Mr Nigel Simons

“I think the Faculty’s main strength lies in its choice and diversity. Not just in the mix of subjects we offer – which range from law to drama – but in our varied teaching and learning methods and our approach to the whole student experience.

“We try to teach in a challenging and stimulating way that goes beyond traditional lectures and tutorials. We focus on experiential learning where students can acquire knowledge through problem solving, team working and using real life scenarios. We also encourage our students to continually reflect on their own work and their progress throughout their course.

“Our staff also bring a diverse range of knowledge and experience into the Faculty. They are all involved in high quality, policy relevant research which helps to keep our programmes fresh, well-informed and up to date. As our departments are quite small, we are able to offer a very supportive environment for students; our staff will always go the extra mile to help.

“We want our students to gain a broad mix of skills too. All of our programmes are designed to give students both subject-specific knowledge and a range of transferable life skills which will give them the edge in the job market. An increasing number of our programmes are recognised or accredited by professional bodies, and the majority have industry placements or work-based learning built in. However, we don’t just want to equip our students for the workplace, we want to give them the opportunity to develop and mature both academically and personally.

“Ultimately, we aim to give our students a rigorous, challenging but, above all, enjoyable academic experience.”