Leeds Beckett University

Leeds Beckett University traces its roots to 1824, when the Leeds Mechanics Institute was founded to provide practical education for working people. The institute became the Leeds Institute of Science, Art and Literature, and in 1970 it merged with Leeds College of Commerce, part of Leeds College of Art and other colleges to form Leeds Polytechnic. In 1992 the polytechnic gained university status as Leeds Metropolitan University, and in September 2014 it took its current name, Leeds Beckett University, after Beckett Park, one of its founding colleges. Today Leeds Beckett is a modern, professional university with more than 22,000 students across two campuses in Leeds, including students from over 140 countries. It offers more than 150 undergraduate and 190 postgraduate courses, with a strong focus on employability, placements and professional accreditation, particularly in business, law, health, sport, the built environment and the creative arts. The university’s Carnegie School of Sport is one of the UK’s largest, and its graduates include Olympians and sports professionals. Its teaching is closely linked to employers in Leeds, one of the UK’s largest financial and legal centres outside London, and its students benefit from placements, live projects and industry partnerships.