Queens University - Belfast , North Ireland

at-a-glance:

Vanderbilt is offering a new study abroad scholarship through the SEC Academic Consortium (SECAC) to Belfast, Northern Ireland. One student will be chosen to study and engage in a community service project at Queen's University during the spring of 2009. The scholarship is worth $8,500. Requirements, deadlines, and additional information can be found on the attached forms.

 

SECAC Scholarship Flyer

SECAC Application

 

Queen's combines the best of tradition with a progressive outlook. The institution’s world-class academic reputation is reflected in the award of a Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2006, the fourth time the University has been honored in this way. Founded by Queen Victoria , the Queen's University in Ireland was designed to be a non-denominational alternative to Trinity College Dublin which was controlled by the Anglican Church.

           

The University's world-leading research centers are attracting international acclaim in areas ranging from cancer studies and physics and digital telecommunications, to sonic arts and governance.  Meanwhile, the University's £200 million investment program is creating a campus which will be the envy of its peers in whatever part of the world they may be located.

academics

The University has a world-class academic reputation combining innovation and excellence in research and education with its leadership role in the community. The nearly 26,000 students and 3,500 staff play an integral part in this role. The university itself is similar in size to a small town and supports a rich and diverse community. Students from as many as 70 international countries are drawn to study at Queen's and they join contemporaries from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain.

The academic year operates on a semester basis, each semester consisting of twelve weeks of instruction and three weeks of examinations. Academics are concentrated in over twenty individual subject schools, all of which sit within one of the three primary Faculty groupings: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Medicine, Health and Life Sciences; and Engineering and Physical Sciences. The university allows unusual flexibility in course selection, and study abroad students may take courses from any subject except medicine, dentistry and education.

Academic Links:

Online Course Catalogue

Vanderbilt Course Evaluation List

Queens University

Butler Institute for Study Abroad

student life

The Students' Union contributes enormously to the social life of students through a regular program of live entertainment and gigs. Its two bars and Snack Bar are legendary meeting-places and attract hundreds, if not thousands, of students to promotions organized by Queen's Union Club. All students are automatically members of the Students' Union and Club, and the Freshers' Program is not to be missed.

For two and a half weeks each November the University plays host to the largest arts festival in Ireland. Only the Edinburgh festival is bigger in the UK. The Belfast Festival at Queen's usually sees more than 200 performances catering for all tastes. Major visiting orchestras and classical musicians share centre stage with top jazz, folk and popular musicians, and theatre and other artistes.

housing

Queen's can provide around 2,000 places in accommodation varying from traditional halls of residence with meals provided to self-catering halls and houses. Students are guaranteed housing while classes are in session, usually in the newly developed Queen’s Elms student village. The village is home to 1,600 students and within easy walking distance of campus. Students share bathroom, kitchen and living facilities, and may live in single or double study bedrooms.

location

Queens University is located in a Victorian Suburb on the popular south side of the city of Belfast, one of the most dynamic small cities in Europe. In recent years the city has been transformed by world-class developments in places like Laganside, Cathedral Quarter and in the city centre to such an extent that lifestyle magazines have described Belfast as 'Europe's friendliest - and trendiest - regional capital", 'a sexy city buzzing with life' and as 'one of today's most fashionable places to visit and live'.

Queen's campus is at the apex of Belfast's famous Golden Mile of pubs, clubs, cafe bars, restaurants and entertainment venues. These not only provide an extensive variety of leisure-time options, but are a valuable source of student part-time employment. Most of Belfast’s finest museums, galleries and theatres, great parks and gardens, international sports stadiums and wonderful wildlife reserves are within walking distance from the campus. Near Queen's is the Ulster Museum and Art Gallery, set in the Botanic Gardens, which provide a beautiful backdrop to buildings on the main University site, most of which date back to the mid nineteenth century. The entire university is nestled in the valley of the River Lagan and surrounded by spectacular natural views.

expenses

Program Costs: Semester Costs; Summer Costs

application

Queens University Application