Swansea Metropolitan University came into being in 2008 following Swansea Institute's bid to become a university, putting Swansea on a par with the big league university cities and towns of London, Manchester and Leeds who also have metropolitan universities.
Townhill Campus
Swansea Metropolitan University inherits a long tradition of educational excellence with a history that spans 155 years. It started life as three specialist educational centres: Swansea School of Art, Swansea School of Education and Swansea College of Technology, which were all founded in the 1800s. In fact, the Welsh School of Architectural Glass, the only pure architecurally-based glass course in the world, celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2010. Many of today's best known practictioners learnt their design and craft skills in Swansea.
Following a process of evolution, each of the former colleges are now represented within the four faculties that make up Swansea Metropolitan University: Faculty of Humanities (including education), Faculty of Business and Management, Faculty of Applied Design & Engineering and the Faculty of Art and Design.
Student Population:
Swansea Metropolitan University employs approximately 500 members of staff and has close to 7,000 students, of whom just over half come from the Swansea Bay area. International students come from countries ranging from virtually every European country and extending to China, India, Bangladesh, Middle East, Africa, USA, South America and Canada plus others too numerous to mention.
Courses and Campuses:
Dynevor Campus
Swansea Metropolitan University offers a wide range of innovative HND, degree and postgraduate programmes at each of its four main sites, which are:
- Mount Pleasant, near the city centre, is the largest of the sites in terms of student numbers and it is where students are taught Business, Leisure & Tourism, Computing & IT, Digital Media, Industrial Design and Engineering.
- Townhill, overlooks the city and enjoys breathtaking views of Swansea Bay and neighbouring Mumbles and it is here that students are taught Education, English, Performing Arts, Counselling, Psychology, Sociology and Health.
- Dynevor Centre for Art Design and Media, situated in the heart of the city, is home to the Faculty of Art & Design.
- Alexandra Road, only 100 metres along from Dynevor, students study Stained Glass, Foundation Art & Design and Music Technology.
Student Views:
A student hard at work in the school
"After carrying out research on the internet Swansea Metropolitan University was one of only a few universities that offered the course I was looking for. I was particularly impressed as all the lecturers have practical experience of working in the automotive industry and the facilities available were excellent, so I applied for a place. This was my first time away from India and I have found Swansea to be a friendly place, it is much quieter than Ahmedabad as it is less populated. It is a very good base from which to explore the UK".
Nisarg Bhatt (BEng Automotive Engineering)
"I chose to study here as the university is a nice size and very friendly compared to other big universities. Class sizes are small so there is a lot of contact with lecturers who are all very approachable. As a city Swansea has everything you need, it is a great location for living and learning. The location is very good for sightseeing and getting to know the area. Also the cost of living here is very reasonable".
Li Jing (Judy) (Studying for an MBA)
Did you know....?
- The world's only purely architecturally based glass department is based at Swansea Met's Alexandra Road campus.
- The Welsh School of Architectural Glass celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2010.
- Swansea Metropolitan University's SAND (Swansea Animation Days) 2008 attracted leaders from major companies in the world of animation and digital media, such as Pixar and Dreamworks.
- Swansea Metropolitan gained Fairtrade status in 2008 and was also short-listed in the Contractors Public Agency category at the Sustainable Swansea Awards.
- Swansea's Volcano Theatre Company, located at the Townhill campus, has been performing for over twenty years and works with the Met's performing arts department.
- Estate management statistics for 2007/2008 indicated that Swansea Met is the best UK university for energy use per square metre and was commended for its energy-saving efforts at the national Green Gown Awards 2008.
- Despite being an institution that focuses on teaching, the 2008 RAE (Research Assessment Exercise) results indicated that 60% of the research work carried out at Swansea Metropolitan is of ‘international significance’, and in some cases ‘world leading’. Research strengths include art and design, engineering and education.
