Bournemouth University
About Bournemouth University
Basic information and contact details for Bournemouth University
Bournemouth University (BU) is located in the seaside town of Bournemouth, in Dorset, on England south coast.
Its roots can be traced back to the early 20th century, with the establishment of the Bournemouth Municipal College, which became Bournemouth University in 1992.
Today, the institution offers more than 150 undergraduate degrees and over 100 master’s and doctoral degrees.
It is home to two campuses: the Talbot Campus, which is where students can find the majority of the university’s faculties and facilities, and the Lansdowne Campus, which accommodates the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences
As well as being just a short walk from Bournemouth’s bustling town centre, BU is within easy access to some of Britain’s best beaches, the New Forest National Park and the largest natural harbor in Europe, Poole Harbour, which formed from a drowned valley at the end of the last Ice Age.
The university lays claims to a strong professional orientation with a focus on academic excellence and graduate employability.
It is particularly renowned for its media courses and BU is recognised as the only Centre for Excellence in Media Practice in the UK. Bournemouth’s National Centre for Computer Animation’s former students have gone on to work on numerous award-winning productions in Hollywood, on films such as Gravity, Star Wars, Gladiator and Lord of the Rings.
Other areas of expertise include forensic archaeology and crime scene science, with some of BU’s faculty currently engaged in research into genocide in Iraq, Bosnia and Rwanda.
The university’s motto, Discere Mutari Est, can be found on its coat of arms and translates into English as: ‘To learn is to be changed’.
Forty per cent of the university’s 17,000 students hail from less than 40 miles away. International students number around 1,500 in total and come from 130 countries.
With more than 100 academic partners in the UK and around the world, students are encouraged to study or volunteer overseas to experience different cultures and gain life skills.
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Key Student Statistics
A breakdown of student statistics at Bournemouth University
- Student gender ratio
- 54 F : 46 M (1)
- International student percentage
- 24% (1)
- Students per staff
- 19.9 (1)
- Student total
- 15605 (1)
Based on data collected for the (1) World University Rankings 2026
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Subjects Taught at Bournemouth University
See below for a range of subjects taught at Bournemouth University
Arts and Humanities
- Archaeology
- Art, Performing Art and Design
- History, Philosophy and Theology
- Languages, Literature and Linguistics
Business and Economics
- Accounting and Finance
- Business and Management
- Economics and Econometrics
Computer Science
- Computer Science
Education Studies
- Education
Engineering
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- General Engineering
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Law
- Law
Life Sciences
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Biological Sciences
- Sport Science
Medical and Health
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Other Health
Physical Sciences
- Geology, Environmental, Earth and Marine Sciences
Psychology
- Psychology
Social Sciences
- Communication and Media Studies
- Geography
- Politics and International Studies
- Sociology