Library Subject Guides
Maybe this feels like going too far back to basics, but it’s worth establishing just what we mean by a ‘university’. Let’s explore some different definitions of a university.
A university is an institution of higher education which awards academic degrees. They have a physical location, often called a campus, made up of teaching spaces and other facilities. As well as teaching students, universities also conduct research to explore new ideas and technologies. You’ll find it invaluable learning the layout of your university and getting to grips with its specialised language from an early stage.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines a university as “a place where people study for an undergraduate or postgraduate degree”. You might then think of a university as the buildings, spaces and other physical facilities on offer, such as lecture theatres, common rooms, accommodation or a library. Some universities, like York, are organised around a campus location, which is usually a set of co-located buildings designed specifically to act as a university. Campuses are often located outside of the city or town centre which bears their name and will therefore include a range of local facilities for those living, studying or working there. Other universities are based within a city or town centre and might have a central location and various sites around the city.
Whatever the layout of your university, you’ll find it invaluable when starting out to find the locations of the most important buildings and services. Make sure, for example, to find out where your department or school is based and take a look at your timetable to see where your classes are going to be taught for your first few weeks. You can usually access teaching rooms as long as they’re not being used, so feel free to take a look in advance if you’re not sure where to go.
York is a beautiful city and is often named the best place to live in Britain. Find out more about our safe and inclusive campus environment, including what it's like to live in York and what you can expect from accommodation on campus. Explore the University of York campus with our interactive map, which you can search by building name, room number or type of location.
The Collins Dictionary gives us an alternative definition of a university as “an institution where students study for degrees and where academic research is done”. Here we have more of a focus on the activities undertaken at a university, from studying for a first degree (also known as undergraduate study) through to the researchers employed at the university to work on new projects, ideas and innovations. This turns our attention to the learning experience you’ll discover at university, where you’ll be engaging in debates and sparking new ideas.
Studying for a degree is quite different from how you will have studied previously. A Levels, for example, usually require you to study across multiple different subjects, whereas a degree will usually be a deeper focus on one subject in particular. Some universities also have options for combined or joint honours degrees, allowing you some flexibility in working across two or more complementary subjects. We’ll look further at some of the differences between university and other forms of education in the ‘How will I learn?’ section of this guide.
Universities offer different levels of degrees, each of which requires a certain amount of previous study. An undergraduate degree, also referred to as a Bachelor’s degree, would usually be taken as a first degree after (but not always immediately after) you complete your time in secondary school or college. Undergraduate study usually covers three years, although some degrees include further years on placement or abroad (either as compulsory or optional elements).
Your degree will comprise a range of different modules, each of which will cover a specific theme related to your subject. At York we have a searchable module catalogue, which gives details about what your module covers and the type of assessment(s) it requires. Depending on the requirements of your department or degree you will likely have ‘core’ modules which all students on your programme will take, as well as ‘option’ modules where you choose which modules to take from a selection offered by your department. This varies hugely by department, however, so check with your department or read your programme specification for further details. Each module successfully completed earns academic credit, which collectively add up to each year of your degree programme and, ultimately, your final degree result (or classification).
Postgraduate degrees are the next level of study. These include taught Masters level programmes, usually lasting a single year but sometimes split across more. Some students then go on to postgraduate research programmes, which typically span over three to four years allowing the researcher to conduct detailed and innovative research in their chosen field.
Finally, we might view a university through the impact it has on the world beyond its doors. All universities contribute in some way to their local economy, perhaps as a large employer in the area or through infrastructure such as sports facilities and event venues. Many universities also have an international reach, for example through the provision of online degrees or via partnerships with institutions around the world. At York this outward focus is part of our identity; we are a University for public good, with our founding values of excellence, equality and opportunity still at the heart of how we operate. Explore what this means in practice by watching our Strategy Stories playlist.
Room numbers at York follow a standard approach to help you identify where to go:
Building code / Block number / Floor and room number
To use B/R/012 as an example, that identifies the room in the Biology building, Block R, room 12 on the ground floor. You can search the campus map with a room number, which will confirm the location and directions.
Check the details of your teaching rooms in advance so that you can find your way there and you know what layout and equipment to expect. At York we have a directory of teaching rooms, which includes an equipment list and photo gallery for each room.
Campus: the location of a university, encompassing its buildings, services and other notable landmarks
College: your 'home' on campus, often where you'll live but also providing a network of support and social events
Department: the section of the university which organises and awards your degree. At York we also have schools which are generally larger departments or groups of departments
Faculty: usually refers to a larger grouping of departments based on their subject matter. At York we have three faculties: Arts and Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences
Module: a smaller component of your overall degree, usually focused on specific themes within your discipline
Postgraduate: a degree level studied after your first degree (see undergraduate, below), either as a taught or research degree
Programme: the specific degree you will study at university, which gives you a qualification in your chosen discipline
Undergraduate: a first degree at university, usually studied across three years
University: an institution of higher education which has authority to teach and award degrees and which conducts academic research
Some universities, York included, are structured around a college system. A college is very often where you'll live on campus, but they also offer a range of pastoral support, social activities and facilities. You're a member of your college throughout your degree but also beyond it, making your college a great way to keep in touch with your peers and the university in general even after you graduate.
At York you’ll find that your college provides a lot of support for your non-academic development. Find out more about the college system at York and explore what your college has to offer.
Universities use a lot of specialised language so you’re likely to come across terms you haven’t heard before. We’ll explain some of the most common ones in this guide, or explore our comprehensive A-Z of university jargon.
We’ve mentioned ‘research’ a couple of times. You’ll be familiar with the term, but research in a university context is a little different to our everyday activity of finding information. Research means “a detailed study of a subject, especially in order to discover (new) information or reach a (new) understanding” (from the Cambridge Dictionary) or, as York defines it, “the advancement of knowledge through the development of ideas, theories and concepts” (from the University of York Research Strategy 2023-2030). Research-focused universities employ staff and train students across an extensive range of research fields, who will conduct experiments, undertake field work, create new technologies and much more.
You might also think of research as the output from researchers’ ideas and theories. Researchers will routinely write up their findings in the form of journal articles or other information sources, which ensures that their research is made available to as wide an audience as possible. Many journal articles are now available via ‘open access’, meaning that they are free for anyone to read or download at the point of use. This publishing model enables researchers to reach new audiences and for their work to be more easily seen and used by non-academics.
