{{Short description, Type of higher education institute in 20th and 21st century Scotland A central institution (CI) was a type of higher education institute in 20th and 21st-century

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, responsible for providing degree-level education but emphasising

teaching Teaching is the practice implemented by a ''teacher'' aimed at transmitting skills (knowledge, know-how, and interpersonal skills) to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the of an educational institution. Teaching is closely related ...

rather than

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

. Some had a range of courses similar to polytechnics elsewhere in the United Kingdom while others were more specialised such as the art colleges and the

conservatoire A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger in ...

. Some subjects were not taught at CIs; for example, teacher training was only carried out by colleges of education, which later merged with universities. Amongst the most common names for individual CIs were ''college of agriculture'', ''college of art'', and ''

institute of technology An institute of technology (also referred to as technological university, technical university, university of technology, polytechnic university) is an institution of tertiary education that specializes in engineering, technology, applied science ...

''. Of the five colleges of technology, Napier and Glasgow eventually changed their names to include the word ''polytechnic'', Paisley took the name Paisley College, while Dundee and Robert Gordon became institutes of technology. Another CI, Leith Nautical College, Edinburgh, closed in 1987 by merger into the further education sector.

Academic degree An academic degree is a qualification awarded to a student upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions often offer degrees at various levels, usually divided into und ...

s were validated by the

Council for National Academic Awards The Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) was the national degree-awarding authority in the United Kingdom from 1965 until its dissolution on 20 April 1993. Background The establishment followed the recommendation of the UK government Com ...

until 1992. Like ''polytechnic'', the term ''central institution'' is now rarely used since most of these institutions entered the university sector in 1992 when the

Further and Higher Education Act 1992 The Further and Higher Education Act 1992 made changes in the funding and administration of further education and higher education within England and Wales, with consequential effects on associated matters in Scotland which had previously been g ...

came into effect. Those are referred to as ''

post-1992 universities In the United Kingdom (UK), a post-1992 university, synonymous with new university or modern university, is a former polytechnic or central institution that was given university status through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, or an in ...

''.

List

The number of central institutions varied, but in 1988 the list included the following, several of which now have university status. * Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee (now part of the

University of Dundee The University of Dundee is a public research university based in Dundee, Scotland. It was founded as a university college in 1881 with a donation from the prominent Baxter family of textile manufacturers. The institution was, for most of its ...

) * Dundee Institute of Technology, Dundee (now

Abertay University Abertay University () is a public university in the city of Dundee, Scotland. In 1872, Sir David Baxter, 1st Baronet of Kilmaron, left a bequest for the establishment of a mechanics' institute in Dundee and the Dundee Institute of Technology w ...

) * East of Scotland College of Agriculture, Edinburgh (now part of the Scottish Agricultural College) *

Edinburgh College of Art Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...

, Edinburgh (now part of the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

) * Glasgow College of Technology, Glasgow (later Glasgow Polytechnic, now part of

Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow Caledonian University, informally GCU, Caledonian or Caley (), is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow (founded in 1875) and Glasgow Polytechnic (originally Glasg ...

) * The

Glasgow School of Art The Glasgow School of Art (GSA; ) is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards (both taught and research-led), and PhDs in architecture, fine art, and design. These are all awa ...

, Glasgow * Napier Polytechnic, of Edinburgh (now

Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh Napier University () is a public university in Edinburgh, Scotland. Napier Technical College, the predecessor of the university, was founded in 1964, taking its name from 16th-century Scottish mathematician and philosopher John Napie ...

). * North of Scotland College of Agriculture, Aberdeen (now part of the Scottish Agricultural College) * Paisley College of Technology, Paisley (now

University of the West of Scotland The University of the West of Scotland (), formerly the University of Paisley, is a public university with four campuses in south-western Scotland, in the towns of Paisley, Blantyre, Dumfries and Ayr, as well as a campus in London, England. T ...

) * Queen Margaret University College, formerly Queen Margaret College, Edinburgh (now Queen Margaret University) * The Queen's College, Glasgow (now part of

) * Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology, Aberdeen (now

The Robert Gordon University Robert Gordon University, commonly called RGU (), is a public university in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. It became a university in 1992, and originated from an educational institution founded in the 18th century by Robert Gordon (philanthrop ...

) * The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow * Scottish College of Textiles, Galashiels (now part of

Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University () is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and was subsequently granted university status by roya ...

, Edinburgh) * The West of Scotland College,

Auchincruive Auchincruive is a former country house and estate in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located east of Ayr, on the north bank of the River Ayr. Auchincruive House was built in the 18th century on the site of an earlier mansion. In 1927, the estat ...

(now part of the Scottish Agricultural College)

Sources

The Central Institutions (Recognition) (Scotland) Regulations 1988

List

Sources

See also