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University of Ulster
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The University of Ulster (UU; ) is a multi-centre university located in Northern Ireland and is the largest single university on the island of Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland. Its origins are in the combination of the New University with Magee College, Ulster Polytechnic and the College of Art and Design. The University has four campuses, in Belfast, Coleraine, Magee College in Derry, and Jordanstown, and a fifth virtual campus, Campus One.
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Encyclopedia
The University of Ulster (UU; ) is a multi-centre university located in Northern Ireland and is the largest single university on the island of Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland. Its origins are in the combination of the New University with Magee College, Ulster Polytechnic and the College of Art and Design. The University has four campuses, in Belfast, Coleraine, Magee College in Derry, and Jordanstown, and a fifth virtual campus, Campus One. The administrative headquarters are at the Coleraine Campus. The virtual campus delivers online programmes, mostly at the graduate level. The University of Ulster has notched up a series of recent successes, with rising demand for places and a thriving development programme. A record number of applications in 2004-05 kept the University of Ulster in the top 10 of the UK's most popular universities. The University of Ulster was shortlisted for the Sunday Times University of the Year award in 2001.
History
The University was created in 1984 by the merger of the New University of Ulster (1968, Coleraine) and Ulster Polytechnic (1971, Jordanstown). This was the first, and, as of 2008, only, merger in UK higher education whereby what is now called a plate glass university merged with what would now be a post-1992 university; the merger occurred primarily because the university struggled to attract students whilst the polytechnic was successful.
The New University of Ulster incorporated Magee College founded in 1865 in Derry. Magee College was a college of the Royal University of Ireland from 1880 and later became associated with the University of Dublin (better known as Trinity College) when the Royal University was dissolved in 1908 and replaced by the National University of Ireland. In 1953 Magee College broke its links with Dublin and became Magee University College. It was hoped that this university college would become Northern Ireland's second university after The Queen's University of Belfast. However, this did not happen and instead it was subsumed into the New University, primarily as a result of the unwillingness of the Unionist government at Stormont to have the second university sited in overwhelmingly nationalist Derry. The decision caused an outcry at the time.
Academic
The University's course provision is the largest in both Northern Ireland and exceeds any in the Republic, covering arts, business, engineering, information technology, life and health sciences, management, and social sciences. Courses have a strong vocational element and the majority include a period of industrial or professional placement.
The University of Ulster has a strong reputation for innovation. In order to create new pathways into higher education the University of Ulster initiated its Online Distance Learning (ODL) project called Campus One. The Campus One programme provides an alternative mode of study, with a range of courses available online to students all over the world. Campus One courses range from full postgraduate programmes, professional development and continuing development courses; through to short business-focused courses all offered over the Internet.
The University contributes a higher than national average to local research and development activity and has a strategic research focus.
The University of Ulster is particularly strong in the field of biomedical sciences, and a Centre for Molecular Biosciences (located at Coleraine) is one of the major projects developed by the University. The Biomedical Sciences department obtained 5* ratings as well as being joint first in the UK, following the UK – wide Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) in 2001. It was the only UK university to retain a 5* rating for biomedical sciences in the 2001 RAE - part of a performance that saw significant improvement and consolidation of the 1996 results.
A 5* research rating was also awarded in the field of Celtic studies.
The University is a leading partner in the Northern Ireland Science Park development, with Science Park sites at the Coleraine and Magee campuses, and in Belfast. There are also Innovation Centres at Coleraine and Magee which provide incubation support to developing spin-out and spin-in companies.
Faculties
The faculties of the University (and the dean of each faculty listed after), are:
- Faculty of Arts, Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh
- Faculty of Art, Design and the Built Environment, Professor Alastair Adair
- Faculty of Business and Management, Professor Robert Hutchinson
- Faculty of Computing and Engineering, Professor Richard Millar
- Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, Professor Hugh McKenna
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Professor Ann Moran
Locations
The University of Ulster currently maintains 5 sites across Northern Ireland, as well as one "Online" site. In February 2009 the university announced the movement of many courses from the Jordanstown campus to the main Belfast campus and a consolidation of student numbers at Coleraine and the reuse of university grounds for a business park.
Coleraine
The Coleraine campus (UUC) is the administration headquarters of the University and is the most traditional in outlook, with a focus on science and the humanities. The traditional focus is primarily as a result of it always being a university campus as opposed to the more vocational type courses offered at the polytechnic at Jordanstown. The Coleraine campus includes the only optometry school in Northern Ireland and is indeed one of only two on the island of Ireland. The Coleraine campus is situated on the banks of the River Bann with views to the beautiful North Coast and County Donegal hills.
Portrush Site
The Portrush site is part of the Coleraine Campus; it is home to the School of Hotel, Leisure and Tourism. Portrush is a town just north of Coleraine on the North Coast of Northern Ireland.
It is intended that the Portrush Campus will close in the near future with courses being relocated to the Coleraine and Belfast campuses.
Jordanstown
team (blue) in action against Fermanagh (green) in the 2009 Dr. McKenna Cup]]
The Jordanstown campus (UUJ) is located near Jordanstown, just outside Belfast and concentrates on engineering, health and social science. The UUJ campus is set in a leafy suburb just seven miles (11 km) from Belfast city centre and situated at the foot of the Antrim Hills overlooking Belfast Lough. UUJ is home to the Sports Institute for Northern Ireland and has a range of Sports facilities. The Buildings are mostly situated around a central Mall. It has on site shops and services. A number of high-demand undergraduate courses at UUJ have extremely high entry requirements such as Physiotherapy,Communication Advertising and Marketing (CAM), Speech and Language Therapy, Law, Sport and Exercise Science/Sports Studies and Radiography.
Magee
The Magee campus (UUM) in Derry is a mixture of historic and new buildings near the city centre.
It opened in 1865 as a presbyterian Christian arts and theological college.
Today, it has no religious affiliation and conducts a broad range of liberal arts higher education and research within the University of Ulster.
Since 1984, development of the university focussed on the Magee campus.
Belfast
The Belfast campus (UUB) is the University’s home of the School of Art and Design, and is currently undergoing major redevelopment. The Building is situated in the Cathedral Quarter of the City. This is becoming a fashionable area of the city which has been developing rapidly in recent years. There are many social and cultural activities in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. Southern Belfast, where most student accommodations are found, has excellent, yet moderately-priced, restaurants, pubs, theatres and shops. Students at the Belfast campus can use the fine recreation facilities at the larger Jordanstown campus. Transportation between the two sites is quick and frequent. Total enrollment: 1,100 students.
Campus One
Campus One, the online campus of the University of Ulster, launched on 8 October 2001.
University Officers
Vice-Chancellors
Noted academics and alumni
Academics
Alumni
- Gregory Campbell, DUP Member of Parliament for East Londonderry
- Brian Philip Davis, filmmaker
- Gerald Dawe, poet
- Anne Devlin writer
- Omid Djalili, comedian
- Willie Doherty, visual artist
- Colin Duriez, writer
- Mark Durkan, former Deputy First Minister of the Northern Ireland Executive
- Mary Fitzpatrick, photographer
- Michelle Gildernew, Sinn Féin, Member of Parliament for Fermanagh and South Tyrone and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Northern Ireland Assembly
- Brendan Hamill, poet and writer
- Kate Hoey, Member of Parliament for Vauxhall (Labour Party)
- Brian Irvine, composer
- Oliver Jeffers, artist, designer, illustrator and writer
- Brian Keenan, former hostage and writer
- John Kindness, artist
- Alison Kitson, nurse and academic
- Simon Kitson, Historian.
- John Luke, artist
- Aodán Mac Póilin, writer
- Alban Maginness, politician
- Basil McCrea, UUP member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
- Victor Sloan, artist
Honorary degrees
- Amanda Burton, actor
- Bill Clinton, former President of the United States, and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
- Brian Friel, playwright
- Seamus Heaney, poet and Nobel Laureate
- Ewan McGregor, actor
- Van Morrison, singer-songwriter
- Joey Dunlop, motorcyclist (awarded posthumously)
- Robert Dunlop, motorcyclist
- David Humphreys, Ulster and Ireland rugby union international
- Peter Canavan, Gaelic footballer
- Stephen Rea, actor
- Geraldine Keegan, educationalist
- Chris Patten, last Governor of Hong Kong and former MP
- Jonathan Edwards, Olympic gold medal winning and world record holding triple jumper.
See also
External links
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- History of Magee College at
- , obituary of Derek Birley, founding rector of Ulster College and founding vice-chancellor of University of Ulster
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