A degree from the University of South Wales is more than just a qualification. While continuing investment in our three distinctive campuses ensures you have exciting places to learn, it’s experiences beyond the classroom that truly shape your time at university.
With a wide range of courses to study, there’s always something different going on. From flying lessons for our aeronautical engineering students and hitting the catwalk with our fashionistas, to real fire and explosive investigations with our forensic scientists, this year has been very exciting. To get a flavour of what our students have experienced and what you could be a part of, watch our video. If you’re still looking for a place to study in September, you can see our full range of Clearing courses here.
With opportunities to go on once-in-a-lifetime field trips and put your skills to the test with fantastic work placements, what you learn in lectures is really just the tip of the iceberg.
What’s more, university isn’t all work and no play. As the largest university in Wales, with campuses in Pontypridd, Newport and Cardiff, we’ll help you enjoy all that south Wales has to offer – from city life and culture to stunning beaches and countryside, there really is something for everyone.
The University of South Wales has a dedicated team of student vloggers, who have plenty of tips on starting university and how to make the most of your time as a student. You can watch their video blogs over the next few weeks to find out what they love about being a University of South Wales student and how to make the most of student life.
Cardiff is a city of culture, with a lively nightlife and strong sporting heritage. As Wales’s centre for major media production, the opportunities for creative industries students are endless. BA (Hons) TV and film set design student, Lauren Harper, says: “In my first year I spent just over a month and a half working on BBC’s Atlantis, and more recently worked for two weeks on Doctor Who.
“As much as you learn in classrooms, you can never put it to good use until you find yourself in that environment, and I feel I benefited hugely from the experience. Simply spending time talking to people from the industry opens your eyes to so much new knowledge, and provides you with valuable contacts for after university.”
The ATRiuM building at our Cardiff Campus is currently receiving considerable investment to provide even more specialist facilities for our creative industries students, so you’ll be equipped with the right set of skills and knowledge as you embark on your graduate career.
Our impressive £35m Newport City Campus is at the heart of the city, opposite a brand-new £100m retail development. As the gateway to Wales, Newport benefits from excellent transport links and increasing investment, therefore it too offers fantastic opportunities for work placements and graduate employment.
BA (Hons) primary studies with QTS student, James Evans, has also benefitted from his work placements. “It has definitely given me more of an insight to what life as a teacher would be like. I believe I’ve learnt a lot more from doing rather than reading about best-practice from books. I’ve also learnt about myself and how different schools and their ethos suit me more than others.”
For those students seeking green spaces and plenty of fresh air, our Pontypridd Campus is 10 miles outside Cardiff and offers a close-knit community atmosphere, with all the convenience of living and studying in the same place.
BSc (Hons) natural history student, Daniel Thistlethwaite, is based at the Pontypridd Campus. He says: “It’s in a great location, with Cardiff to the south and the Brecon Beacons to the north, and places like the Gower, Pembrokeshire and Snowdonia all within reach – for those who love the outdoors it’s wonderful.”
Natural History students such as Daniel take part in field trips in the local area and further afield to destinations such as Portugal, Iceland and Botswana. Field trips are a fundamental part of many courses, as they offer the opportunity to put practical skills to the test and bring to life the theory and concepts learnt in the lecture theatre. Natural history student, Harri Little, filmed his trip to Botswana.
Other exciting field trips have included diving in Borneo with our BSc (Hons) International wildlife biology students, where students learnt technical and practical diving skills and are able to undertake dives to identify fish species and perform habitat surveys. These students also visit South Africa, where they can study big game tracking and African biodiversity. Geography students have also visited Hong Kong, Sicily, New York and Uganda, just to name a few.
The Pontypridd Campus has seen key developments in recent years, with brand-new halls of residence and Students’ Union. To get a birds-eye view of this lovely, countryside campus, watch our aerial tour.
Our USW Sport Park is also located near to the Pontypridd Campus, comprising over 30 acres of playing fields, including a full-size FIFA-aproved 3G pitch, and is used regularly used by the Wales national football team and Cardiff City football Club, as well as the touring New Zealand, South Africa and Australia rugby teams. You can see our USW Sport Park on another aerial video, recorded with our drone.
Employability is at the heart of everything we do. We seek to ensure that you’ll be ready to start a successful career as soon as you graduate. It’s an approach that works – 94% of our graduates are in employment or further study within six months of graduation (Hesa Performance Indicator for Employment of Leavers 2013/14).
You can’t just learn this from books and theories – work experience is a key part of your education and we make sure you have every opportunity to experience the workplace and put what you learn into practice.
Aside from exciting field trips, fantastic work placements and endless opportunities for socialising, we think there’s a lot still to be said for just, well, coming in to lectures. Watch this video to see our students on campus for “Random Acts of Kindness Week” where life at university was just that little bit sweeter.
