Taught postgraduate powerhouse: Northumbria confirmed as one of UK's ten biggest providers

A major study of British higher education has placed Northumbria University in the United Kingdom’s ten biggest providers of taught postgraduate degrees.   

Northumbria’s campuses in Newcastle upon Tyne host the North East’s largest community of students studying for a higher award.

Taught postgraduate numbers exceed those in Durham, Newcastle, Sunderland and Teesside, and Northumbria today sits alongside institutions like University College London, London School of Economics, The University of Manchester and Warwick University with the largest concentrations of students enrolled on taught postgraduate courses.

The report – published jointly by the British Library and the Higher Education Policy Institute – assesses current numbers of postgraduate students, examines profiles and trends, analyses regional disparities and discusses costs and benefits. It will provide vital information in support of the Government's current review of postgraduate education.

The UK’s postgraduate sector has increased by 12% since 2002-03, with the biggest growth area in Masters’ degrees, where numbers have surged by 27%.

The report shows that the top ten institutions for postgraduate taught student numbers are now:

1. Birmingham
2. Leeds
3. Manchester
4. London School of Economics
5. The Open University
6. University College London
7. Nottingham
8. Westminster
9. Warwick
10. NORTHUMBRIA

The Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Northumbria University, Professor Andrew Wathey, said: “This is a substantial piece of research, undertaken by two organisations renowned for the quality of their work, HEPI and the British Library.

“It provides welcome evidence of Northumbria University’s strength in taught postgraduate education, and demonstrates the scale of delivery on our campuses.

“Taught postgraduate provision is a key indicator on several measures - a marker of a University's contribution to professional and executive education, higher level skills, the local and national economy, knowledge transfer and the application of research that makes a difference.   

“Across the breadth of our institution, but especially in professional disciplines such as Law, Business, Design, Architecture, Surveying, Engineering and Health, we have seen sustained growth in the number of Masters and other postgraduate taught students.

“Newcastle Business School at City Campus East is celebrating its twentieth year since foundation, and is today a leading destination for executive education and the provision of higher level skills to business and industry.

“A thriving postgraduate population is vital for our competitiveness and for the future health of our knowledge driven economy both regionally and nationally.

“Northumbria is keeping excellent company amongst the ten biggest providers of taught postgraduate education in the UK.”

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