Queen's has close contacts with several other educational institutions in Northern Ireland.
Queen's combines the best of tradition with a progressive outlook. It is an institution with a world-class academic reputation as reflected in the award of a
Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2006, the fourth time the University has been honoured in this way. As a member of the Russell Group of leading UK universities,
Queen's is building on its tradition of excellence to secure a future for its students - the leaders of tomorrow. They can look forward to being taught to the highest standards by academics who are both world-class teachers and researchers.
Queen's is currently investing over £200 million in students, staff and facilities. The university’s distinctive campus will be further enhanced by the new landmark library, redevelopment of the Elms student village, and major refurbishment of the Physical Education Centre and the Students' Union. Academic developments range from a substantial expansion in Medicine to new postgraduate courses in Governance and Sustainable Development, from the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology to the Sonic Arts Research Centre, and from the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry to novel approaches to "green technology".
St Mary's and Stranmillis University Colleges have a distinguished track record in teacher education in Northern Ireland. St Mary's was founded in 1900 and Stranmillis was founded in 1922. Both institutions were designated Colleges of
Queen's University Belfast in 1999. The arrangement acknowledged the academic maturity and standing of the Colleges and led to the full integration of their academic provision into
Queen's structure.
St Mary’s is an academic community committed to intellectual enquiry, academic excellence and individual attention to student needs. The College provides Bachelor and Masters degrees, and other post-graduate awards, specialising in the B.Ed, BA (Liberal Arts) and M.Ed pathways. All degrees are validated by
Queen’s University. It has academic and exchange partnerships with 40 universities across Europe and has teaching and exchange agreements with similar institutions in the USA, Africa and the Middle East. With 1200 students and 65 lecturing staff the College is renowned for its international exchange programmes, its outreach initiatives, the richness of the student experience and the quality of learning and teaching.
Stranmillis College is a multi-professional institution, no longer engaged solely in the education of teachers. It offers pre-service and in-service courses, undergraduate and postgraduate, for some 700 full-time students. It is also involved in induction courses and offers a range of consultancy services to Northern Ireland schools, education and library boards and other education agencies. All College courses lead to a qualification validated and awarded by
Queen's. As Stranmillis is a University college, all its students are also enrolled at
Queen's and have access to the usual university facilities just a short walk from the College, which is located in south Belfast.
Queen's also has close contacts with several other educational institutions in Northern Ireland, including a number of colleges of further and higher education and agricultural colleges.
