Alumni | Birmingham City University We use cookies on this website to improve the experience we provide. By continuing to use our site you agree to this, or visit our cookie policy to manage your settings. OK Birmingham City University Skip to main content Skip to main menu Search the BCU website View saved courses Open main menu Saved courses Search website * Alumni BCU Alumni Community homepage Your time with us doesn't end at graduation. Find out how we can support you on your life's journey. * Community * Stay in touch * Connect with the community on LinkedIn * Inspire others with your story * Alumni spotlights * BCU alumni podcast * Alumni news * Collaboration * Become a mentor * Work with a consultant * Access and commission research * Knowledge Transfer Partnerships * Recruit graduates for jobs and placements * Innovate with STEAMhouse * Professional Development * Career support * Gain a mentor * Short courses and CPDs * Graduate scholarship * Start-up support * Services and support * Graduation support and guidance * Continued library access * Using your BCU email after graduation * Accessing BCU systems after graduation * Request certificates and transcripts * Request verifications Update your details LinkedIn Tell your story Graduation * Community * Collaboration * Professional development * Services and support * Graduation You have no saved courses. How do you save a course? It's simple, just look for the 'save this course' buttons when viewing course search results, listings or details. What can you do with saved courses? Saving courses allow you to compare them, it also allows you to create a permanent list of 'favourites' that will always be there when you visit our site. More about saved Courses * Home * Alumni * Alumni BCU Alumni Community Lifelong member. Lifelong benefits. Update your details Connect on LinkedIn I am looking for information on... * Updating my details * Connecting on LinkedIn * BCU Alumni Community * Collaboration opportunities * Professional development * Services and support * Graduate scholarship * Sports Centre discount * Alumni Spotlights * Alumni of the Year * Alumni news History of BCU View video transcript 0:00 Birmingham City University, [music] 0:03 rooted in Birmingham, home to the 0:05 Beyonder, and much, much older than you 0:08 might realize. Where did it all begin? 0:10 Well, let me take you back way back to 0:14 1843 when the reign of Queen Victoria 0:17 was in full swing. when the Economist 0:19 and the News of the World first went 0:21 into print. When the world first clapped 0:23 its eyes on Charles Dickens, Aer 0:24 Christmas Carol and on the Birmingham 0:27 Society of Arts and School of Design in 0:30 a city graced by artists and makers 0:33 whose work continues to adorn our city. 0:36 This was the spark that brought our 0:38 university into life. New life on new 0:41 street. From there we enter paradise. 0:45 Paradise Street to be exact. Home to the 0:47 original Birmingham and Midland 0:49 Institute and birthplace of the School 0:51 of Music. 0:53 Finally, a permanent home for the arts 0:55 and crafts. The grade one listed 0:57 building on [music] Margaret Street. New 0:59 colleges arose. The Municipal Technical 1:01 School, the College of Commerce, the 1:04 Ansty College of Physical Education. 1:06 Jewelry found a new home on Victoria 1:08 Street in the heart of the jewelry 1:10 quarter. Then came one of the nation's 1:13 major architecture schools, constructing 1:15 [music] a legacy of city makers. 1:18 Birmingham College of Commerce opened 1:20 new pathways, inviting students to study 1:22 law. South Birmingham Technical College 1:25 opened on Bristol Road, offering new 1:27 skills for engineers. And North 1:29 Birmingham Technical College opened at 1:31 Perry Bar. Birmingham Polytenic was 1:33 born, bringing together arts, music, 1:36 commerce, and technology. Three more 1:39 colleges joined a new center on 1:41 Westborne Road. Any college, BSley 1:43 College of Education, and City of 1:46 Birmingham College of Education. A new 1:48 Alexander Stadium was built at Perry 1:51 Park, and nearly 50 years later, it 1:53 became the home of sport and exercise at 1:56 BCU. The Doug Ellis Sport Center opened 1:59 in Perry Bar as a center for health, 2:01 well-being, and community activity for 2:03 all. The Bourneville College of Art was 2:06 woven into the Polytenic and the School 2:08 of Music was reborn as the Birmingham 2:11 [music] 2:11 Conservatire, a name that would gain 2:13 royal status three decades later. The 2:15 Polytenic became one of 42 new 2:18 universities. Hello, the University of 2:21 Central England. UCE was the new acronym 2:25 on the street, but the ethos [music] 2:26 hadn't changed. Meet the needs of the 2:27 city. We began powering the NHS with 2:31 tomorrow's [music] talent by taking on 2:33 the Birmingham and Sley Hall College of 2:35 Nursing and Midwiffery and the West 2:37 Midland School of Radiography. Then a 2:40 new name, Birmingham City University, 2:43 proudly carrying the city's name into 2:46 the future. Eventually, it was time to 2:48 say goodbye to Northrum as work began on 2:51 a brand new campus for students in the 2:53 city center. 2:55 Within a couple of years, Parkside, 2:58 Keren, the Royal Birmingham Conservator, 3:00 and the Benjamin Zephaniah building 3:03 opened on East Side. Steamhouse opens 3:06 its doors. A reinvention of the former 3:08 Belmont Bicycle Works, enabling 3:11 innovation through collaboration. An 3:13 ambitious stake in the ground for the 3:15 future, but utterly rooted in the 3:17 [music] history of this fine, fine city. 3:20 One that was forged by necessity, grit, 3:23 and innovation. Because Birmingham 3:25 didn't simply grow and neither did BCU. 3:28 We both answered the call of our people 3:30 and of our nation. We were industrial 3:33 revolutionaries. We ran the workshop of 3:35 the world. We met society's challenges 3:38 then and we do so now. Almost 200 years 3:41 since we first broke ground. BCU 3:44 continues to be groundbreaking. The 3:46 world changes, the city changes, and we 3:49 will always keep pace. We'll be there 3:51 when the tools change, but the spirit 3:53 [music] of innovation remains the same. 3:55 And we'll carry forward Birmingham's 3:56 legacy of ingenuity. Make no [music] 3:59 mistake, we're proud of who we've been. 4:01 But today, we look ahead, embracing the 4:03 future as fiercely as we cherish the 4:06 stories that shaped us. The stories of 4:08 our university and of Birmingham itself. A global community. Forged in Birmingham. Reaching beyond. Welcome to our BCU Alumni Community, a network of 200,000 graduates in 120 countries - consisting of creators, professionals and changemakers shaping Birmingham, the United Kingdom and the world.   Whether you are a graduate of Birmingham City University (BCU), University of Central England, Birmingham Polytechnic or an earlier institution, your connection to BCU continues long after graduation. Provide or update your details Your alumni community As a BCU graduate, you are now part of a global, lifelong network. Reach out to your fellow alumni community members via events or our LinkedIn page. Plus, gain insights into our alumni’s achievements via our news and features, or inspire by sharing your own story.   Get involved Collaboration Your time at BCU doesn’t end at graduation – together, we create opportunity. Forge rewarding University collaborations, build your professional development through mentorships, offer future and recent graduates career opportunities, and make a financial donation. Find out more Professional development Grow your expertise and expand your impact by gaining a mentor or acquiring careers support. Launch your own venture through our entrepreneurship programmes, experts and facilities. Alternatively, advance your education via one of our postgraduate or continuing professional development courses.   Boost your prospects Services and support We're on hand to provide key information on accessing Library resources and facilities, details around graduation, and uncovering and retrieving important documentation such as certificates and transcripts.  Access support Enjoy these alumni discounts Postgraduate scholarship If you're a BCU alumni enrolling on to a relevant Master's or PhD course for the first time, you're entitled to a 20% fee reduction. Visit the dedicated page below to learn more about terms and conditions, fees and funding, and more. Find out more Discounted gym membership Being a BCU alum also provides you with a reduced membership fee at Birmingham's state-of-the-art, expansive Doug Ellis Sports Centre, as well as a price reduction in bookings. Join today Alumni insights Our BCU alumni community comprises of individuals working in a range of diverse industries across the globe – and all of them have stories to tell. Catch up on the community’s latest achievements, their candid t ales of University and post-study life, and the advice they’d give students and their fellow alumni. Plus, keep up to date on the latest news stories involving both our alumni and the wider University. Alumni Spotlights You’re part of an inspiring alumni community making its mark across every industry. Our graduates go on to tick off their career goals and achieve their potential, making a difference to industry, their community and to people’s lives. Read their stories Alumni of the Year Discover the groundbreaking graduates who have previously been bestowed Alumni of the Year at our graduation ceremonies. We welcome nominations from our Alumni, so if you feel your achievements deserve to be considered, please complete a nomination form. Find out more Alumni news Our alumni continue to do great things . Whether it be securing exciting new job roles, contributing to global causes, releasi ng an impactful new project, or being recognised for their efforts, take a look at recent highlights in our alumni community.   Get the latest insights BCU Alumni Keep in touch We’d love to find out more about where you are at your stage of life, as well as your business journey. Complete the form below and let us know how we can support you, now and in the future. Update your details - Alumni Connect with us on LinkedIn Search Search Alumni Search all of BCU Search Recent searches We won't record your recent searches as you have opted out of functional cookies. You can change this on our Manage Privacy page should you wish to. 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