Queen's University, Belfast

History

• Founded in 1845 as Queen's College Belfast, one of three Queen's Colleges in Ireland.
• Became an independent university in 1908.
• Member of the Russell Group.
• Times Higher Education Entrepreneurial University of the Year 2009.

Location and transport

• Located in south Belfast, close to entertainment venues, restaurants, bars and shops, and Northern Ireland's spectacular scenery.
• Modern transport infrastructure. All major British cities within an hour's flying time.
• Daily flights to British and major European destinations. Regular ferry services to Scotland and England.

Entry standards

• Aiming for average tariff target of 400.
• Offer grades for professional courses: Actuarial Science and Risk Management, Dentistry and Medicine AAA at A level + A in fourth AS level; Law AAA at A level; Accountancy and Pharmacy AAB.
• University average tariff score for September 2009 entry was 377.
• Get more information about entry requirements at Queen's online.

Student mix

• Male 41%; female 59%.
• 17,200 ug students and 5,500 pg students (full-time and part-time).
• 34% of full-time postgraduate students are international, up from 24% (non-UK domiciled).

Course flexibility

• Modular system: opportunities for student choice within courses based on need for appropriately focused and coherent programmes of study.
• Flexibility varies across subjects according to requirements of accrediting bodies and national subject benchmark statements, where applicable.
• Queen's offers a wide range of opportunities for students to develop and extend their academic, social and employability skills.

Teaching standards

• An excellent record of achievement in reviews of teaching quality; numerous teaching awards.
• The QAA Institutional Audit (2009) said Queen's meets its highest level of confidence in the management of academic standards and in the quality of the learning opportunities offered to students.
• Queen's Centre for Educational Development provides a comprehensive and systematic range of support to develop and enhance teaching.

Research standards

• Consistent increases in research recognition nationally and internationally; focus on international collaboration.
• Research partnerships forged with leading research groups throughout the world, including Georgetown University and Lombardi Cancer Centre, Washington; Petronas, Malaysia; a £2.3-million Science Bridge scheme with several leading universities in China; partnership with Madras Christian College in Chennai, India.
• Priority development areas include health sciences, executive education and green chemistry.
• Winner of Times Higher Education Outstanding Engineering Research Team of the Year 2010.

Academic strengths

• Research-oriented environment; teaching by people working at forefront of disciplines.
• Model of entrepreneurship education embedded across 100 academic pathways.
• Investing £14.7 million in bursaries and scholarships (2006-11) to attract the best students from Northern Ireland and beyond.
• World leader in green chemistry, cancer research, creative writing and telecommunications and cybersecurity research.
• Strategic recruitment plan under way, to recruit more than 100 of the world’s leading academics to Queen’s. 

Student facilities, including library and computing

• Prize-winning £50-million McClay Library opened summer 2009, providing 2,000 reader places and accommodation for 1.5 million volumes. Provides seamless range of service and user support (library, media, information and computing).
• New £1.3-million International and Postgraduate Student Centre opened in 2010.
• Extensive student support services, including Counselling, Disability Services, Childcare, Income and Student Finance, Widening Participation, Learning Development Unit.
• Queen's at forefront of using ICT to support learning and teaching; the University's virtual learning environment, Queen's Online, provides each student with secure online access to information and materials relating to their specific course components enhancing the learning experience.

Disability services

• For information about the disability services at Queen's, telephone +44 (0) 2890 972727, email disability.office@qub.ac.uk or visit the website.

Students' Union

• £9-million refurbishment  completed.
• Extensive catering facilities. More than 150 sporting and student societies.
• Home to Enterprise SU, a unique centre in UK universities, which promotes enterprise and business opportunities for students.
• The union is home to the lively club venue, Shine.

Sport

• Extensive sporting facilities. Indoor facilities include new £7-million extension to Physical Education Centre. university boathouse, mountaineering cottage.
• Queen's sporting facilities selected as training venue for 2012 Olympics.
• Extensive outdoor facilities. Major investment planned.
• Bursary and Academy scheme offers awards and services to over 80 high-achieving student players/athletes.

Recent/prospective new builds

• Ongoing £300-million capital development programme.
• Priorities include: establishment of multi-million pound Executive Education Centre, a new International and Postgraduate Student Centre, and further development of Elms Village.
• New biomedical research building for the Health Sciences campus, to accommodate the Centre for Vision and Vascular Science.
• Construction of a six storey extension to the Medical Biology Centre (Anatomy Wing) to facilitate the consolidation of the School of Nursing and Midwifery on the Health Sciences campus.
• Construction of a new Northern Ireland Advanced Composites and Engineering Centre (NIACE) at the Titanic Quarter in Belfast. Undertaken in conjunction with the University of Ulster, this project will support the development of advanced composites research.

Availability of part-time work

• Part-time, temporary and vacation work both on and off campus available through Student Jobshop (part of Careers, Employability and Skills).
• Work experience, summer internships and other vacation opportunities at home and abroad are available through Queen's Careers, Employability and Skills
• The Degree Plus award, which recognises skills and personal development gained through extra-curricular activities, including part-time work, gives Queen's graduates an edge in the job market.

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