Located in Styria, Austria, the University of Graz is one such esteemed institute that has been developing the next generation of graduates who are adept in their respective fields. The university regards itself as an international institution for education and research committed to research and teaching for the benefit of society.

A Reputation of Excellence

Founded in 1585, the University of Graz is Austria’s second-oldest university and one of the largest in the country. Over the years, prominent scientists including six Nobel Prize winners—Fritz Pregl, Julius Wagner von Jauregg, Erwin Schrodinger, Otto Loewi, Victor F. Hess, and Karl von Frisch—have taught and researched at the university.

With 31,000 students and 4,300 employees, the university makes a significant contribution to the vibrant life of Graz city. Its geographical location favors a lively scientific, economic, and cultural exchange with south-eastern Europe. This benefits the city as well as its educational institutions.

Robust Vision and Core Values

The University of Graz is passionate about taking its far-reaching impact seriously and is well aware of the transformative power that universities hold. “We work for tomorrow” is the slogan that lies at the university’s research and teaching and portrays the many values it cherishes.

Research and research-oriented teaching are the prominent factors that distinguish the University of Graz from other institutions. The university believes that critical thinking fuels the future. It examines the past, reflects on the present, and devises solutions for the future.

Bouquet of Academic Programs

Today, the University of Graz has six faculties namely—Environmental and Regional Sciences and Education; Natural Sciences; Arts and Humanities; Law; Business, Economics, and Social Sciences; and Catholic Theology. It offers more than 120 Bachelor, Master, and Ph.D. programs. Some of these programs include,

• Bachelor’s Programs: Ancient History and Classical Antiquities, Art History, Business Administration, Classical Philology, Environmental Systems Sciences, European Ethnology, Molecular Biology, Sociology, Earth Sciences, Romance Studies, etc. as well as several programs for teaching subjects

• Master’s Programs: Advanced Materials Science, Applied Ethics, Archeology, Biotechnology, English and American Studies, Geosciences, Inclusive Education, Linguistics, Political and Empirical Economics, Digital Humanities, etc. as well as several programs for teaching subjects

• Doctoral Programs: Humanities, Natural Sciences, Law, Religious Studies and Sociocultural Discourse, Social and Economic Sciences, Philosophy, Catholic Theology, as well as several interdisciplinary programs

Interdisciplinary Approaches

As the university offers a wide range of educational programs covering numerous specialties, a great pool of experts is working on the same premises. This allows for interdisciplinary approaches in teaching and research as well as enables students to broaden their horizons within the elective courses.

These interdisciplinary strengths translate into five Fields of Excellence at the University of Graz—BioHealth, Climate Change Graz, Complexity of Life in Basic Research and Innovation, Dimensions of Europeanization, and Smart Regulation. Researchers are linking up across the traditional faculty boundaries to explore responses to major questions and develop new strategies that will help in shaping future developments.

Alongside these interdisciplinary advantages, students can also enjoy cooperation on an inter-university level. Numerous study programs are offered in cooperation with other universities in Graz, maximizing the academic input. Master’s programs also allow for a particularly enhanced experience with new modules focusing on indispensable topics of the future.

Research-based Teaching and Learning

At the University of Graz, research-based teaching and learning is at the center of learning activities. It ensures that students get in touch with the latest high-quality research. The university also helps its students develop critical thinking skills and transferable skills that allow them to find solutions to ever-changing problems. This is done by integrating offers to develop soft skills within the existing curricula as well as offering a wide range of additional courses to train the students’ competencies.

Cooperation from teachers and curricula developers with partners from outside the academia is also an important factor in student development. The University of Graz has active partnerships with around 500 other universities from around the world and is engaged in 20 international networks. This international cooperation fosters high-quality teaching and ensures that students benefit from the latest developments in higher education.

Enhancing Personal Development

Students at the University of Graz are challenged as well as supported in their personal development. They can take action and get involved in decision-making processes at various levels—the departments, the Curricula Commissions, the Austrian National Union of Students or becoming the representative of their study programs. Students can also become tutors—either for specific exam preparations or to welcome and help settle first-year students in their study programs.

In exchange for becoming tutors, students earn ECTS credit points, get to know the university from a different angle, and are able to grow on a personal level. Students are also encouraged to participate in other extracurricular activities such as inexpensive language courses and sports courses. To enhance their social competencies, students can choose from a great variety of other courses teaching them how to communicate effectively, manage their time, solve conflicts, etc.

Promoting Diversity and Inclusion

The University of Graz comprises a diverse student body including first-generation students, students with disabilities, students with care responsibilities, trans/inter*/non binary students. This diverse student body and inclusion on campus are addressed by several dedicated units as well as an anti-bias board. The university takes various measures such as peer mentoring, training and courses, specified support and assistance, etc. to ensure diversity and inclusion.

The university also has a strong international profile embedded in numerous international cooperations worldwide. Its student-friendly campus is located in the heart of Europe in the charming city of Graz, which is a great starting point for visiting neighboring countries like Slovenia or Italy. Alongside this, international students also benefit from tuition fees and orientation as well as service in preparation and during the stay.

Coping with the Change

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly transformed the world. Given the COVID-19 norms, educational institutions have to incorporate several changes to ensure the safety of the students and the staff. The University of Graz also takes appropriate measures to ensure the safety of students and staff as well as learning, teaching, research, service, and administration.

Presently, access to the university campus is only allowed if you are vaccinated, recovered or PCR-tested. FFP2 masks are mandatory in all university buildings. The capacity of teaching and learning rooms may be utilized only up to 50 percent. Moreover, distance learning is offered where offline courses are not possible. Office activities are also partly converted to work from home.

The university is convinced that university life will fully return on its campus when the pandemic comes to an end. It aims to drive forward research in its fields of excellence to prepare the ground for a better future, as well as welcome young people from all over the world to the university to work with it in the future.

Quote:

Read full Magazine here: The 10 Most Prominent Higher Education Universities To Watch In 2022

The post University of Graz: Nurturing Graduates with Research-based Education appeared first on The Education Magazine.

While numerous educational institutions are inculcating creative education in their curriculum, University for the Creative Arts (UCA) has been a passionate advocate for creative education and research for 160 years. The university believes that creativity makes global communities more vibrant, more innovative, and more human.

Preeminent History

UCA was established in 2005 as University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone, and Rochester when the Kent Institute of Art and Design was merged into the Surrey Institute of Art & Design. Both the constituent schools had been formed by merging the local art schools in Kent and Surrey respectively.

UCA was granted a university status in 2008. Simultaneously, its name was also changed to the present name—University for the Creative Arts (UCA). Today, UCA has campuses across Surrey and Kent, its Institute for Creative Innovation in Xiamen, China, and its homes within partner organisations such as Maidstone Television Studios.

Industry Leading Academic Opportunities

UCA offers an extensive range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses via its specialist schools namely,

• The School of Film, Media, and Performing Arts

• The School of Games and Creative Technology

• The School of Fine Art, Photography, and Crafts

• The Canterbury School of Architecture and Design

• The School of Communications

• The Business School for the Creative Industries

• The School of Fashion and Textiles

The programs offered by UCA are acclaimed for their top teaching quality and are highly respected by the creative sector employers.

In 2022, UCA ranks in three of The Guardian’s Top 10 subject league tables for Business Management & Marketing, Journalism, Publishing & PR, and Architecture. In Journalism, Publishing, and PR, UCA rose six places to rank 5^th in the league table, while its Architecture school rose has returned to the Top 10 ranking and ranked 7^th—the fourth time it made it into the top 10 since 2016. Moreover, its Business & Management ranked eighth, with a score of 86.9 for teaching quality.

UCA also ranks among the Top 10 Universities in South-East according to The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide. Moreover, it is ranked 38^th in terms of teaching quality. In Architecture alone, UCA scored 91% for teaching quality and topped the table for Communication and Media—scoring 91.9%. At UCA, students have the advantage of building hands-on experiences while they study, from live industry briefs and work placements through to optional Professional Practice Years.

Culture of Creativity

UCA’s primary goal is to inspire people to use their creativity to drive change, overcome challenges, and improve the lives of others across the globe. It is home to a unique community of creative people using their skills to make the world a better place. The university has been designed to be a welcoming, inclusive, and dynamic environment where it can be a global authority for the creative arts, creative technologies, and business for the creative industries. To realise this vision, in the 10-year period from 2018 to 2028, UCA is focusing on providing—a world-leading creative experience, employability, inclusivity, internationalisation, and cultural exchange.

A Bouquet of Extracurricular Opportunities

UCA works with the student union (UCASU) to continually enhance the student experience and support, in a way that sets all its students up for success. With the help of UCASU, every student at UCA has the opportunity to develop new skills, explore their extra-curricular interests, and meet new people. The university also constitutes a wide range of clubs and societies ranging from sports, cosplay, and K-Pop dance to art therapy, performing arts groups, and meetups for disabled students.

Fostering Diversity and Inclusion

UCA is committed to developing the cultural and international diversity of its campus communities to enrich the on-campus experience for its staff and students. It provides rich, reciprocal learning environments by promoting opportunities for staff and students to study and work abroad. This is done through UCA’s network of global partner institutions and its partnership venture—the Institute of Creativity and Innovation in Xiamen, China.

The university is constantly enhancing the international relevance of its programs by adopting a global outlook in all its curricula and building partnerships with educational institutions to deliver high-level creative education opportunities in more locations, both in the UK and beyond. UCA is a professional, industry-facing institution that offers international students a world-leading creative experience.

At UCA, international students are taught by industry experts who are continually contributing to the university’s portfolio of internationally recognised research in the areas of creative arts, creative technologies, and the business of creative industries. International students can also benefit from UCA’s significant network of industry partners and a strong culture of entrepreneurialism, developing their digital capabilities, learning transferable skills, and being equipped to thrive in a changing and competitive job market.

UCA works hard to embed personalised learning in all its programmes, promoting inter-disciplinary opportunities and taking inclusive approaches to tackle equality gaps. Besides this, the university is developing more non-traditional routes for its students to access higher education, including flexible modes of delivery such as blended and online learning models.

Encountering the Challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic brought numerous disruptions to the education sector across the world. UCA, however, was able to apply its extraordinary adaptability and creative thinking to tackle the challenge head-on and continue teaching to the best of its abilities. Today, classes are being delivered in person and on campus. To ensure the continued safety of UCA’s community it is constantly monitoring government guidance on COVID-19 and taking measures to reduce transmission, such as the mandatory wearing of face coverings on its campuses and advising twice weekly testing.

Vision for the Future

In upcoming years, UCA will continue to live its vision of becoming a global authority for the creative arts, creative technologies, and business for the creative industries. And to make itself an even better place to work and study, guided by its strategy to enhance the creative experience and focus on building employability, inclusivity, and diversity.

Quote:

Read full Magazine here: The 10 Most Prominent Higher Education Universities To Watch In 2022

The post University for the Creative Arts: A Place where Creativity Meets Excellence appeared first on The Education Magazine.

With a vision to lead an innovative and performing arts culture that enriches and changes the world, the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama strives to inspire, educate and train the performers, practitioners, and change-makers of tomorrow to shape the future of theatre and the performing arts. Central’s unique mission is underpinned by its core values that demonstrate what it stands for, what it believes, and what it tries to live and work by. With daily practice, its core values – Respecting, Enquiring, Innovating and Sharing – inform Central’s approach to its actions and work as an inclusive organisation.

Insightful Inception

Central was founded in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty, who envisioned offering a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. Since its establishment, Central continued to add to its facilities.

In 2005, it became a college of the University of London and was bestowed the ‘Royal’ title by Her Majesty The Queen in her Jubilee year in 2012. To date, Central continues to be a pioneer in the training of creative practitioners, with many graduates nominated for or receiving prestigious awards and recognition around the world.

Array of Educational Benefits

With 15 courses at the undergraduate level, 14 Master’s programs, and an expansive and award-winning Research department, Central offers Europe’s most comprehensive choice of specialist higher education drama, theatre, and performance training. It has an unrivaled range of international partners and collaborators, strong industry links, a wide portfolio of professional placement opportunities, and some of the highest graduate employment rates in the sector.

The courses offered at Central are heavily industry-focused. Students benefit from staff who are professionals as well as industry practitioners who share their knowledge and experience. Moreover, they are provided with opportunities to practically apply their learning and experiment with the latest methods. In turn, the students of Central bring the spirit of experimentation and innovation with them into the industry, helping to shape the future of theatre and performing arts.

Expansive Study Programs

Central offers a wide range of full-time and part-time courses across various academic levels that cater to different levels and experiences. At the undergraduate level, it provides three-year Bachelor’s programs in professional actor training, experimental performance, playwriting, applied theatre, and a suite of individual courses covering the various disciplines of theatre crafts, design, and production.

Central’s range of postgraduate courses is broader, while the Master’s courses cover a range of areas such as voice, scenography, writing, applied theatre, actor training, and many more. The school offers postgraduate courses as MAs, in which some can be availed as two-year MFAs. It also endorses Ph.D. study, with an engaging research culture and community, and around 40 active Ph.D. students. In addition, Central also provides short courses from beginner levels to Diplomas throughout the year.

Exploring Innovation and Creativity

The way content and performance is made and consumed is ever evolving and Central provides opportunities for students to experiment and innovate in the areas where they are most passionate. . The practical, intensive training provided by Central ensures that students have the skills and experience to make a lasting impact on the industry after graduation. 

In addition, students have the opportunity to work closely with colleagues across a range of disciplines and specialist areas, learning from each other’s practice and working in a way that directly mirrors the professional setting. This ensures that they are well prepared to take their skills into a range of settings, maximizing their employment potential so they can hit the ground running when they enter the industry.

Central’s extensive links with the creative industries means that its training is informed by the latest professional practice and approaches. The students are equipped with all the essential competencies while also learning the value of collaboration and developing the ability to try new methods, challenge current approaches, and help move the industries forward.

Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Central values embrace and is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. Its mission to shape the future of theatre and performance in the UK and beyond is contingent on a diverse and inclusive student and staff body.

• Every applicant for an undergraduate course is interviewed by the school to explore their creative voice in more depth.

• Central’s outreach program aims to raise aspiration and attainment, and encourage progression to higher education for those learners currently underrepresented. The school offers free auditions for a large number of applicants to ensure as many people as possible are able to audition for the BA (Hons) Acting program.

• Central’s values are communicated to all students as part of the student induction, which includes anti-racism training for all students.

• The Neuro-Inclusion and Disability Service provides support to dyslexic, dyspraxic and neuro-diverse students in numerous ways, from the audition and interview process through to free screening appointments with specialist tutors.

• The Students’ Union also has a number of elected liberation student union officers, dedicated to supporting students from different communities (including international students) and running the campaigns they would like to see on campus throughout the year.

Central is an international community drawn from about 50 different nations across the globe. It offers an international pre-course to help with the transition to living and studying in London. The school has also long provided the ability to interview or audition at a distance to ensure overseas students are also able to successfully apply for the courses. In addition, international students also have access to the Graduate VISA that provides the ability to live in the UK for up to 2 years after completing their studies.

Maximized Engagement Opportunities

Besides emphasizing the academic development of students, Central also offers an array of engagement opportunities for its students—both curricular and extracurricular. Its Students’ Union is extremely active and provides a wide range of clubs and societies for students to get involved with. It runs a number of campaigns, events, and initiatives throughout the year, including performance opportunities such as scratch nights and festivals.

Students also have access to the University of London’s Students’ Union, including a range of clubs, societies, and other services. Everything takes place against the backdrop of London itself, with its array of cultural, entertainment, and educational opportunities. With Central’s campus set in the heart of the UK’s capital city, students have a myriad of options to choose from.

Evaluating Past, Present and the Future

The COVID-19 outbreak posed an immense challenge against the learning and teaching process of educational institutes. However, throughout the pandemic, Central prioritized the safety of its staff and students while ensuring that courses can continue to be delivered in safe and engaging ways. The emergence of new variants has not disrupted the school’s approach, which includes regular testing and mask-wearing for students. Its consistent approach, together with the vigilance of its community, enables students to receive the majority of their training on-site and in person. With the evolving situation, Central ensures that it puts in place the necessary measures to protect the health and safety of its staff and students whilst also maintaining the learning experience.

In addition, Central strives to continue training students to work in collaborative and innovative ways—aiming that that creativity and skill contribute heavily to the ongoing development of the creative industries.

Note to students:

ALSO READ: The 10 Best Universities in Europe for International Students, 2023

The post Royal Central School of Speech and Drama: Fostering the Next-gen Performing Arts Culture appeared first on The Education Magazine.