The 'University of Edinburgh' (), founded in 1582,
[2] is a renowned centre for teaching and research in
Edinburgh,
Scotland. It was the
sixth university to be established in the British Isles, making it one of the
ancient universities of Scotland. The university is also amongst the largest in the
United Kingdom.
[3][4][5][6]
History
Main articles: History of Edinburgh University
The founding of the University is attributed to
Bishop Robert Reid of
St Magnus Cathedral,
Kirkwall,
Orkney, who left the funds on his death in 1558 that ultimately provided the University's endowment. The University was established by a
Royal Charter granted by
James VI in
1582, becoming the fourth
Scottish university at a time when more populous neighbour
England had only two.
By the 18th century Edinburgh was a leading centre of the European
Enlightenment (see
Scottish Enlightenment) and became one of the continent's principal universities.
Students at the university are represented by
Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA), which consists of the
Students' Representative Council (SRC), founded in
1884 by
Robert Fitzroy Bell, and Edinburgh University Union (EUU) which was founded in
1889.
In
2002 the University was re-organised from its 9
faculties into three ‘Colleges’, and now comprises the Colleges of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), Science and Engineering (CSE), and Medicine and Veterinary Medicine (MVM). Within these Colleges are 21 ‘Schools’, which are of roughly equal sizes, generally significantly larger than the more-numerous departments they replaced.
Academic reputation
The east façade of the Old College, before the dome was added in 1887
The 2006
Times Higher Education Supplement [THES] World University Rankings ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:
[7]
★ 6th in the UK
★ 8th in Europe overall
★ joint 33rd in the world overall (with
University of Hong Kong)
The THES also ranked world universities in broad subject areas in tables published in the THES itself, and available to subscribers via the THES website
[8]. The University of Edinburgh was ranked:
★ 13th in the world for arts and humanities
★ 14th in the world for biomedicine
★ 38th in the world for social sciences
★ 46th in the world for science
★ 66th in the world for technology
The
Academic Ranking of World Universities 2007 [ARWU] ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:
[9]
★ 6th in the UK
★ 11th in Europe
★ 53nd in the world
The Guardian University Guide 2008 ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:
[10]
★ 7th in the UK overall
★ 1st in the UK for computer science
★ 1st in the UK for physics
★ 2nd in the UK for medicine
★ 2nd in the UK for veterinary science
''The Times Good University Guide 2007'' has ranked the University of Edinburgh as the eleventh best university in the UK. In 2005, the University was the ''Sunday Times Scottish University of the Year''.
In 2006
Newsweek ranked the University of Edinburgh 6th in the UK, 11th in Europe and 47th in the world.
[11]
Endowment
The university has the third largest
financial endowment among UK universities at £201m and the third largest endowment per student, according to the Sutton Trust (2002). The university has an annual turnover of more than
£400m
Affiliations
The University of Edinburgh is a member of the
Russell Group of large, research-led British universities. It is also the only Scottish university (and the only British university apart from
Oxford and
Cambridge) to be a member of both the
Coimbra Group and the
LERU: two associations of leading European universities. The University is a member of
Universitas 21, an international association of research-driven universities.
Colleges and Schools
The coat of arms of the University of Edinburgh, displayed on St Leonard's Land
College of Humanities and Social Science
★ School of Arts, Culture and Environment
★
School of Divinity
★ School of Health in Social Science
★ School of History and Classics
★
School of Law
★
School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures
★
Management School and Economics
★ School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences
★ School of Social and Political Studies
★
Moray House School of Education
College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
★ School of Biomedical Sciences
★ School of Clinical Sciences and Community Health
★ School of Molecular and Clinical Medicine
★
Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
College of Science and Engineering
★ School of Biological Sciences
★
School of Chemistry
★ School of GeoSciences
★ School of Engineering and Electronics
★
School of Informatics
★ School of Mathematics
★ School of Physics
Miscellaneous
Queen's University, a Canadian university founded in 1841, was modelled after the University of Edinburgh, and continues to display strong Scottish roots and traditions today.
McGill University, another Canadian university, founded in 1821, has strong Edinburgh roots and links to the University of Edinburgh as McGill's first (and, for several years, its only) faculty, Medicine, was founded by four physicians/surgeons who had trained in Edinburgh.
The
University of Pennsylvania, an American
Ivy League university, has long-standing historical links with the University of Edinburgh, including modelling UPenn's School of Medicine after Edinburgh's.
Location
Edinburgh is considered by some as one of the greenest and most architecturally beautiful cities in
Europe often referred to as the "Athens of the North". The University plays an integral role in the city, contributing to its vibrant atmosphere.
With the expansion in topics of study the university has expanded its campuses such that it now has seven main sites:
★ The 'Central Area' including George Square, the
Informatics Forum, Old College, and surrounding streets in Edinburgh's ''Southside'', is the oldest region, occupied primarily by the college of humanities and social science, and the schools of informatics and law, as well as the main university library. The
Appleton Tower is also used for teaching first year undergraduates in science and engineering. Nearby are the main EUSA buildings of Potterrow, Teviot Row House and the
Pleasance Societies Centre. Old residents of George Square include Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle. A number of these buildings are used to host events during the
Edinburgh International Festival every summer.
★ The '
Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies' at Summerhall, at the East end of The Meadows. This houses Veterinary Medicine.
★ '
Moray House School of Education' just off the
Royal Mile, used to be the Moray House Institute for Education until this merged with the University in August
1998. The University has since extended Moray House's Holyrood site to include a redeveloped and extended major building housing Sports Science, Physical Education and Leisure Management facilities adjacent to its own Sports Institute in the Pleasance.
★ '
Pollock Halls', adjoining
Holyrood Park to the east, provides accommodation (mainly half board) for a minority of students in their first year. The majority is provided by Self-catered flats. Two of the older houses in Pollock Halls were demolished in
2002 and a new building has been built in their place, leaving a total of ten buildings. Most other students in the city live in private flats in the
Marchmont,
Newington,
Bruntsfield,
New Town and
Leith areas, although some university-owned flats are also available there.
★ '
New College', on the Mound, which houses the School of Divinity parts of which are also used by the
Church of Scotland.
★ The '
King's Buildings', further south, houses most of the Science and Engineering schools including a Biology School that is a world leader in
genetics. The
Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) and
British Geological Survey (BGS) also have a presence on campus.
★ 'The Chancellor's Building' was opened on 12th August
2002 by
The Duke of Edinburgh and houses the new £40 million Medical School at the New Royal Infirmary in 'Little France'. It was a joint project between private finance, the local authorities and the University to create a large modern hospital, veterinary clinic and research institute and thus the University is currently (
2003) in the process of moving its Veterinary and Medical Faculties there (and quite possibly also the School of Nursing). It has two large lecture theatres and a medical library. It is connected to the new
Edinburgh Royal Infirmary by a series of corridors.
Alumni and faculty
Main articles: List of University of Edinburgh people
There have been many notable alumni and faculty of the university, including
Adam Smith,
Gordon Brown,
Alexander Graham Bell,
Robin Cook,
Charles Darwin, Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle,
David Hume,
James Clerk Maxwell,
Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir
Michael Atiyah and
Ian Wilmut.
Lord John Russell also matriculated there but did not graduate.
At graduation ceremonies, the Vice-Chancellor caps graduates with the Geneva Bonnet, a hat which legend says was originally made from cloth taken from the breeches of
John Knox or
George Buchanan. The hat was last restored in 2000, when a note from 1849 was discovered in the fabric.
[12][13] In 2006, a University emblem taken into space by
Piers Sellers was incorporated into the Geneva Bonnet.
[14]
Student organizations
Media
'Newspapers':
★
Edinburgh Student Newspaper is a weekly
Scottish independent
newspaper produced by
students at the
University of Edinburgh. Founded in
1887 by author
Robert Louis Stevenson, it is the oldest student newspaper in the United Kingdom. It has held the title of Best Student Newspaper in Scotland, awarded by the ''
Herald'' Student Press Awards, for two years running, having won in
2006 and again in
2007.
Gallery
See also
★
Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh
★
Rector of the University of Edinburgh
★
Edinburgh Student Newspaper
★
Russell Group of Universities
★
Gifford Lectures
★
Students' Representative Council
Footnotes
1. Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2005/06
2. http://www.ed.ac.uk/explore/history/
3. http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2005/ARWU2005_Top100.htm
4. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,716,00.html
5. http://education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2005/table/0,,-5163901,00.html
6. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,8403,00.html
7. The Top 200 World University Rankings
8. http://www.thes.co.uk/statistics/international_comparisons/2006/main.aspx
9. Top 500 World Universities (1-99)
10. Guardian University Guide
11. The Complete List: The Top 100 Global Universities
12. Omniana
13. Graduation cap (Object Details)
14. One small step for John Knox, one giant leap for university
External links
★
The University of Edinburgh
★
Accommodation Services at the University of Edinburgh
★
Edinburgh University Students' Association
★
Edinburgh University Sports Union
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