Manchester Metropolitan University was awarded university status in 1992 and is part of the largest higher education campus in the UK and one of the most extensive education centres in Europe. With a history dating back 150 years, we have a combination of the traditional and the contemporary that sets MMU apart and gives us our distinct character. Manchester Metropolitan University is the largest campus-based undergraduate university in the UK with a total student population of more than 37,000. Our claim is to be the University for World Class professionals with an emphasis on vocational education and employability. Our roots in higher education date back to 1824, and we’re committed to a strong future through a £350million investment in our buildings and facilities. We have a combination of the traditional and the contemporary that sets the University apart and gives us our distinct character. Manchester Metropolitan University is part of the largest higher education campus in the UK and one of the most extensive education centres in Europe. The University was initially developed as a centre of Technology, Art and Design from Manchester Mechanics’ Institution (1824) and Manchester School of Design (1838). Later Schools of Commerce (founded 1889), Education (f. 1878) and Domestic Science (f. 1880) were added along with colleges at Didsbury, Crewe, Alsager and the former Domestic and Trades College (f. 1911), latterly Hollings College. The painter L. S. Lowry attended the art school in the years after the First World War where he was taught by the noted impressionist Adolphe Valette.