Northumbria University

Northumbria University has its origins in three Newcastle colleges: Rutherford College of Technology, established by John Hunter Rutherford in 1877 and opened formally in 1894 by the Duke of York, later King George V, the College of Art and Industrial Design, and the Municipal College of Commerce. In 1969 the three colleges were amalgamated to form Newcastle Polytechnic, and in 1992 the polytechnic became the University of Northumbria at Newcastle, as part of the nationwide process in which polytechnics became universities. Today Northumbria is a public research university with around 30,000 students from more than 140 countries, and is one of the UK’s largest universities. It offers around 500 programmes through its faculties, covering business, law, design, engineering, health, life sciences, the arts and the social sciences, with a strong focus on employability and professional practice. Northumbria’s City Campus is in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne, and its Coach Lane Campus is nearby. The university works closely with employers, including the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and the International Centre for Life, and its graduates are sought after in business, law, design, health and engineering.