Apply Now
Useful links
- www.beinbirmingham.com
- Site designed to help visitors to Birmingham make the most of the city.
- www.birminghamplus.com
- User submitted restaurant reviews for Birmingham restaurants.
- www.mybrum.co.uk
- Guide to pretty much everything that's going on in Birmingham. Updated regularly.
- www.itchybirmingham.co.uk
- Irreverent and plugged in guide to Birmingham from the famous Itchy network.
Life & work in Birmingham
Birmingham is among the most exciting and vibrant cities in the UK and being Britain's second largest city there is plenty to keep you occupied as a student and plenty of career opportunities when you finish your course.
The media industry in Birmingham
If you intend to work in the media, Birmingham is a great place to study. It has one of the biggest media communities outside of London, with the media hive of the Custard Factory being home to over 100 media companies and countless others dotted throughout the city.
The BBC have a major television centre based at The Mailbox and a brand new "drama village" in Selly Oak where they film flagship drama series such as Dalziel and Pascoe. In addition to this ITV Central is also located in Gas Street in Birmingham.
Birmingham is also home to a number of independent production companies including Maverick Television (10 Years Younger, How to Look Good Naked), North One (Fifth Gear, The Gadget Show) and Hotbed Media (100 Worst..., Star Portraits with Rolf Harris)
There is a significant new media presence in Birmingham with the majority of the city's media companies specialising in this area. Larger companies like Clusta and 3form are the best known but there are a lot of smaller companies and freelancers all doing well for themselves and if you are interested in starting your own business the low rent space offered to media companies at the Custard Factory makes Birmingham the ideal location for a start-up business.
If you are interested in radio, Birmingham has plenty of opportunities. Galaxy, Heart FM and Kerrang all have stations based in the city, not to mention local stations like BRMB and New Style Radio. The BBC West Midlands station is also located in Birmingham and Birmingham City University has its own student radio station, SCRatch FM.
With the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) being located in Birmingham it's the perfect location for those who are interested in a career in events and exhibitions. The presence of the International Convention Centre (ICC) should be enough to make the city doubly attractive to any budding events organisers.
Bars and Clubs
To many students, one of the most important factors in choosing a place to study is the nightlife - something Birmingham has in abundance.
The most popular party destinations in the city are the areas of Broad Street and the Arcadian. Both of these areas offer a diverse selection of bars and clubs but for those seeking a slightly different experience supercool Digbeth, trendy Harborne and bohemian Moseley all have something to offer. If you are into live music St Paul's Square offers several options and the city centre plays host to the Carling Academy - the city's number one rock and indie venue.
Entertainment
Birmingham has several excellent theatres including the Hippodrome that host some of the biggest musicals and productions from the west end and the Birmingham Rep that caters to more sophisticated tastes and specialises in modern drama. There is also the Alexandra Theatre, where you can find a variety of productions and stage shows of every kind and several smaller theatres that are sure to provide something for everyone.
As you would expect in a city the size of Birmingham, there is a large selection of cinemas. Apart from the usual multiplex cinemas, Birmingham also plays host to Britain's oldest working cinema, The Electric, and one of the countries few Imax cinemas where you can experience the most stunningly immersive cinema you will ever see.
If you are looking for comedy, Birmingham's two main comedy nightspots are the Glee Club and Jongleurs but there is a variety of smaller comedy nights scattered throughout the city.
Shopping
Birmingham has a reputation as one of the UK's top shopping destinations and with good reason. The Bullring is Europe's largest city centre shopping development with shops of every kind, including the architecturally stunning Selfridges building.
If you have the cash, no shopping trip to Birmingham would be complete without a trip to the ultra-exclusive Mailbox where shops such as Harvey Nichols are expensive but great for window shopping. At the other end of the spectrum a visit to Birmingham's world famous Rag Market, located near the Bullring, is an entertaining way to spend an idle afternoon going around the numerous vintage clothing outlets.
