HomeSkills and research
Education standards in the city's
grammar and secondary schools are
among the highest in the UK. Northern Ireland students at GCSE, GCE AS Level and GCE A Level continue to out-perform their UK counterparts.
Universities
There are two top universities in the city: Queen's University Belfast and the University of Ulster.These two universities account for 49,121 students directly, whilst another 10,180 students can be indirectly linked to Queen’s University through Stranmillis and St Mary’s colleges.
Each year, both universities produce more than 4,000 graduates in business and technology-related disciplines, including 1,000 at postgraduate level.
Students achieving first class or upper second class honours degrees at both universities have increased by 29% over the last decade from 4,012 to 5,165.
The two universities both have world-renowned research facilities. Both have achieved research excellence in various disciplines. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), both achieved a high percentage of staff in the four star category in a number of fields including electrical and electronic engineering, civil engineering, biomedical sciences and nursing and midwifery.
Research
- Institute
of Electronics,
Communications and
Information Technology
The Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT) is a £60 million world-class centre. ECIT brings together, in one building, internationally renowned research groups from Queen's University, specialising in key areas of advanced digital and communications technology.
- Centre for Cancer
Research and Cell Biology
The Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology at Queen's University Belfast has over 300 clinical and basic researchers from across the world conducting cancer research.
- QUESTOR
QUESTOR at Queen's University of Belfast is an international environmental research co-operative. It provides member organisations with a highly focused, industry-led environmental research programme, delivered by a multi-disciplinary staff at world class environmental research institutions.
- Integrated Aircraft
Technologies Research
Centre
The Integrated Aircraft Technologies Research Centre at Queen's University Belfast focuses on aerospace applications. Specialised areas of research include aerodynamics and acoustics, structures and materials, integration and systems engineering and bio fluids.
- The Nanotechnology
and Integrated
BioEngineering Centre (NIBEC)
NIBEC represents a consolidation of research groups, associated with advanced material types used in medical devices, electronics, photonics, nanotechnology, sensors, optical and environmental devices.
