University of the Highlands and Islands Information

The University of the Highlands and Islands (Scottish Gaelic: Oilthigh na Gàidhealtachd agus nan Eilean) is a tertiary university composed of Academic Partners which are the 13 colleges and research institutions in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland delivering higher education. Its executive office is in Inverness.

The University of the Highlands and Islands has a number of undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes, most of which can be studied at a range of locations across the area. There are 8,720 students who are on undergraduate and postgraduate courses and 33,000 further education students. There are 70 learning centres spread around the Highlands and Islands, Moray and Perthshire.

While the University of the Highlands and Islands is Scotlands newest university, many of its 13 colleges and research institutions have longer histories, the earliest having been founded in the 19th Century. The UHI network has had a unique structure and the way that it has evolved as a multi-campus institution has been constrained by a legislative framework that deals with further and higher education separately. Technology has played an important part in connecting the partner institutions.

In April 2001, it became known as the UHI Millennium Institute, following the Scottish Parliament awarding Higher Education Institute status. By 2004 full-time deans had been appointed to its three faculties, with experienced figures having been attracted from other academic bodies.

University degrees were authenticated by the Open University Validation Service, the University of Strathclyde and the University of Aberdeen until 2008 when the UHI was given taught degree awarding powers (tDAP) by the Privy Council under recommendation from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA);Higher National Certificate and Higher National Diploma courses are awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

University status was awarded by the Privy Council in February 2011, and UHI became the University of the Highlands and Islands.

The Princess Royal was officially installed as chancellor in June 2012.

Clive Mulholland became principal and vice-chancellor in June 2014, after his appointment to this post was announced in February 2014.

Anton Edwards, a marine physicist, took over as rector in June 2014.

The university coat of arms has been designed to reflect important aspects of the university. A compass rose with a fleur de lys indicating north denotes the university’s location and two open books symbolise learning. The 13 hazel leaves are to represent the universitys partners, a tree associated with wisdom in Celtic and Norse tradition.

It has an annual income of £48.2 million.

In the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business, courses such as honours programmes in Gaelic, Theological Studies, and Scottish History, all reflect the distinctive nature of the region, its past, present and future. The Centre for History is based in Dornoch and teaches a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees via videoconference to students around the UHI network and worldwide. The faculty also offers a groundbreaking interdisciplinary course in Scottish Cultural Studies, which received the 2005 Times Higher Education Supplement Award for Most Imaginative Use of Distance Learning. Other postgraduate masters programmes cover the culture, literature and history of the Highlands and Islands, Material Culture and Gàidhealtachd History, Orkney and Shetland Studies, and Viking Studies. The business school offers distinctive programmes such as Scotlands only degree in Golf Management, and Adventure Tourism Management, using Lochaber, the UKs Outdoor Capital as a living research laboratory.

From August 2013 UHI have benefited from allocation of student teacher places, allowing postgraduate diploma in education (PGDE) to be offered, and the success of this has led to the number of places being increased.

The Faculty of Science, Health and Engineering has research in Renewables, Marine Science, Digital Health, Sustainable Rural Development and Environmental Issues. A fully online honours degree programme is available across the UK from this faculty. The BSc (Hons) Sustainable Development is an example of a multi-disciplinary programme from this Faculty. The programme has professional accreditation from the Institute of Economic Development. The Faculty also offers postgraduate studies, including an MSc in Sustainable Rural Development. This Masters programme also has professional accreditation from the Institute of Economic Development.

The Energy and Technology subject area offers a range of academic programs up to, and including Masters level (such as MSc Developing Low Carbon Communities and MSc Sustainable Energy Solutions), together with various subjects taught at HNC/HND level.

UHI has links with the new Centre for Health Sciences located behind Raigmore Hospital. This is being funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Scottish Government and Johnson and Johnson. Phase I of this opened in early 2007, phase II and phase III were opened in 2009. The University of Stirling has moved its nursing and midwifery operations from Raigmore Hospital to the CfHS. A BSc Oral Health Science was set up in 2008, and was based on two campuses, the Centre for Health Sciences and Dumfries Dental Centre. In 2011 a third campus was added in Stornoway. In September 2016 the Nursing and Midwifery Council approved the transfer of the pre-registration nurse BSc nursing programmes in Inverness and Stornoway to be provided by UHI.

The £6.5 million Alexander Graham Bell Centre for Digital Health is a Moray College UHI centre for excellence in digital health and Life Science for the North of Scotland and beyond, providing facilities for, and expertise in, digital health and life science research and education. The centre was officially opened by the Princess Royal in June 2014.

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