Manchester Metropolitan University

Initially developed as a centre of Technology, Art and Design, the roots of Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) date back to 1824; it was founded as a University in 1992, with the modern institution comprising eight specialist faculties.

MMU receives the third highest number of student applications in the UK and is home to more than 36,000 students, making it one of the largest student populations in Europe.

Manchester itself is also a renowned hub for arts, culture and creativity, and is regularly ranked in the top spot as the best city to live in the UK by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Survey.

MMU itself lays claim to a total of 8,000 students and staff who are involved in ‘cultural production’, making it one of the largest creative communities in Britain.

The university’s achievements are not just limited to creative disciplines though. MMU boasts the UK’s second largest Business School. In 2014 it was recognised as a top ‘new’ university for its health research in the Research Excellence Framework results, while the institution has long been at the forefront of developments in Early Years and Childhood Studies.

‘Promoting diversity’ is listed among the university core values, as is an emphasis on vocational education and employability.

MMU also prides itself on strong partnerships with businesses and organisations at a regional, national and international level, and which include the BBC and IBM. Many of its degree courses include a year-long work placement with these organisations – something the university believes aids its high employment rate for graduates.

Based on two campuses, MMU is located in Manchester city centre with another site in the town of Crewe, in Cheshire. The university has made significant capital investment in its infrastructure of late, giving rise to a new student’s union building, new laboratories, a £10million Exercise and Sport Science Centre, and a £6million contemporary arts centre on its Cheshire campus.

Among the university’s 250,000 alumni, are the actors and comedians Steve Coogan, Julie Walters and John Bishop, while poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy is the Creative Director of its Writing School.