About The University
We are an internationally oriented research intensive university with a commitment to excellence in research and research-led teaching, to the personal development of all our students, and to offering an outstanding campus-based student experience. Our commitment to research that matters and that has global impact informs all that we do. We have a broad spread of subjects covering humanities and comparative studies, science and engineering, law and management and social sciences. We have particular peaks of excellence in the social sciences and humanities and especially in interdisciplinary research, notably in human rights, social and economic research and democracy and conflict resolution. In 2011 our Human Rights Centre was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize for the university's work advancing the legal and broader practice of human rights. We are proud of our track record of business engagement. Our commitment to this area has been consolidated by a £7 million investment in the Knowledge Gateway, 43 acres of parkland at our Colchester Campus created so that small businesses and blue chip companies can benefit from close links with our academic community, our research facilities and business development activities.
Our academic activity is organised into four faculties - Humanities and Comparative Studies, Law and Management, Science and Engineering and Social Sciences. Our academic community comprises 11,000 students and 2,000 staff based at campuses in Colchester, Southend and Loughton (East 15 Acting School). The University has three friendly purpose-built campus environments. Our Colchester Campus, Essex's largest and original site is set in 200 acres of parkland. It incorporates teaching buildings, shops, banks, a gallery and theatre, bars and cafes, and sufficient student accommodation to house over half of our student population and almost 90 per cent of our students are based here. The East 15 Acting School - founded by Joan Littlewood and one of the top five acting conservatoires in the UK - is in Loughton just five minutes from London Underground's Central Line. The University's newest campus, on Southend's bustling High Street, opened in 2007 and houses Essex Business School, Professional Development Studies, the School of Health and Human Sciences, East 15 Acting School and the Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies.
We also have some 4,500 students studying for University of Essex-validated degrees at our partners institutions across Essex and further afield at: Writtle College; South Essex College; Colchester Institute; Kaplan Open Learning; and Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust Foundation. A further 5,000 are studying for jointly accredited University of Essex-University of East Anglia degrees at University Campus Suffolk.
