Academic Sessions for Schools and Colleges

Accounting, Finance and Economics Taster Morning

Date: Wednesday 11th November

Timings: 10:00-12:00

Want to know more about Accounting, Finance, and Economics? Or unsure which of the subjects to choose? Join us for a taster of the three subjects - you will learn how accounting helps us make sense of the numbers and guide business decisions, how finance professionals read charts and choose what to invest in, and how the economic way of thinking enables us make sense of the world around us, from how to split household chores to the sources of global prosperity. 

Timetable:

10:00 Arrivals  

10:00-10:15 Registration 

10:10-10:20 Welcome & Housekeeping 

10:20-10:45 Overview of Courses

10:45-10:50 Walk to room 

10:50-11:50 Workshop- Finance, Economics, Accounting

11:50-12:00 Evaluation 

12:00 Close 

If you are interested in registering onto the event, or have any queries, please contact Becky Heaton: rebecca.heaton@northumbria.ac.uk. 

 

Architecture Taster Afternoon

Date: 11th November

Timings: 13:00-15:30

We are pleased to announce that our Architecture event is back! This afternoon event, 13:00-15:30, will give students the opportunity to hear about our Architecture and Interior Architecture programmes, have a tour of our facilities, take part in a sketching exercise, and find out what we’re really looking for in a portfolio.

Timetable:

13:00 - 13:10: Arrivals

13:10 - 13:15: Welcome & Housekeeping

13:15 - 13:35: BA Architecture & BA Interior Architecture Overview

13:35 - 14:00: Tour of Facilities

14:00 - 14:10: Toilet Break

14:10 - 14:50: Sketching Workshop

14:50 - 15:20: Portfolio Development- What are we looking for? 

15:20 - 15:30: Evaluation and Close

If you are interested in registering onto the event, or have any queries, please contact Becky Heaton: rebecca.heaton@northumbria.ac.uk. 

 

Biomedical Science Taster Morning

Date: Wednesday 18th November

Timings: 10:00-12:30

Join us on the 18th November for a morning of Biomedical Science. This event is suitable for students in Sixth Form/College who would like to study Biological Sciences or Biomedical Science at university. Students will hear from our expert team about the course at Northumbria and take part in a lab session looking at bacterial cell structure.

An introduction to bacterial cell structure and the Gram stain 
 

Bacteria are found on every surface of the world around us, in fact are you aware that your body contains more bacterial cells than human ones. Rapid and accurate identification of bacteria is an important part of diagnosis. Bacteria are increasingly resistant to current drugs and identifying the bacteria causing a disease is important for knowing which antibiotics to prescribe.  One of the oldest methods of differentiating bacteria is by their shape and many common bacterial names are derived directly from their shape e.g. cocci means round.  

 

In this session you will learn about naming conventions of bacteria, and you will get hands on experience with Gram staining one of the most commonly used methods worldwide for bacterial identification. Once you have stained the bacteria you will get hands on experience in using a microscope to look at the individual cells to identify their shape. The Gram stain also helps differentiate bacteria based on the structure of the cell wall, the rigid outer layer of the cell that makes them hardier than our own cells. 

Timetable:

10:00 Arrivals 

10:00-10:10 Registration

10:10-10:20 Welcome and Housekeeping

10:20-10:40 Overview of Programme

10:40-10:50 Toilet Break  

10:50-11:20 Workshop Introduction

11:20-12:20 Microbiology Workshop

12:20-12:30 Evaluation 

12:30 Close 

 

If you are interested in registering onto the event, or have any queries, please contact Becky Heaton: rebecca.heaton@northumbria.ac.uk. 

 

English, History, International Relations and Politics Taster

Date: 6th November 2026

Timings: 10:00 - 14:30

We are pleased to announce our English, History, International Relations and Politics Taster Event is returning on Friday 6th November 2026. This event is for those studying at Sixth Form or College. The event will include sessions on History, English, Politics and International Relations in which students can participate. 

Timetable:

09:45 - 10:00: Arrivals

10:00 - 10:15: Welcome

10:20 - 11:15: Session 1: An Hour in Shakespeare’s World or This year, next year, sometime…: time,endurance and creativity in the Second World War’ 

11:15 - 11:30: Break

11:30 - 12:25: Session 2: Language Detectives: How Words Shape What We Think Is True or Whose Resource is it Anyway?

12:25 - 12:55: Lunch

13:00 - 13:55: Session 3: Reading Literature through Art at the Laing Gallery or History! What is it good for!?

14:00 - 14:20: Q&A

14:20 - 14:30: Evaluation and Close

If you are interested in registering onto the event, or have any queries, please contact Katherine Butler: katherine.butler@northumbria.ac.uk

 

Geography & Environmental Science Taster Afternoon

Date: Wednesday 2nd December

Timings: 12:30-14:20

We are pleased to announce that our Geography & Environmental Science Taster Afternoon is back! This afternoon event will give students the opportunity to hear about our programmes and take part in their chosen workshop from Geography BA, Geography BSc or Environmental Science. 

Timetable:

12:15  Arrivals 

12:30-12:40  Welcome & Housekeeping 

12:40-13:00  Overview of Courses 

13:00-13:10  Walk to room 

13:10-14:10  Session (Environmental Science, BA Geography and BSc Geography) 

14:10-14:20  Evaluation & Close 

If you are interested in registering for the event, or have any queries, please contact Becky Heaton: rebecca.heaton@northumbria.ac.uk. 

 

Psychology Taster Event

 On Tuesday 3rd of November we held a Psychology Taster Day for Sixth Form learners from 10:00 to 14:30.

This event consisted of a carousel of experiences led by academic experts: Dr Lara Clark, specialist in Clinical Psychology and PhD Researcher, Lauren Arnison, specialist in Forensic Psychology. Across the two academic led sessions, students took part in interactive activities linked closely to their expertise.

This was then followed by  a tour of our specialist Psychology lab lead by Alejandro Anguera De La Rosa where had a go with our Motion Capture and Driving Simulation labs.

Students also took part in a real research session which linked to research currently being developed at the univeristy.

Sixth Form Study Day on Soviet History

On Thursday 17th September we held a Soviet History taster for Sixth Form learners. 

 This event covered key aspects of Soviet history, from the Russian Revolution to the Cold War, running from 10am to 3pm.

There were three lectures from academic experts: Dr Lara Douds (Northumbria University), specialist in early Soviet government; Dr Robert Dale (Newcastle University), specialist in Stalinism and the Second World War; and Prof. Daniel Laqua (Northumbria University), specialist in international movements and organisations.

This was then followed by an interactive seminar exploring primary sources on Soviet history, before concluding with a roundtable discussion where students could ask broader questions about the period and how it's studied at university. 

Description

We hosted our annual NUSTEM Experience Week, welcoming around 50 Year 12 students from local schools and colleges to Northumbria for a week-long insight into university life. Each student's programme focused on one of four pathways: Physics, Maths, Chemistry, or Space Physiology. The experience offers a unique opportunity that stands out on UCAS applications for STEM subjects.

Throughout the week, students took part in the following activities:

Interviewed an academic about their research area

Learned how to source information at university level

Attended a first-year lecture

Created their own research poster

Took part in a lab-based practical activity

Toured our campus

Attended a "Careers in STEM" talk

Presented at a poster conference alongside academics and peers

Film Taster Event

On Tuesday 13th October we held a Film Taster Morning for students in Y12/Y13 (or equivalent) who are interested in studying Film at university. 

The event covered an overview of Film at Northumbria, an interactive story telling activity and a tour of our fantastic Film facilities. 

 

Health Alive

On Tuesday 20th October 2026 we held Health Alive for Sixth Form / College Learners at our Coach Lane Campus from 10am until 2:15pm.

This event gave students the opportunity to experience what it would be like to study a health related course at university. Students choose from a range of sessions designed by leading academics including Nursing, Operating Department Practice and Midwifery.

 

Throughout the 2025/26 academic year, Northumbria University hosted 10 subject taster days for Year 12 and 13 students. These events gave prospective students the opportunity to experience what it is like to study at Northumbria, offering a taste of student life alongside the chance to explore our world-class campus.

Over 500 students attended, engaging with the following subject areas:

2025/26 Taster Days

Fashion

Geography and Environmental Science

Humanities and International Relations and Politics

Law

Maths, Chemistry and Physics (NUSTEM Experience Week)

Midwifery, Nursing & Health (Health Alive)

Psychology

Social Sciences

If your school/college is interested in signing up for a 26/27 taster event, please fill in this form and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Throughout the 2024/25 academic year, Northumbria University hosted more than 15 subject taster days for Year 12 and 13 students. These events gave prospective students the opportunity to experience what it is like to study at Northumbria, offering a taste of student life alongside the chance to explore our world-class campus.

Approximately 550 students attended, engaging with the following subject areas:

2024/25 Taster Days

Applied Sciences

Architecture

Business

Geography and Environmental Science 

Law 

Maths, Physics & Chemistry Week (NUSTEM Experience Week)

Midwifery, Nursing & Health Courses (Health Alive)

Psychology