Thames Valley University (TVU)

Thames Valley University Overview

Thames Valley University became a university in 1992, but has over 140 years experience in technical and vocational education.
Thames Valley University is the largest single source of skilled and qualified people for employers.

Campus

Ealing Campus Thames Valley University’s Ealing campus was founded in 1860 as the Lady Byron School. The school was widely recognised for its work in art and design, and in 1950 the portfolio of courses was extended to include hotel, and catering and degree courses. In the sixties it was designated a College of Higher Education, and ran the first ever degree in business studies.
Reading Campus
Thames Valley University’s Reading campus was formally Reading College and School of Arts & Design. Reading Technical College was established in 1947 and, in the late 40s and early 50s, the College delivered Further Education programmes from over 30 locations in the town. In 1955 these departments were brought together on one site - the Kings Road campus. Reading College and School of Arts & Design merged with Thames Valley University in January 2004 and became the Reading campus.
Slough Campus
Thames Valley University’s Slough campus was founded in 1907 as an elementary school. By the forties it became a technical institute, and in the seventies, Thames Valley College of Higher Education. In 1990, the College merged with Ealing College of Higher Education, Queen Charlotte's College of Health Care Studies and The London College of Music, to become the Polytechnic of West London.
Two years later, the Polytechnic became Thames Valley University. In 2004, the university merged with Reading College and School of Arts & Design (which was originally founded in 1947 as Reading Technical College). Reading College's premises became Thames Valley University's Reading campus. The merger made Thames Valley University a very large university by UK standards. Since then, a major rebranding exercise has taken place.
As a university, Thames valley University aims to be unconventional. It offers a variety of professional training courses unavailable elsewhere. Some 45% of students come from non-white ethnic groups, and 60% study part-time (Guardian 2006). Thames Valley University currently comprises four Faculties: the Faculty of the Arts (FOTA), formerly the London College of Music and Media, and now incorporating the London College of Music, relaunched in March 2007; the Faculty of Professional Studies; the Faculty of Health and Human Sciences; and the Faculty of Technology. There is also a 14-19 Academy, which is based at Reading and structured as a department of the University. It offers predominantly GCSE and A level courses. Finally, the Graduate School (based in Ealing) co-ordinates and provides support to research activities and research degree courses.
URL: www.tvu.ac.uk