Our inspiring alumni comprise outstanding scholars, Nobel Prize winners - such as Seamus Heaney and David Trimble - and influential leaders. They are making an impact in Northern Ireland and across the globe. Over 94% of Queen's graduates are in employment or further study six months after graduation. Our graduates are dominating senior leadership positions in 80 of Northern Ireland's top 100 companies, making a difference in over 120 countries.
One of the UK's most prominent campus universities, and the 9th oldest, we blend our proud heritage with cutting-edge facilities for the best experience of University life. We are ranked in the top 200 universities in the world (QS World Rankings, 2019). Founded in 1845 as Queen's College Belfast, we became an independent university in 1908. Today, we are a member of the Russell Group, combining excellence in research and education with a student-centered ethos.
Queen's is one of the largest employers in Northern Ireland. We support 1 in every 74 jobs here. In comparison, our spin-out companies support 1,850 high-value jobs and generate an annual turnover of £215 million. Our quality graduates and world-leading research also help to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). Belfast is now the top investment destination for USA FDI in Cyber Security thanks to the groundbreaking work carried out by our Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT).
Queen's University Belfast was founded by Royal Charter in 1845. 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 was made up of three Queen's Colleges - in Cork, Galway, and Belfast. Although it was the first University in the north of Ireland, Queen's drew on a tradition of learning, which goes back to 1810 and the foundation of the Belfast Academical Institution.
Its collegiate department, which provided University-style education, closed with the establishment of Queen's and four of its professors, and many of its students transferred to the new college. The most critical date in the early years of the University's life was 1908 when the three Queen's Colleges, and the Royal University (which replaced the Queen's University in Ireland in 1879), were dissolved and replaced by the Queen's University of Belfast and the National University of Ireland.
As an independent institution, governed by its own Senate, Queen's flourished. Increasing student numbers and new staff were accommodated in the number of new buildings, and the academic program increased in range. Arts, Science, Law, and Medicine, were supplemented by Faculties of Commerce, Applied Science and Technology, Agriculture, and Theology. Today, Queen's is one of the leading universities in the UK and Ireland, providing world-class education underpinned by world-class research.
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