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Middlesex University London

Type	Public research university
Established	1878–1973 – founding institutions 1973–74 – as Middlesex Polytechnic 1992 – gained university status
Academic affiliations	ACU EUA University Alliance Universities UK
Endowment	£0.577 million (2022)
Budget	£178.2 million (2021–22)
Chancellor	Janet Ritterman (appointed 2013)
Vice-Chancellor	Shân Wareing (appointed 2024)
Administrative staff	1,900
Students	(2015/16)
Undergraduates	(2015/16)
Postgraduates	(2015/16)
Location	The Burroughs, Hendon, London NW4 4BT , United Kingdom
Colours	White, red, black and grey

Middlesex University, also known as Middlesex University London (or MDX), is a public research university located in Hendon, which is in northwest London, England. It's a big university that also has campuses in other countries like Dubai and Mauritius. The university got its name because it's located in the historic area of Middlesex.

The university's story began way back in 1878. That's when its first part, St Katharine's College, was started in Tottenham to train women to become teachers. Over the years, it joined with many other schools and colleges. In 1992, it officially became Middlesex University. It's one of the newer universities in the UK, created from former polytechnic colleges.

Middlesex University has a large student community. Over 19,000 students study in London, and more than 37,000 students are part of the university worldwide. Students can even exchange places with over 100 universities in 22 different countries. At the Hendon campus alone, you can find students from more than 140 different countries.

The university also has campuses in Dubai and Mauritius, plus offices around the world. It offers courses through three main groups: the Faculty of Science and Technology, the Faculty of Professional and Social Sciences, and the Faculty of the Arts and Creative Industries.

In 2023, the UK government gave Middlesex University a "Silver" rating for its teaching quality. The university has also won the Queen's Anniversary Prize three times. It has twice received the Queen's Awards for Enterprise for its amazing international work.

The University's Story

Students learning technical drawing at Tottenham polytechnic in 1944

For over 140 years, the schools that eventually became Middlesex University have been in north London. The university grew by combining with different colleges in the area. This started in 1878 with St. Katherine's College in Tottenham, which trained female teachers. Other schools joined later, like Hornsey College of Art (1882), Ponders End Technical Institute (1901), and Hendon Technical Institute (1939).

In 1973, these colleges and more schools in north London came together to form Middlesex Polytechnic. Then, in 1992, Middlesex Polytechnic officially became Middlesex University. This happened because of a new law called the Further and Higher Education Act. More institutions joined as Middlesex continued to grow.

Starting in the 1990s, the university began to expand its reach around the world. Its first international office opened in Kuala Lumpur. By 1995, a network of offices was set up across Europe. In 2005, Middlesex opened its first campus outside the UK in Dubai. Later, campuses opened in Mauritius in 2009 and Malta in 2013. The university also works with other schools globally.

Over time, the university brought all its London campuses together into one main campus in Hendon. Now, all its London-based teaching happens there.

Key Moments in History

1878 – St Katherine's College, Tottenham was founded.
1882 – Hornsey College of Art was founded.
1901 – Ponders End Technical Institute began.
1939 – Hendon Technical Institute opened.
1973 – Middlesex Polytechnic was formed.
1992 – Middlesex University was officially created. Its first international office opened in Kuala Lumpur.
1995 – More international offices opened in Europe.
1996 – Middlesex won its first Queen's Anniversary Prize.
2000 – Middlesex won its third Queen's Anniversary Prize.
2003 – The university got a new logo and received a Queen's Awards for Enterprise.
2005 – The first international campus opened in Dubai.
2009 – A second international campus opened in Mauritius.
2011 – Middlesex won its second Queen's Award for Enterprise.
2012 – The Trent Park campus closed, and all its programs moved to Hendon.
2013 – The Archway campus closed, and all UK teaching moved to Hendon. A third international campus opened in Malta.
2017 – The new Ritterman building opened, featuring the UK's first cyber factory.
2018 – Middlesex University's Students’ Union won "Students’ Union of the Year."

Changes and Growth

Middlesex's old logo

In 2003, Middlesex University changed its logo. The new logo was a red wavy line, meant to show that the university is flexible and responds to student needs.

To save money and improve its operations, the university made some changes in 2005–2006. It decided to focus its resources and improve its long-term future. This meant closing some smaller campuses that were not as efficient. The goal was to have "fewer, better campuses."

Since 2000, Middlesex has worked to bring most of its teaching to the Hendon campus. This helped the university save costs and offer better facilities in one main location.

University Campuses

The university has brought most of its activities to the Hendon campus in London. All teaching in the UK has been located at Hendon since autumn 2013. Older campuses like Bounds Green (2003), Tottenham (2005), Enfield (2008), Cat Hill (2011), Trent Park (2012), and Archway (2013) were closed. The Hendon campus received a lot of investment to make it bigger and better for new students and programs.

Since 2004, the university has also had an international campus in Dubai. In October 2009, it opened another one in Mauritius. In September 2013, Middlesex opened its third international campus in Malta.

Current Campuses

London: Hendon Campus

The College Building at Hendon

The Hendon campus is in north-west London, close to the Hendon Central Underground station. The main College Building was built in 1939. It was part of the Hendon Technical Institute. Over the years, it was expanded with new buildings and facilities.

The Sheppard Library

More than £200 million has been spent to make the Hendon campus one of London's largest. The main College Building was updated in a £40 million project. This included adding a glass roof over a central courtyard, creating the Ricketts Quadrangle. In 2004, the new Sheppard Library opened. It offers over 1,000 study areas and special facilities, like a Financial Markets Suite, and is open 24/7.

The Ritterman Building is one of the newest additions, opened in February 2017. It provides over 3,300 square meters of teaching space for science, technology, arts, and creative industries. It's also home to the UK's first 'Cyber Factory'. This building uses eco-friendly features like solar panels and a green roof.

The Hendon campus also has many sports facilities. These include a fitness studio, football pitches, outdoor courts, and a bouldering wall. In 2013, a new sports science facility opened at Allianz Park. The university gym, Fitness Pod, was updated in 2017 for students, staff, and the local community.

Dubai Campus

In 2005, Middlesex University opened a campus in the Dubai Knowledge Village. This was the first Middlesex campus outside north London. It offers courses in subjects like Accounting, Business, IT, Law, Marketing, Psychology, and Tourism.

The Dubai campus is approved by the local education authority. In 2009, its programs were praised for their quality. By 2020, the Dubai campus had over 3,200 students from 100 different countries.

Mauritius Campus

The campus in Bonne Terre, Mauritius, officially opened in 2010. It was the first British university to open in the country. It has a Learning Resource Centre, computer suites, and places to eat and socialize. There's also on-site housing for students. Teachers at the Mauritius campus work closely with the London teams to make sure the quality of education is the same as in the UK.

In October 2017, Middlesex opened a new campus in Cascavelle, Mauritius. This new campus has special labs for biology and psychology. It also has a student house for clubs and societies. Over 1,000 students from 25 countries study there.

Malta Campus

In 2013, Middlesex opened its newest campus in Malta, on the northeast coast. This campus is shared with a partner school, STC Training. It offers various business, science, and technology courses. In February 2019, it was announced that the Malta campus would close by September 2022.

Former Campuses

Archway and Hospitals

Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead

This campus closed in 2013. It was mainly used by the School of Health and Social Sciences. It operated from four hospital sites: Royal Free Hospital, Whittington Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, and North Middlesex University Hospital.

In 2007, a new Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) for Mental Health and Social Work opened at the Archway campus. This center helped create a community for mental health and social work students and teachers.

Trent Park

Mansion at Trent Park

The Trent Park campus closed in 2012, and all its departments moved to the main Hendon campus. This campus was located in a large country park. The main building was a beautiful mansion designed in the 18th century. After World War II, it became a teacher training college. In 1974, it joined Middlesex Polytechnic.

The university had plans to rebuild the site, but they were not approved. The Trent Park site was later sold to a developer. The university buildings were removed to make way for new homes.

Tottenham Campus

The Tottenham campus closed in summer 2005. Its study programs moved to other university campuses. This campus started as St Katharine's College in 1878, one of the first teacher training colleges in Britain. It later became the College of All Saints.

After joining Middlesex Polytechnic, the 'All Saints' campus housed subjects like humanities, business, and law. These have all moved to other campuses. The old university buildings were taken down, and the site is now home to the Haringey Sixth Form College.

Bounds Green Campus

The Bounds Green campus, which housed the Engineering and Information Technology schools, was sold in December 2003.

Enfield Campus

Broadbent building

The Enfield Campus has a history linked to the invention of electric light. In 1901, the Ediswan Institute was founded there. It later became the Ponders End Technical Institute. A new college building was started in 1937 but finished in 1953 due to Second World War. It was renamed Enfield Technical College and then Enfield College of Technology. In 1973, it became part of Middlesex Polytechnic.

The campus had four main buildings: Broadbent, Roberts, McCrae, and Pascal. They were named after important people who helped create the college. The Enfield campus closed in July 2008. Most departments moved to the Hendon campus, and some went to the Archway Campus.

Cat Hill Campus

The Cat Hill campus was sold in March 2011 as part of the university's plan to bring all its courses to Hendon. The campus closed in September 2011. Students moved to a new £80 million 'Grove' building at the Hendon campus.

Cat Hill Campus was in Cockfosters. It was originally the Hornsey College of Art, founded in 1880. It later became the Faculty of Art & Design for Middlesex Polytechnic.

How the University is Organized

Middlesex University is divided into three main groups called faculties:

Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries

This faculty includes departments for Media, Performing Arts, Design, and Visual Arts.

Faculty of Professional and Social Sciences

This faculty brings together subjects from the Business School, Law School, and School of Health and Education.

Faculty of Science and Technology

This faculty covers subjects like biomedical science, computer science, design engineering, mathematics, psychology, and sports science.

Leaders of the University

The university has a Board of Governors and an Executive Team.

Chancellors

1992–2000 – Beryl Platt, Baroness Platt of Writtle
2000–2013 – Allen Sheppard, Baron Sheppard of Didgemere
2013–present – Janet Ritterman

Vice-Chancellors

1972–1991 – Raymond Rickett
1992–1996 – David Melville
1992–2015 – Michael Driscoll
2015–2019 – Tim Blackman
2019-2023 - Nic Beech
2023-2024 - Sean Wellington (Interim)
2024-present - Shân Wareing

Research at Middlesex

Middlesex University does research in many different subjects. These include Art and Design, Education, Law, Music, and Software Engineering.

In 2014, a review of UK university research found that 58% of Middlesex's research was considered "world and internationally excellent." Another review in 2014 stated that 90% of Middlesex's research was recognized internationally.

In 2011, a research project by the university about age diversity was chosen for a special report called "Big Ideas for the Future." This report highlights important research projects happening in UK universities.

Student Life

Middlesex University has about 19,000 students in London and over 37,000 students worldwide. The university has exchange programs with more than 100 universities in 22 countries. This allows students to study abroad.

In 2010, Middlesex saw a big increase in applications, with more than 30% more students wanting to join. This demand continued to grow in 2011.

Students' Union

Middlesex Students' Union (MDXSU) is a non-profit group that works separately from the university. It helps students and represents their interests.

Reputation and Rankings

Rankings
National rankings
Complete (2021)	112
Guardian (2021)	113
Times / Sunday Times (2021)	117
Global rankings
ARWU (2020)	901–1000
QS (2021)	801–850
THE (2021)	501–600
British Government assessment
Teaching Excellence Framework	Silver

In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018, Middlesex University was the only modern university in London to be in the top 500 universities globally. In 2017, it was named the top modern university in London by the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings.

The Guardian University Guide 2018 ranked the university's Film Production and Photography course as the best in London. The Complete University Guide 2018 said its Sports Science and Social Work courses were the best in London. In 2017/18, 77% of students were happy with their experience at the university.

Middlesex is ranked among the top 401–500 universities in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020. It's also one of the top 100 universities in the world that are under 50 years old.

In 2017, Middlesex was recognized for its excellent teaching by the government's Teaching Excellence Framework. It received a "Silver" award for valuing teaching and helping students get involved.

The university has won the Queen's Anniversary Prize three times. It has also received the Queen's Award for Enterprise twice for its international work.

The Social Science Research Network (SSRN) ranks the university's Business School as the 209th best international business school in the world.

In 2020, Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed Middlesex's psychology degrees among the top 201–250 psychology degrees globally. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, the ARWU ranked Middlesex's psychology degrees among the top 301–400 in the world.

Famous People Who Studied Here

Helen Mirren, actress
Sir Ray Davies, musician
Dermot O'Leary, broadcaster
Alan Carr, comedian
Nick Harvey, MP
Marina Diamandis, singer
Roger Glover, musician
Freema Agyeman, actress
Milton Jones, comedian
Kim Howells, MP

Middlesex University has an alumni association. This group helps former students stay in touch with the university after they graduate. It offers benefits and organizes events.

Even though he didn't graduate, Tommy Flowers, a British engineer, received a basic computing certificate from Hendon College. He helped create the Colossus computer used to break codes during World War II.