The University of Hertfordshire (UH) is a

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, United Kingdom. The university is based largely in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Its antecedent institution, Hatfield Technical College, was founded in 1948 and was identified as one of 25 Colleges of Technology in the United Kingdom in 1959. In 1992, Hatfield Polytechnic was granted university status by the British government and subsequently renamed University of Hertfordshire. It is one of the

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 ...

. Hertfordshire is mainly based at two campuses – College Lane and

de Havilland The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited (pronounced , ) was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of North London. Operations were later moved to ...

. The university has 9 schools: Hertfordshire Business School, Computer Science, Creative Arts, Education, Health and Social Work, Humanities (which oversees its computer-assisted training system, or CATS programme), Hertfordshire Law School, Life and Medical Sciences, Physics, Engineering and Computer Science and Hertfordshire Higher Education Consortium. As of 2022, it has around 32,000 students, including more than 13,000 international students that together represent 100 countries, making the university host the highest proportion of international students (outside of London) in England. The university is one of Hertfordshire's largest employers with over 3,400 staff, 2,045 of whom are academic members of staff. The annual income of the institution for 2021–22 was £317.5 million of which £9 million was from research grants and contracts, with an expenditure of £305.3 million. Hertfordshire is a member of University Alliance,

Universities UK Universities UK (UUK) is an advocacy organisation for universities in the United Kingdom. It began life in the early 20th century through informal meetings of vice-chancellors of a number of universities and principals of university colleges and ...

and

European University Association The European University Association (EUA) represents more than 800 institutions of higher education in 48 countries, providing them with a forum for cooperation and the exchange of information on higher education and research policies. Members of ...

History

Origins

The original campus for the university was at Roe Green in Hatfield, where it was founded as a

technical college 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 ...

with a particular focus on training

aerospace engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

s for the aerospace industry that was then prevalent in Hatfield. The Gape family of St Michael's Manor in

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

owned the land at Roe Green from the late 17th century. In the 1920s they sold it to Hill, a farmer, who then sold it to Alan Butler, chairman of the de Havilland Aircraft Company who lived at Beech Farm nearby. In 1944 he donated of land at Roe Green to be used for educational purposes. In 1948 building commenced. The first principal W.A.J Chapman started on 1 January 1949, and in spring 1952 the 33 full-time and 66 part-time teachers were appointed. Hatfield Technical College opened with 1,738 students in September 1952, and in December it was formally opened by

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

. It was the first large technical college to be established in England after the war. Students attended the college on part-time or full-time courses. Hatfield uni1

In 1958 it was renamed Hatfield College of Technology, and by 1960 it offered four-year sandwich diplomas in technology. In 1961 it was designated a regional college in England and Wales by the Ministry of Education. The governors purchased a digital computer at a cost of £29,201 in 1962 so that a

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

degree could be established. The Council for National Academic Awards was formed in 1965 and Hatfield College was recognised for 13

honours degree Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, ...

courses. Sir Norman Lindop became the Principal of the College of Technology in 1966. A year later L.E. Haines was made Chair of Governors, but he died shortly afterwards and was replaced by F. Bramston Austin. A year later, Bayfordbury was acquired for the college.

20th century

In 1969 Hatfield College of Technology became Hatfield Polytechnic, offering

courses in engineering and technology. In 1970 an

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Th ...

was built on the Bayfordbury Campus. Wall Hall and Balls Park Teacher Training Colleges merged in 1976 to become Hertfordshire College of Higher Education. In the same year Hatfield Polytechnic took over Balls Park. By 1977 more than ten per cent of the 4000 students came from more than forty different countries. The Students' Union Social Centre opened in 1977. In 1982 John Illston succeeded Sir Norman Lindop as the director. A sports hall was built on the Hatfield Campus in 1984 and the number of students in that year was more than 5000. The number of staff, in the same year, had increased to 824. Neil Buxton became its director in 1987. The following year, Sir Ron Dearing and Buxton signed an agreement that gave the polytechnic accreditation from the Council for National Academic Awards. Hatfield was one of only 21 polytechnics, colleges and Scottish Central institutions to be accredited at the time. Hatfield was also, in that year, one of eight polytechnics accredited for research degrees. In 1989 it was given corporate status. After

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British retired politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. Following his defeat to Ton ...

announced in 1991 that polytechnics were to be abolished, Hatfield Polytechnic announced its intention to apply for university status. In 1992 it became the University of Hertfordshire and Sir Brian Corby became the first Chancellor. It was the first university to run a bus company by making Uno bus public. The Hertfordshire College of Health Care and Nursing Studies and the Barnet College of Nursing and Midwifery merged with the university in 1993. In 1992, Hatfield Polytechnic was granted university status by the British government and subsequently renamed University of Hertfordshire. Its antecedent institution, Hatfield Technical College, was founded in 1948 and was identified as one of 25 Colleges of Technology in the United Kingdom in 1959. In 1994 the

St Albans Cathedral St Albans Cathedral, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban, also known as "the Abbey", is a Church of England cathedral in St Albans, England. Much of its architecture dates from Normans, Norman times. It ceased to be an abb ...

was chosen to hold the university's graduation ceremonies. The same year saw the first publication of league tables and Hertfordshire was named as the top new university. In 1995 its law school moved to St Albans. Sir Ian MacLaurin was appointed chancellor in 1996 and in 1997 the Learning Resource Centre opened.

21st century

In 2000,

Olivia de Havilland Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British and American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her tim ...

, cousin of

Geoffrey de Havilland Captain (British Army and Royal Marines), Captain Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, (27 July 1882 – 21 May 1965) was an English aviation pioneer and aerospace engineer. De Havilland, The aircraft company he founded produced the de Havilland Mosquit ...

, visited the university to mark the inauguration of a project to build a new campus named after her cousin. The university's 50th anniversary was celebrated in 2002, by which time it had 21,695 students. In 2003 Tim Wilson succeeded Neil Buxton as vice-chancellor and the de Havilland campus opened. Hertfordshire Sports Village also opened in 2003.Brave Herts
''The Guardian'', 23 September 2003 In 2005 the university launched the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Postgraduate Medical School and School of Pharmacy to enhance medical education, training and research in the region. In 2006 the university opened its School of Film, Music and Media. The university opened the MacLaurin building in 2007, named in honour of its former chancellor Lord MacLaurin followed by a new law building in 2011. During this period, Hertfordshire became a lead academic sponsor of Elstree University Technical College, a

university technical college A university technical college (UTC) is a type of secondary school in England that is sponsored by a Universities in the United Kingdom, university and has close ties to local business and industry. University technical colleges specialise in su ...

which opened in September 2013. Hertfordshire is also the academic sponsor of Watford University Technical College University of Hertfordshire building 1

In 2010, Tim Wilson announced his intention to retire as vice-chancellor after more than 19 years at the university. In 2011, Quintin McKellar replaced Tim Wilson as vice-chancellor of the university. Also on the same year, the Hatfield Beacon was restored and repositioned at the new Law School site. In the following year, the Kaspar project received a £180,000 donation from an international grant making foundation, which was used to further the university's research into the use of robotics to support the social development of children with

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

. In 2015, Hertfordshire adopted a policy of naming its buildings after people or organisations with a significant local or regional impact. These include Kate Bellingham, British engineer and television presenter and Alistair Spalding, chief executive and artistic director of Sadler's Wells Theatre. All of the halls are named after influential alumni who the university feels represent the attributes of Hertfordshire graduates. In these two cases, the halls were named in recognition of Bellingham and Spalding's attributes of intellectual depth and adaptability and professionalism, employability and enterprise. In the same year, the University of Hertfordshire was announced as one of the first recipients of the Race Equality Charter which is an initiative that recognises excellence in advancing racial equality in higher education. The charter was launched by the Equality Challenge Unit at the start of the 2015 academic year. In 2020, the University of Hertfordshire Observatory celebrated its 50th anniversary, and revealed an eight-year-long exposure photograph, breaking the record of longest exposure. The artist, Regina Valkenborgh, was a Master's student in August 2012, when she set the pinhole camera attached to one of the telescope domes in the Observatory. The camera was then forgotten, and rediscovered in September 2020 by the Observatory's Principal Technical officer. The photograph registered the path of the sun over the sky during the 2,953 days it was exposed to it.

Organisation and administration

The University of Hertfordshire was established as an independent Higher Education Corporation in 1989 under the terms of the Education Reform Act (1989). The institution is an

exempt charity An exempt charity is an institution established in England and Wales for charitable purposes which is exempt from registration with, and oversight by, the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Exempt charities are largely institutions of furt ...

. The

board of governors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...

has responsibility for running the university, while the academic board is responsible for academic quality and standards, academic policies, research and scholarship. The

vice-chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

oversees its day-to-day running. The current

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

is Robert Gascoyne-Cecil and the current vice-chancellor is Quintin McKellar. The following people have been vice-chancellors of the university. * Neil Buxton (1987-2003) * Tim Wilson (2003–2010) * Quintin McKellar (2011–present) The university runs on a three-term calendar in which the

academic year An academic year, or school year, is a period that schools, colleges and university, universities use to measure the duration of studies for a given educational level. Academic years are often divided into academic terms. Students attend classe ...

is divided into three terms: Autumn (September–December), Spring (January–April), and Summer(April–May). Full-time undergraduate students take three to four courses every year for approximately eleven weeks before their quarterly academic breaks. The school year typically begins in late September and ends in mid-May.

Schools

The university offers over 800 undergraduate, postgraduate, CPD, online distance learning and short courses in its 7 schools of study, within which there are around 50 academic departments and 24 research centres. * Hertfordshire Business School * Creative Arts * Health and Social Work * Hertfordshire Law School * Life and Medical Sciences * Physics, Engineering and Computer Science * Social Sciences, Humanities and Education

Charity

Being a Higher Education Corporation created by the 1988 Education Reform Act as amended by the 1992 Act, the University of Hertfordshire is an exempt charity as defined under the various Charities Acts. The University of Hertfordshire has due regard to the Charity Commission's guidance on the reporting of public benefit, and particularly its supplementary guidance on the advancement of education, in accordance with the requirements of HEFCE, the

Higher Education Funding Council for England The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom, which was responsible for the distribution of funding for higher education to universities and further education colleges in Engl ...

, as the principal regulator of English higher education institutions under the Charities Act 2006. The university has entered an agreement with the Office of Fair Access (OFFA) to demonstrate that access to programmes of full-time undergraduate education should not be limited on grounds of individual financial circumstances.

Affiliations and memberships

Hertfordshire is a member of

Association of Commonwealth Universities The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) is a charitable organization that was established in 1913, and has over 400 member institutions in over 40 countries across the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth.Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

countries. It is the world's first and oldest international university network, established in 1913. It is also a member of University Alliance, a network of British universities which was formed in 2006, adopting the name in 2007. University Alliance is a group of 'business engaged' universities that claim to drive innovation and enterprise growth through research and teaching. Its MBA programme is affiliated with

Association of MBAs The Association of MBAs (AMBA) is a global organisation headquartered in London, UK. It was founded in 1967 with the primary objective of accrediting Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs. Roles Based in London, AMBA is one of t ...

, the only global MBA-specific Accreditation and Membership Organisation.

Campus

The university is primarily based on two campuses, College Lane and

. It owns a BioPark facility, which is a science park managed by Exemplas on behalf of the university. It also provides 6,000 square metres of laboratory and office space to life science and health technology businesses. As of 2014, there are currently 27 permanent and virtual tenants. Additionally, a pool and climbing wall are among its sports facilities. It has also the Weston auditorium, for arts events, two art galleries and owns one of the highly recognised teaching observatories in the United Kingdom. With over 25,130 students, including more than 5,200

international students International students or exchange students, also known as foreign students, are students who undertake all or part of their Secondary education, secondary or tertiary education in a country other than their own. In 2022, there were over 6.9 m ...

that together represent 100 countries, Hertfordshire has a global alumni of over 165,000.

College Lane Campus

The main site of the university remains the College Lane campus, which houses the original Hatfield Technical College building. Notable among the buildings in this campus is the university's Learning Resource Centre, a combined library and computer centre. There is also a substantial collection of halls of residence and student houses, and the University of Hertfordshire Students' Union is headquartered at College Lane campus. The College Lane campus is also the location of Hertfordshire International College, which is part of the Navitas group, providing a direct pathway for international students to the university. The Hertfordshire Intensive Care & Emergency Simulation Centre is also located at College Lane. In 2016, the designed for purpose Science Building was opened, primarily offering teaching laboratories, a range of research laboratories and other specialist facilities. This was renamed to 'Nexus' in September 2024 to accompany the grand opening of the Spectra building opposite. Spectra, which cost £100m to construct, is a five-storey facility for the School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science and contains several computer rooms and research areas, a robotics lab, racing simulator, and large electronics CDIO workshop.

de Havilland Campus

The £120-million de Havilland campus, which was built by

Carillion Carillion plc was a British multinational construction and facilities management services company headquartered in Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom, prior to its liquidation in January 2018. Carillion was created in July 1999, following a ...

, opened in September 2003 and is situated within 15 minutes walk of College Lane, and is built on a former

British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft manufacturer, aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer that was formed in 1977. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. ...

site. This campus also houses its own Learning Resource Centre, a combined library and computer centre. Hertfordshire Sports Village which includes a gym, swimming pool, squash courts is also on this site. The large Weston Auditiorium is present on the de Havilland campus, adjacent to the Learn Resource Centre. The auditorium has a capacity of 450 and can host talks both by university lectures for students and for guest lecturers for guests and students, music and films events and dance events. The campus also contains 11 halls of residence; named after local towns and villages. Ashwell and Welwyn are examples of the buildings with the towns being present in Hertfordshire. The campus is mostly themed around law and business, having its business school located on the campus as well as its law school. A full scale, mocked up court room is present, being available for use for students studying a law degree. Along with publicly Northampton University it provides the 2 years accelerated law degree.

Bayfordbury Campus

A third 50-hectare site in Bayfordbury houses the university's

astronomical Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest include ...

and

atmospheric physics Within the atmospheric sciences, atmospheric physics is the application of physics to the study of the atmosphere. Atmospheric physicists attempt to model Earth's atmosphere and the atmospheres of the other planets using fluid flow equations, rad ...

remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an physical object, object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring inform ...

observatory, Regional Science Learning Centre, and field stations for biology and geography programmes. Situated approximately from the main campus, it houses one of the largest astronomical teaching observatories in the United Kingdom. The observatory has formed part of the astronomy-related degree programmes since it opened in 1970. The seven

optical telescopes An optical telescope gathers and focuses light mainly from the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum, to create a magnified image for direct visual inspection, to make a photograph, or to collect data through electronic image sensors. ...

at Bayfordbury campus to observe detailed images of objects in space. Moreover, the five newest telescopes are also able to be operated remotely. The 4.5-metre

radio telescope A radio telescope is a specialized antenna (radio), antenna and radio receiver used to detect radio waves from astronomical radio sources in the sky. Radio telescopes are the main observing instrument used in radio astronomy, which studies the r ...

and 3-dish 115-metre baseline

interferometer Interferometry is a technique which uses the '' interference'' of superimposed waves to extract information. Interferometry typically uses electromagnetic waves and is an important investigative technique in the fields of astronomy, fiber opt ...

allow a completely different view of the universe. These are connected to 21 cm line receivers, to detect the neutral hydrogen in the galaxy and extragalactic radio sources.

Meridian House

Home to some Schools within the Health and Human Faculty, this building is located on the edge of Hatfield town centre, off College Lane campus. Meridian House is the location of eight clinical skills laboratories for nursing and midwifery programmes of the university. Skills facilities and ambulances for paramedic training are also situated at Meridian House, aside from counselling programme and staff offices.

Gallery

File:de Havilland Campus..jpg, de Havilland Campus File:UniHerts_building.gif, Learning Resource Centre at de Havilland File:Herts_Law_Building.jpg, Law Court Building File:Accommodation at UH.jpg, Halls of Residence at de Havilland File:UH_Racing_1-200_FSUK_2006.jpg, University of Hertfordshire Racing File:Hertauditorium2.jpeg, Weston Auditorium File:Sandwich section.jpg, Sandwich Bar File:Bayfordbury.jpg, Bayfordbury Observatory

University symbols

Academic dress

The University of Hertfordshire prescribes

academic dress Academic dress is a traditional form of clothing for academia, academic settings, mainly tertiary education, tertiary (and sometimes secondary schools, secondary) education, worn mainly by those who have obtained a university degree (or simila ...

for its members. In accordance with tradition, Hertfordshire's academic dress consists of a gown, a cap and a hood. The black gown and square cap familiar to all readers of the Beano had evolved into their present form in England by the end of the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

. The hood, which is now the distinctive mark of a university-level qualification, is medieval in origin, and was originally functional.

Ceremonial mace

The

ceremonial mace A ceremonial mace is a highly ornamented staff of metal or wood, carried before a Head of state, sovereign or other high officials in civic ceremonies by a mace-bearer, intended to represent the official's authority. The mace, as used today, der ...

was produced in 1999 by craftsman Martyn Pugh, a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, member of the British Jewellers Association and a Founder Member of the Association of British Designer Silversmiths. Its design symbolises the university's origins, expertise and associations. Its shape is inspired by the shape of an aeroplane wing symbolising the university's origin in the

aviation industry An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry. ...

. The head of the mace is engraved with zodiac symbols representing the university's contribution to astronomy and also contains the DNA double helix representing the biological sciences and microprocessor chips representing information and communications technology.

Coat of arms

The university's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was granted in 1992. The shield is charged with an oak tree taken from the coat of arms of the former Hatfield Rural District, the constellation

Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...

(containing the binary star Algol) and a representation of the letter "H" recalling the emblem of the former Hatfield Polytechnic. The crest, a Phoenix rising from an astral crown, represents the university's evolution from a

training apprentices for the aviation industry. The two harts supporting the shield represent the county of Hertfordshire, with the covered cups referring to A.S. Butler, who donated the land upon which the original campus was built. A scroll bears the motto ''Seek Knowledge Throughout Life''.

University logo

The standard university logo comprises the university name and the ''UH'' symbol in a horizontal panel. There is an exclusion zone equivalent to the height of the H in the logo above, below and to the right of the logo. The university has created an endorsed version of the logo to be used where legibility is an issue with the standard logo. It comprises just the university name in a horizontal panel. Although the university brands its logo in various colours, the standard colours are black and white.

Academic profile

Reputation

The university's School of Pharmacy has been awarded full Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain accreditation. The University of Hertfordshire is recognised as one of the top twenty universities in the world to study animation. According to Destination of Leavers from Higher Education 2012–13 93.2 per cent of its full-time, first degree UK graduates are in work or further study within six months of graduating. Four of the university's schools achieved scores of 98 per cent: physics; astronomy and mathematics; health and social work; law and education. The survey, conducted by the UK's

Higher Education Statistics Agency The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) was the official agency for the collection, analysis and dissemination of quantitative information about higher education in the United Kingdom. HESA became a directorate of Jisc after a merger in 202 ...

(HESA), revealed in its UK Performance Indicators for Employment 2013/14 that the University of Hertfordshire has climbed 30 places in the past year and is now ranked 35th out of 152 universities in the UK. In September 2015, the

Complete University Guide Three national rankings of universities in the United Kingdom are published annually by the ''Complete University Guide'' and ''The Guardian'', as well as a collaborative list by ''The Times'' and ''The Sunday Times''. Rankings have also been pro ...

showed that the university has the lowest recorded 'student-relevant' crimes in the

East of England East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact ...

. It is the fourth year the university has had the lowest rate of recorded crime in the East of England. For university's commitment to gender equality, it was regranted

Athena Swan Athena SWAN (Scientific Women's Academic Network) is an equality charter mark framework and accreditation scheme established and managed by the UK Equality Challenge Unit (now part of Advance HE) in 2005 that recognises and celebrates good pra ...

's Bronze institutional status. The University of Hertfordshire won the Guardian University Award for Student Experience in 2015.

Rankings

University of Hertfordshire ranks 601–800 among world universities in

Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'', often referred to as the THE Rankings, is the annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli Symon ...

in 2019. It comes under the ranking of 101-150 under Young University Rankings 2018. In subject specific rankings, it has an overall world ranking between 301 and 400 in Arts and Humanities in 2019. It had a subject specific world ranking between 150 and 200 in European Teaching in 2018. The

ranked UH courses in Food Science, Social Work, Optometry Ophthalmology & Orthoptics and Medical Technology as the top 20 in the UK in 2019. In the ''THE 100 Under 50 universities 2015'', a global ranking of the top 100 world universities under 50 years old, University of Hertfordshire was placed 71st. It was awarded the '' Entrepreneurial University of the Year'' by ''

Times Higher Education ''Times Higher Education'' (''THE''), formerly ''The Times Higher Education Supplement'' (''The THES''), is a British magazine reporting specifically on news and issues related to higher education. Ownership TPG Capital acquired TSL Education ...

'' in 2010. In 2011, it was ranked 41st by

The Complete University Guide Three national rankings of universities in the United Kingdom are published annually by the ''Complete University Guide'' and ''The Guardian'', as well as a collaborative list by ''The Times'' and ''The Sunday Times''. Rankings have also been pro ...

among UK universities, its highest regional ranking in recent years. In the

ranking of most international universities in January 2015, Hertfordshire ranked 84th in the top 100 in the world. In 2016, it was placed at 122nd in the top 200 international universities in the world, by

. The rankings are based on excellence across teaching, research, citations, industry income and international outlook. In the ''US News'' Best Global Universities Ranking in 2018, Hertfordshire ranked 698th among universities in the world. According to the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2018, the University of Hertfordshire has a ranking of 69, with a score of 75.5 for overall student satisfaction.

QAA and OIA

The last

Quality Assurance Agency The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (usually referred to simply as the Quality Assurance Agency or QAA) is the United Kingdom higher education sector's independent expert quality body. It has a remit to maintain and enhance the qu ...

institutional audit for the university was in March 2009. The outcome was that 'confidence can reasonably be placed in the soundness of the institution's present and likely future management of the academic standards of the awards that it offers'. According to the complaint statistics, from the

Office of the Independent Adjudicator The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity which has been designated under the Higher Education Act 2004 to run the higher education student complaints scheme ...

, the university issued 69 completion of procedures letters in relation to student complaints, in 2013. This is below the band medium of 81, possibly suggesting greater student satisfaction when compared to universities of a similar size. The OIA received 22 complaints in 2013. This is above the band medium of 18.5, possibly suggesting that more students are dissatisfied with the outcome of internal complaints procedure's, compared to universities of a similar size. The university has also never been named in an OIA annual report for a shortfall in practice, or a failure to comply with a recommendation set by the

Adjudicator An adjudicator is someone who presides, judges, and arbitrates during a formal dispute or competition. They have numerous purposes, including preliminary legal judgments, to determine applicant eligibility, or to assess contenders' performan ...

Research

The university has three research institutes: Health and Human Sciences Research Institute; Science and Technology Research Institute; Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities Research Institute. Also an expanding research profile with key strengths in areas of nursing, psychology, history, philosophy, physics and computer science.

HR Excellence in Research

In recognition of development activities related to research careers and the position of researchers at the university, the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

awarded University of Hertfordshire the right to use the HR Excellence in Research logo in spring 2010.

Research Excellence Framework

Over 55 per cent of the university's research was rated 'world leading' and 'internationally excellent' in the UK Government's 2014

Research Excellence Framework The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a research impact evaluation of British Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). It is the successor to the Research Assessment Exercise and it was first used in 2014 to assess the period 2008–2013. REF is ...

(REF) announced 18 December 2014. Fifty-seven per cent of the university's research submissions achieved a 4 or 3-star rating. This was an increase of 11% when compared to the results of the assessment in 2008. In 2014, it claimed the top impact for History for the results of REF, indicating that all of its submission in History is deemed 'outstanding'.

Kaspar

Kaspar, a

social robot A social robot is an autonomous robot that interacts and Human–robot interaction, communicates with humans or other autonomous physical Intelligent agent, agents by following social behaviors and rules attached to its role. Like other robots, ...

, has been designed by the University of Hertfordshire's '
Adaptive Systems Research Group (ASRG)
''. The Kaspar project began in 2005, drawing upon previous researches to develop a social robot for engaging autistic children in a variety of play scenarios. The aim was to research whether interacting and communicating with Kaspar would help children with

interact and communicate more easily with people. This is important because there is mounting evidence that early intervention for children with autism may change the child's development trajectory. Kaspar is a research tool with programmed responses adapted to be used by an autistic child in a safe, non-judgemental environment. The Kaspar research has shown that robots may provide a safe and predictable tool for children with autism, that enables the children to learn social interaction and communication skills, addressing specific therapeutic and educational objectives (for example, being able to engage in direct eye-contact or shared eye-gaze), in an enjoyable play context.

Rocket powered car

As part of the final year Aerospace Project, students and staffs from the University of Hertfordshire designed, built and tested a full sized rocket powered car under the mentorship of Ray Wilkinson, a senior professor from Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.With support from BBC - Bang Goes the Theory and Host Dallas Campbell, the Vauxhall VX220 sports car, was fitted with a large hybrid rocket motor that is designed to produce over half a tonne of thrust was tested in the

Duxford Aerodrome Duxford Aerodrome is located south of Cambridge, within the civil parish of Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England and nearly west of the village. The airfield is owned by the Imperial War Museum (IWM) and is the site of the Imperial War Mus ...

. The project got lot of attention for its unprecedented success story and was showcased in local places to build interest in STEM.

Facilities

In 1992, it established University of Hertfordshire Press, whose first publication was a book celebrating the institution's change in status from polytechnic to university. Ben Nicholson by Mabel Pryde

Art collection

The University of Hertfordshire holds over 500 artworks in its art collection. The ethos of the UH Art Collection is to present modern and contemporary art in places where people study, work and visit. This reflects the University of Hertfordshire's determination to provide not only an attractive education setting but also one which will inform, enlighten and enhance the life of its students, staff and the local community. The UH Art Collection was established in 1952, as part of Hertfordshire Country Council's commitment to the post-war programme. The collection has a diverse portfolio including photography, textile, ceramics, sculpture, mixed media and works by

Ben Nicholson Benjamin Lauder Nicholson, OM (10 April 1894 – 6 February 1982) was an English painter of abstract compositions (sometimes in low relief), landscapes, and still-life. He was one of the leading promoters of abstract art in England. Backg ...

Barbara Hepworth Dame Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth (10 January 1903 – 20 May 1975) was an English artist and sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism and in particular modern sculpture. Along with artists such as Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo, Hepworth was a leadin ...

Andy Goldsworthy Andy Goldsworthy (born 25 July 1956) is an English sculptor, photographer, and environmentalist who produces site-specific sculptures and land art situated in natural or urban settings. Early life Goldsworthy was born in Cheshire on 25 July ...

Alan Davie James Alan Davie (28 September 1920 – 5 April 2014) was a Scottish painter and musician. Biography Davie was born in Grangemouth, Scotland in 1920, the son of Elizabeth (née Turnbull) and James William Davie, an art teacher and painter who ...

, and Diane MacLean.

Transportation

Hertfordshire operates a regular shuttle bus service, Park and Ride, which connects 800 parking spaces at Angerland Common with its College Lane and de Havilland Campus facilities. The scheme started in 2006, when it is initially provided with the 700-car facility at Angerland Common, off South Way, Hatfield, in a bid to get cars off surrounding roads. Since 2006, the university has planned on opening a second venue, with 150 spaces, at the south side car park at Stanborough Lakes in

Welwyn Garden City Welwyn Garden City ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London. It was the second Garden city movement, garden city in England (founded 1920) and one of the first New towns in the United Kingdom, new towns (designated 1948). It is ...

. This second park and ride site was used for a brief time in 2009 served by bus service 692. It was withdrawn due to lack of use. Uno (formerly UniversityBus) is a bus service operated by the University of Hertfordshire, serving members of the general public, and also its own students and staff, at a discounted rate. In 1992, the University of Hertfordshire wanted to create and provide bus service to and from the university. Uno, previously known as ''UniversityBus'', was created to provide student transport to the university from local areas; improve east-west travel across the county of

; and, to create new links between Hertfordshire and

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

Student life

The main source of nightlife is the Forum, which houses three entertainment spaces, a restaurant, a café, multiple bars and onsite parking. Hertfordshire Students' Union (HSU) is the Students' Union of the University of Hertfordshire. The Students' Union Social Centre was opened in 1977. The Hatfield Technical College's management encouraged the establishment of a Student Representative Council (SRC) in 1982, to create a sense of unity and expand the social activities of its day students. The SRC was affiliated to the National Union of Students but initially restricted itself largely to social activities. After 1988 it began to campaign on issues such as improvements to the canteen, lifting the ban on religious or political activity within the then Hatfield Polytechnic, and for a formal

students' union A students' union or student union, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, organizat ...

. The sectarian ban was finally lifted in 1992 and a Union granted in 1995. However, the canteen continued to be an issue throughout the 2000s. The Students' Union at the University of Hertfordshire represents all students in the university by organising campus activities and running different clubs and societies, from sports to entertainment.

Trident Media Radio

Trident Media Radio (formerly known as Crush Radio, Campus Radio Hatfield, CRUSH and Crush 1278) is the student radio station. TMR is run by students of the university. Crush is run by students of the university along with amateurs from around the surrounding areas. Crush was the first

campus radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...

, founded in 1960 under the name of CRH (Campus Radio Hatfield). After starting as a

pirate radio Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license, whether an invalid license or no license at all. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are rec ...

station, CRH was turned into a University Society of the University of Hertfordshire and was renamed Crush 1278 for it broadcast on 1278AM frequency. As Crush became more accessible, via the internet, the name was changed again to Crush Radio. In 2009 Crush as a society merged with the other media societies of the Students union and the University of Hertfordshire as one media society, though Crush still uses its own website and broadcasts over 1278AM frequency, however it stopped broadcasting on 1278AM after the move in September 2009, but restarted commencing February 2011. Crush Radio has been broadcasting since 1960. It broadcasts online via the Tunein platform.

Sport

Rowing

The University of Hertfordshire Rowing Club is affiliated to British Rowing (boat code UHE) and Dave Bell became a British champion after winning the men's double sculls title at the

2010 British Rowing Championships The 2010 British Rowing Championships were the 39th edition of the National Championships, held from 16–18 July 2010 at the Strathclyde Country Park in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. They were organised and sanctioned by British Rowing, and ar ...

American Football

The University of Hertfordshire American Football team, The Hurricanes, is affiliated to

British Universities American Football League The British Universities American Football League (BUAFL) is an American football league contested by university teams in the United Kingdom as part of the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) organisation. The league was formed by the ...

(BUAFL) Premier League South

Partner institutions

The university holds a number of formal links with top-ranking institutions from around the world to share teaching and research and facilitate staff and student exchanges. *

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU; ; , ) is a public university, public Autonomous university, autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally founded during King Chulalongkorn's reign as a school for training ro ...

, Thailand *

James Cook University James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Cair ...

, Australia *

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

, Canada *

Nanyang Technological University Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1981, it is also the second oldest autonomous university in the country. The university is organised across numerous colleges and schools, includi ...

, Singapore *

Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...

, US *

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

, US *

Yonsei University Yonsei University () is a Private university, private Christian university, Christian research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Yonsei is one of the three most prestigious universities in the country, part of a group referred to as SK ...

, Korea Aside from its international partners, the university has also strong regional agenda and a number of partner institutions in the region: Elstree Screen Arts Academy a

located in

Borehamwood Borehamwood (, historically also Boreham Wood) is a town in southern Hertfordshire, England, from Charing Cross. Borehamwood has a population of 36,322, and is within the London commuter belt. The town's film and TV studios are commonly know ...

; The Watford UTC, a University Technical College for the

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

area. The UTC specialises in Event Management and Computer Sciences.

Notable alumni

Arts, science and academia

* Whitney Adebayo – Television personality and businessowner * Jean Bacon – Professor of Distributed Systems, Computer Laboratory,

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

* Tony Banham – Founder of the Hong Kong War Diary project * Nick Hector - British Canadian documentary filmmaker * Sean Hedges-Quinn – British sculptor and animator * Diane Maclean – Sculptor and environmental artist * David Mba - Vice Chancellor, Birmingham City University * Ben Mosley - Expressive artist * Ciarán O'Keeffe – Psychologist specialising in parapsychology and forensic psychology

Government, politics and society

* Abdulaziz bin Abdullah – Deputy minister of foreign affairs in Saudi Arabia * John Cryer – English Labour Party politician *

Onn Hafiz Ghazi Onn Hafiz bin Ghazi (; born 2 March 1979) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the 19th Menteri Besar of Johor and Member of the Johor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Machap since March 2022. He previously served as MLA for Layan ...

– 19th

Menteri Besar of Johor The Menteri Besar of Johor or Chief Minister of Johor is the head of government in the Malaysian state of Johor. According to convention, the Menteri Besar is the leader of the majority party or largest coalition party of the Johor State Legisla ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

* Richard Howitt – Member of the European Parliament for the Labour Party for the East of England * Akif Çağatay Kılıç – Current Minister of Youth and Sports of Turkey * Darell Leiking – Former minister of the international trade & industry of Malaysia (MITI) and current MP in Malaysian Parliament * Gwen O'Mahony – Former MLA in the

39th Parliament of British Columbia The 39th Parliament of British Columbia sat from 2009 to 2013, succeeding the 38th parliament. It was composed of two elements: the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, as elected by the general election of May 12, 2009, and The Queen repre ...

Mark Oaten Mark Oaten (born 8 March 1964) is a British politician who was a senior member of the Liberal Democrats. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Winchester from 1997 to 2010. Born in Watford, Hertfordshire, Oaten became a councillor i ...

– British former politician who was a senior member of the Liberal Democrat Party *

Fiona Onasanya Fiona Oluyinka Onasanya (; born 23 August 1983) is a former British politician and solicitor. She was elected as a Labour Party MP in the 2017 United Kingdom general election for the constituency of Peterborough and was removed from that office ...

– Labour Member of Parliament * Mohamad Sarif Pudin – Acting Commander of the

Royal Brunei Navy The Royal Brunei Navy (RBN), natively known as (TLDB) is the naval force of Brunei. It is a small but relatively well-equipped military force whose main responsibility is to conduct search and rescue missions, and to deter and defend the Bru ...

(RBN) since 2023 *

Lawrie Quinn Lawrence William Quinn (born 25 December 1956) is a British Labour Party politician, railway engineer and from 1997 to 2005 he was the member of parliament for Scarborough and Whitby. Early life and education Quinn was born in Harraby, a sub ...

– Labour politician in England * Prince Raj – Member of Indian Parliament *

Claire Ward Claire Margaret Ward (born 9 May 1972) is a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who was elected Mayor of the East Midlands in 2024 East Midlands mayoral election, May 2024. Previously, she served as Member of Parliament (United K ...

– British Labour Party politician * Sarah West – First woman to be appointed to command a major warship in the Royal Navy

Business and finance

* Chris Gubbey – Auto executive for General Motors (Hatfield Polytechnic) * Luke Scheybeler – British designer and entrepreneur

Media and entertainment

* Kate Bellingham – British engineer and BBC presenter * Yulia Brodskaya – Artist and illustrator known for her handmade elegant and detailed paper illustrations *

Sanjeev Bhaskar Sanjeev Bhaskar (born 31 October 1963) is a British actor, comedian and television presenter. He is best known for his work in the BBC Radio 4 and BBC Two sketch comedy series ''Goodness Gracious Me (TV series), Goodness Gracious Me'' and as t ...

– British comedian, actor and broadcaster * Matthew Buckley – British actor * Stevyn Colgan – British writer, artist and speaker * Sonia Deol – British radio and television presenter, currently at GlobalBC in Vancouver, Canada (previously BBC Asian Network) * Des de Moor – member of The Irresistible Force with Morris Gould aka Mixmaster Morris; co-organiser of

Ambient techno Ambient techno is a subgenre of techno that incorporates the atmospheric textures of ambient music with the rhythmic elements and production of techno. It was pioneered by 1990s electronic artists such as Aphex Twin, Carl Craig, The Orb, The ...

industrial techno Industrial techno is a subgenre of techno and industrial dance music that originated in the 1990s. Characteristically, it incorporates influences from the bleak, noisy sound and aesthetics of early industrial music acts, particularly Cabaret Vol ...

evening, ''Madhouse'', at

The Fridge (nightclub) The Fridge was a nightclub in the Brixton area of South London, England, founded, in 1981, by Andrew Czezowski and Susan Carrington, who had run the Roxy during punk music's heyday in 1977. The Fridge closed on 17 March 2010 and has no li ...

, Brixton in 1988 * Guvna B – Urban contemporary gospel rap artist and composer * Bob Johnson – British guitarist formerly in the electric folk band ''Steeleye Span'' * Chris Knowles, member of

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

collective Hagar the Womb, also known as

DJ Chris Liberator * Lisa Lazarus – British model and actress * Helen Lederer, Comedian, writer and actress who emerged as part of the alternative comedy boom at the beginning of the 1980s * Upen Patel – British male model and film actor *

Flux Pavilion Joshua Kiekegaard Grant Steele (born 15 January 1989), known professionally as Flux Pavilion, is an English EDM producer, DJ, singer-songwriter and label owner. He started performing in 2008. Flux Pavilion has headlined three US tours, two UK ...

– British

dubstep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken ...

musician (real name Josh Steele)

Sports and athletics

* Ajaz Akhtar – Former British cricketer *

Steve Borthwick Stephen William Borthwick (born 12 October 1979) is an English rugby union coach and former player, who is currently the head coach of the England national team. As a player, he played as a lock for Bath and Saracens. At international level, he ...

– Former English rugby union footballer who played lock for Saracens and Bath * Noah Cato – Rugby union player * Iain Dowie – Football manager *

Owen Farrell Owen Andrew Farrell (born Owen Andrew O'Loughlin, 24 September 1991) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a Fly-half (rugby union), fly-half for Premiership Rugby club Saracens F.C., Saracens. He was the England captain fr ...

– England, Saracens rugby union player * Gavin Fisher – Former chief designer of the Williams Formula One team. * Alex Goode – Professional British rugby union player * Aaron Liffchak – Rugby union footballer *

Michael Owen Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker for Liverpool F.C., Liverpool, Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid, Newcastle United ...

– Rugby union player: former Wales and British & Irish Lions captain * Sachin Patel – Former British cricketer * Tom Ryder – Rugby union player * Alex Skeel – English football coach, domestic violence survivor

Notes

References

External links

University of Hertfordshire official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hertfordshire, University Of Universities and colleges established in 1952 1952 establishments in England University Alliance Exempt charities Education in Hertfordshire Universities UK