Leeds Metropolitan University (Leeds Met) is a not-for-profit organisation in the UK higher education sector. It's origins can be traced back as far as 1824, when "Leeds Mechanics Institute" was founded. After a series of mergers with other institutions throughout the 19th and 20th century, this institution morphed into Leeds Polytechnic in 1970. The Polytechnic was a constituent part of the Leeds Local Education Authority until it became an independent Higher Education Corporation on 1.April 1989. In September 1992 Leeds Polytechnic changed its name to Leeds Metropolitan University and gained the power to confer its own degrees and other awards.
The university has two campuses in Leeds (the Civic Quarter near the city centre, and the Beckett Park Campus in Headingley) and one in Harrogate (Hornbeam Park). The Civic Quarter Campus comprises the City Site, Queens Square and Brunswick Terrace, all of which are in the centre of the city and within a radius of 200 metres of each other. The University celebrated the official opening of the Leslie Silver Building in October 2000, which contains a state-of- the-art Learning Centre with 24 hour facilities at peak times, offering an integrated, sophisticated library IT and multi-media service. The Beckett Park Campus occupies some 94 acres and is located approximately 5km to the north of the Civic Quarter. The Campus has enjoyed major redevelopment over recent years, including refurbished teaching and learning accommodation, new lecture theatres, IT provision and a completely refurbished student dining facility. High quality sport facilities are also available on campus. The University's third large campus is at Hornbeam Park in Harrogate and became part of the University's portfolio following the merger with Harrogate College.