Goldsmiths, University of London
2014.10.07
Overview
Goldsmiths, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, which specialises in the arts, designs, humanities, and social sciences, and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1891 as Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in New Cross, London. It was acquired by the University of London in 1904 and was renamed Goldsmiths' College.
The word College was dropped from its branding in 2006, but "Goldsmiths' College", with the apostrophe, remains the institution's formal legal name The university has a distinguished history of contributing to arts and sciences. Its Department of Art is widely recognised as one of Britain's most prestigious, producing the YBA's art collective and over 20 Turner Prize nominees. Goldsmiths is also famous for design, psychology, drama, sociology, music, media and cultural studies, languages and literature, visual cultures, anthropology and educational studies.
Established year: 1891
Location
Goldsmiths, University of London is based on a single-site campus within London's vibrant New Cross. New Cross is a vibrant area in South East London that's situated just 10 minutes by train from the centre of the city. Beautiful areas like Greenwich are only twenty minutes' walk from the campus and the rest of London is easily reached by train. Described by The New York Times as a hub of creative talent, the area has a thriving music and arts scene, fantastic restaurants, buzzing cafes, and a genuinely diverse and eclectic population.
London is the political, economic and cultural capital of Britain. It is the most populous city in the United Kingdom with a metropolitan area of over 13 million inhabitants. London was the world's most populous city from around 1831 to 1925.
London's history stretches back over thousands of years, and the city boasts four World Heritage Sites: the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Maritime Greenwich and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
From the Centre of London by train: 10 minutes
Address: Lewisham Way, New Cross, London SE14 6NW, United Kingdom
Learning environment
A recent multi-million pound investment has resulted in state-of-the-art facilities, including a brand new Student Support Centre and the New Academic Building that houses the latest media technology, situated in and beside beautiful Grade II-listed buildings, an extensive library and a large campus green.
Goldsmiths Library has been ranked in the top 20 in the UK. It has numerous facilities for group and individual study and offers computer workstations, language learning materials and an extensive collection of printed, audio-visual and electronic resources. As a Goldsmiths degree student you're also able to borrow books from the University of London Library, Senate House.
As well as the Clubpulse gym, Goldsmiths' campus has tennis and netball courts and a large backfield perfect for football. Goldsmiths Students' Union offers a huge variety of sports societies, both recreational and competitive.
Nine specialist research laboratories (casting, constructed textiles, digital media, fine art printmaking, metalwork, photography, print and dye, stitch and fabric, woodwork) and a yarn store are available for art students, alongside studio spaces.
Theatre students can benefit from a 160-seat theatre, four performance studios, scenography workshop, wardrobe and props stores, a media studio for video and sound editing and specialist technicians on-site for support.
All Design students have their own dedicated studio space within the Department and there are electronics for prototyping circuits as well as workshop facilities, a computing suite, a textile studio and a dark room.
There are a variety of eating options on campusincluding Loafers cafe, the Refectory canteen, grab and go services at Tastte shop and The POD, and Natura, a vegan and vegetarian cafe on the first floor of the Students' Union.
Highlights/Advantages
- A strong reputation in the industry for Design – graduates include UK Young Designer of the Year and Eco-Designer of the Year
- Second largest Music department in the UK
- Long-standing expertise in Educational Studies – Goldsmiths has been training teachers since 1904
- Students will be taught by and will debate with the best in the field: our academics are the people who write the books that appear on reading lists across the country
- Goldsmiths is ranked 9th in the UK for world-leading 4* research (Research Assessment Excellence)
- Seven winners of the Turner Prize – and almost a quarter of those shortlisted for the award since it began – have been former students
- Goldsmiths London zone 2 campus is a great base for experiencing the capital and student life
Rankings
- The 2008 RAE placed Goldsmiths 9th in the UK overall for the world-leading quality of its research.
- 55th in the Times University Guide 2015
- 48th in the Guardian University Guide 2015
- 50th in the Complete University Guide 2015
The following departments were ranked in the Top 20 nationally:
- Sociology (ranked 1st equal with Essex, Manchester and York)
- Communication, Cultural and Media Studies (ranked 4th equal with London School of Economics)
- Anthropology (ranked 8th equal with Oxford, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, St Andrews and Queen's University Belfast)
- Art and Design: Modern Painters (magazine) surveyed art world professionals in April 2012, to create a list of the top 10 UK art schools, with Goldsmiths ranking 5th.
- Music (ranked 14th equal with Bristol, City, Huddersfield, Royal Academy of Music and Glasgow)
- Drama, Dance and Performing Arts (ranked 15th equal with Birmingham, Roehampton and Aberystwyth)
- History of Art (ranked 17th equal with Cambridge, School of Oriental and African Studies and Aberdeen)
Accommodation
Goldsmiths, University of London offers good quality, reasonably priced accommodation, with rents comparable to similar universities in London. Most of our good quality, reasonably priced accommodation is within walking distance of the campus, and most of it is less than five minutes away – meaning you won't have to travel long distances and pay extra transport costs. Goldsmiths has just over 1,200 spaces in halls, spread over nine sites, both on and off campus in South East and East London (New Cross, Brockley, Greenwich, Canada Water and Stratford). Over 800 rooms have their own en suite facilities (showers, washbasins and toilets).
Halls of Residence
These halls are located within a five minute walking distance from campus and are supported by office staff, Resident Assistants (RA's) and security staff 24/7. Flats sizes vary from 4-8 bed flats to a corridor layout hall. All halls are single occupancy and are self catered with shared kitchen facilities. Facilities vary within each hall, but all have access to laundry facilities, internet and some have outdoor space.
Off Campus Accommodation
These halls are managed day to day by a private provider (except Raymont, which is managed by Goldsmiths) but your accommodation agreement is with Goldsmiths, and you pay your rent to the University. These halls are located between a 20 minute walk to a 30 minute commute from the campus and are supported by office and security staff 24/7. Flat sizes vary from 2-6 bed flats, studio flats to a corridor layout hall. All our rooms vary in size, are single occupancy and are self catered with a shared or private kitchen. Facilities vary within each hall but all have on site laundry facilities, internet and some of the halls have outdoor space, communal space and TV's in the kitchens.