About
UCA
At UCA, we believe that creativity makes global communities more vibrant, more innovative, more human.
Which is why, for 160 years, our university has been a passionate advocate for creative education and research.
We offer courses in Architecture, Crafts, Fashion, Graphic Design, Illustration, Fine Art, Photography, Film, Media, the Performing Arts and Creative Business. Our programmes are acclaimed for their top teaching quality, and highly respected by creative sector employers.
But we’re a lot more than that, too.
Our goal
We want to inspire people to use their creativity to drive change, overcome challenges and improve the lives of others.
So we’ve designed our university to be an inclusive, dynamic environment. Our campuses across Surrey and Kent, our Institute for Creative Innovation in Xiamen, China, and our homes within partner organisations such as the Maidstone Television Studios all have one thing in common:
They are places to forge inspiring partnerships, make work with purpose and build real solutions to human problems across the globe – whether that’s as part of our vibrant teaching and research community, or as a student on one of our courses.
Our successes
1st
The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide has ranked us top for teaching quality across our Communications & Media courses with a score of 91.6%, while The Guardian has ranked us fifth for these courses too.
1st
The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide has ranked us top for teaching quality across our Business and Management courses with a score of 86.9%, while The Guardian has ranked us eighth for these courses too.
3rd
The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide has ranked us 3rd for teaching quality across our Architecture courses with a score of 91%, while The Guardian has ranked us seventh overall for these courses too.
Leadership Team
UCA
Chancellor
Chancellor - Professor Dame Magdalene Odundo DBE
Professor Dame Magdalene Odundo is an internationally renowned ceramicist whose work can be found in public and private collections worldwide. She became UCA’s second Chancellor in June 2018, succeeding Dame Zandra Rhodes, who became Chancellor Emerita.
After graduating from UCA’s Farnham campus, which was then known as West Surrey College of Art & Design, Dame Magdalene developed her unique creative technique, drawing on traditional Ugandan practice and other sources, such as Mexican pottery and Greek Cycladic sculpture, to build her pieces.
Dame Magdalene was Professor of Ceramics at UCA Farnham from 2001 to 2016, and then became Professor Emerita. She has received honours from cultural and educational institutions across the world.
Chancellor
Emerita
Chancellor Emerita - Dame Zandra Rhodes DBE RDI
Dame Zandra Rhodes is UCA’s Chancellor Emerita - a role she took up after serving as our first Chancellor from 2010 to 2018.
Dame Zandra is one of the world's most recognisable, distinguished and exciting fashion designers. She has built her career on the foundations of hard work and determination – the same values that inspire and motivate our students to succeed in their chosen careers.
Discover more about Zandra Rhodes
Dame Zandra is also a graduate of one of our founder institutions, The Medway College of Design, where her mother was also a lecturer.
Our Strategy
Our ten-year strategy sets out how we're working to make UCA an even better place to work and study.
Find out moreOur Alumni
We're proud of the incredible things our graduates achieve, and delighted to count big names such as Tracey Emin CBE, Karen Millen OBE, Arnold Schwartzman OBE, Stephen Webster MBE, Mark Baker, Chris Butler, Gareth Edwards and Grant Orchard among them. Read more about some of our alumni's successes:
Read more stories at UCABeauty journalist Sarah’s switching story
Jay’s hard-hitting art wins prestigious award
Ben’s book celebrates the non-binary journey
Where we stand
As a university, we have a responsibility to impact the world positively, and we believe in leading by example. Find out more about where we stand on the big issues.
Got a media enquiry?
Head over to our media pages for our press office contacts and details of how we can help.
Find out moreDiscover even more
Access further information below about UCA.