The University of Southampton dates back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902 the Institution developed into the Hartley University College, with degrees awarded by the University of London. In 1952, HM Queen Elizabeth II, granted a Royal Charter to give the University of Southampton full university status. The University had less than 1,000 students when it was first established, but now it has more than 100 faculties, research centers and other academic institutions.
The University of Southampton has a solid teaching reputation. It has built teaching connections with higher learning institutions in developed and developing countries in recent years, and has become a seven-campus international institution, to accommodate thousands of students. International students from more than 100 countries have been enrolled in the University of Southampton.
The University’s main campus is located in the residential area of Highfield, mainly because the science and engineering faculties are close by, a short walk from the city centre. The campus landmark building is the Gower Building. Hartley Library, campus dormitories and health centres are located in the Gower Building. The University’s suburb is mainly for the human science faculties. The Winchester School of Art has 120 years of history and became part of the University of Southampton in 1996.
Southampton University Teaching Profile
The University trained a group of internationally renowned alumni, among them Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web. The University is famous for its traditional redbrick building, and its subjects of Electronic Engineering, Maritime Law, Marine Engineering, Marine Sciences, Business and Finance. Amongst Britain’s best universities, it shares a high reputation in research and teaching. The University has an extensive curriculum, and is located just two miles from Southampton city centre. The campus is very modern and compact with a beautiful environment. It has 5 campuses: Highfield Campus, Avenue Campus, Southampton Oceanography Centre, Southampton General Hospital and Winchester School of Art, with affordable costs, a good choice for overseas students.
The University Library System has seven libraries with a collection of more than one million, and an annual purchase of nearly 25,000 volumes of books, periodicals and other reading materials. The University has a computer centre to support a variety of software and Internet services, which opens all year round. The University also has a user-friendly management system for the library, in order to save students’ time and provide the most comprehensive knowledge as its goal.
University of Southampton Professional Subjects
The University provides foundation, undergraduate, masters and doctoral courses. There are 8 faculties covering more than 150 professional subjects. Graduate courses also include Liberal Arts, Engineering, Law, Mathematics, Medicine, Health and Biological Sciences, Science and Social Science. There are 7 faculties with more than 40 specialised subjects.
The University has 17 schools of Art, Engineering and Applied Science, Law, Management, Chemistry, Mathematics, Economics, Education, Social Sciences, Medical Health and Biological Sciences, Electronics and Computer Science, Geography, Marine and Earth studies, Politics, Psychology and Science. 8 of those schools are famous worldwide, including those involved in the Arts, Education, Engineering and Practical Sciences, Law, Medicine, Science, Management, Social Science, with a number of professions in the UK teaching and research at the forefront. In the professional rankings, Electronic Engineering has been ranked No. 1 in the UK over several years, Computer Science in the top 3 and Medicine, Economics and Education, in the top ten. In recent years it has been rated as one of the top 100 universities in the world (according to the Times Higher Education, and in 2010 QS World University Rankings ranked the university 81st in the world).
Foundation Programmes
- The foundation has courses in the Liberal Arts, Management, Humanities, Law and Social Science so students can enter the University of Southampton or another top university (IELTS 5.5 or TOEFL 530 or above)
- Business Foundation: IELTS of at least 5.5 and high school graduation records (2nd year outstanding high school students may be considered, tuition fee £7,500 per year).
- Bachelor of Science degree programme (3 years): Specialised in Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Economics, Management Science, Management Science and Accounting, and Management Science and Economics.
- Master of Science (1 year): Professional subjects include Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Management Science, Finance and Economics, Information Systems, International Banking and Finance Studies, International Financial Markets, Management Science, and Risk Management.
- MBA (1 year): For students who just got received a bachelor’s degree, but have no work experience.
- MBA courses for Senior Managers (3 years of work experience required): To provide opportunities for overseas students to learn and experience cultural exchange with their UK classmates.
University of Southampton Recommended Professional Subjects
Recommended professional subjects: Engineering, Chemistry, Economics, Education, Electronics and Engineering, Maritime Law, Business Management, Oceanography and Acoustic, Vibration, Optoelectronics.
The School of Management in the University was rated top 10 among over 100 UK management colleges for academic research. It currently has about 500 undergraduate and 250 graduate students studying Accounting, Banking, Finance, Management Science, Business Management, Information Systems and other professional courses. There are more than 50 ethnic Chinese graduate students, including 20 from China. The remaining 30 students are from other countries.
Admission
English Language Requirements
University Foundation: IELTS 5.5; TOEFL 530 or above
Undergraduate: IELTS 6.0-6.5; TOEFL 560-600
Graduate: IELTS 6.5; TOEFL minimum score of 600 points
Most courses require IELTS 6.5 or a TOEFL score of 600 points or above. Science and Engineering classes require IELTS 6.0; other disciplines require IELTS 6.5 or above
Costs of Study and Living
Undergraduate: £7,500-8,000 per year
Master’s: £8,000-15,000 per year;
English (Foundation): £7,100 per year (the cost differs between subjects of Arts and Science); Arts=£8,300 per year and Polytechnic=£10,800 per year.
EAP intensive courses: £1,750-1,850 per year.
Of course, the costs of different professional subjects have variations:
MBA=£ 9,300 per year
Art and Design=£7,850 per year
Education: £8,500 per year
Cryogenics and Oceanography=£8,530 per year
Civil and Environmental Engineering=£8,530 per year
Nutrition=£8,530 per year
Geography=£6,500 per year
Political Science=£6,500 per year
Statistics=£8,530 per year
Clinical science=£11,958 per year
Mechanical Engineering=£8,530 per year
Living expenses (accommodation, food, clothing, books, etc.): Approximately £6,000-7,000 per year;