Explore the University of Edinburgh

Basic Facts

On this page you will find information about the University of Edinburgh. Today the University is Scotland's largest university and has 21 Schools in three Colleges: Humanities and Social Science, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, and Science and Engineering. The BA in Community Education (hons) is one of a suite of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes within the Department of Higher and Community Education, in the Moray House School of Education, in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The University has around 18000 undergraduate and 6000 postgraduate students, and over 7000 academic and non-teaching staff.

The University was established by Royal Charter in 1582. In its long and interesting history, it has produced many famous graduates including: Alexander Graham Bell (inventor of the telephone), Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of the fictional character Sherlock Holmes), Robert Louis Stevenson (author of Treasure Island), Sir Walter Scott (author of the Waverley novels), David Hume (Scottish philosopher), James Clerk Maxwell (Scottish physicist), James Witherspoon (signatury of the American Declaration of Independence), James Hutton (said to be the father of modern geology), and Gordon Brown (current Prime Minister).

A Leading Academic Institution

The University's fundamental mission is 'the advancement and dissemination of knowledge and understanding.' It has three major strategies in achieving this mission, which involves achieving excellence in education, knowledge transfer and commercialisation, and research.

In 2006, The Guardian ranked the University of Edinburgh as Scotland's top university. In world terms, in 2005 The Times Higher Education Supplement ranked the university 16th in Biomedicine, 27th in Arts and Humanities, and 38th in Science, and placed it in the top 30 overall.

Cutting Edge Research

The University hosts a number of leading edge projects that have significant implications for life across a whole range of areas including understanding the basic building blocks of life, improving health and wellbeing, adressing climate change and so on. As you can see, it is an important part of an academic's role to be involved in research, so that they are at the forefront of knowledge in their particular field.

Take some time to think of and list some important social and political issues of the day. Now find out how these researchers contribute to our understanding of issues as diverse as youth justice and crime amongst young people, and national identity.

CUE has been developed at the University of Edinburgh by John Bamber and Clara O'Shea as part of the Student Recruitment and Admissions 'Transitions' Project in 2006/7. For further information on CUE and on CUE: Community Education contact: John Bamber, Department of HIgher and Community Education, Moray House School of Education, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 8AQ, Tel.: +44 - (0)131 - 651 6116, E-mail: john.bamber@ed.ac.uk

Website updated: June 19, 2008