University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham is the oldest of three universities in the English city of Birmingham. It was founded in 1900 as a successor to Mason Science College, and is thus the earliest of the "Redbrick" universities. A major research-led institution, it currently has nearly 17,000 undergraduate and 7,000 postgraduate students.

About the university

Its main campus, in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, is arranged around the 100m-high Chamberlain clock tower (known affectionately by students as "Old Joe"), commemorating Joseph Chamberlain, the University's first Chancellor. The Great Hall of the University is in the domed Aston Webb Building, which is named after one of its architects (the other was Ingress Bell).

Related Topics:
Edgbaston - Joseph Chamberlain - Chancellor - Aston Webb - Ingress Bell

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The University's Selly Oak campus is a short distance to the south of the main campus. It was the home of a federation of nine higher education colleges, mainly focused on theology and education, which were integrated into the University for teaching purposes in 1999. Among these was Westhill College (later the University of Birmingham, Westhill) which merged with the University's School of Education in 2001. The University also operates on several other sites in the city.

Related Topics:
Selly Oak - 1999 - 2001

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Due to Birmingham's role as a centre of light engineering, the University traditionally had a special focus on science, engineering and commerce. It now teaches a full range of academic subjects and has five-star rating for teaching and research in several departments; additionally, it is widely regarded as making a prominent contribution to cancer studies. It is also considered as one of the best universities in the country for its sports teams.

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In 2005 the university began rebranding itself as a less conservative institution, changing the logo from the 1980s crest. This new logo is, in fact, more in line with the crest as it appears on the University's original Royal Charter. Confusion over the exact changes being made by the university caused students to believe the crest was being replaced with the letters UB, a new logo designed to be used on the university's promotional material. This aspect of the rebrand met with wide disapproval including criticism from the University's famous alumnus Chris Tarrant.

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