Faculty of Arts

The faculty has a long and prestigious history in art and design education. In January 2009 it celebrated its 150-year history, evolved from the Brighton School of Art founded in 1859. Change has featured throughout the life of the faculty with the establishment of Brighton Polytechnic in the 1970s, followed by University status in 1992, and from 1998 until now the Faculty of Arts and Architecture.

Today the creation of the Faculty of Arts, under the leadership of Anne Boddington as Dean, sees academic provision for media studies, English language and linguistics, literature and media, and language teaching and learning join the faculty’s existing range of visual and performing arts, design, architecture, history of art and design, and humanities opportunities.

University of Brighton Vice-Chancellor Julian Crampton said: “The Faculty of Arts will provide a focal point for the university’s academic provision in the arts and enhance opportunities for staff and students to benefit from the wide range of resources available in the faculty and encourage collaboration across the broad spectrum of the arts.” 

Study options exist at all levels: undergraduate, postgraduate and research. The faculty’s Centre for Research and Development is amongst the UK’s leading centres for facilitating high quality research in the visual and performing arts, design and humanities and will now embrace languages, literature and media. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise 85 per cent of the university’s research in art and design, and 80 per cent of communication, cultural and media studies research was classified as world leading or internationally excellent.

University of Brighton Faculty of Arts staff are practising artists, designers, architects, curators, historians, linguists, social commentators and writers who have achieved top accolades in their fields. Students consistently win major awards and progress to hold prominent positions in their respective professions.

Brighton has a history of creative traditions that are intrinsically linked with the faculty, now based across four of the University of Brighton's campuses: Grand Parade, Falmer, Moulsecoomb, and University Centre Hastings.

Grand Parade, one of the faculty’s key sites, is an essential part of Brighton’s cultural quarter. The Sallis Benney Theatre and University of Brighton Gallery provide a leading centre for the visual and performing arts in the city and are home to a number of prestigious collections including the public sector moving image archive Screen Archives South East and the University of Brighton Design Archives. Committed to social and economic engagement, the faculty launched the international celebration of photographic practice Brighton Photo Biennial in 2006 and the Brighton Film Festival Cinecity in 2003.