School of Environmental Sciences

Student life

> Academic support @ Coleraine


The School of Environmental Sciences offers comprehensive support to its students and prides itself on its student-staff relations. Considerable effort is invested in achieving both academic engagement and social integration from day one. We will make every effort to help ensure that your transition to university life is as smooth as possible. After applying for one of our courses, you will be invited to an Open Day in February/March. The Open Day offers a tailored programme for you and your and parents, enabling you to meet teaching staff and students, gain additional information about the discipline, course content and approaches to teaching. Examples of how we try to ensure a smooth transition into third level education include:


[01] Induction week

Starting a degree course can seem daunting or even intimidating, and for this reason we have organised a programme of events in the first week of semester to ease our new First Year students into university life at Ulster. Induction Week has specifically been designed as both an academic and a social focus for our new students at the start of their university studies, allowing them to meet fellow students, teaching staff, and attend subject-related library tours, IT sessions and a two-day residential field course in Donegal. The purpose of the field course is both academic and social, designed to engage you with your subject, the staff who teach it and your fellow students in an informal and relaxed environment. To find your way around the campus, please view this handy Orientation Map.


[02] Pastoral Support

When you arrive at the School you will meet your Advisor of Study. The role of the Advisor of Study is to support you, should you need to discuss any academic or personal problems you may have - full confidentiality is always observed. Pastoral care is vitally important in the culture of our School as it helps to promote strong relationships between staff and students, and the success and well-being of your progress throughout your degree programme.


[03] Small-group tutorials

A series of weekly tutorials are part of the on-going induction process to the School. Tutorials are held by Advisors of Study, following a prescribed programme focused on study skills, academic conventions and written and oral communication skills. Towards the end of the 1st semester, you will engage with Senior Student Tutors (final year undergrads or postgrad students) to enhance the quality of your learning experience and prepare for examinations.


> Student life @ Coleraine


The campus is situated at the heart of the Coleraine-Portstewart-Portrush ‘triangle’ area, one of Northern Ireland’s foremost tourist destinations, offering world-class golf courses, sailing, surfing, fishing and other outdoor pursuits. Local attractions include the famous Bushmills Distillery and the Giant’s Causeway World Heritage Site.


[01] Accommodation


As a first year student you can live on-campus where there is accommodation for up to 500 students in both traditional halls of residence and also in student houses and flats. Alternatively, you can live off-campus in picturesque coastal towns of Portstewart or Portrush, where accommodation is of a very high standard. The Coleraine-Portstewart-Portrush area is one of the least expensive areas to live as a student compared to Belfast and other UK and Irish cities.


[02] Clubs and societies


There are many clubs and societies in the University of Ulster that you can join to meet new friends, compete and learn new skills. The location of the campus beside the River Bann and the Atlantic Ocean is ideal for many of the water-based sports such as rowing, canoeing, surfing and scuba. And just to prove it, Easkey Britton, an Environmental Science graduate and current research student, recently became the British Ladies Surf Champion.

The Coleraine campus also has an impressive sports centre, with state-of-the-art fitness rooms, squash courts, indoor halls, tennis courts, all weather outdoor hockey and football pitches, along with rugby and gaelic playing fields. Coleraine town has a modern leisure centre, including a large swimming pool which offers concessionary rates to students. A browse through Ulster’s noticeboards on campus will show active clubs in areas such as hurling, basketball, netball, football, fencing, equestrian, badminton, cricket, golf, gaelic football, rugby, fencing, karate, judo, aikido and hockey. Other societies such as film, drama, debating and the international society keep the brain as well as body fit.


[03] Entertainment


The uni-bar, on campus, is a lively venue with many nightly activities such as sports coverage, quizzes and discos. It also runs a free bus service to external student events such as discos in Kelly’s or Traks’s nightclubs in Portrush or the Anchor Bar in Portstewart. Other night-time entertainment venues include the Jet Centre cinema and bowling complex in Coleraine and the on-campus theatre, The Riverside, which has a variety of plays, comics and shows throughout the year.