the CHRC is evidenced by its collaborations with, for example, the universities of Lund and Uppsala, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
; the Regional Centre on Conflict Prevention, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
; and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
.
The researchers at the CHRC have been awarded grants from the European Union
European 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...
, the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
, the Leverhulme Trust
Leverhulme Trust
The Leverhulme Trust was established in 1925 under the will of the First Viscount Leverhulme, William Hesketh Lever, with the instruction that its resources should be used to support "scholarships for the purposes of research and education."...
, and UEL's Promising Researcher Scheme. Currently the centre's director is Prof. John Strawson
John Strawson
John Strawson is an author and law professor at the University of East London School of Law where he teaches International law and Middle East Studies...
.
School of Architecture and the Visual Arts
The School of Architecture and Visual Arts was set up in 2004. Housing the architecture, digital arts and visual communication, fashion and textiles, fine art, and visual theories and research departments, the AVA centre was the first major development on the Docklands Campus after the student accommodation.Others
- School of Computing, Information Technology and Engineering
- Cass School of Education
- School of Health and Bioscience
- School of Psychology
- School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
- UELconnect
Degrees
UEL offers both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Undergraduate studies can be in the form of either single honours or combined honours degrees, most of which are available for study on either a full-time or part-time basis. With a combined honours degreeDouble degree
A double-degree program, sometimes called a combined degree, conjoint degree, dual degree, or simultaneous degree program, involves a student's working for two different university degrees in parallel, either at the same institution or at different institutions , completing them in less time than...
, a student may choose to study two different subjects in one of two ways:
- Major/Minor combinations, where the student spends two-thirds of their time studying one subject and the remaining third on another. The award would be for example, BA (Hons) History with English Literature
- Joint combinations where two subjects are studied equally. The award would be for example, BA (Hons) History and English Literature
In addition, extended degree programmes are available for many of the single honour programmes. By taking an extended degree programme, students add a preliminary foundation year to the otherwise typically three-year programme.
UEL also offers a range of postgraduate degrees, including taught master's degrees, professional doctorates (which offer the title Dr but contain a significant taught element at advanced level, rather than being purely research based) and research degrees including MPhils and PhDs.
Partnership
UEL has an MBA programme in Malaysia via collaboration with Women's Institute Of Management Malaysia.Study abroad programmes
The University of East London has student exchange programmes with numerous universities abroad, with financial support for those who participate through the Erasmus programme.Academic profile
An audit in 2005 by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher EducationQuality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
Established in 1997, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education works to ensure that higher education qualifications in the United Kingdom are of a sound standard. It protects the public interest by checking how universities and colleges maintain their academic standards and quality...
concluded that "broad confidence can be placed in the soundness of the University's present and likely future management of the quality of its programmes and the academic standards of its awards". It also made recommendations for improvement in certain areas.
Statistics announced in January 2011 by the University and Colleges Admissions Service showed that UEL had experienced a 13% increase in applications in the previous year, compared to a figure of 5% nationally.
| 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| People & Planet Green League | 41st | 63rd | 98th | 82nd | |||||||||||
| Times Good University Guide | 108th | 108th | 109th | ||||||||||||
| Guardian University Guide | 115th | 117th | 116th | ||||||||||||
| Sunday Times University Guide | 107th | 107th | |||||||||||||
| Daily Telegraph | 93rd | ||||||||||||||
| Independent – Complete University Guide | 113th | 113th | 106th | 105th | 93rd | ||||||||||
| Financial Times | 76th | 78th |
Students' Union
The University of East London Students' Union (UELSU) is the university-wide representative body for students at the university. It exists to represent UEL students in university decision-making, to act as the voice of students in the national higher education policy debate, and to provide direct services to the student body. It is affiliated to the National Union of Students, which represents students nationwide. Elections are held every year to elect a new executive committee.There are over 50 societies at UEL.
REFUEL is the student newspaper, and there is an e-zine called The UNIverse.
Student facilities
UEL has a library at each of its campuses, as well as at Duncan House.There are a number of restaurants and on the campuses: five at the Docklands campus one of which being a bar, and four at Stratford.
There are ten halls of residence called the Student Village, located at the Docklands Campus.
Staff and students with children below school age can use the campus nursery, the Children’s Garden Early Years Centre, which is located on the Docklands campus.