Birkbeck, University of London (formerly Birkbeck College, informally BBK) is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London. It offers many Master's degree & Bachelor's degree programmes that can be studied either part-time or full-time, though nearly all teaching is in the evening. It also admits full-time (as well as part-time) students for PhDs. Its staff members have excellent research reputations in subjects such as English, History, History of Art, Philosophy, Psychology, Spanish, Science and Crystallography. It also offers many continuing education courses leading to certificates and diplomas, foundation degrees as well as other short courses. Originally known as the London Mechanics' Institute 1823 and later Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution, the main building is between Malet Street and Woburn Square in Bloomsbury, with a number of other buildings on nearby streets. The School of Arts, including the Department of English & Humanities, is housed in Virginia Woolf's former Gordon Square residence in Bloomsbury.