The
University of London
The University of London is one of the oldest, largest and
most diverse universities in the UK. It is one of the world’s
leading academic institutions, recognized internationally
as a centre of excellence. The University is a federation
of 20 world-class Colleges and a number of acclaimed Institutes.
Its alumni and academic staff shape the world that they
inhabit. They include over 55 Nobel prize winners and over
35 past or present Heads of State.
The
following are a few of the University of London federal
Colleges which you may have heard of:
-
London School of Economics and Political Science – LSE
-
London Business School
-
University College London
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Royal Holloway
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London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
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School of Oriental & African Studies – SOAS
-
Royal Academy of Music
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Kings College London
All
of the federal Colleges and Institutes differ considerably
in size, age and tradition and in the courses of study they
offer, but all Award University of London degrees. Collectively
they ensure the standards of those degrees, and are research-based
higher education institutions committed to undergraduate
and/or postgraduate teaching of the highest quality in a
research environment. The range and breadth of activity
within the University provides it with a unique character
and high level of distinction.
The University has a total student population of 100,000
plus an additional 34,000 on the External Programme. Students
who study at a College or Institute belong both to that
College or Institute and to the University. Students enrolled
on the External Programme are students of the University
of London.
Brief History
The University
has its origins in the 1820s and 1830s with the creation
of University College and King’s College. It received a
Royal Charter in 1836, at which time the only other English
universities in existence - Oxford and Cambridge - had limited
entrance. Historically, the University of London has an
unrivalled record in setting precedents - in awarding degrees
without religious tests, in promoting teaching and research
in laboratory science, engineering and modern languages,
in admitting women to degrees and in appointing women professors.
Study Options
Virtually
every subject covered in any university curriculum can be
studied at the University of London. These subjects can
be studied at various levels and lead to the award of undergraduate
or postgraduate degrees, or to diplomas or certificates.
There is also the opportunity to study specific short courses
or units from degree programmes for individual or career
development. Most courses are offered on a full-time basis,
but there are also many opportunities to study part-time
for a degree, diploma or certificate, or to study at home
from any geographical location by distance learning.
The University
has of course expanded and changed over the last 186 years,
but it has always maintained the principles of its founders:
to provide an institution open to all, irrespective of
race, creed or political belief.
-
The University
of London is recognised nationally and internationally
as a centre of academic excellence.
-
In all
parts of the world, graduates of the University have
gone on to occupy influential positions in government,
the professions, business and industry.
-
The University
offers a wide variety of undergraduate and postgraduate
qualifications.
-
For a
range of degrees, the University offers you a choice
of where and how you study:
either you may apply to come to London to study
at one of the Colleges and benefit from the contact
with staff and other students
or, if your personal circumstances are such that
you must stay at home, you may apply to register with
the External Programme and study at a distance.
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