About the University

History

The University was founded in 1832, and developed in Durham and Newcastle until 1963, when the independent University of Newcastle upon Tyne came into being. The University is collegiate and is located in the city of Durham and the nearby town of Stockton-on-Tees. The colleges are not teaching bodies, nor are they purely residential - typically they provide a centre for students' sporting, social and residential activities.

The University's Queen's Campus, Stockton opened in 1992. Over 2,000 full-time students are now studying in purpose-built accommodation 23 miles south of Durham, on the banks of the River Tees.

Facts and Figures

  • We have over 15,000 students (of whom 3,500 are postgraduates and 1,900 international students from over 120 countries)
  • An annual turnover of £160 million
  • Over 3,000 staff
  • The University is organised into three academic faculties: with 25 departments or schools
  • Durham students are heavily involved in voluntary activities in the community. The number of projects has grown significantly from 23 to 77 in the last 8 years and there are currently 730 students across both campuses involved as volunteers working on community projects.

Achievements and Recognition

Durham consistently ranks amongst the top universities in the world. This page outlines some of the recent achievements and accolades confirming Durham's position as a leading teaching and research institution.

  • Secured the title University of the Year in the Sunday Times 2005/06 guide to UK universities.
  • The leading Northern University, and placed 5th amongst the UKs full subject Universities, in the Times Good University Guide 2007/08. English was ranked as the top department in the country, with Chemistry, Engineering, Geography, History, Music and Physics also in the top five.
  • In the Good University Guide 2007/08, sponsored by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, many departments were amongst the top 5 in the country, including English (ranked first in the country), Archaeology, Chemistry, Classics and Ancient History, Engineering, Geography, Middle Eastern Studies, History, Mathematics, French, Music, Philosophy, Physics and Theology & Religion
  • The leading University in the UK for the number of citations per paper in the sciences - 2005/06 THES World University rankings - highlighting the international impact of science research at Durham University.
  • 95.1% of Durham students successfully complete their degree - the tenth highest completion rate in the UK.
  • The Careers Advisory Service has recently gained Matrix Re-Accreditation - the national quality standard for any organisation that delivers information, advice and guidance on learning and work.
  • Achieved a 4.2 rating for overall statisfaction (out of a possible 5) in the 2006 National Student Survey - putting Durham University in fifth place among English universities offering a full complement of subjects. The excellent pastoral support on offer at Durham University was recently highlighted in the THES.
  • Rated 11th in the most recent national research assessment across all subjects (20 out of 33 departments - accounting for 85% of staff - awarded grades 5 and 5*).
  • One of five universities nominated for the Outstanding Student Financial Support Package at the 2006 Times Higher Awards - recognising Durham's strong commitment to widening access.
  • Finished 6th in the 2007 BUSA championship - confirming Durham as a centre of sporting excellence.
  • Event Durham, the University's conference and tourism arm, was awarded silver in the North East Tourism Awards, both for Outstanding Customer Service and for Business Tourism, highlighting Durham University's commitment to the region.

Mission & Strategy

Purpose

Creating the future through internationally recognised research, scholarship and learning within a distinctive collegiate environment.

Values

In fulfilling its purpose, Durham University holds the following values:

  • We are committed to remaining a research-led institution, valuing knowledge and learning for their own sake as well as for the cultural, social and economic benefits they offer;
  • We are committed to the communication of knowledge and learning, through an environment in which leading academic staff teach and engage in dissemination of knowledge to a broader community;
  • We believe in creating an environment in which academic excellence can be combined with opportunities for personal development, so enabling individuals to create their own futures;
  • We are committed to remaining at the heart of and contributing to improvements in the quality of life of the people in the North East of England;
  • We seek to recruit and develop staff and students of the highest quality, recognizing that people are our primary resource;
  • We respect the academic freedom of all staff and students that they might confidently engage in leading-edge and innovative knowledge creation and debate;
  • We are committed to promoting diversity and equality of opportunity for all staff and students;
  • We will ensure that our activities are carried out ethically and to the highest standards.

Vision

We will be internationally recognised as a world class research university. We will build the research strength necessary to become world leaders in selected subject areas. We will work to enhance the distinctive student experience we offer to all our students, while diversifying our student body. We will enhance our international profile, while remaining mindful of our important contribution to the North East region. We will achieve this in a sustainable manner which secures our future development.

By 2010 we will have secured Durham's place in the top ten UK universities, be recognized as being among the top thirty universities in Europe, and the top one hundred in the world.

In pursuing this vision, we will focus on achieving the following aims:

Aims

  • To produce research of international excellence in all our subjects while building the strengths necessary to be recognised as world leaders in selected areas.
  • To provide an internationally distinctive learning experience that combines academic excellence with the personal development that comes from college life.
  • To further internationalise our staff and student communities, and enhance and promote our reputation internationally.
  • To enhance our contribution to the economic, social, cultural and educational life of the North East region through our position as an international research institution.
  • To continue to be a sustainable institution, both as a well managed and governed organisation, and through our internationally excellent scholarship.

Our strategic priorities to 2010, which flow from these aims, are set out below. Underlying the strategy is a commitment to maintaining the high standards which we already demonstrate in many areas of activity, for example in our student experience, as demonstrated by our excellent completion rates. What follows is a deliberately selective list which highlights the key developments we intend to make over the next five years.

Priorities to 2010

  1. To achieve quality profiles which demonstrate significant international research excellence in all academic subject areas in RAE 2008.
  2. To support and develop a number of research groupings recognised as world leading using, where appropriate, structures such as research institutes.
  3. To continue to recruit, develop and retain staff of the highest quality.
  4. To invest in our academic base by diversifying our sources of income and reducing our reliance on public funding.
  5. To increase both the number and proportion of international students.
  6. To increase both the number and proportion of postgraduate research students.
  7. To develop and implement a sustainable infrastructure development programme across the University, including taking advantage of the development opportunity on the North Shore at Queen's Campus.

Download the full University Strategy document in PDF format (1MB).