The University was founded in 1832, and developed in Durham and Newcastle until 1963, when the independent University of Newcastle upon Tyne came into being. The University is collegiate and is located in the city of Durham and the nearby town of Stockton-on-Tees. The colleges are not teaching bodies, nor are they purely residential — typically they provide a centre for students' sporting, social and residential activities.

The University's, Queen's Campus, Stockton opened in 1992. Over 2,000 full-time students are now studying in purpose-built accommodation 23 miles south of Durham, on the banks of the river Tees.

• Department of Chemistry, Durham University
• Department of Engineering, Durham Unifersity
• Department of Physics, Durham University