Middlesex University grew from at least seven different educational institutions which came together over a period of 20 years in the 1970s and 1980s. This was part of government policy at the time to persuade small institutions to amalgamate to create greater efficiency and enhance provision of opportunities for students. Some of the colleges concerned had long and distinguished histories in their own right. For example St Katherine's College of Education was founded in 1878 to train women teachers, the first such college in Britain .
The seven main institutions are Enfield College of Technology, Hendon College of Technology, Hornsey College of Art, Trent Park College of Education, All Saints College of Education (formerly St Katherine's), New College of Speech and Drama, North London College of Health. Of course each college brought with it its own building or buildings, and at one time the University operated from 22 different sites! In 1974 the new amalgamation of colleges was renamed Middlesex Polytechnic, one of 30 such institutions in Britain . Polytechnics were founded to do everything which the Universities did, offering Undergraduate and Postgraduate degrees and carrying out research. The only major difference is that they were not allowed to award their own degrees, which were awarded by an over-arching body called the Council for National Academic Awards and which kept a watching brief on standards to ensure that they were comparable with traditional universities. The Polytechnics expanded rapidly and began to overtake some of the old universities so that in 1992 the government decided it no longer made sense to differentiate between Universities and Polytechnics and all were invited to change their names to University. Middlesex did not need to change its name but just altered the Polytechnic to University.
The name Middlesex derives from the ancient County of Middlesex which has now disappeared into Greater London. It goes back to the 5th Century AD when the Saxons invaded England from their homeland in Germany and settled in Essex ( East Saxons ), Sussex ( South Saxons ) and Middlesex (Middle Saxons).
Once Middlesex became a University it was entitled to award its own degrees at all levels to PhD and of course to award Honorary Degrees. It also brought special strengths to higher education including long experience of sandwich degrees with work placements and a wide network of international contacts. In addition, Middlesex University is the first university in Britain that offer an undergraduate degree in Traditional Chinese medicine. Back in 1996, Middlesex University created the first joint degree programme in Traditional Chinese Medicine in Europe with the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine with the blessing of the Ministry of Health in the PRC. The greatest challenge was to gradually reduce the number of sites from which it operated to three major campuses plus the School of Health working with four hospitals; this will finally be achieved in 2005. In every respect the University has gone from strength to strength; it has become the most popular university in Britain with international students (5,500 international students from 130 countries out of a total of 25,000 students) and has climbed into the top 20 British Universities in the league tables (The Guardian newspaper ranked it 19 out of 119 in its 2004 listing).
Location of Middlesex University
Middlesex University has several campuses across north London . Each offers specialist facilities and each is friendly and welcoming.
- Hendon
- New Southgate
- Cat Hill
- Trent Park
- Enfield
Ranging in style from modern centres to buildings which have been standing for hundreds of years, our campuses include a mansion house and country park estate, purpose-built sites, and bases at four leading teaching hospitals.
The International Foundation Centre, located on the New Southgate site, is a state of the art facility where the Middlesex University Preparation Programme and Pre- Sessional English courses are taught.
Each campus has its own distinct personality and unique atmosphere - and at the same time offers the same 'Middlesex experience'.
A packed social calendar at each means that many students mix across the campuses.
You can use the sport and leisure facilities provided at any one of them too. Halls of residence are located on campus or conveniently close by.
The predominantly urban surroundings of the University means there is also a good choice of private rented accommodation.
Commuting is straightforward: public transport links connect the campus network, there are designated University cycle routes and all our major centres have car parks.
Beyond the campus grounds, north London 's many local attractions have much to offer and the city's centre is only a short distance away.
University Campuses and Sites:
Cat Hill
Enfield
Hendon
Trent Park
New Southgate
Archway and hospitals:
Chase Farm
North Middlesex
Royal Free
Archway and Whittington
Our Credentials
- In 2003 the Quality Assurance Agency carried out an institutional audit and the outcome confirmed excellence of quality and standards across the whole university provision.
- In 2004 the Quality Assurance Agency reviewed the university's nursing and midwifery provision. Middlesex gained the highest possible ranking and this endorsed the highly effective educational partnership that works to support the University's collaborative nursing and midwifery provision. Reviewers expressed confidence in the academic and practitioner standards achieved by the programmes in nursing and midwifery. The quality of teaching and learning, student progression and learning resources were deemed commendable.
- All Middlesex teacher education is rated good or very good by Ofsted .
Ratings from earlier subject assessments:
- Overall excellence for 10 subjects inspected
- Overall excellence for all subjects inspected since 2000
- Top marks for Student Support and Guidance in each of our last 12 assessments
- Top marks for Learning Resources in each of our last 15 assessments.
Individual subject ratings - scored out of a maximum 24 points:
- American Studies 22
- Business and Management 22
- Dance, Drama and Cinematics 22
- Education 22
- History of Art, Architecture and Design 22
- Hospitality, Leisure, Recreation, Sport and Tourism 22
- Nursing 22
- Other subjects allied to Medicine 22
- Philosophy 23
- Politics 22
Professionally accredited
Many of our programmes are recognised or accredited by professional bodies. Middlesex qualifications ensure membership of these organisations.
Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education
Middlesex University is one of the few UK universities to be awarded three consecutive Queen's Anniversary Prizes:
- Work Based Learning - 1996
- Technology Education - 1998
- Flood Hazard Research Centre - 2000.
Queen's Awards for Enterprise
In April 2003 Middlesex University won the Queen's Award for Enterprise . This recognises the University's excellence in international trade. In winning this award Middlesex has been judged "by a thorough and demanding process to be, quite simply, among the best of UK companies".
Race and gender equality awards
- Race for Opportunity - silver quality mark awarded. Rated top UK university for race equality policies and actions from among those benchmarked
- Opportunity Now - gold quality mark awarded for gender equality policies and action.
Centres of Excellence in Teaching and Learning
The Higher Education Funding Council for England has recognised two areas of Middlesex as Centres of Excellence for Teaching and Learning: Work Based Learning and Mental Health and Social Work.
The 2001 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) concluded that 80 per cent of Middlesex staff entered were working at least at national level. The 2001 ratings were: two units at grade 5, three at grade 4 and two of 3a which were flagged as centres of excellence.
The University has ambitions to improve its research profile. For the next RAE, we expect 10 to 12 areas to be recognised as having international or high national research levels.
In 2004 we appointed a new Director of Research, Assistant Vice-Chancellor Professor Waqar Ahmad. The infrastructure for research has been strengthened and in 2004/05, 40 new research appointments - including 12 professors or readers - were made.
Fact and figures:
- We are one of the largest universities in the UK , with 22,000 students. Around 60% of Middlesex students are from London and the South East and around 25% are from outside the EU. Middlesex is one of the most popular UK universities for international students.
- Middlesex employs about 1800 staff - the vast majority on its London sites. We offer significant employment benefits
- Our academic standing, creativity and innovation has been widely recognised; we are one of very few UK universities to be awarded three consecutive Queen's Anniversary Prizes , one Queens Award for Enterprise and have been Investors in People since 1999.
- The University's Corporate Plan (link to : http://www.mdx.ac.uk/mission/corporate.htm) reflects our ambition to be a global university with improving research.
Distinctive reasons for choosing Middlesex
- We aim to be a global university and we're already one of the most popular UK universities for international students . We have nearly twenty offices across the world where students who wish to study in London are offered a full recruitment and advice service. These offices are also key to our hundreds of academic partnerships throughout the world
- We are committed to achieving the best possible success and employability of its students by offering outstanding student support , highly effective teaching and learning strategies and practical links with employers
- We believe passionately in offering higher education to all who will benefit from it
- Where possible, we work in partnership with other outstanding institutions to offer the very best and widest higher education opportunities.
- 24-7 is our award-winning student website
- A flexible, modular programme allows our students maximum flexibility to choose a combination of subjects. We are the largest trainers of teachers and nurses in the area.
- Our research profile is good and improving; a significant investment in research was announced in 2004.
- Equal Opportunities is of central importance to our missions of internationalism and inclusiveness. Our Equal Opportunities policy lies at the heart of our activities.
Research profile