Belfast Institute for Further and Higher Education

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Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education


Established	1991
Faculty	1,114
Students	43,000
Location	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Telephone	+4428 9026 5265
Website	http://www.belfastinstitute.ac.uk/

The Belfast Institute of further and Higher Education (BIFHE) is a higher education institution in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in vocational education, but offers academic qualifications also.

The Institute encompasses a number of different campuses around the city. The largest are the Millfield Campus and College Square East building. College Square East is known colloquially as the 'Black Man Tech'. This is because of the statue of Dr Henry Cooke, a leading 19th century Irish 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 building.

The College Square East campus specialises in courses involving computing, technology and the three traditional sciences (Biology, Chemistry and Physics). Millfield specialises in sports and social sciences. The institute offers courses from GCSE level to GNVQ and undergraduate courses. The Belfast Institute also has main campuses in Brunswick Street, Whiterock and in Tower Street.

The Belfast Institute was formed in 1991 with the amalgamation of The Belfast College of Technology, The College of Business Studies and Rupert Stanley College of Further Education.

Past students include newsreader John Irvine.

In August 2007 Belfast Institute is to merge with Castlereagh College to form Belfast Metropolitan College.