Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) is a
public land based research institution
A research institute, research centre, research center or research organization, is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often im ...
focused on
agriculture and
life sciences
This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, the ...
. Its history stretches back to 1899 with the establishment of the West of Scotland Agricultural College and its current organisation came into being through a merger of smaller institutions.
After the West of Scotland Agricultural College was established in 1899, the Edinburgh and East of Scotland College of Agriculture and the Aberdeen and North of Scotland College of Agriculture were both established in the early 20th century. These three colleges were merged into a single institution, the Scottish Agricultural College, in 1990. In October 2012, the Scottish Agricultural College was merged with Barony College, Elmwood College and Oatridge College to re-organise the institution as Scotland's Rural College, initialised as SRUC in preparation for it gaining the status of a
university college with degree awarding powers.
SRUC has six campuses across Scotland – Aberdeen, Ayr, Barony, Elmwood,
King's Buildings and Oatridge. Students study land based courses from
further education to
postgraduate level and degrees are currently awarded by the
University of Edinburgh or the
University of Glasgow depending on the course of study. Undergraduates study over a period of three terms each year during their first two years and two semesters during their third and fourth years. In addition to
higher education
Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...
, SRUC has a consulting division, SAC Consulting, which works with clients in rural businesses and associated industries and it also has a research division which carries out research in the agriculture and rural sector.
SRUC has attracted notable botanists, chemists and agriculturists as lecturers and researchers and the institution has counted
Henry Dyer
Henry Dyer (23 August 1848 – 25 September 1918) was a Scottish engineer who contributed much to founding Western-style technical education in Japan and Scottish-Japanese relations.
Early life
Henry Dyer was born on 16 August 1848, ...
,
Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow and
Maitland Mackie amongst its academic staff. In addition to careers in agriculture and life sciences, the institution's alumni have gone on to have careers in politics, sport, the military and broadcasting – including
Douglas Ross, current Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party, and
Alex Fergusson, former Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament.
History
Scottish Agricultural College

In 1899, Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College's agriculture department amalgamated with the Scottish Dairy Institute to form the West of Scotland Agricultural College. Originally based in
Blythswood Square,
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...
, the institution began moving to Ayrshire when in 1927 the
Auchincruive estate in the parish of
St Quivox
St Quivox is a small Scottish village north of Ayr and east of Prestwick. It lies on the B7035 east of the A77.
History
The uniquely named village is said to be a corruption either of St Kevoca, St Kevoch or St Kennocha. It is thought to have bee ...
near
Ayr was left to the college by the late John Hannah of
Girvan Mains. In 1974, the Blythswood Square site was closed.
The Edinburgh and East of Scotland College of Agriculture was formed in 1901 and carried out experimental work in
agriculture and
animal breeding
Animal breeding is a branch of animal science that addresses the evaluation (using best linear unbiased prediction and other methods) of the genetic value (estimated breeding value, EBV) of livestock. Selecting for breeding animals with superior EB ...
in south-east
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
. Academic
Robert Wallace helped found the college, having set up the
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
programme in agriculture during his time as a professor at the
University of Edinburgh. Its main premises were in
George Square,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, and these were expanded in 1904 to a design by
Thomas Purves Marwick architects. The college also had experimental grounds at Pinkie Hill Farm,
Inveresk.
In 1913, the college and the University of Edinburgh formed the joint committee on research in animal breeding which would research genetics.

The Aberdeen and North of Scotland College of Agriculture began in 1904 through grants from benefactors including the
University of Aberdeen. Initially classes were delivered at
Marischal College and these were then delivered at
581 King Street after 1969. Classes were then moved to a new teaching campus at the Craibstone Estate established in 1999, a site which the college had purchased in 1914 for research and fieldwork. Nutritional physiologist
John Boyd Orr
John Boyd Orr, 1st Baron Boyd-Orr, (23 September 1880 – 25 June 1971), styled Sir John Boyd Orr from 1935 to 1949, was a Scottish teacher, medical doctor, biologist, nutritional physiologist, politician, businessman and farmer who was awarded ...
, later a president of the
National Peace Council and winner of the 1949
Nobel Peace Prize, ran the institution's joint committee for research into animal nutrition with the University of Aberdeen.
As technical colleges to transfer the growing scientific knowledge of agricultural issues to farmers and the general public, the three Scottish agricultural colleges were among ten central institutions noted in 1906 as providing technical instruction and sound scientific instruction meeting the "continuation class code" set of regulations drawn up in 1901.
The company Scottish Agricultural Colleges was established in 1987 to provide direct management of advisory and veterinary functions of the regional colleges. In 1990, the West of Scotland Agricultural College was merged with the East of Scotland College of Agriculture and the North of Scotland College of Agriculture into the Scottish Agricultural College, a single
higher education
Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...
and
research institution
A research institute, research centre, research center or research organization, is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often im ...
specialising in
agriculture. The institution's three main divisions offered research, education and consultancy. The new specialist institution was one of the largest of its type in Europe and the largest in the UK. The institution offered undergraduate and postgraduate programmes from its three campuses in Ayr, Aberdeen and Edinburgh, as well as training and online study on topics including the environment, business, leisure, agriculture, horticulture and science.
Barony College
Before it became a college, the 300 acre Barony estate had a varied existence. It was an elegant home, a home for the elderly, a wartime army training camp and, up until 1947, a prisoner of war camp. In 1949 Dumfries County Council education department purchased the estate with the purpose of turning it into an agricultural school. The Barony Farm School opened in 1953, with a class of 46 boys aged 14 to 15 years. Day release classes in agriculture and engineering began in 1962.
In 1972, the school became Barony Agricultural College and, over the 1970s, courses on offer expanded to include NC awards in agriculture, fish farming, forestry, countryside rangers, horticulture, animal care, veterinary nursing and equine studies. By this time, most students at the college were studying full time. A new teaching block, complete with a large sports hall, multigym and bar, was opened in 1992. The new millennium brought extra investment in animal care and veterinary nursing, an equine unit and a forestry technology centre. The dairy technology centre with a robotic milking system was opened in 2006.
Oatridge College
Oatridge Agricultural College was established as a residential further education college specialising in agriculture and rural skills training in
Ecclesmachan,
West Lothian
West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...
in 1969, with an initial intake of 45 residential students and 100 day students.
The college was local-authority owned by
West Lothian District Council, having been established by a consortium of the district councils of West Lothian, Midlothian, East Lothian, Peebles, Roxburghshire, Selkirkshire and Berwickshire.
The courses were initially taught in temporary accommodation on the farm site. New college buildings, workshops and accommodation were officially opened by
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 1974, and provided facilities for courses in agriculture, agricultural engineering, green keeping, horse care and forestry.
Elmwood College

Elmwood College was founded as Elmwood Agricultural and Technical College in 1972 as a rural
further education institution based in
Cupar,
Fife. Its foundations were laid 20 years earlier when holding classes in the local school and cricket club before the education committee of
Fife County Council
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i.e ...
acquired some land and erected a
Nissen hut. This was followed by the purchase of Elmwood House, Gardens and Greenhouses in 1953 for £2,300. In 1956, the first day release classes in Scotland for agricultural and horticultural apprentices commenced at Elmwood Agricultural Centre. Elmwood College continued expanding during the 1960s and a new building was completed in 1972. By then Elmwood had also acquired Stratheden Hospital Farm.
Elmwood College was officially opened in 1972 by
Hector Monro.
The Scottish Technical Education Consultative Council had made recommendations in 1967 around establishing regional farm centres. The college had started classes about twenty years earlier, with student numbers rising from 100 to around 2000 by 1972.
There were full-time as well as part-time courses, work based courses, and modern
apprenticeships. Before the purpose-built building opened in 1972, classes had been held on borrowed premises over a few years. A 350-acre farm was attached to the college and it offered courses such as hill-farming and shepherding.
A college with a part-focus on golf education, Elmwood opened its own 18-hole working golf course in 1997. Construction of a golf course began in 1995 with attention given to both the quality of the course and consideration of the local environment; the course was Geo Certified in 2013.
SRUC
A proposal to merge the Scottish Agricultural College with Barony College, Elmwood College and Oatridge College was put to public consultation between March and May 2012. Education Secretary
Mike Russell voiced support for the merger in June 2012, and Scotland's Rural College formally came into existence on 1 October 2012. The work of the Scottish Agricultural College in education and training, research and development and consultancy services, would be continued by the newly-merged institution. Scotland's Rural College was given the initialism SRUC upon its founding, as it would be working towards gaining the status of a
university college with degree awarding powers. Professor Wayne Powell was appointed to serve as principal of SRUC in April 2016.
Campuses

SRUC has six education campuses located throughout Scotland, each offering varied land-based education courses.
The Aberdeen campus is based on Craibstone Estate about outside
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), ...
in the north east of Scotland. As well as halls of residence and a library, the campus also boasts many sporting opportunities. Courses on offer in Aberdeen include agriculture, organic farming and countryside and environmental management.
The Ayr campus is shared with students from the
University of the West of Scotland. The £81 million facility was opened in September 2011 and was awarded the internationally recognised
BREEAM excellence rating for its environmentally friendly design. As well as student accommodation, the campus has library, sporting activities and opportunities for climbing and horse riding. Courses on offer in Ayr include Agricultural Bioscience and Green Technology.
Barony campus is set in a working estate in
Dumfries and Galloway in south west Scotland. As well as the usual student facilities such as library and accommodation, the campus is home to the Scottish dairy technology centre and the Scottish Forestry Technology Centre. Courses on offer at Barony include animal care and forestry and arboriculture.
The
King's Buildings campus is located on the south side of
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
. This location allows students to access the
University of Edinburgh's academic and recreational facilities, with which it shares the campus. As well as libraries and cafes, the campus also has sporting amenities and bus links to the city centre. Courses on offer in Edinburgh include horticulture, applied animal science and rural resource management. The SRUC also has research facilities at the Easter Bush estate. Students studying horticulture with plantsmanship at the King's Buildings campus also study at the
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
SRUC's Elmwood campus is based in Cupar, a small town in
Fife approximately nine miles from
St Andrews
St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...
. There are three parts to Elmwood campus. The main campus is on Carslogie Road, Cupar. The second campus is at
Stratheden, which is where the college's golf course is based. Cuparmuir Farm is the third campus, where most of the land-based courses are taught. As well having as a golf course, students can use badminton, table tennis, football and gym facilities. It continues teaching land based courses including conservation, greenkeeping and gamekeeping.
Situated in
West Lothian
West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...
, SRUC's Oatridge campus is set on a large estate which includes a working farm. As well as a student accommodation and a library, there is also a nine-hole golf course, and the campus is home to the Scottish National Equestrian Centre (SNEC). Courses on offer at Oatridge include
farriery and forge work, and land-based engineering.
Institutional profile
As a
public institution, SRUC is
registered as a charity under Scottish law.
The further education and undergraduate degree programmes at SRUC are grouped into six main departments: Agriculture and Business Management, Animal and Equine, Engineering, Science and Technology, Environment and Countryside, Horticulture and Landscape, and Sport and Tourism. Students can study taught courses which range from vocational and access level through undergraduate level, covering
Higher National Certificate A Higher National Certificate (HNC), part of the Higher Nationals suite of qualifications, is a higher education/further education qualification in the United Kingdom.
Overview
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the HNC is a BTEC qualificatio ...
,
Higher National Diploma and
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
courses, to postgraduate level, covering
master's degree and
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
Entertainment
* '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series
* ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic
* Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group
** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...
courses. Degrees are awarded by the
University of Edinburgh and the
University of Glasgow. Undergraduate students study over a period of three terms each year during their first two years and a period of two semesters during their third and fourth years.
The institution's consulting division, SAC Consulting, works with more than 12,000 clients in rural businesses and associated industries. The consulting arm has 26 offices located both in Scotland and in the north of England, as well as eight veterinary surveillance centres. SRUC's research division operates in six research centres, and SRUC also runs eight farms for both research and educational purposes. SRUC's research division is divided into four interdisciplinary research groups, each devoted to its own focus of land-based research: Animal Health and Veterinary Science Group, Crop and Soil Systems Research Group, Future Farming Systems Research Group, and Land Economy, Environment and Society Research Group.
Notable alumni and academic staff
The college has educated politicians
Alex Fergusson,
John Home Robertson,
Ian Liddell-Grainger,
Róisín McLaren,
Hugh Roberton
Hugh Stevenson Roberton (18 December 1900 – 13 March 1987) was an Australian politician. A member of the Country Party, he served as Minister for Social Services in the Menzies government from 1956 to 1965. He later served as Ambassador ...
,
Douglas Ross,
Mark Ruskell,
Struan Stevenson and
Andy Stewart; sportspeople
Ian Barr
Ian Barr is a Scottish former rugby union player. He is the 129th President of the Scottish Rugby Union; the 128th person to hold the office.
Rugby Union career
Amateur career
Barr had a number of clubs:- Esk Valley Banthams, Lasswade. West o ...
,
Thomas Muirhead,
Jo Pitt and
Doddie Weir; military officers
John Gilmour and
William Reid VC; and broadcaster and author
Frances Tophill
Frances Ruth Tophill is a British horticulturist, author, and television presenter known for her contributions to ''Love Your Garden'' and ''Gardeners' World''. She has written five books.
Early life
Tophill was born in Deal, Kent, and is one o ...
.
Image:Alex Fergusson MSP.jpg, Alex Fergusson, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
Image:Johnhomerobertson.jpg, John Home Robertson, Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; gd, Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA; sco, Memmer o the Scots Pairliament, MSP) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.
Electoral system
The ad ...
for East Lothian
Image:Official portrait of Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger MP crop 2.jpg, Ian Liddell-Grainger, Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...
for Bridgwater and West Somerset
Image:Roisin McLaren.jpg, Roisin McLaren, Scottish Socialist Party spokesperson
Image:William Reid VC.jpg, William Reid, recipient of the Victoria Cross
Image:HughRoberton1963 (cropped).jpg, Hugh Roberton
Hugh Stevenson Roberton (18 December 1900 – 13 March 1987) was an Australian politician. A member of the Country Party, he served as Minister for Social Services in the Menzies government from 1956 to 1965. He later served as Ambassador ...
, Australian Minister for Social Services
Image:Official portrait of Douglas Ross MP crop 2.jpg, Douglas Ross, Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party
Image:MarkRuskellMSP-May2016.jpg, Mark Ruskell, Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; gd, Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA; sco, Memmer o the Scots Pairliament, MSP) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.
Electoral system
The ad ...
for Mid Scotland and Fife
Image:Struan Stevenson.jpeg, Struan Stevenson, Member of the European Parliament for Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
Governors of the college have included pioneering technical educator
Henry Dyer
Henry Dyer (23 August 1848 – 25 September 1918) was a Scottish engineer who contributed much to founding Western-style technical education in Japan and Scottish-Japanese relations.
Early life
Henry Dyer was born on 16 August 1848, ...
and agriculturist and
Liberal Party politician
Maitland Mackie. Agriculturist
Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow, later
Governor-General of India, served as a president of the college in the early 1930s. Chemist
William Gammie Ogg, later director of the
Rothamsted Experimental Station, worked as an advisory officer. Government agricultural adviser
Arthur Wannop
Arthur Robson Wannop OBE FRSE (1900–1972) was a 20th-century British agriculturalist and authority on hill-farming. He was the first director of the Hill Farming Research Organisation and was a principle deviser of the Hill Farming Act 1946. ...
was a director of county work. Academics
Ernest Shearer and
Stephen John Watson
Sir Stephen John Watson FRSE FRIC FRAgS CBE (24 March 1898 – 25 June 1976) was a 20th-century British agriculturalist. He had an expert knowledge of the nutritional values of hay, straw and silage under different conditions.
In 1947 he founded ...
successively served as principal in addition to their role as professor of agriculture at the University of Edinburgh.
Margaret Farquhar
Margaret Elizabeth Farqhuar (born 1930) is a Scottish people, Scottish politician, the first woman to serve as Lord Provost of Aberdeen.
Born in Aberdeen as Margaret Burnett, she was educated at Ruthrieston Secondary School and then at Webster's C ...
, later
Lord Provost of Aberdeen, had been a clerk at the college before entering local government.
Botanists who have worked at the college have included
Green Party politician
Martin Ford,
Noel Farnie Robertson
Noel Farnie Robertson (1923–1999) was a Scottish botanist and agriculturist who was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE).
Biography
Early life
Robertson was born on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1923, in Dundalk, Irel ...
(who ran the partnership between the college and the University of Edinburgh),
William Gardner Smith
William Gardner Smith (February 6, 1927 – November 5, 1974) was an American journalist, novelist, and editor. Smith is linked to the black social protest novel tradition of the 1940s and the 1950s, a movement that became synonymous with writ ...
and
Edward Wyllie Fenton.
Alexander Lauder and
Hugh Nicol were both chemists who lectured there. Mycologist and plant pathologist
Richard William George Dennis
Richard William George Dennis, PhD (13 July 1910 – 7 June 2003), was an English mycologist and plant pathologist.
Background and education
Dennis was born in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, the son of a schoolmaster. He was educated at Thornbu ...
researched oat pathology at the college.
Allen Kerr Allen Kerr may refer to:
* Allen Kerr (biologist)
* Allen Kerr (cricketer)
* Allen Kerr (politician)
Allen Wade Kerr (born November 19, 1956) is an American politician. He served as a Republican member for the 32nd district of the Arkansas Hous ...
, a professor of plant pathology at
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on ...
known for his study of
crown gall, worked as an assistant mycologist and
Alan Gemmell
Alan Robertson Gemmell FRSE OBE JP (10 May 1913 – 5 July 1986) was Professor of Biology at Keele University and a regular member of the panel on the BBC Radio Home Service (later BBC Radio 4) programme ''Gardeners' Question Time'' from 1950 ...
, the first professor of biology at
Keele University, as an agricultural researcher. Veterinary surgeon
William Christopher Miller
William Christopher Miller FRSE (19 May 1898 – 17 December 1976) was a 20th century British veterinary surgeon and author. He was President of the National Veterinary Association in 1940.
Life
Miller was born in the British Central Africa Protec ...
lectured in animal hygiene and decorated
Scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
**Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
**Scouts BSA, sectio ...
leader
Alec Spalding MBE was an agricultural economist at the college. Entomologist
Daniel MacLagan served as head of the zoology department and
William Whigham Fletcher
William Whigham Fletcher (11 August 1918 – 4 April 2001) was a Scottish biologist and academic author. He was Professor of Botany at Strathclyde University. He specialised in crop protection and was one of the first to study the environmental ...
as head of botany in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...
. Academic
Allison Bailey
Allison Elaine Bailey (born 1970) is a retired barrister who specialised in criminal defence law and worked in London, England. Bailey initiated an employment tribunal claim against her legal chambers and Stonewall in 2020. The case has attrac ...
worked at the college before moving to New Zealand to become professor of farm management at
Lincoln University.
See also
*
List of agricultural universities and colleges
Notes
References
{{authority control
1899 establishments in Scotland
2012 establishments in Scotland
Agricultural universities and colleges in the United Kingdom
Animal health in Scotland
Educational institutions established in 1899
Educational institutions established in 2012
Further education colleges in Scotland
Life sciences industry