Higher education
Scotland’s medieval universities were St Andrews (founded 1411), Glasgow (1451) and King’s College, Aberdeen (1494), followed by Edinburgh (1583) and Marischal College, Aberdeen (1593). Marischal College and King’s College were united as the University of Aberdeen in 1858.[1]
In the 1960s four new universities (Strathclyde, Heriot Watt, Dundee and Stirling) were created as part of a major expansion of university education in the UK. Strathclyde University in Glasgow was founded as the Andersonian Institute in 1796, became the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College in 1887, a Central Institution in 1908 and a university in 1964. Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, was founded as the Edinburgh School of Arts in 1821, became a technical college in 1885, a Central Institution in 1908 and a university in 1966. The University of Dundee was founded as University College Dundee in 1881, was affiliated to the University of St Andrews in 1897 and became an independent university in 1967. Stirling University was founded in 1967. A fifth university, the Open University (created in 1969) allowed many Scots to undertake higher education through distance learning.
Technical colleges developed in the 19th century, most notably in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Some of these became designated as Central Institutions in the 20th century: these were bodies which provided specialist higher education and were supported by grants from central government through the Education (Scotland) Fund and other central funding mechanisms. In 1908 these were Robert Gordon’s College and Gray’s School of Art , Aberdeen; Aberdeen and North of Scotland College of Agriculture; Dundee Technical Institute; Edinburgh and East of Scotland College of Agriculture; Heriot-Watt College, Edinburgh; Edinburgh College of Art; Glasgow Athenaeum Commercial College; Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College; The West of Scotland Agricultural College; Glasgow School of Art; and Leith Nautical College.[2] By 1946 the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, the Scottish Woollen Technical College, and the two Colleges of Domestic Science and the Veterinary Colleges in Glasgow and Edinburgh had been added.[3] Paisley Technical College was added by 1950 and Napier Technical College, Edinburgh in 1964.[4]
In the 1990s, most of the CentraI Institutions changed their names and expanded their range of specialisms. Several became universities in their own right, making use of provisions under the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992.[5] These included Glasgow Caledonian University Napier University, Paisley University (now University of the West of Scotland), Robert Gordon University, and in 1993 and Abertay University in 1994.[6] The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama became recognised as an institution providing higher education in 1995.[7] In 2008 the last remaining Central Institution, the Scottish Agricultural College, was recognised as fundable body under the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005 and therefore Central Institutions ceased to be a distinct category of higher education providers.[8]
Records of universities and other higher education providers will be found in their own archives service. National Records of Scotland hold Scottish Government records of policy on and communications with higher education institutions (reference codes ED9, ED10 and ED26).
Compiler: Elspeth Reid (2021)
Related Knowledge Base entries
Bibliography
Anderson, R. D., Education and the Scottish people, 1750-1918 (Clarendon Press, 1995)
Anderson, Robert, Mark Freeman and Lindsay Paterson, The Edinburgh History of Education in Scotland (Edinburgh University Press, 2015)
Haythornthwaite, J. A., N. C. Wilson and V. A. Batho, Scotland in the Nineteenth Century: an analytical bibliography of material relating to Scotland in Parliamentary Papers, 1800-1900 (Scolar Press, 1993)
References
[1] Universities (Scotland) Act 1858 (21 & 22 Vict. c.83) s.1.
[2] Education (Scotland) Act 1908 (c.63).
[3] Education (Scotland) Act 1946 (9 & 10 Geo. VI c.72).
[4] The Central Institutions (Scotland) (Recognition No. 1) Regulations, 1950 (SI No. 1757).
[5] Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 (c.37).
[6] The Glasgow Caledonian University (Establishment) (Scotland) Order 1993 (SI No. 423 (S. 43)); The Glasgow Caledonian University (Scotland) Order of Council 1993 (SI No. 556 (S.75)): The Napier University (Scotland) Order of Council 1993 (SI No. 557 (S.76)); The University of Paisley (Scotland) Order of Council 1993 (SI No. 558 (S.77)); The Robert Gordon University (Scotland) Order of Council 1993 (SI No. 1157 (S.174)); The University of Abertay Dundee (Scotland) Order of Council 1994 (SI No. 1980(S .90)).
[7] The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (Scotland) Order of Council 1995 (SI No. 2261 (S.170)).
[8] The Fundable Bodies (The Scottish Agricultural College) (Scotland) Order 2008 (SSI No. 241); Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005 (asp 6); The Central Institutions (Recognition) (Scotland) Revocation Regulations 2008 (SSI No. 178).