Arts University Bournemouth: Courses, Admission, Cost

Established in the year 1883, Arts University Bournemouth (abbreviated as AUB) is a highly-ranked public institution of higher education in the coastal town of Poole, United Kingdom. The origin of the institution dates back to the first art school of Bournemouth founded in 1880. The school closed down in 1890 due to decreased student enrolment, which led to the transfer of remaining students to Bournemouth West School of Science and Art for completing their degrees. In 1979, it became the Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design after a merger between two arts and science schools. It evolved into the Arts Institute at Bournemouth in 1998, followed by another name change in 2009 when it became the Arts University College at Bournemouth. On 13 December 2012, the Privy Council granted it the full university status under its current name.

AUB has a beautiful 9-acre campus that consists of 19 state-of-the-art buildings housing academic facilities, administrative offices, specialist workshops, workspaces and recreational areas. AUB campus has several lecture theatres, seminar halls, boardrooms and networking rooms equipped with essential equipment and technology. The library holds various printed (including over 50,000 books) and electronic resources. The Museum of Design and Plastics (MoDiP) located inside the university library is a significant feature of the campus. North Building Extension houses the facilities of photography courses.

The Student Services Building is home to the Students' Union that runs more than 30 clubs and societies working towards keeping the students engaged and entertained through various activities of personal, educational, social and other interests. Apart from this, it publishes a free magazine titled BUMF that incorporates the content related to academic programmes, poetry, writing and music. Other on-campus facilities include a gallery, 'black box' style theatre, printing room, drawing studio and purpose-built, state-of-the-art dance studios. The university has two residence halls located at Bath Road, Madeira Road in downtown Bournemouth. Its housing facility at the Lansdown area offers accommodation to the students of the first year in ensuite rooms and studios. Apart from this, three other housing facilities are being built on the campus to accommodate up to 300 students, which should be completed by 2021.

AUB offers more than 30 programmes in architecture, film and animation, design, fine arts, photography and performance at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels. Additionally, it renders evening and weekend courses and summer programmes to facilitate flexible learning for working professionals. As per the data of 2016-17, the university had about 3,315 students across various courses. In 2013-14, AUB had 330 academics and 135 administrative staff members. Some notable names in AUB’s list are Simon Beaufoy (Screenwriter, known for his works like Slumdog Millionaire, The Full Monty and 127 Hours), Wolfgang Tillmans (Turner-Prize Winning Photographer), Chris Dickens (Editor of popular movies like Slumdog Millionaire, Submarine and Paul), Suri Krishnamma (Writer and Film Director), Nick Knight (Fashion Photographer), Katrina Tang (Professional Photographer and Videographer), Tony Weare (Comics Artist), Mel Giedroyc (Writer) and Edgar Wright (Screenwriter, Director and Producer).