About DMU

De Montfort University (DMU), Leicester, is a university of quality and distinctiveness.

Academic excellence
Our excellent teaching is directly informed by internationally recognised research. This provides a supportive learning environment that transforms and inspires students.

DMU has the second largest number of National Teaching Fellows of any UK university, and more than 170 courses accredited by professional bodies.

Employability
DMU’s courses are designed with employability in mind, with continual input from employers. Students participate in live projects set by industry, and have opportunities to gain placements. We also provide access to events and competitions to help you get experience you can use.

Partnerships
DMU works with professional organisations – such as the British Library and Leicester City Football Club – to help you start building your career network.

Student life
With more than 27,000 students from all over the world, we're a lively university. Just ten minutes from the heart of Leicester, the campus is compact and safe, with cafes, bars and open spaces creating a vibrant atmosphere.

Location
We’re in multicultural, historic Leicester, only 69 minutes from London. Leicester has a relatively low cost of living and a variety of neighbourhoods and cultures to experience.

DMU's mission

We are a university of quality and distinctiveness, distinguished by our life-changing research, dynamic international partnerships, vibrant links with business and our commitment to excellence in learning, teaching and the student experience. We celebrate the rich cultural diversity of our staff, students and all our partnerships.

Vision statements

We will:

Develop an exciting and supportive learning environment that transforms our students and inspires them to make a real difference in society
Be a university that places research excellence and innovation at the heart of our mission
Focus on employability and understand the needs of business and the professions so that DMU courses are relevant and give our graduates a head start
Be a recognised leader in creative education and research, built on our reputation in the creative industries and driven by innovative projects acrossall faculties
Be a truly international university, building inﬂuential global relationships to enrich our research, teaching and cultural collaborations
Make a signiﬁcant contribution to global efforts to achieve environmental sustainability.

Sustainability at DMU

DMU has been at the forefront of sustainability for the past 30 years and is one of the only universities in the UK that can monitor its energy consumption every 30 minutes. DMU has a wide range of green courses and a university-wide commitment to reducing its energy consumption and carbon footprint. DMU is pleased to be holding a campus-wide Sustainability Week in September 2011.

As an act of solidarity with Japan, DMU is pledging to reduce its energy consumption by up to 25 per cent over the week and is inviting staff and students to make personal pledges on how they will reduce their own consumption.

Hologram of David Bowie by Professor Martin Richardson

Recent academic and professional links with Japan

Ian Kirkwood (Head of Fine Art) and John Lancaster (Lecturer in Fine Art), shared an exhibition at Maronie Gallery, Kyoto, Japan;
John Lancaster also spent six weeks as an Artist in Residence at Seian University of Art and Design, Japan. His work was inspired by the Zen gardens of Kyoto, Japan;
Professor Martin Richardson (Photography and Holography) has twice exhibited his holograms in Japan (Nagizaka and Tokyo), producing a catalogue by Arthall Publications, Japan;
Sergei Grishanov (Textiles Senior Lecturer) was Chairman at the 5th Asian Textile Conference, Kyoto, Japan;
Dr Jinsong Shen (Textiles Senior Research Fellow) presented findings of enzyme treatment in wool at the Proceedings of the 5th Asian Textile Conference, Kyoto, Japan;
Barry Dufour (Senior Research Fellow in Education) was awarded the Keizai Koho Centre Fellowship by the Keizai Koho Centre (The Japan Institute for Social and Economic Affairs);
Graham CopeKoga - Visiting Professor since 2006 in Website design and iTunes development for the Faculty of Economics, Department of Industrial Economics, Fukuoka University, Japan

PICTURED: Hologram of David Bowie by Professor Martin Richardson

Recent academic and professional links with Japan

John Richards (Senior Lecturer in Music, Technology and Innovation) gave several workshops, lectures and performances at key institutions for electronic music and sound art in Japan. These included Tokyo University of the Arts, Tama Art University and Tokyo Polytechnic University
Dr Keiko Ikeda (Yamaguchi University) and Prof. Masayuki Ishii (Waseda University), visiting researchers within the International Centre for Sport History and Culture (ICSHC), were joined from Japan by Dr Hiroo Sasaki (Ryukoku University), Dr Miho Koishihara (Kokushikan University) and PhD student Daishi Funaba (Yamaguchi University) for an international research symposium on “Japanese Reflections on the History of Sport”.
Dr Claire Baines, De Montfort University’s Chief Operating Officer, recently completed a secondment at MEXT (the Ministry of Education in Tokyo, Japan), where she gained a strong working knowledge of the Japanese ambitions for greater international mobility and internationalisation in their undergraduate student population.

PICTURED: Dr Claire Baines, De Montfort University’s Chief Operating Officer

Facilities and workshops

Retail Lab
Design and New Product Development Centre
Digital studios
Photography and video labs
Game Art Design facilities
Animation Design facilities

Graphic design for interactive media facilities
Mac labs for graphic design courses
Fashion and textiles workshops
Ace Style Institute Room for contour fashion
Fashion facilities
Institute of Creative Technologies (IOCT)

Footwear facilities
Retail buying facilities
Textiles facilities
Fine art studios
PhD and MA facilities
Creative technology studios

Creative technology studios

The creative technology studios are integrated facilities for acquiring, editing and distributing video, audio and computer-generated materials. Facilities include industry-standard video, audio and radio production suites; television studios with HD video cameras, green-screen and virtual-studio capabilities; and broadcast-standard radio production studios.

Retail Lab

Retail Lab is our new state-of-the-art research and development facility. It aims to support development of insight into sustainable and resource efficient retail design.

The facility has a virtual test space for concept evaluations, a dedicated area for conducting training and exhibitions, and a knowledge bank focusing on five specialist areas: legislation, supply chain, build, fit and consumer experience.

Architecture Hub

De Montfort University has launched an online Architecture Hub to facilitate a pioneering mentor scheme to partner students with leading industry professionals. Several architects have already signed up to the university’s online mentoring scheme in conjunction with Leicestershire and Rutland Society of Architects (LRSA).

The Institute of Creative Technologies (IOCT)

IOCT comprises a network of research centres and groups across the faculties of De Montfort University. Since its launch in September 2006, it has initiated over 100 interdisciplinary and collaborative projects worth over £6 million (GBP), carried out by more than 90 researchers.

The IOCT's facilities include a fused media lab, a usability lab, and a virtual environment centre. We regularly exhibit work and run seminars and other events in Leicester's Digital Media Centre at Phoenix Square.

Yoko Nakayama

BA (Hons) Footwear Design

Yoko Nakayama’s awards:

First prize, Lineapelle Young Designers competition, Italy
First prize, "Un Talento per La Scarpa", Italy
First prize, “Topshop Accessory Award”, Graduate Fashion Week, London
First Prize, “Student Footwear Designer Award”, National Footwear Awards, London
Best Prototype, “I Love Italian Shoes” competition, MICAM, Italy

After graduating from BA (Hons) Footwear Design at DMU, the London footwear company, Design and Trade, hired Yoko as a designer. There she designed ladies’ footwear collection, Jonny Lang, and men's footwear range, Depp.

Yoko’s career took a massive step forward in 2007 senior footwear designer at Georgina Goodman in Mayfair, London. Yoko works with creative director Georgina to develop the company range, and provides design consultancy for international fashion houses.

“When I look back on my time at DMU I'm grateful for the well-rounded approach they take. Not only is the technical part of the course useful – as I now communicate with factories – but DMU also encourages your freedom to be creative. That really allowed me to push my design boundaries in the commercial footwear world.”

Shu Aoki

BA (Hons) Furniture Design

Shu chose BA (Hons) Furniture Design to take advantage of DMU’s strong industry links through live projects and competitions, and for the opportunity to exhibit at New Designers, London. He also wanted to gain real industry experience from DMU’s lecturers, who have worked as furniture and product designers.

Shu plans to use the skills, knowledge and experience he is gaining from the course to become an internationally renowned furniture designer.

“I learned so much from tutors and technicians. The facilities are fantastic – especially the workshops – and having your our own studio space is amazing”.

PICTURED: Rokkaku is a side table whose inspiration is Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. Approximately 120 hexagonal sections in different lengths are glued together.

Juri Kobayashi

PhD Research in Art and Design

Postmodernity and the view of Mitate (‘seeing as’)

Juri is a Japanese practice-based PhD researcher, from Tokyo, Japan. Her research, “Postmodernity and the view of Mitate (‘seeing as’)”, presents cityscapes from Kawasaki, Japan and Oslo, Norway, where she has lived for several years.

Mitate is a Japanese cultural concept used in various art forms: prints (Ukiyo-e), performing arts (Kabuki, Nou), gardens, and literature. It provides an opportunity to question perception: for example, our ability to distinguish our own city from others.

“I am aiming to discover what is going on in our societies, (such as) what we need to appreciate and comprehend the meaning of postmodernity. Thus, I am using my photography as a critical method in the theoretical aspects of this investigation, whilst at same time, visually exploring postmodernity.”

Asako Ota

BA (Hons) Fine Art

First-class, winner of the DMU Albert Thomas Roberts prize

Asako’s work is inventive, poetic, technically skilful and very accomplished. After exploring a range of approaches during the course, her final show focused on video and installation.

“I’ve found Leicester to be an interesting city, particularly because it’s possible to meet people from many cultures here. As well as being a student city with a good nightlife, it’s very easy to travel from Leicester and I’ve been to many places around the UK. It’s also easy to get involved in the English culture and improve your language skills.

"My fine art tutors have been very approachable and supportive and have given me guidance to develop my own style of art. The wide range of courses across the Faculty means that I’ve been able to use all these facilities, including photography, sculpture and video.

"I would recommend De Montfort University as there is support for international students here, including the International Office and the International Students Association.”

Recent news

In August, Professor Shellard, James Gardner (Deputy Director of Strategic Partnerships), Dahai Gao (Senior International Officer) and Martyn Kendrick (Director of International Strategy) are visiting East Asia for a series of engagements in Hong Kong, China and Japan. Regular updates from their trip, and details of some of the meetings are posted here.

Thursday 25 August - Part 1 by Professor Dominic Shellard

After a day of travelling, back to business.

Wednesday 24 - Thursday 25 August (Tokyo) by James Gardner

It is my second trip to Tokyo and I'm still amazed by the warm and hospitable nature of the Japanese people, they are among the friendliest people I have ever met.

Tuesday 22 to Thursday 25 August (Tokyo) by Esther Dudley

My name is Esther, and I work in the Events Office at De Montfort University, with a remit for Strategic Partnerships events. I have joined Dominic and James in Tokyo to facilitate a dinner which is bringing high-profile university and government officials together, to discuss building partnerships with De Montfort University.

Recent news

Wednesday 24 August (Tokyo) by Professor Dominic Shellard

It was very difficult to get up for 0530, but I did come to appreciate the early start when it was apparent that at 0615 the notorious Beijing traffic was marginally more free moving on the way to the airport.

Tuesday 23 August (Beijing) by Professor Dominic Shellard

We arrived in Beijing at around 10pm on Monday night and decided to stroll to the Forbidden City before bed, given that Tiananmen Square was only 15 minutes away from our hotel. I enjoyed our late night excursion very much indeed. There is something incongruous about Chairman Mao's picture above the entrance to the Forbidden City and the sight of the vast square was both impressive and slightly disconcerting.

Tuesday 23 August (Beijing) by James Gardner

On arriving in Beijing, I was surprised by the sheer scale of the city. Beijing International airport was probably the biggest building I have ever seen, a huge dome-like structure which was built for the 2008 Olympics.

Recent news

Monday 22 August (Kowloon Tong) by Professor Dominic Shellard

City University is situated in Kowloon Tong and occupies a pleasant modern campus with a wonderful open air swimming pool at its heart. I have perfected the art of walking at 2mph to avoid arriving drenched at meetings (it's 33 degrees and 90% humidity), so arrived relatively fresh at my meeting with City's Provost, Art Ellis.

Monday 22 August (Kowloon Tong) by James Gardner

I'm pleased to be blogging from the far-east accompanying the Vice-Chancellor on a number of meetings with new and existing international partners.

Monday 22 August (Hong Kong) by Professor Dominic Shellard

One of my key priorities as DMU's Vice-Chancellor for the coming academic year is to operationalise our International Strategy. As a university committed to undertaking quality activities in a distinctive way, global partnerships - be they focused on high quality research, innovative teaching, governmental and industrial links, staff and student exchange, PhD schemes, secondments from overseas universities, joint degree programmes or collaboration with our alumni - will be a key part of our future success. They will also enhance the experience of our students.

Recent news

Tohoku visit

DMU is hosting 15 students who were directly affected by the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami, as a mark of respect for their resilience at this challenging time.

A full programme of events is being organised for the visit to immerse the students in British culture. The itinerary includes a DMU day where the university will engage the students in interactive workshops such as mini robot wars and computer-game production. The students will meet with the Lord Mayor of Leicester and several Members of Parliament. The visit will also include trips to London and Stratford-upon-Avon, as well as a day out in the English countryside. The students play an active role throughout Sustainability Week, including launching the energy consumption counter at the beginning of the week. There is also a strong educational element to the trip with relevant talks from key speakers throughout the visit.

Showcase

DMU advert featuring Jimmy Choo

"De Montfort University is home to award-winners and the big names of tomorrow."
Professor Jimmy Choo, OBE

Showcase

Game Art Design BA (Hons)

This is the first game art course in England to be Skillset accredited. Graduates are now working for companies such as Blitz, Big Big Games, Codemasters, Eurocom, Gusto Games, Razorworks, Rebellion, Rock Star North, SEGA Race Team and more.

Showcase

Contour Fashion BA (Hons) at the London Catwalk Show

The course produces highly sought-after graduates who work for international brands such as Next, Abercrombie and Fitch, Triumph, Ted Baker, Agent Provocateur, Victoria's Secret and New Look. Established in 1947 to support the local corset industry, contour fashion recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. The course continues to nurture close links with the intimate apparel industry.

Showcase

Architecture BA (Hons)

DMU's architecture courses provide you with RIBA and ARB professional qualifications. The Leicester School of Architecture is a thriving contemporary design school, whose roots go back over 100 years. Its employment record is excellent, and graduates work for some of the best practices in the world.

DMU student helps people affected by the Japanese tsunami

Creative courses

We offer a huge range of creative courses that are also vocational, with excellent facilities, industry links and opportunities for exciting careers:

Digital and multimedia design courses, such as animation design, Skillset- accredited game art design, photography and video and media production;

Media courses, such as journalism, film studies, and radio production;

Architecture courses that are accredited by RIBA and ARB, as well as interior design;

Fashion courses, including footwear design, contour fashion, fashion design, textile design and fashion buying;

Traditional and contemporary art courses, such as fine art and photography and video;

Product design courses, such as design crafts, furniture design and various product design options;

Graphic design courses, including illustration, photography and multimedia production;

Performing arts courses, such as dance, drama and performing arts.

Our academic staff are practicing professionals and research scholars involved with industry to help you build your career network. DMU provides access to important programmes, events and awards to help you get experience you can use. Contact us to learn how you can join our creative community.

Location

Leicester

Leicester is the ideal student city with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, a safe environment and lots to do for its large and diverse student population. More than 10 per cent of Leicester's 300,000 residents are university students.

The cost of living is relatively low and the lively social scene of cafes, bars, restaurants and clubs means not only an interesting nightlife but also ample opportunities to find part-time work. Leicester is situated in the heart of England, just 150km north of London and with good transport links to other major cities making it an ideal base to visit more of the country.

There are also opportunities to watch top class professional sport in Leicester, with the stadia of Leicester Tigers, the most successful English rugby union club of the modern era, and Leicester City Football Club being within walking distance of the campus.

Outside of the city there is plenty to explore in the county of Leicestershire including historic sites, beautiful countryside, picturesque villages and traditional English pubs and restaurants.

Further information

Contact DMU

Student Enquiries
Jo Poon
Senior International Officer
Department of External Relations
DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY
Leicester LE1 9BH
T: +44 (0) 116 250 6086
E: jpoon@dmu.ac.uk

Partnerships
Rob Crane
International Partnerships Manager
Department of External Relations
DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY
Leicester LE1 9BH
T: +44 (0)116 207 8350
E: rcrane@dmu.ac.uk

General Information
Thomas Veit (Dipl. Kaufmann)
Head of International Office
Department of External Relations
DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY
Leicester LE1 9BH
T: +44 (0) 116 207 8438
E: tveit@dmu.ac.uk