University of Birmingham
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
About University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham has a rather involved history. The oldest entity to which the modern university can trace its roots is the Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery, founded in 1825. This medical-training college was officially recognized by the crown in 1836, becoming the Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery, which developed into Queen’s College, Birmingham, in 1843.
A separate institution of higher learning, Mason Science College, was founded in Birmingham in 1875, upgrading to Mason University College in 1898.
Two years later, in 1900, the Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery and Mason University College merged to become the new University of Birmingham, operating under a royal charter.
Birmingham was one of the first of the so-called “red-brick” universities, operating under the auspices of the crown as public institutions in provincial English cities. The red bricks were not only closer to home for many English people, they were also far less exclusive in their admission criteria and general ambience, as well as representing a less expensive higher education option, than Oxford or Cambridge.
Birmingham has always been strong in the natural sciences. Some 11 Nobel Prize recipients have called the university home, including:
- John M. Kosterlitz, John Schrieffer & David Thouless — physics
- Norman Haworth & Fraser Stoddart — chemistry
- Maurice Wilkins, Peter Medawar, John Vane & Paul Nurse — physiology or medicine
Other Birmingham-connected notables include:
- Physicists Rudolf Peierls, Otto Frisch, Mark Oliphant & John S. Bell
- Biologist and organ transplantation pioneer, Rupert Billingham
- Ethologist and popular science writer, Desmond Morris
- Philosopher, Michael Dummett
- Philosopher and theologian, William Lane Craig
- Novelist and screenwriter, James Clavell
- Actors Madeleine Carroll, George Takei & Isaac Hempstead Wright
- German billionaire heiress, Susanne Klatten
- Chemical engineer and industrialist, Jim Ratcliffe
- Economist and current member of the Greek Parliament, Yanis Varoufakis
- Former British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain
According to Wikipedia, The University of Birmingham is a public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham , and Mason Science College , making it the first English civic or 'red brick' university to receive its own royal charter, and the first English unitary university. It is a founding member of both the Russell Group of British research universities and the international network of research universities, Universitas 21.
What Is University of Birmingham Known For?
University of Birmingham is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Physics
- Biology
- Communications
- Philosophy
- Medical
- Education
- Business
- Mathematics
- Engineering
- Political Science
- Literature
- History
- Religious Studies
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Economics
- Law
- Sociology
- Psychology
- Earth Sciences
- Anthropology
- Criminal Justice
- Nursing
- Social Work
University of Birmingham's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much University of Birmingham's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
University of Birmingham ranks #79 worldwide for influence in Physics.
University of Birmingham ranks #110 worldwide for influence in Biology.
University of Birmingham ranks #103 worldwide for influence in Communications.
University of Birmingham ranks #111 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
University of Birmingham ranks #128 worldwide for influence in Medical.
University of Birmingham ranks #152 worldwide for influence in Education.
University of Birmingham ranks #185 worldwide for influence in Business.
University of Birmingham ranks #179 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
University of Birmingham ranks #218 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
University of Birmingham ranks #169 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
University of Birmingham ranks #172 worldwide for influence in Literature.
University of Birmingham ranks #111 worldwide for influence in History.
University of Birmingham ranks #93 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
University of Birmingham ranks #135 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
University of Birmingham ranks #224 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
University of Birmingham ranks #185 worldwide for influence in Economics.
University of Birmingham ranks #248 worldwide for influence in Law.
University of Birmingham ranks #89 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
University of Birmingham ranks #231 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
University of Birmingham ranks #238 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
University of Birmingham ranks #187 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
University of Birmingham ranks #166 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
University of Birmingham ranks #172 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
University of Birmingham ranks #150 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
Who Are University of Birmingham's Most Influential Alumni?
University of Birmingham's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Physics, Sociology, and Communications. Here are some of University of Birmingham's most famous alumni:
- Maurice Wilkins
- A New Zealand-born English physicist and biologist.
- William Lane Craig
- An American Christian philosopher and theologian..
- Desmond Morris
- A British zoologist, ethologist and surrealist painter.
- John Stewart Bell
- A Northern Irish physicist.
- Stanley Baldwin
- A British statesman .
- Alfred J. Lotka
- An American mathematician.
- Paul Nurse
- A Nobel prize winning British biochemist.
- Jonathan Miller
- A British theatre director .
- David Lodge
- An English author and literary critic.
- Stanley Mandelstam
- An American physicist .
- Elliott H. Lieb
- An American mathematical physicist and professor of mathematics and physics at Princeton University.
- Paul Gilroy
- A Scholar of the Black diaspora and culture.
Who Are University of Birmingham's Most Influential Faculty?
University of Birmingham's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Physics, Sociology, and Communications. Here are some of University of Birmingham's most famous faculty:
- Candida Moss
- A British bible scholar.
- Rorden Wilkinson
- A British academic and author.
- Leroy Cronin
- A British chemist.
- Deryk Osthus
- A Mathematician.
- Daniela Kühn
- A German mathematician.
- Helen Stokes-Lampard
- A British medical academic and general practitioner.
- Mark D. Griffiths
- A British psychologist.
- Rahul Potluri
- An Indo-British scientist.
- Damian Milton
- A British sociologist and social psychologist.
- Gordon Dougan
- An English microbiologist, Principal Research Scientist at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge.
- David Nicholl
- A Northern Irish doctor.
- Alice Roberts
- An English physician, anatomist, physical anthropologist, television presenter, author.
