Creativity is one of the prominent factors that contributes to the overall development of students. Creativity and curriculum—if blended well—can significantly help students to innovate and learn new things seamlessly. Creative education can transform a student’s academic career as well as influence them to solve real-life problems. In today’s innovation-driven world, creative education has become one of the most sought-after forms of education.
While numerous educational institutions are inculcating creative education in their curriculum, University for the Creative Arts (UCA) has been a passionate advocate for creative education and research for 160 years. The university believes that creativity makes global communities more vibrant, more innovative, and more human.
Preeminent History
UCA was established in 2005 as University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone, and Rochester when the Kent Institute of Art and Design was merged into the Surrey Institute of Art & Design. Both the constituent schools had been formed by merging the local art schools in Kent and Surrey respectively.
UCA was granted a university status in 2008. Simultaneously, its name was also changed to the present name—University for the Creative Arts (UCA). Today, UCA has campuses across Surrey and Kent, its Institute for Creative Innovation in Xiamen, China, and its homes within partner organisations such as Maidstone Television Studios.
Industry Leading Academic Opportunities
UCA offers an extensive range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses via its specialist schools namely,
- The School of Film, Media, and Performing Arts
- The School of Games and Creative Technology
- The School of Fine Art, Photography, and Crafts
- The Canterbury School of Architecture and Design
- The School of Communications
- The Business School for the Creative Industries
- The School of Fashion and Textiles
The programs offered by UCA are acclaimed for their top teaching quality and are highly respected by the creative sector employers.
In 2022, UCA ranks in three of The Guardian’s Top 10 subject league tables for Business Management & Marketing, Journalism, Publishing & PR, and Architecture. In Journalism, Publishing, and PR, UCA rose six places to rank 5th in the league table, while its Architecture school rose has returned to the Top 10 ranking and ranked 7th—the fourth time it made it into the top 10 since 2016. Moreover, its Business & Management ranked eighth, with a score of 86.9 for teaching quality.
UCA also ranks among the Top 10 Universities in South-East according to The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide. Moreover, it is ranked 38th in terms of teaching quality. In Architecture alone, UCA scored 91% for teaching quality and topped the table for Communication and Media—scoring 91.9%. At UCA, students have the advantage of building hands-on experiences while they study, from live industry briefs and work placements through to optional Professional Practice Years.
Culture of Creativity
UCA’s primary goal is to inspire people to use their creativity to drive change, overcome challenges, and improve the lives of others across the globe. It is home to a unique community of creative people using their skills to make the world a better place. The university has been designed to be a welcoming, inclusive, and dynamic environment where it can be a global authority for the creative arts, creative technologies, and business for the creative industries. To realise this vision, in the 10-year period from 2018 to 2028, UCA is focusing on providing—a world-leading creative experience, employability, inclusivity, internationalisation, and cultural exchange.
A Bouquet of Extracurricular Opportunities
UCA works with the student union (UCASU) to continually enhance the student experience and support, in a way that sets all its students up for success. With the help of UCASU, every student at UCA has the opportunity to develop new skills, explore their extra-curricular interests, and meet new people. The university also constitutes a wide range of clubs and societies ranging from sports, cosplay, and K-Pop dance to art therapy, performing arts groups, and meetups for disabled students.
Fostering Diversity and Inclusion
UCA is committed to developing the cultural and international diversity of its campus communities to enrich the on-campus experience for its staff and students. It provides rich, reciprocal learning environments by promoting opportunities for staff and students to study and work abroad. This is done through UCA’s network of global partner institutions and its partnership venture—the Institute of Creativity and Innovation in Xiamen, China.
The university is constantly enhancing the international relevance of its programs by adopting a global outlook in all its curricula and building partnerships with educational institutions to deliver high-level creative education opportunities in more locations, both in the UK and beyond. UCA is a professional, industry-facing institution that offers international students a world-leading creative experience.
At UCA, international students are taught by industry experts who are continually contributing to the university’s portfolio of internationally recognised research in the areas of creative arts, creative technologies, and the business of creative industries. International students can also benefit from UCA’s significant network of industry partners and a strong culture of entrepreneurialism, developing their digital capabilities, learning transferable skills, and being equipped to thrive in a changing and competitive job market.
UCA works hard to embed personalised learning in all its programmes, promoting inter-disciplinary opportunities and taking inclusive approaches to tackle equality gaps. Besides this, the university is developing more non-traditional routes for its students to access higher education, including flexible modes of delivery such as blended and online learning models.
Encountering the Challenges
The COVID-19 pandemic brought numerous disruptions to the education sector across the world. UCA, however, was able to apply its extraordinary adaptability and creative thinking to tackle the challenge head-on and continue teaching to the best of its abilities. Today, classes are being delivered in person and on campus. To ensure the continued safety of UCA’s community it is constantly monitoring government guidance on COVID-19 and taking measures to reduce transmission, such as the mandatory wearing of face coverings on its campuses and advising twice weekly testing.
Vision for the Future
In upcoming years, UCA will continue to live its vision of becoming a global authority for the creative arts, creative technologies, and business for the creative industries. And to make itself an even better place to work and study, guided by its strategy to enhance the creative experience and focus on building employability, inclusivity, and diversity.
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Read full Magazine here: The 10 Most Prominent Higher Education Universities To Watch In 2022
