Anglia Ruskin University Degree: From an Art School to a Regional University
Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is a public university in eastern England, with main campuses in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Peterborough and Writtle. Its development reflects the changing purposes of higher education: an institution with roots in nineteenth-century art teaching has grown to encompass healthcare, science, business and specialist land-based subjects. Rather than occupying a single university precinct, ARU has developed across several communities, each contributing something different to its character. For students pursuing an Anglia Ruskin University Degree, this network of campuses offers study opportunities across creative, scientific and professional disciplines.
The university traces its origins to Cambridge School of Art, which opened in 1858 with an inaugural address by the art critic John Ruskin. Its subsequent history brought together several educational institutions, including the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology and the Essex Institute of Higher Education. University status followed in 1992 under the name Anglia Polytechnic University. The present name, adopted in 2005, restored a more visible connection with Ruskin and the institution’s artistic beginnings.
That early creative identity remains evident in Cambridge. The art school’s former students include illustrator Ronald Searle, known for his St Trinian’s drawings, and artist and printmaker Edward Bawden. Another notable connection is Odile Crick, who taught at the school and produced the original illustration of DNA’s double-helix structure for Francis Crick and James Watson in 1953. These associations place the school within a wider history of British illustration and visual communication.
Medical Education and Regional Healthcare
Healthcare provides another substantial strand of ARU’s work. Its School of Medicine in Chelmsford opened in September 2018, building on established teaching in nursing, midwifery and allied health professions. Medical education combines university study with experience in hospitals and general practice. The school also places particular emphasis on encouraging local applicants and addressing the need for doctors in Essex.
Recent expansion has added new settings and subjects. ARU Peterborough opened in September 2022, extending the university’s existing presence in the city. Writtle University College merged with ARU on 29 February 2024, bringing a long-established specialist institution and a broader range of land-based education into the university.
Research similarly spans distinct fields, including sustainability, policing, military families and eye health. The Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research connects creative practice with the study of health and wellbeing. Its work, particularly involving people living with dementia, received a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2021. Together, these activities illustrate how ARU’s artistic inheritance sits alongside its more recent roles in professional education and applied research.