The University of Buckingham was created as a university college in 1973, overseen by Margaret Thatcher, who at the time, was education secretary.
She played a key role in its elevation to university status in 1983, which made it the UK’s first private university since the University Grants Committee was set up in 1916. After retiring from politics in 1992, Thatcher became the university's second chancellor, a post she departed from in 1998.
It offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees at six schools of study: science and medicine; business; arts and languages; humanities; law and education. The latter is home to some of the sector’s most distinguished educationalists in the UK, including the late Chris Woodhead (former head of Ofsted).
Unlike other universities, it offers traditional degrees in a time frame that is shorter than usual as students study eight terms over two years, as opposed to nine terms over three, which means they cover the equivalent of a three-year degree in two years. Some schools, such as humanities, offer a mixed approach to the timescales, for example the two-year intensive model or the usual three-year model.
There are two main sites in Buckingham: Hunter Street (with the adjacent Chandos Road Complex) and Verney Park, which is a short drive away. The university is within easy reach of London, equidistant between Oxford and Cambridge, and close to the M1 and M40. Milton Keynes central station is 20 minutes’ drive away.
Notable alumni include playwright and director Bader Ben Hirsi, MP for Great Yarmouth and former chairman of the Conservative Party Brandon Lewis and MP for Milton Keynes North Mark Lancaster.
