Hertfordshire has become a model for the “business-facing” university, serving the needs of local employers and improving the job prospects of its students in the process.

The university even runs the local bus service and plays an important role in steering the local economy.

A purpose-built £120-million campus, close to the existing Hatfield headquarters, opened in 2003, bringing the university together for the first time and providing outstanding facilities.

The de Havilland campus, named after the aircraft manufacturer which once occupied the site, houses business, education and the humanities.

It has a 24-hour resources centre, £15-million sports complex and 1,600 networked, ensuite residential places. The two sites are linked by cycleways, footpaths and shuttle buses. The blaze of publicity that accompanied the opening contributed to the biggest rise in applications at any UK university.

The demand for places has remained healthy, although there was an above-average decline in applications at the start of 2008, when the number of choices per applicant was cut from six to five. As Hatfield Polytechnic, the university’s reputation was built on engineering and computer science, but health subjects now account for by far the largest share of places.

Health subjects

An innovative degree in paramedic science was Britain’s first, and the university is still hoping for a medical school, although its last bid was not successful.

The announcement of a £500-million hospital and cancer centre in Hatfield should strengthen the university’s case, as should the launches of a new School of Pharmacy and a postgraduate medical school. The latter is a collaboration with Cranfield and Bedfordshire universities and the local health authority. Art and design is also growing, particularly the multimedia courses.

In 2005, the university launched a new School of Film, Music and New Media. The College Lane campus includes the largest art gallery in the eastern region, which mounts regular public exhibitions. A new 460-seat auditorium will enhance the cultural programme.

An Automotive Centre has upgraded teaching facilities for that branch of engineering, as well as boosting interaction with industry. Average grades for A-level entrants rose under the previous Vice-Chancellor, who called for a “tougher and more rigorous” academic style and declared a desire to propel Hertfordshire up the league tables.

Professor Tim Wilson, the present incumbent, retains this ambition but is also trying to widen the university’s base through collaboration with local further education colleges. The intake is more diverse than expected, given the location and subject mix: 97 per cent of undergraduates are state-educated and 40 per cent come from working-class homes.

However, the projected dropout rate hit 20 per cent dropout rate in the last national survey, taking Hertfordshire beyond the national average for the subject mix and entry grades. Many students include work placements in their degrees, the close links with employers sometimes bringing in valuable research and consultancy contracts, and contributing to a consistently good graduate employment record.

Teaching quality

Environmental studies and philosophy achieved the best scores for teaching quality, with business and management, psychology and nursing close behind. Grades in the last Research Assessment Exercise showed considerable improvement on 1996, with history rated nationally outstanding and computing, nursing, physics and psychology all in the next category. Even before the opening of the new campus, students were well served in terms of information technology.

The award-winning library and resource centre on the main campus is Britain’s biggest, offering 24-hour access to hundreds of computer workstations. A second centre on the de Havilland campus provides another 1,100 workstations. The StudyNet information system has been a leader in its field, giving all staff and students their own storage space. Students can use it for study, revision or communication, as well as to access university information.

The Hertfordshire Sports Village boasts some of the best university-based facilities in Britain. Although principally for student use, it is also open to local residents. The university claims to be one of the safest in the country.

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