Ulster University has announced plans to create 800 new student places at its Magee Campus in Derry for its Health Sciences undergraduate programmes.
We've known for some time that the Ulster University Jordanstown campus was set to close, with students being transferred to the university's other campuses throughout Northern Ireland. The university has now announced that its Health Sciences undergraduate programmes at Jordanstown will all be moved to the Magee campus next year.
This will result in the creation of 800 new positions at the Derry campus, which also already hosts the university's School of Medicine, School of Nursing, and Paramedic Practice. They will now be joined by healthcare scientists, diagnostic radiography, radiotherapy and oncology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry, and speech and language therapy.
The move will officially take place after the 2021-2022 academic year to allow time to move to the new location, at which point the undergraduate places will move to Derry and postgraduate teaching will move to the University’s Belfast campus.
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Professor Carol Curran, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences at Ulster University commented on the move: "Now, more than ever, in the context of a health service that continues to face sustained challenge in tackling COVID-19, we are acutely aware of the vital contribution of our allied health professionals. The Magee campus will best enable the NHS strategic emphasis on development of multi-disciplinary teams and rich opportunities for interprofessional learning."
Ulster University committed to reaching 10,000 student places as part of its "New Decade, New Approach" deal last year, and creating 800 new places at the Magee campus in Derry is a major step. There is still some way to go, however, as the Magee campus currently hosts a total of 4,300 places.
Source: Belfast Telegraph
