Thames Valley University became a university in 1992, but has over 140 years experience in technical and vocational education. 

Our Ealing campus was founded in 1860 as the Lady Byron School. The school was widely recognised for its work in art and design, and in 1950 the portfolio of courses was extended to include hotel, and catering and degree courses. In the sixties it was designated a College of Higher Education, and ran the first ever degree in business studies.

Our Reading campus was formally Reading College and School of Arts & Design. Reading Technical College was opened in 1955. Over the following 40 years the College expanded to include its Crescent Road site and merged with the Berkshire School of Arts & Design, to become Reading College and School of Arts & Design. Reading College and School of Arts & Design merged with Thames Valley University in January 2004 and became the Reading campus.

SOur Slough campus was founded in 1907 as an elementary school. By the forties it became a technical institute, and in the seventies, Thames Valley College of Higher Education. In 1990, the College merged with Ealing College of Higher Education, Queen Charlottes College of Health Care Studies and The London College of Music, to become the Polytechnic of West London. Two years later, the Polytechnic became Thames  
 
TVU is a quite different kind of educational provider. We are:
A genuinely FE and HE institution, with equal commitment given to each, and a mission to encourage and enable progression within and between FE and HE

One of the largest providers in the UK with 45,000 students

Extraordinarily diverse - diverse in the range of subjects and levels of provision we offer but diverse also in terms of our rich and complex student profile

A centre of excellence and expertise in work-based learning and a natural first choice for employers and employees seeking vocational, high quality and relevant provision