Magee expansion: £11m teaching block opens at Derry campus

Magee expansion: £11m teaching block opens at Derry campus

Ulster University opens a new state-of-the-art teaching block at Magee this week marking an £11million investment in the campus.

The innovative development delivers the most modern and cutting-edge facilities available in teaching accommodation to students and provides a collaborative teaching approach at Magee.

The four-storey facility, which is attached to the existing library, covers a floor space of 4000 sq meters; including three lecture theatres, 20 teaching rooms, open plan student hubs and a café.

Its opening represents a major investment by the University in world-class teaching space, significantly enhancing the student experience at Magee and underpinning the University’s commitment to developing the campus.

The new teaching block will increase the capacity of the campus for additional students and features a 314 seat lecture theatre representing a significant increase on present facilities.

Professor Paddy Nixon, Vice-Chancellor, Ulster University said:

“The opening of this new £11million teaching block is yet another positive step forward in the realisation of our strategic vision for Magee and underlines the University’s commitment to expansion in the north-west

“As an inclusive and internationally focussed university, we want to offer students the most dynamic and high quality teaching environment possible – one that will confidently provide the foundations for rewarding careers for our graduates.

“The state-of-the art facility will ensure a collaborative teaching approach and interactive learning experience for all of our students. It is a major boost for our staff and current students and also paves the way for enhanced future capacity on the Magee campus in line with our broader expansion plans.”

Ulster University’s Magee campus offers a wide range of undergraduate courses spanning all four faculties in Life and Health Sciences, Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment, Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences and the Ulster University Business School . The recently launched Doctoral College, which has a base in Magee, also enables the provision of student opportunity at the highest level in the city.

Dr Malachy Ó Néill, Provost of the University’s Magee campus, said:

“Students across all faculties and disciplines will benefit greatly from the new facilities – both academically in terms of the high quality teaching environment provided and also socially, with access to relaxed café spaces and student hubs encouraging an interactive experience.

“The new block also features the largest lecture theatre ever constructed on the campus – with capacity for over 300 students. The facility will also be a huge civic asset, offering a fantastic conference centre with incredible views of the city and we are looking forward to welcoming even more local and international visitors to the campus.

“Facilities such as these are vital to ensuring we have the best quality environment for teaching and research for our students whilst also serving the needs of the wider community and supporting economic growth in the region.”