Founded in 1901 as Sunderland Technical College, the University of Sunderland gained university status in 1992. It has four locations: two in Sunderland, on the north east coast of England, one in London, near Canary Wharf, and one in Hong Kong.
Located at the heart of the UK’s most important financial centre, the University of Sunderland in London is used for teaching business, tourism and nursing degrees. In 2017, it opened a campus in Hong Kong.
The university has five main faculties for its students: arts, and creative industries, business, law and tourism, education and society, health sciences and wellbeing, and technology. The university recently announced the opening of a new School of Medicine, with the first cohort of students starting in September 2019.
It is world-leading in several areas of research, including pharmacy, engineering, sports and exercise sciences, education and social work. It was the first educational institution in the area to install a digital computer. The PDP8 model was so large a crane was needed to haul it through the roof of the building in which it was to be housed. Also home to the National Glass Centre, students can watch free glass blowing demonstrations and study glass and ceramics.
Sunderland has been an important nucleus for education since 674 AD, when Benedict Biscop built St. Peter’s Church and Monastery, which was also the first place to get stained glass windows in the UK. The Sir Tom Cowie Campus is located next to this famous church.
Now a mixture of Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian architecture, Sunderland is one of the largest cities in the north east and has a buzzing nightlife scene, often playing host to many touring music bands. It is a short walk from miles of sandy beaches and about three and a half hours by train from London
