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Birkbeck rated top in the country in five subject areas in National Student Survey

Birkbeck has been rated number one in the country for overall course satisfaction in five subject areas, according to the 2016 National Student Survey (NSS), announced today (10 August).

Birkbeck at dusk

Birkbeck has been rated number one in the country for overall course satisfaction in five subject areas, according to the results of the 2016 National Student Survey (NSS), announced today (10 August).

Archaeology, Classics, Finance, Geology and Linguistics were rated top nationally in the Survey for overall satisfaction.

Economics and English were rated top in London for overall satisfaction. German was rated second in London for overall student satisfaction, while Management was also rated in the top five departments in London.

The Department of Geography, Enviornment and Development Studies also performed strongly, with the Department's BSc Social Sciences rated top in London and second nationally for overall satisfaction, with the  BSc Geography and BSc Environmental Management programmes both rated top in London on the same measure.

Overall, 91 per cent of Birkbeck students in their final year have found their course ‘intellectually stimulating’, with 87 per cent satisfied with their experience of the College more broadly.

This year, a record 61 per cent of final year students at Birkbeck completed the Survey. Detailed feedback is used by the College to continually improve the student experience  and will be considered across the five Schools and services to identify areas to build on in coming months.

The results will also form a basis for the College’s submission to the forthcoming Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), which will be introduced from the next academic year (2016/17). The TEF will evaluate, for the first time, the student experience across all universities against a newly agreed national benchmark. 

Commenting on the results, Fraser Keir, Academic Registrar at Birkbeck, said:

“The Survey confirms what we hear consistently from our community that study here – that coming to Birkbeck enables them to change their lives fundamentally, among a group of like-minded people drawn from all walks of life, who are as eager to learn as they are. We’ll be using what we’ve learned to continue to improve the experience Birkbeck offers in the year ahead.”

“It is gratifying to see that the overwhelming majority of our students are satisfied with what Birkbeck offers and that they find our courses intellectually stimulating and well run – testament to the enthusiasm of our staff, their passion for teaching and what they bring of their research expertise to the courses we offer.”

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