Abertay University was founded in 1994, but its history can be traced back to 1888 with the establishment of the Dundee Institute of Technology. In 1902 the institute was recognised by the Scottish Education Department as an important educational hub. It was granted university status in 1994 and became the University of Abertay Dundee. It was then renamed in 2014 as Abertay University.
The university is one of two public universities located in Dundee, a coastal city in eastern Scotland.
Abertay University was the first university in the world to offer a degree in computer games in 1997. Since then it has introduced a range of courses for students to study, but there remains a strong focus on computer games and art design. The university has developed partnerships with the Communication University of China and also Perfect World Entertainment for games.
Some 20 per cent of the university’s student body are international students, representing 60 countries between them. The university offers English courses before, during and between academic terms to help international students improve their English skills.
In 2014 the United Nations declared Dundee the UK’s first Unesco City of Design owing to its contributions to medical research and video game development. It is also home to the world’s only V&A museum outside of London, the V&A Dundee. The city is known for its rich scientific history, which includes the construction of Robert Falcon Scott’s vessel, the RRS Discovery. This ship was built for Antarctic research and was a major part of the Discovery Expedition that took place between 1901 and 1904.
