Milestone for Scotland’s Rural College
Degrees can be awarded for the first time by Scotland’s Rural College, which includes the Barony Campus at Parkgate near Dumfries.
The milestone is the culmination of years of dedication and hard work from staff and students and an historic moment as the first Scottish education provider in almost two decades to be granted degree-awarding powers.
SRUC’s degrees have previously been awarded through the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh but now SRUC can award taught higher education qualifications, including degrees and taught Masters, itself after the Taught Degree Awarding Powers (TDAP) were conferred by the Privy Council and approved by the Scottish Parliament.
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SRUC’s first degree course will be an BVSci in Veterinary Science, with the first cohort of students starting at its new School of Veterinary Medicine in Aberdeen.
Professor Wayne Powell, principal and chief executive of SRUC, said: “Our degrees will represent all that is at SRUC’s core: sustainability, rural and environmental expertise, giving students an unrivalled all-round educational experience and producing a workforce with the skills to drive a green economy and strategic collaboration.
“This achievement is perfectly aligned with SRUC’s ambition to become a leading tertiary university, demonstrating excellence in supporting skills and career opportunities for our students.
“Our five-year strategy, launching within a few months, will show our ongoing commitment to developing new ways to thrive through collaboration – driving innovative new ways of working between business, government, communities and academia.
“More than ever, SRUC is in control of its own destiny. Gaining degree awarding powers really is just the beginning.”