Address: Malet Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom
Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, Law
Birkbeck, University of London was founded in 1823 by George Birkbeck, who wanted to educate London’s working people. It began as the London Mechanics’ Institute, created at the Crown and Anchor Tavern on the Strand, and about 2,000 people had gathered there on 11 November 1823 to hear Birkbeck speak.
Women were admitted as students from 1830, nearly four decades before Oxford and Cambridge did so. In 1920 the college became part of the University of London, on the understanding that it would continue to offer evening study. It remains one of the few UK universities specialising in evening higher education, and it caters in particular for people who work during the day.
The main building stands in Bloomsbury, on Malet Street. Birkbeck has more than 4,000 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 postgraduate students.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, Software Engineering
Part of University of London. Strong links with London’s cultural institutions and professional bodies. Caters primarily to part-time, mature students.
Research:
Research strengths across arts, humanities, social sciences, law, and some sciences. REF performance is strong.
Famous Alumnis:
Ramsay MacDonald, T.S. Eliot (taught there), Sidney Webb, Marcus Garvey (attended lectures)
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
1500
Current students***:
12000
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
80000
Pros
Specialist in evening study, allowing students to combine work and education, part of University of London, research-led teaching.
Cons
Evening study model is not for everyone, campus facilities can be more limited than day universities.
Best For
Working professionals and mature students seeking high-quality, research-led evening education in a wide range of subjects, within the University of London.
Goldsmiths, University of London is a public college in south-east London covering art and design, media and communications and social sciences.
City, University of London is a public university in Islington that teaches business, journalism and law.
Queen Mary University of London in the east of the capital offers medicine, dentistry and law as a public institution.
King's College London is a public university on the Strand with humanities, law and health sciences.
The Open University is public and serves part-time learners across all subjects by distance learning, a flexible-study mission comparable to Birkbeck's.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
York University in Canada is public, with business in the Schulich School, law at Osgoode Hall and fine arts.
Stockholm University in Sweden is a public university covering natural sciences, social sciences and law.
Trinity College Dublin in Ireland is a public institution recorded for nanoscience, computer science and engineering.
University of Oslo in Norway is public and teaches natural sciences, social sciences and law.
Macquarie University in Australia is public, with medicine and health sciences, science and engineering, and business.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
What is the origin of Birkbeck?
It started as the London Mechanics' Institute in 1823, set up to teach working people. It was founded by George Birkbeck.
Why is Birkbeck known for evening study?
Since joining the University of London in 1920 it has continued the evening teaching it was founded for. It is one of few UK universities to specialise in evening higher education.
Where is Birkbeck located?
The main building is in Bloomsbury, central London, mainly on Malet Street.
How large is Birkbeck?
It has more than 4,000 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 postgraduate students.
When did Birkbeck first admit women?
Women were admitted as students in 1830. This was nearly forty years before the universities of Oxford and Cambridge did.
When did Birkbeck join the University of London?
It became part of the University of London in 1920, on the understanding that it would continue to offer evening study.
Continuous Improvement, Innovation, Learning Management System (LMS), Project Management, User experience (UX), User-Centered Design
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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