Oxford Brookes University is a premier learning and teaching institution with an excellent research record. It is widely acknowledged to be the UK's leading modern university, surpassing many older institutions in the UK newspaper league tables.

The University can trace its history back as far as 1865 with the foundation of the Oxford School of Art, which over the centuries merged and grew to become today's university. It was in 1992 that the then Oxford Polytechnic became Oxford Brookes University, naming itself after John Henry Brookes, first Principal of the Schools of Technology, Art and Commerce. Website: www.brookes.ac.uk

Student Numbers

Oxford Brookes currently has over 18,500 students: 13,700 undergraduates, 4,690 postgraduates and 59% are women. Oxford Brookes pioneered the modular degree in the UK, which allows students greater flexibility in planning their studies. Today, 30% of its students choose to study part-time. http://www.brookes.ac.uk/about/facts/statistics

Academic Excellence

Over the last 25 years Oxford Brookes has developed a reputation for the outstanding quality of its teaching, which has been externally assessed by the Quality Assurance Agency as excellent in more subjects than any other modern UK university.

In 1996, all university departments in Britain were rated for research, as part of the UK Government's five yearly Research Assessment Exercise conducted by the Higher Education Funding Council. Each School is given a score between 1 (bottom of the scale) and 5* (top of the scale). In 2001 a number of academic Schools at Brookes scored highly despite calling on a relatively short history in research compared with other older universities. This included a 5* rating for the History department. The University is looking forward to receiving the results of the latest assessment exercise some time in 2008.

Awards and Rankings

In November 2007 Oxford Brookes was again awarded a prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its MSc in Primate Conservation. Prior to that, in 2001 the University’s Centre for Development and Emergency Practice (CENDEP) was awarded a Queen's Anniversary Prize for its integrated programme of education for humanitarian, human rights and development practice. http://www.brookes.ac.uk/about/facts/awards

Employability

Oxford Brookes courses are designed to be relevant to the world of work, preparing graduates with transferable skills, which is one reason why their graduates have proven to be so successful in the job market. Over 95% of Oxford Brookes graduates are in paid work or further study within six months of leaving Brookes.

All degree courses at Brookes are designed to include transferable skills that are highly prized by employers: typically in computer literacy, group work, written and verbal communication, analysis and presentation. Even more highly prized are the work placements which many Oxford Brookes students complete as part of their course itself.

The practical nature and international approach taken at Oxford Brookes University Business School prepares students for a career with a blue chip company, a public sector organisation or to start their own business. We provide links with global names in industry and our work placements scheme is a key reason why our graduates are successful once they enter the world of work.

Partnerships with Industry, Commerce and the Community

Brookes prides itself on building strong partnerships with industry, commerce and the local community in which it works. Through partnerships, the University shares its research and expertise with companies best able to develop them commercially, as well as attracting additional funds to support its work. Many companies based in the region, including publishers, automotive engineers, businesses, and biotechnology firms, offer valuable work placements for students, greatly increasing their chances of securing employment in their chosen field at the end of their course.

The Business School at Oxford Brookes University

The Business school at Oxford Brookes University offers undergraduate, postgraduate / post-experience / professional qualifications and research degrees as well as research and consultancy services.

The School employs over 120 full-time staff with complementary specialist part-time staff. It is one of the largest of the University's academic schools with a total of 4,000 students including 2,000 undergraduates and 400 postgraduate and research students taught on site. The remaining students study off campus, many of them abroad on franchised or validated programmes, which typically lead to an Oxford Brookes qualification. Students from over 100 countries attend taught undergraduate programmes and over 40 countries are regularly represented on taught postgraduate programmes in Oxford.

In October 2000 the Business School was visited by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) to review the quality of education in the areas of Business and Management and Economics. The QAA awarded the School top marks; (24 out of 24) on inspection of both subject areas. Its principal conclusion was that The Business School successfully meets its aim to prepare students for careers in business and management. Meetings with employers indicated strong demand for the School's graduates.

Oxford Brookes University Business School has a strategy of building quality partnerships and has formed such a partnership with the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants (ACCA). It is working with partners around the world in several countries on research and consultancy projects as well as undergraduate and/or postgraduate education. In addition to its partnership with IIMT, Oxford Brookes University has a number of other prestigious partners including the Polish Open University, City University Hong Kong, Nilai College, Malaysia, and the Indian Institute of Management (Bangalore).

The Business Futures Division at Oxford Brookes University Business School is the key external arm of the School. The aim of the Business Futures Division is to provide support for the development and training needs of global business through post-experience award bearing programmes; the enhancement of the employability of all the School’s graduates; careers guidance and job search facilities; work experience and employer-based projects; and consultancy services and a range of in-company learning and development programmes.