Bath Spa University: Difference between revisions

Bath Spa University is a university based in, and around, Bath, England. It was previously a university college, but was upgraded to full university status in August 2005.

The institution can trace its roots back to 1898. It was formed as Bath College of Higher Education by the merger of two colleges in 1975. In 1992, the college was granted its own degree-awarding powers and in 1999 adopted the name Bath Spa University College. In March 2005, the institution won university status, and became Bath Spa University in August 2005. Bath Spa is one of the UK's first "teaching led" universities, meaning that it aims to provide courses of the highest quality, informed by scholarship and teaching excellence.

The Newton Park campus, located to the west of Bath near the village of Newton Saint Loe, is the largest of the Universities' three campuses. It is here that the majority of courses are taught, with the exception of Art and Design and some of the PGCE courses. The campus in based in Newton Park in grounds designed by Capability Brown and currently leased from the Duchy of Cornwall. Due to its rural the setting the site boasts its own lake, nature reserve, woodland and farmland. Other features of the campus include a newly built Students Union, a new refectory, a library with IT facilities and a new University Theatre.

This campus also houses the Michael Tippett Centre which is the only purpose built concert hall in Bath^[2]. As well being used for teaching music, the centre is used for exhibitions, musical performaces and plays.

The Sion Hill campus is based in the north of Bath, in the Landsdown district. This campus houses the Bath School of Art and Design and Art and Design courses are exclusively taught here. This campus is also located in landscaped grounds and gardens that originally belonged to a mansion house. The building is equipped with a number of studios and workshops.

Art and Design is also taught at the nearby Somerset Place, which is a listed Georgian crescent. Facilities at this campus include halls of residence, a library, a stationery and art materials shop, Students' Union offices, a bar and refectory.

The University has recently announced the sale of Somerset Place (with 2009 the target date for vacation), and is planning to use the funds generated from the sale to create a new campus in the city centre.

The third, and smallest, site is based in the Southdown area of Bath. It is situated next to Culverhay School and was formerly the schools Humanities block. The campus is the home to most of the University's PGCE Secondary and Middle Years Education courses, including History, Music, English, Geography, Mathematics and Religious Education. Facilities at the campus are not as extensive as those found in Newton Park but there are IT facilities and a common room.

The University has formed partnerships with a number of regional Further Education Colleges, known as the Wessex Partnership. Under the Partnership, students take the first year of their Higher Education course in their local college and, if successful, students take the rest of their course at Bath Spa University.

The current partner Colleges are;

• Bridgwater College
• Cirencester College
• City of Bath College
• City of Bristol College
• New College, Swindon
• Norton Radstock College
• Weston College
• Weymouth College

There are regular trains to Bath Spa Station which is on the main line served by, amongst others, London, Reading, Swindon, Chippenham and Bristol. From the station buses run to each of the campuses on a regular basis.

• The Newton Park campus is served by the 418 service which runs from the University to the University of Bath via the bus station around every twenty minutes during term time.
• The Sion Hill campus is served by the 700 service which runs from the bus station.
• For the the Culverhay campus the 20a service runs from the bus station once an hour and the 10 service runs every 10-20 minutes, again from the bus station. There is also service 42 which runs from the nearby Park and Ride at Odd Down every 12-15 minutes.

• Anita Roddick, businesswoman, founder of The Body Shop^[3]
• Peter Flannery, scriptwriter, author of Our Friends in the North^[3]
• Sir Howard Hodgkin, artist, Turner Prize winner^[3]
• Jason Gardner, athlete, Olympic gold medallist^[3]
• Roger Deakins, Cinematographer

• Bath Spa University
• The Wessex Partnership
• What's on at The Michael Tippett Centre