De Montfort University (DMU)

De Montfort University (DMU) is a dynamic institution with a long and vibrant history of improving people’s lives through education.

Originally founded as the Leicester School of Art in 1870, the university has evolved through many incarnations including the Leicester Colleges of Art and Technology and Leicester Polytechnic.

Leicester Polytechnic officially became De Montfort University on 26 June 1992. The name was chosen to reflect the University’s long association with Leicester by commemorating the celebrated Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, a crucial figure in medieval history who established the first parliament in 1265.

Our reputation for quality and distinctiveness in teaching and research is a direct result of our heritage. Many modern DMU courses have their roots in the late 19^th century and early 20^thcentury, when the School of Art and Leicester Technical School began training apprentices for local industries such as boot and shoe manufacture, furniture making and design, hosiery and textiles manufacture, engineering, printing and book binding.

Art, pharmacy, corsetry, footwear, physical sciences and architecture were taught at the Schools and are still in evidence at DMU today, either as courses in their own right, or as integral components of more modern courses.

A commitment to ensuring teaching kept pace with the changing needs of businesses meant that computing courses were introduced in the 1960s; DMU’s computing degrees are still highly valued by industry.

The university has grown and evolved over the years, but it is still dedicated to providing inspirational teaching to students and it has a significant impact on the world around it.

Find out more about DMU's history.