Established in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire on land bought from the Snyed family, it became Keele University (attaining university status) in 1962. Though Keele has traditionally been regarded well for its sciences and social sciences, the University has built on its growing reputation in the field of health by opening a medical school in 2002.
Founded to "promote interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary scholarship", Keele claims to emphasise "the strength of a broad educational programme"; The Guardian confirms that Keele "is committed to breadth of study" and "pioneered the breaking down of barriers between arts and sciences" [1]. In the UK university system, where students often specialise in one subject only, Keele's dual honours system is one of the country's broadest, enabling its students to study, for example, two subjects as far apart as English and Physics. Ninety per cent of students at Keele do opt to study more than one subject.