Academics

University of Gloucestershire

At the University of Gloucestershire, BCA students are immersed in the university alongside English students. Like many universities in England, Gloucestershire is separated into several campuses located throughout Cheltenham and the nearby city of Gloucester. There are four main university campuses: three in Cheltenham (Francis Close Hall, The Park and Pittville) and a fourth campus (Oxstalls) in Gloucester. Each campus has a distinct look and feel and houses its own departments and programs, plus a Learning Centre, or library, with computer labs.

There is a free bus service between campuses and town centres to help you get around. In addition, the Urban Learning Foundation is a provider of teacher training and is a small campus of the University of Gloucestershire located in the East End of London.

The Park

The Park is built in a conservation area originally planned as a Victorian ornamental zoo. Modern architecture stands proud in 30 acres of landscaped parkland. A modern Teaching Centre offers spacious and comfortable teaching rooms and the main Lecture Theatre has a capacity of 200.

The student village provides accommodation for 180 students in five villas and provides easy access to the Learning Centre (or library), food outlets and the Students’ Union (SU) bar. There is always plenty going on, from quiz nights to live music, DJs and regular film screenings.

Francis Close Hall

At the heart of Francis Close Hall (FCH) is a wonderful Gothic quadrangle and clock tower, built in the mid-nineteenth century. FCH offers high quality studios, laboratory and display spaces for Environment students. A new Learning Centre was opened in 2001, and the campus is home to the University Chapel. You will also find a leisure complex nearby, complete with swimming pool, gym, and sports hall.

Pittville Studios

If you’re studying Fine Art and Media programs, you’ll be based at Pittville; the art, media and design campus. Pittville offers the latest equipment, along with spacious studios available to all students. The purpose-built media centre provides a high standard of professional facilities for graphics, video, photography and interactive media teaching, together with a specialist art and design library. The campus also has its own dedicated gallery, giving students a space to showcase their exhibitions both to the University and the wider public.

Halls of Residence at Pittville are home to more than 250 students and the campus has its own Students’ Union and catering facilities.

Oxstalls

The new Oxstalls Campus is only five minutes drive from Gloucester city centre and ten miles from Cheltenham. Oxstalls is the centre for all sport-related activities and has strong links with Olympic sports injury specialists at the nearby Winfield Hospital, as well as with schools and colleges. The Campus also hosts the Health & Social Work programs.

Like the three Cheltenham campuses, Oxstalls has its own Students’ Union and bar, as well as a technology-rich learning centre, refectory and shop. There are 175 en-suite rooms in the Halls of Residence, each with their own telephone and Internet access. There is also easy access to a warden and security staff.

Module Information

As a BCA student, you will study modules along with the other English students at UoG. Approximately 900 modules in 40 disciplines run within the UMS; some of them only run in Semester 1 (September to December), others only run in Semester 2 (January to May), while others run in both semesters.

Students do not need to pre-register for courses before they arrive at the University of Gloucestershire; however, it is helpful to have some idea of the courses that you want to take.

In addition to selecting classes from the extensive university catalog, BCA students may opt to design a "Community and Personal Development Project" that allows them to explore a topic of interest in depth. This project is completed independently or in a group, and students submit a paper and make a presentation on their findings to the resident BCA director.

International Student Conference

During the spring semester BCA students in Cheltenham may have the opportunity to attend a BCA student conference somewhere in Europe. In the past this annual conference was held in Hungary and France. The theme for the spring 2005 conference was "The European Dream" based on the popular novel by Jeremy Rifkin. BCA students from all over Europe come together for several days where journalists, professors and activists from Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Hungary and Sweden speak and lead discussions about the changing role of the American Dream in a global society.

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