Sprawled over 200 hectares in Norfolk county, University of East Anglia was the first British varsity to offer study programmes in creative writing, environmental sciences and development studies

PROMOTED IN 1963, over the past half century, the University of East Anglia (UEA) has built itself a global reputation for teaching and research. Times Higher Education in its Top 100 Under 50 league table, which rates the world’s best 100 universities of less than 50 years vintage, ranked UEA #16 worldwide last year. Within the UK, the Complete University Guide 2013 ranks it #15 while the Guardian ranks UEA #17. Moreover, according to the UK’s latest Research Assessment Exercise, 87 percent of research conducted at UEA is of œinternational standing, while 50 percent is world leading or internationally excellent.

Sprawled over 200 hectares of parkland in Norwich (Norfolk county), the now 51-year-old public university was the first higher ed institution in the UK to offer study programmes in creative writing, environmental sciences and development studies. Currently the university’s four faculties arts and humanities, medicine and health sciences, science, and social sciences ” and 28 schools of study offer a wide range of undergraduate, postgrad and doctoral programmes to 15,000 students from more than 100 countries.

UEA was founded to do different in 1963 and from the start, we were different in approach. We were the first university to offer a course in creative writing, taught by Malcolm Bradbury, and a School of Environmental Sciences inspired by Solly Zuckerman. Both are still world-class authorities in their fields, hugely important and a major part of our future plans, says Edward Acton, vice chancellor of UEA.

Norwich. Sited in east England on the river Wensum, Norwich (pop. 213,166) is an eclectic mix of the historic and modern. The city hosts two medieval cathedrals, a Norman-era castle, Norwich Guildhall, and an open-air market dating back to the Saxon period as well as contemporary shopping malls, bustling cafes and restaurants. Voted among the Top 10 shopping destinations in the UK, Norwich also offers six theatres with the Theatre Royal regularly staging West End productions; four cinemas; several museums and a host of art galleries. A wide range of restaurants, cafes, pubs, and bars offer students exciting nightlife options. Trains running every 30 minutes provide easy access to London, two hours by rail and three by road. The Norwich International Airport is only 15 minutes from the city centre.

Norwich experiences a temperate maritime climate, and as such is exempt from extreme temperatures which are a feature of UK’s inland towns and cities. Summer temperatures range from 24oC-33oC and in winter from 1oC-11oC.

Campus facilities. The single-site 200-hectare campus which has won more than 20 architectural awards, offers modern lecture theatres, the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, state-of-the-art laboratories, psychology research pods and observation suites, drama and electro-acoustic music studios, telecommunication suites and sports and social amenities. The university™s library houses 800,000 volumes, a range of electronic resources including major bibliographic and citation databases, an extensive audio-visual collection, and an inter-lending and documents supply service.

The university’s £30 million (Rs.297 crore) Sportspark is among the best sports complexes in Britain. It boasts an Olympic-sized swimming pool; 12 badminton courts; four basket and volleyball courts; an eight-lane athletics track; six floodlit artificial turf pitches for hockey and football; soccerpark; state-of-the-art fitness centre; five glass-backed squash courts; climbing wall; dance/aerobics and functional training studios; Olympic gymnastics centre; six floodlit tennis and netball courts; and 40 acres of playing fields for football, rugby, cricket, lacrosse, American football and baseball.

Other on-campus facilities include a medical centre, food store, post office, bakery, banks, two 24-hour laundrettes, a Boots pharmacy and a bookshop. In addition, there are over 200 societies and sports clubs on campus, while the UEA students union organises a variety of socio-cultural activities through the year.

Admission. Applications for full-time undergraduate degrees to UEA must be made online (www.ucas.com) through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). The UCAS code name and number for UEA is EANGL E14.

Minimum eligibility requirements for admission are an average of 75 percent plus in the class XII CBSE/CISCE/equivalent exam and English language proficiency. The university accepts International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and Pearson Test of English (PTE) scores.

However, if a student applicant has scored 70 percent or above in English language in the class XII exam conducted by CBSE/CISCE, she is not required to submit IELTS/PTE scores. For entry into term beginning September 2015, the UCAS application deadline is January 15, 2015 while for those wishing to study medicine, it’s October 15, 2014. All admission queries must be mailed to enquiries@ucas.ac.uk.

For admission into postgraduate and doctoral research programmes, applications must be made directly to the university.

For further information, contact University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK. Ph: +44 1603 591515; email: admissions@uea.ac.uk; website: www.uea.ac.uk.

Accommodation. UEA offers around 3,600 centrally-heated study bedrooms at rents ranging from £66-119 (Rs.6,534-11,781) per week. First year international students are guaranteed campus accommodation. More than two-thirds of rooms are en suite, with their own shower, toilet and wash basin. All accommodation is fully furnished with shared kitchen/dining areas. In addition, all rooms are connected to the university™s computer network for free access to the internet.
Off-campus housing is also available in the private sector. The students™ union maintains a database of private rental options in Norwich.
Degree programmes. The university’s four faculties ” arts and humanities, medicine and health sciences, science, and social sciences ” offer several bachelor, Masters and Ph D programmes (see box).

SCHOLASTIC OPTIONS AT EAST ANGLIA UK
University of East Anglia’s four faculties offer a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes. They include:
Arts and Humanities. American studies; art history and world art studies; film, television and media; history; language and communication studies; literature, drama and creative writing; music; philosophy; political, social and international studies
Medicine and Health Sciences. Norwich Medical School; nursing sciences; rehabilitation sciences
Science. Actuarial sciences; biological sciences; chemistry; computing sciences; engineering; environmental sciences; mathematics; natural sciences; pharmacy
Social Sciences. Economics; education and lifelong learning; international development; law; Norwich Business School; psychology; social work
Tuition fees (per year): £12,900-15,900 (Medicine: £27,500)
Living expenses: £7,200-9,600                   NB: £=Rs.99

SUMMIYA YASMEEN