09 April 2018

An artist’s impression of what MK:U could look like.  It is estimated that around 5,000 students will eventually study at the new university, with the first cohort arriving in 2023.

Plans for a new technology university in Milton Keynes took a major step forward in March with the city council announcing that it has chosen Cranfield University as the lead higher education provider.

According to the Centre for Cities think-tank, Milton Keynes is the UK’s largest city without a university. Plans for a new university, currently known as ‘MK:U’, that focuses on teaching the technology of the future world of work, have been in development since late last year.

Developed in partnership with business, the new university aims to deliver a distinctive STEM-focused undergraduate curriculum, and become a leader in areas including digital, cyber, automation, robotics and AI.

MK:U will offer accelerated two-year degree courses, intensive three-year degrees programmes with project placements, part-time/apprenticeship pathways, as well as short courses/continued professional development. It is estimated that around 5,000 students will eventually study at the new university, with the first cohort arriving in 2023.

Cranfield’s educational, technological and industrial partners on MK:U include Grant Thornton, MK College, Microsoft and Tech Mahindra. 

The next step is an 18-month feasibility study which will consider the planning, design and financing of the new university.

Milton Keynes Council leader Peter Marland says: “Through the MK Futures 2050 process, we identified how a university focused on technology could benefit our economy, especially coming alongside thedevelopment of the Cambridge-MK-Oxford corridor which also holds great promise. This will be the first university anywhere designed as a response to the challenges facing cities today and in the future.”