University of Derby

The main University campus is situated around one mile from Derby City Centre and is made up of three main sites – Kedleston Road, Britannia Mill and Markeaton Street – at which the vast majority of students are based. Kedleston Road is the main hub, where facilities include a careers advice centre, bar, coffee shops, convenience store, Blackwell’s Bookshop and gym. The University’s other campus is in Buxton, approximately 45 minutes across the Peak District and within one hour of Manchester and Sheffield. This is home to our sports coaching, outdoor leadership, and hotel, resort and spa management students. The City of Derby is a high-tech city and home to global names such as Rolls Royce, Toyota and Bombardier. The region is bucking national economic trends, with significant inward investment and growth which sees employees benefit from the highest annual salaries in the UK outside of London. Recognised as the safest city in the region, Derby provides a breadth of activities and facilities all within each reach of the University. The City Centre boasts a Westfield Shopping Centre, cinema, arts centre, theatre (owned by the University) and dance arts venue, along with a raft of boutique shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs. The City is also investing heavily in its sports provision, with a Velodrome and Olympic-sized swimming pool due to open in 2015. Within easy reach is the Peak District and larger cities including Nottingham and Sheffield. London can be reached by train in around 90 minutes.

Buxton is a beautiful, small and friendly spa town, with lots of character, on the edge of the Peak District National Park. The campus and halls of residence are centrally located, giving easy access to the range of shops, pubs and facilities situated in the town. UCAS points for Derby’s BA/BSc (Hons) degrees range from 220 to 300 points. In 2013 our applicants had an average of 299 UCAS points.  Entry requirements for all subject areas are listed on the University’s website.

We offer a wide-ranging portfolio of undergraduate degrees, along with apprenticeships, foundation degrees and postgraduate courses. We encourage our students to take up work experience and placement opportunities, indeed it is a compulsory element on a number of courses in line with our ambition to provide students with the practical skills and experience they need to succeed in their chosen career path. A particular strength is our Joint Honours Programme which allows students to combine their passions and study two subjects as one degree. Through University of Derby Online we have an expanding portfolio of online programmes, which allow you to study wherever and whenever you like including: psychology (which is the only online psychology degree accredited by the British Psychological Society), education, ergonomics and an online MBA. The vast majority of our courses are also available to study part time allowing you to balance your studies with work or family commitments. 

In many of our undergraduate courses we offer a variety of optional modules to tailor your degree to your interests, enabling you to shape your learning to suit you and your career aspirations. We are committed to delivering a high quality learning experience for all our students, built on an approach designed to enable them to maximise their potential. This approach is reflected in National Student Survey results. For example, 11 programmes achieved a 100% overall satisfaction score, with a further 35 scoring 90% or more. This is underpinned through Accreditations granted by relevant national federations and associations in the majority of our courses. The University’s most recent audit by the Quality Assurance Agency confirmed that the quality of Derby’s provision is excellent.

We are committed to ensuring curricula are kept relevant and up-to-date ensuring programmes best meet the needs of future employers.

Since 2008 we have more than doubled our staff numbers entered to the national Research Excellence Framework. Our Centre for Supply Chain Management is recognised for its research expertise in the areas of radio-frequency identification (RFID) applications, systematic innovation, lean & agile manufacturing, quality management, responsive & reconfigurable manufacturing/supply chain, green/sustainable supply chain, cost & system optimisation, system modelling & simulation, and multi-agent systems.

2014 will see the launch of our new flagship research building for the Institute for Innovation in Sustainable Engineering (IISE). This will be home to a range of cutting-edge facilities to support advanced manufacturing and innovation research. New courses and engineering modules are being developed to introduce practical innovation into the teaching curriculum to the benefit of future students. Many of our courses are underpinned by research. For example, in Biological and Forensic Sciences strong research underpins our teaching. Research activity within the Biological Sciences Research Group was judged as being of international significance in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.

Our psychology teaching team and PhD students play a key part in the Centre for Psychological Research. This is a very active centre, with a dynamic range of annual seminars that are open to all. 

Our Centre for Educational Research innovatively explores a range of settings in education and professional practice. The International Centre for Careers and Guidance within this centre looks closely at career development and employability. Other areas of research expertise include aspects of American Studies, Art and Design, Built Environment, Creative Technologies, Electronic and Software Systems, History, Biological Sciences, Business, career guidance, Comparative Law, Computer Science, Cultural Studies, Earth Systems, Education, Psychology, and Religion or Belief.