Whatever your time with us has in store for you, it’ll be an exciting journey – from meeting lifelong friends in halls, to your experience on placement, exploring the local area or joining a club or society. Find out more about what life at BU has to offer.
- #251 Ranking
- 106 Bachelors
- 783 Academic Staff
- 13,788 Students
- 2,620 Students (int'l)
- 7,446 Students (female)
- Public Institution Type
Top reasons to study here
- The vision is to be recognised worldwide as a leading university for inspiring learning, advancing knowledge and enriching society through education.
- The research shapes and changes the world around us, providing solutions to real-world problems and informing the education we deliver.
- Bournemouth University works closely with employers, practitioners and professional organisations.
Bachelor's programmes
Business & Management (27)
Social Sciences (25)
- B.Sc. Anthropology (Hons)
- B.Sc. Archaeology (Hons)
- B.A. Archaeology (Hons)
- B.A. Criminology (Hons)
- B.A. Social Work (Hons)
- B.A. Sociology (Hons)
Arts, Design & Architecture (16)
- B.Sc. Product Design (Hons)
Medicine & Health (16)
- B.Sc. Paramedic Science (Hons)
- B.Sc. Physiotherapy (Hons)
- Grad Dip/ Grad / BSc Professional Practice (Hons)
- B.Sc. Sports Therapy (Hons)
Computer Science & IT (15)
- B.Sc. Computer Science (Hons)
Hospitality, Leisure & Sports (12)
- B.Sc. Physiotherapy (Hons)
- B.Sc. Sports Therapy (Hons)
Applied Sciences & Professions (8)
- B.A. Social Work (Hons)
Journalism & Media (8)
Engineering & Technology (7)
Law (6)
- B.A. Criminology (Hons)
Natural Sciences & Mathematics (6)
Humanities (4)
Environmental Studies & Earth Sciences (3)
Agriculture & Forestry (2)
Education & Training (2)
Pre-Bachelor's programmes
Medicine & Health (1)
- Pre-Bachelor Health and Nutrition
About
History
The origins can be traced to the early 20th century, with the foundation of Bournemouth Municipal College. The modern history began in the early 1970s with the creation of the Bournemouth College of Technology and the construction of new buildings on the largest farm in Talbot Village – the area now known as the Talbot Campus.
Education
Your university experience should offer both a great course and a great environment. That’s our focus at BU – from undergraduate degrees to PhDs, we value you and your contribution, and provide an environment to help you realise your ambitions and make a difference. Explore our study options to find out more.
Research
The research shapes and changes the world around us, providing solutions to real-world problems and informing the education we deliver. The students are a key part of the research we conduct, co-creating knowledge with us and playing a crucial role in everything that we do.
Career
All our undergraduate degrees and many of our postgraduate degrees offer the opportunity to undertake a work placement as part of your studies.
From our experienced and friendly Careers team and faculty placement staff, to our careers portal, MyCareerHub, and the Global Talent Programme, we can help equip you with the skills and experience you’ll need to make your mark.
Each year, we run 'Your Career Week', a week-long event offering networking and skill development opportunities, workshops and a two-day Careers Fair, attracting a wealth of companies and organisations.
Global Student Satisfaction Awards 2021
GSSA 2021
The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2021. Universities with a score above 4.0 (out of 5) in any of the 8 award categories, receive Badges of Excellence. Congratulations!
University Ranking
World University Rankings by Times Higher Education
2023
251 100
2022
351 50
2021
401
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
QS World University Rankings by TopUniversities
2023
801 -50
2022
751
2021
751
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report
2023
884 32
2022
916 -12
2021
904
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University
2022
801
2021
801
2020
-
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
Services
Student services
As a new student you’ll know just how much of a big deal coming to university is, especially if this is the first time you've moved away from home. It's such an exciting time in your life, and our Student Support & Engagement Team are here to help you make the most of your time here.
Bournemouth University understands the pressures that moving to a new place and meeting new people can bring - as well as how tricky it can be learning how to balance your social life and workload, not to mention managing your own finances and study - Bournemouth also know that it’s not unusual for new students to have trouble coping with it all.
Housing services
We want to support you to come to university, regardless of any specific needs you may have. As a result, we have a number of accessible flats and houses that are available for you during your time at BU. We also work with DisabledGo to provide detailed information about the specific access arrangements in all of our buildings and facilities.
We have a very limited amount of accommodation specifically for families and couples, which is made available on a first-come, first-served basis. As these properties are available for longer lets - up to three full years, or the entire length of a student’s course - they are not always available at the beginning of each academic year.
Library services
The Sir Michael Cobham Library is at the heart of our Talbot Campus and is where you will find our largest collection of printed resources. Our Weston Library is on our Lansdowne Campus and is home to the printed resources for nursing, midwifery and health studies, and psychology, social sciences and social policy, as well as business and management book collections for postgraduate level.
ICT services
BU students have access to a wide range of IT facilities, tools, services and support. This page should give you all the information you need to get started and to make the most of them. You can contact our IT Service Desk 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by phone or online via the IT Service Portal.
Medical services
To help your wellbeing be the best that it can be, we offer a dedicated Student Wellbeing service, which is run in partnership with University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust. In addition to our Student Wellbeing service, as a BU student you’ll also have access to our Medical Centre, Faith & Reflection service and SportBU.
Student Life
Campus life
Bournemouth University benefits from a wonderful location, situated between one of the UK’s newest national parks, officially the best beach in Britain and the second largest natural harbour in the world, with the World Heritage Jurassic Coast located nearby. Good transport links means that London is only two hours away.
With all this activity comes a responsibility to the environment and we are delighted to hold the EcoCampus platinum award for our work in making the university sustainable. From bee hives to solar panels, free or subsidised bus journeys for staff and students and a raft of other initiatives, we continually seek to increase our sustainable impact.
Sports facilities
Social sport, the biggest strand within Campus Sport from BU, are drop-in sessions to turn up and play! It doesn’t matter if you’ve never played the sport before, come along and give it a go! On offer this term, we have basketball, badminton, trampolining, football, futsal, netball & a group run. If you’d prefer something more structured, the courses are for you.
Student clubs
The clubs and societies, run via the Students’ Union (SUBU), are based entirely on the students’ passions – so whatever you’re into, BU should have it covered. These range from sports to charities, baking to gaming, education to politics or even the Bournemouth Banchees Quidditch Society (yes, it really does exist).
Accreditation
The Business School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), placing Bournemouth University firmly amongst the top institutions globally for business degrees.
Student Reviews
My Year at Bournemouth
Anonymous rated 4 out of 5 stars
It was good once the lock down was lifted but they also kept us engaged during the online sessions and that helped our mental health too
Good
Anonymous rated 4 out of 5 stars
Studying in Bournemouth University is a good option of my life. The modules taught in the course are good and i learnt a lot of things including working in a team, working in different projects.
Bournemouth university
Anonymous rated 5 out of 5 stars
I am improving my practice and learning more about film structure
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