School of the Built Environment
The University of Ulster is based on four campuses across Northern Ireland - Coleraine, Jordanstown, Magee and Belfast. This reflects its historical development. The history, geography and environment in Northern Ireland is unique – and the outstanding quality of life makes it a compelling place in which to study, live and work. It offers excellent city life, outstanding rural and coastal areas and its scale makes movement simply pleasurable. Its devolved administration is innovating around many facets of public policy and community and Northern Ireland is just the very place to be.
The University of Ulster’s mission is to be ‘a university with a national and international reputation for excellence, innovation, and regional engagement’. It promotes a set of core values based on inclusiveness, transparency and cohesiveness and in contributing to the development of Northern Ireland and progressing its contribution in national and international arenas. Sustainability is a common theme across its teaching and learning, its scholarly research and in terms of its academic enterprise and professional accreditations. The University of Ulster comprises six Faculties: the Faculty of Arts; Computing and Engineering; Life and Health Sciences; Social Sciences; the Ulster Business School; and the Faculty of Art, Design and the Built Environment. The School of the Built Environment is based in the latter along with the Schools of Art and Design and Architecture and Design. The School of the Built Environment is currently based on the Jordanstown Campus.
The School of the Built Environment is an established centre of excellence for teaching, research and academic enterprise across a range of complementary disciplines associated with the production, consumption, design and regulation of the built environment at large. Its standing is well recognised in the UK and in the island of Ireland, and its international reputation is being steadily advanced through its research and scholarship activities. Many of the staff group are held in high esteem across a range of professions and academies in the built environment. It is a relatively large school and this affords it some stability and the opportunity to nurture specialist areas of academic endeavour in the built environment. The strengths of the School of the Built Environment rest on its scale and diversity, its multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary working, its well grounded professional and industrial links and support, and its perceived contribution to the regional and island economy. The School of the Built Environment offers a wide portfolio of undergraduate and taught postgraduate degrees – indeed it is the largest tertiary education provider in Ireland in its field. In addition to a range of taught postgraduate courses the School of the Built Environment has a vibrant PhD community. Within the School of the Built Environment over 95% of its degrees are professionally accredited.
In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise results showed the University of Ulster to be world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour in a number of areas, The Built Environment Research Institute BERI secured an outstanding quality profile: 15% at 4*, 50% at 3*, 30% at 2* and 5% at 1* and the Grade Point Average was 2.75. Collectively, 95% of BERI activities were graded at international standard with 65% considered to be either world-leading or internationally excellent. The volume of staff entered (34 Category A staff) when combined with the quality score is highly significant in placing the University of Ulster at a prestigious position in the power league table. The Research Fortnight Power Rating places the University of Ulster at 4th place in Unit of Assessment 30 (Architecture and Built Environment).
Find out more:
www.adbe.ulster.ac.uk/schools/built_environment/
