Belfast Metropolitan College


Belfast Metropolitan College is a further and higher education institution in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The college offers both vocational education and academic qualifications. With over 37,000 enrolments and an annual budget in the region of £60 million, it is Northern Ireland's largest college.

History

The college traces its origins back to the beginning of the nineteenth century when the Belfast Municipal Technical Institute was established in 1906. It was located in a grand building in College Square East. It was known colloquially as the 'Black Man Tech'. This is because of the statue of Dr Henry Cooke, a leading 19th century Presbyterian, which stands outside the building. The statue of Cooke is not marble, but copper, like most other architecture around the city of Belfast around the same time. Due to exposure to the elements, most of these statues and domes around the city have oxidised, producing a green colour of copper oxide, especially noticeable on the nearby City Hall.
Other specialist colleges were subsequently established in the city including Stanhope Street, Rupert Stanley, and the College of Business Studies in Brunswick Street. In the early 1990s, these colleges amalgamated as the Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education which in turn merged with Castlereagh College to form the current college in 2007.

Facilities

The college encompasses a number of different campuses around the city. The largest are the Millfield Campus, Castlereagh campus and Titanic Quarter building which opened in September 2011. The facilities at Brunswick Street and the College Square East were sold.

Academics

Millfield specialises in sports and social sciences. This campus offers courses from GCSE level to GNVQ and undergraduate courses. Castlereagh campus specialises in Art and Design, Media and Business.

Alumni