In the last five years, Salford has slipped below some of the new universities in The Times League Table. But consistently good graduate employment rates, carefully targeted courses and an emphasis on the university’s location close to the centre of Manchester appeal to students. Applications have been buoyant for several years, although there was only a marginal increase at the start of 2009, when most universities saw strong growth in the demand for places.

Development

The university has embarked on a £500-million investment programme that will take 15 years to complete. It will include a £47m Arts and Media Centre on campus and a centre at the MediaCityUK development in Salford Quays – home to five BBC departments from 2011. Salford Law School opened in 2007 in a £10-million building featuring a Law Society-approved library. New acoustic laboratories opened in 2008, with a reverberation room capable of transforming the quality of sound and an anechoic chamber, which is said to be the quietest place in the world. Also new is the £22-million Mary Seacole building, which houses the Faculty of Health and Social Care.

Courses

Salford stresses its business links and modern portfolio of courses, including two-year Foundation degrees. The university does well on the Government’s access measures: four in ten undergraduates come from working-class homes and there is a high proportion from areas sending few students to higher education. The projected dropout rate has improved in the latest statistics but, at 22 per cent, is still well above the national average for the subjects and students’ qualifications. A new Student Life Directorate has been charged with improving every aspect of the student experience, even planning events for students staying at Salford over the Christmas holiday closure.

Business and health subjects are now big recruiters. The university’s growing involvement in health has seen the establishment of a national centre for prosthetics and orthotics, and Salford has a high reputation for the treatment of sports injuries. Another innovation was the launch of Europe’s first nursing course for deaf students. There is also a degree in traditional Chinese medicine, with an acupuncture clinic, and a BA in journalism and war studies – the only undergraduate degree in the UK to combine the two disciplines.

Engineering is the university’s traditional strength, attracting many of the 3,000 overseas students. Two thirds of courses offer work placements, half of them abroad and almost all counting towards degree classifications. The tradition of sandwich courses always serves Salford well in terms of graduate employment. The Enterprise Academy scheme was commended by the EU after it helped 32 student businesses become established. Students are offered training in entrepreneurship and business skills, as well as a business mentor.

New media

Online degrees have been introduced and the university has also made headlines with more unusual innovations, such as degrees in business economics with gambling studies, not to mention the appointment of Britain’s first Professor of Pop Music. The university launched Salford Business School in 2006, formed from the merger of four existing schools and has several areas of expertise such as information management, operational research and gambling studies.

Research

Salford entered a relatively low proportion of its academics for the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, but still had among the lowest grades of the pre-1992 universities. Architecture and business produced the best results. The university remains committed to research: it has established nine interdisciplinary research centres and a graduate school. It also led the way in formally recognising interaction with business and industry as of equal importance to teaching and research.

Location

The modern landscaped campus, a haven of lawns and shrubberies along the River Irwell, is less than two miles from Manchester city centre and has a mainline railway station. The university also has its own TV and radio studios. The School of Media, Music and Performance plans to take full advantabe of the move by the BBC of production facilities to nearby Salford Quays.

There has been some improvement in scores in the National Student Survey, although satisfaction levels are still below the national average. Sociology, English, health and wildlife courses produced the most satisfied undergraduates. Students like the friendly atmosphere and most of the residential places are either on campus or in a student village 15 minutes’ walk away.

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