Harper Adams University

Harper Adams University began in 1901, when Harper Adams College opened in Edgmond, Shropshire, to just six students, on land bequeathed by the Shropshire farmer Thomas Harper Adams for teaching practical and theoretical agriculture. The college grew steadily, gained taught degree awarding powers in 1996, became a university college in 1998 and was granted full university status in 2012, becoming Shropshire’s first university. Today Harper Adams is the UK’s leading specialist university for the land-based and food sectors, with around 5,000 students from more than 30 countries. Its subjects reach from agriculture, animal science and veterinary nursing into agri-food, engineering, robotics, data science, food technology and sustainability. Many degrees include a placement year in industry, and the university runs a joint veterinary school with Keele University. The university is built around a 494-hectare working farm, specialist laboratories, a Veterinary Education Centre and engineering workshops, so much of the learning is practical and hands-on. Its Chancellor is HRH The Princess Royal, and its graduates are highly sought after by employers in farming, food, animal health and the rural economy.