The University’s past is rooted in the great Industrial Revolution of the 19th century which changed the world. The original University of Salford, then called the Salford Technical Institute, was founded in 1896 to meet the demands of the thriving industries in the region at that time. In 1921 the Institute was renamed the Royal Technical College, later splitting into two separate organisations which became the University of Salford in 1967, and the University College Salford in 1992 respectively.
The two universities finally merged into a single institution in 1996 – exactly 100 years after the formation of the original Royal Technical Institute.
The University is located just 1.5 miles from Manchester city centre, set predominantly on one large campus in 60 acres of parkland with the River Irwell running through it. Our new state-of-the-art facility, focused on media and digital teaching and learning, is based at MediaCityUK which is located 2 miles from the campus and 4 miles from Manchester city centre. A free bus service runs between the University and MediaCityUK; another free service runs between the main campus, car parks and accommodation. Salford Crescent railway station is on our doorstep, offering frequent direct trains to Manchester and Manchester Airport with excellent links to destinations across the UK. There are also frequent bus services into Manchester.
Entry requirements are between 220 and 320 UCAS tariff points for degree entry; slightly lower for foundation degrees. Full details of the entry requirements for individual courses can be found in the University prospectus and on the website Salford is committed to widening access to higher education for all parts of the community and is proud to be in the top 10 HE institutions for widening participation for all applicants. For those without formal qualifications, we offer an assessment service to assess individual potential to succeed at university: support is provided pre-test to ensure candidates are appropriately prepared. Achieving employability is an important part of the student experience. We have a long–established track record of successful relations with business and industry, leading to work placements for our students with a raft of partners from major companies to local businesses.
Close collaboration with business and industry is at the heart of our course development, to ensure your learning is relevant to the real world. Many of our tutors are industry consultants and practitioners – for example, our Trauma and Orthopedics course is delivered by practicing orthopedic consultants, radiologists, sports physicians and specialist physiotherapists.
High profile visiting lecturers provide an insight in to potential career pathways, and you'll have the opportunity to learn from successful practitioners in your subject area, such as former Smiths guitarist, Johnny Marr, and David Threlfall, who plays Frank Gallagher in Shameless.
Our courses are accredited by external professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists, the British Psychological Society, the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Many of our courses are accredited by a professional body – when you graduate, you’ll receive a recognised qualification and membership of the professional organisation in your chosen field. Accrediting bodies include RICS, CIM, NUJ, AMBA, CIPS, EPAS, CIPD, IME, CIOB and the Nursing and Midwifery Council. The University of Salford is the north west’s largest provider of health and social care education and training with state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities including an on-site podiatry clinic, human performance laboratory and a digital imaging suite.
We are the only university with a campus at MediaCityUK – the centre of the media, digital and creative industry in the UK. Our neighbours there include the BBC and ITV. We have one of the UK's most eminent schools for the built environment, and the UK's largest research institute in this sector. We consistently achieve top scores in research league tables, putting us at the forefront of teaching and research in one of the largest industries in the UK. This offers excellent employment prospects for our students.
Our School of Arts and Media is one of the largest of its kind in the country with lecturers who are experienced professionals, practitioners and researchers, many of whom are active in the fields in which they teach, providing contemporary and practical teaching.
Science and engineering is a traditional strength of the University, with particular highlights including acoustics and aeronautical engineering.
We provide a dedicated website, where students can find information on every aspect of their university life, plus help and support on a wide range of student issues, including finances, visas, wellbeing and disability. Extensive library facilities and resources are located across the wi-fi enabled campus, including a state-of-the-art facility at MediaCityUK, with more than 600,000 printed books, 400,000 e-books and 35,000 e-journals. Our cutting-edge resource discovery tool allows access to all our academic resources from a single online search programme. The Library has a subject-specialist member of staff for each School, providing training and helping our students to make the most of thigh-quality resources available. More than 800 open access student PCs and printing facilities are provided across the campus, with an easy-to-use online system located on the student pages of our website that reveals where available PCs are located; 240 laptops are also available for loan within libraries.
We offer 24-hour access to our largest library all year round; all libraries offer both silent areas and spaces for working with others. The main library has received the Customer Service Excellence Award for its high standards of service.