Why DMU ?

DMU achieved Gold – the highest possible standard – in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), the only UK Government-endorsed measure of teaching quality in UK higher education. It recognises the outstanding teaching and learning on offer at DMU and the positive impact that has on students.

This Gold award recognises a range of strengths for which DMU has become well-known: teaching excellence, an outstanding student experience, high student employability, a wide range of volunteering opportunities, a determination to widen participation in higher education, and an unwavering commitment to improving student achievement.

The TEF is a Government initiative to recognize excellence in learning and teaching. For the first time, a Government-backed guide rewards and recognises the enormous value that universities can bring to the lives of their students through excellent teaching, outstanding experiences and great employment opportunities.

In making the Gold award to DMU, the TEF panel highlighted the following factors:

• The way employability is embedded in the curriculum in every faculty
• The significant contribution DMU Square Mile makes to the social and economic development of Leicester
• The way that real-world research feeds into students’ learning
• The support for students throughout their time at DMU
• The outstanding personalized provision for all our students
• The outstanding student support on offer
• The excellent physical and digital resources that enhance learning, retention and employability
• A culture that encourages, recognizes and rewards excellent teaching

dmu.ac.uk/TEF

DMU is located in the city of Leicester, in the centre of England, and is well-served by transport links. High-speed trains connect to London in an hour, while major cities like Nottingham and Birmingham are close by and can be accessed by train, bus or coach.

Leicester is less than half an hour from East Midlands Airport, and Birmingham, Luton and London Stansted are all within easy reach. There are also good transport links with London Heathrow and London Gatwick airports.

As a city-centre university, DMU’s campus is less than 5 minutes’ walk from the middle of Leicester. With 2000 years of history, the city has a dynamic mix of beautiful historic buildings and modern and creative architecture, and provides a wealth of activities for students to enjoy including shopping, sport, music, theatre, film and comedy.

Leicester’s £350 million Highcross mall houses a number of big brands, and The Lanes – Leicester’s historic shopping streets, offer plenty of small boutiques, cafes and restaurants. Film-lovers, artists and performers can visit Leicester’s Cultural Quarter and attend a show at the Curve or Haymarket Theatre, see a film at Phoenix cinema, visit a gallery or attend a craft workshop at the Leicester Creative Business Depot.

If you fancy a break from the city-centre, head to a nearby leafy park such as Castle Gardens, which sits alongside the canal and backs on to our Leicester Castle Business School, or venture further afield and take a trip to Bradgate Park to see the historic ruins and watch the wild deer.

Leicester is also a famous sporting centre, home to Leicester City Football Club, ten-time rugby union champions Leicester Tigers and leading national basketball side Leicester Riders (all partners of DMU), as well as Leicestershire County Cricket Club.

The stunning centrepiece of our transformed campus is the award-winning Vijay Patel Building, which houses our art and design courses in a space as creative as the students who study there. Across campus we offer laboratories, studios, suites and study spaces with industry-standard equipment that allow you to develop the skills you need now, so you can shape your future.

Our inspired spaces include the newly-refurbished Campus Centre, home of the De Montfort Students’ Union, our striking Hugh Aston building for business and law and our magnificent 19th-century Hawthorn building for health and life sciences.

We have also spent £4.2 million restoring Leicester Castle – located right on the edge of our campus – giving new life to this historic gem and making it the base of our Leicester Castle Business School. For those interested in sports and fitness, DMU’s Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Leisure Centre has a gym, fitness studio, sports hall, swimming pool and climbing wall. Students also have access to The Watershed facility, home to DMU Rowing Club, and FA-standard pitches at Beaumont Park, used by DMU’s men’s and women’s football teams.

There are many fine places to eat and drink, including The Food Village, a light, spacious environment where students can order fresh pizza from our pizza oven, pasta dishes, sandwiches, fish and chips, curries, barbecued meats – in fact, food from all over the world. The Riverside Café, specialising in vegetarian and vegan cuisine, sits on the bank of the River Soar, with stunning views along the water. Campus also hosts a Subway, Newarke Café and a Campus Centre coffee shop serving Starbucks hot drinks.

dmu.ac.uk/campustransformation