The University of Bath was established by Royal Charter in 1966. Our campus overlooks the beautiful UNESCO World Heritage City of Bath and offers a welcoming, supportive and inspiring environment for research or study.
The vibrancy of our campus community springs from a culture of high aspiration, enterprise, creativity and diversity. Our research and teaching activities are focussed on our academic strength in Science, Technology, Engineering, Management and the Social Sciences. Within these areas, we have created a virtuous circle of research and teaching excellence and our engaged, agile approach is attuned to the rapidly evolving global agenda.
Our research has practical applications with social and economic benefit and is conducted in a true spirit of international and interdisciplinary cooperation.
We are sector leaders in translating discovery into enhanced practice, policy, design, efficiency and effectiveness.
We are a first choice university for students worldwide. We offer a distinctive blend of academic reputation, outstanding graduate employment record, world-class sports facilities, and a full programme of social, cultural, recreational and personal development opportunities.
Our partnership ethos underpins our research, our placement networks and our graduate/postgraduate employability. The provision of placement opportunities across our discipline base is unique amongst leading UK research universities.
We make a positive contribution to the vigour of our region’s economy, supporting one in every 17 jobs and accounting for around £300 million to Bath and North East Somerset’s GDP. Our Innovation Centre helps to diversify the economic profile of the city by incubating high-yield businesses and coordinating a number of regional networks for advanced technology sectors.
Our mission
Our mission is to deliver world-class research and teaching, educating our students to become future leaders and innovators, and benefiting the wider population through our research, enterprise and influence.
Our vision
Our vision is to be recognised as an international centre of research and teaching excellence, achieving global impact through our alumni, research and strategic partnerships.
Our values
Our values can be seen in our commitment to:
- delivering quality and excellence;
- nurturing high aspirations;
- supporting freedom to challenge received wisdom;
- aspiring to the highest standards of scientific and professional integrity;
- working responsibly and with respect for others;
- fostering equality, diversity, inclusivity and accessibility;
- adopting the best environmental practice.
The University of Bath - A Tour of Buildings and Facilities from University of Bath on Vimeo.
Our future
Over the next five years, we will build on this rich heritage of invention, enterprise and international engagement to:
- extend our research power by recruiting dynamic researchers, nurturing their talent and fuelling their ambition;
- affirm our international influence through worldwide partnerships which offer creative responses to research and educational opportunities;
- become an international leader in graduate education, attracting increasing numbers of postgraduates by enhancing our existing prestige portfolio with innovative and global modes of delivery;
- enrich the postgraduate and undergraduate experience by engaging purposefully with our staff, student, employer, partner and alumni communities;
- expand our capacity and capability by investing in new infrastructure, facilities and technologies. In so doing, we will also enhance the distinctive characteristics of our research and teaching excellence.
Our strategies
Deliver research excellence
Strengthening our research capacity through new academic appointments and capital investment will increase our impact and influence. Expanding our doctoral student population and supporting early-career researchers will enhance the vibrancy of our research culture and create a pipeline of talent. Extending our research collaborations will increase our profile, provide fresh perspectives and create new opportunities.
Engagement regionally, nationally and internationally will ensure that our intellectual resources have optimal impact on economic acceleration and societal innovation.
Deliver teaching excellence
Innovative curriculum design and technology-enhanced learning will maintain the recognised quality of our delivery. Engaging meaningfully with our undergraduates and postgraduates will inform the continual enhancement of our teaching and learning. Engaging with employers and professional bodies will facilitate our responsiveness to the changing skills required in the workplace. Recognising and developing excellence in teaching practice will increase student satisfaction levels and support the career aspirations of those responsible for its delivery. Analysis of the career destinations of graduates and postgraduates will ensure we add value to employment prospects. Investing in digital technologies and new infrastructure will help us meet the high demand for our provision and adopt new pedagogical approaches.
Promote international engagement and partnerships
Deepening our formal partnerships with pre-eminent international universities and policymakers will strengthen our international networks and extend our influence. Increasing mobility and inter-cultural support for established and early career researchers will help to raise their international profile and expand their research networks. Supporting collaborative bilateral and multilateral research opportunities, symposia and colloquia will strengthen our international networks. Extending opportunities for undergraduate and postgraduate mobility will help our students to enhance their employability in the global recruitment market and create the networks of the future.
Attract and support the best students from diverse social and cultural backgrounds
Providing an inclusive environment which anticipates the varied support requirements of our diverse student population will help individual students to achieve their potential. Working with partner schools and colleges to raise the aspirations of talented young people and ensure that they have the prerequisite knowledge and skills to benefit from our provision will help us to achieve our widening participation goals. Enhancing our targeted, and peer, support networks for students from under-represented backgrounds will help us to maintain our outstanding record for student retention and success.
Enhance the student experience in partnership with an engaged student body
Working in partnership with the Students’ Union will ensure that the student's voice informs decision making and all students, undergraduate and postgraduate, receive high-quality welfare, pastoral and academic support. It will also support the delivery of opportunities for personal, professional and academic skills development and engagement with social, recreational and volunteering activities. Enhancing our induction activities will support student transition into University life and graduate transition into postgraduate study. Investing in placement support will strengthen an outstanding and distinctive aspect of our provision.
Develop the capacity of our physical infrastructure and IT to respond to changes in the volume and nature of our activities
Working closely with a range of local authorities and local enterprise partnerships, we will seek to develop our physical infrastructure to support the growth of our research power and meet demand from prospective undergraduates and postgraduates. Adopting new digital technologies and increasing the resilience of our IT infrastructure will respond to the fundamental importance of IT to all aspects of our activities, as well as supporting the expansion of our online and blended learning delivery.
Develop the capability of our people to deliver our objectives and to respond flexibly to changing needs
Recruiting the best people and supporting them to realise their full potential will help us to deliver excellence. Investing in our leadership and management capacity will help us to support colleagues to respond flexibly to the changing needs of our students and other stakeholders.
Deliver the financial capacity to resource excellence in research and education
Delivering financial surpluses will enable us to invest in our future, strengthening our research capability, extending our international influence, growing our postgraduate population and maintaining the quality of the student experience. Selective investment and resource allocation will optimise the impact of our activities. Achieving our £66 million 50th Anniversary fundraising target will enable us to accelerate the delivery of investment in research power and new facilities to enhance the student experience.
Our attributes
The attributes that our community prizes are:
| The determination to excel: | ambitious in our goals for future excellence and success, and united in our drive to achieve greater international prominence and higher standards. |
| An international perspective: | attracting the best intellectual talent from around the world, placing research and teaching in an international context and forming strategic relationships with leading international partners. |
| An enterprising mindset: | encouraging creativity and entrepreneurship across the community, researching new ways to meet global challenges, developing problem-solving and enterprise skills, and introducing innovative business processes. |
| A collaborative approach: | pursuing our academic objectives in partnership with business, the professions, the public sector, charities and other partners, nationally and internationally. |
| A supportive culture: | creating a welcoming, inclusive community that values the individual and supports the realization of their potential. |