University for the Creative Arts

University for the Creative Arts
Established 2005 (as the University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester)[1]
Type Public
Vice-Chancellor Professor Elaine Thomas[2]
Chair of the Board of Governors Loyd Grossman[3]
Location Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester, England, UK
Website http://www.ucreative.ac.uk/

The University for the Creative Arts is a specialist art and design university in the south of England.

Contents

History

The university was formed in 2005 as University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester, through the merger of the Kent Institute of Art & Design and Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College. It was granted full university status by the Privy Council in May 2008 and adopted its current name officially in September 2008. The origin of the university lies in a number of independent public art and design colleges in the counties of Kent and Surrey, almost all of which had origins in the Victorian period. In the 1990s these merged to form multi-campus art and design institutes in their respective counties, before merging into one organisation in 2005.

Following the election of a Coalition government, the decision to raise tuition fees to a maximum of £9,000, and the commencement of cuts to the Higher Education sector, the University for the Creative Arts was revealed to be the fourth worst cut university in England with a cut of 7.8% (10.2% in real terms).[4]

In February 2011 it was revealed that MidKent College had entered talks with the University for the Creative Arts over co-habiting their Maidstone campus. [5] Further to this, MidKent College expressed its desire to buy the Maidstone campus from 2012, and phase out the UCA presence at the campus over several years. [6] The campus shall be phased out in approximately 5 year's time to Mid-Kent College.

Campuses

It has campuses in Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester, though the future of the Maidstone campus is uncertain (see History).

Organisation and academic life

It is a large art and design institution, by UK standards, with around 7,000 students, and offers courses in a very wide range of art, design, fashion and architecture subjects. These are at further education, degree and doctorate level.

Notable alumni

Where known, alumni are listed by the component institution at which they studied.

Kent Institute of Art and Design (Comprising the three Kent campuses)

Canterbury College of Art

Maidstone College of Art

Medway College of Design (Rochester)

Surrey Institute of Art and Design

University for the Creative Arts

Rochester

References

External links