Qatar University
Qatar University is a public research university located on the northern outskirts of Doha, Qatar. It is the only public university in the country. The university hosts twelve colleges – Arts and Sciences, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Law, Sharia and Islamic Studies, Pharmacy, College of Health Science, College of Medicine, College of Dental Medicine, College of Pharmacy, College of nursing, and College of Sport Science.
Courses are taught in Arabic and English. Students entering the University are sometimes placed in a “Foundation Program”, which ensures the acquirement of skills such as Math and English.
Many of its academic departments have received or are currently under evaluation for accreditation from a number of organizations. In addition to undergraduate academics, QU has a research infrastructure including research labs, an ocean vessel, technical equipment and a library including a collection of rare manuscripts.
The university serves on behalf of the government and private industry to conduct regional research, particularly in areas of the environment and energy technologies. Qatar University has a student body of fifty-two nationalities, 65% of which are Qatari nationals. About 35% are children of expats. Women make up approximately 70% of the student population, and are provided their own set of facilities and classrooms. QU has an alumni body of over 30,000 graduates, and an active student body of over 20,000 students.
History
The institution was established as the College of Education by a decree from the Emir of Qatar in 1973. The college began with a total of 150 students and was later expanded to become the University of Qatar in 1977 with four new colleges: Education, Humanities & Social Sciences, Sharia & Law & Islamic Studies, and Science.Three years later, the College of Engineering was established. By then, the number of enrolled students was 2,600. This was followed by the establishment of the College of Business & Economics in 1985. The new colleges prompted a large expansion of the university campus, which was overseen Kamal El Kafrawi. By Fall Semester 2005 / 2006, the number of registrants for study at Qatar University had reached 7660 male and female students, equaling almost 1/6 of the eligible Qatari population.
As of 2011, there are seven colleges: College of Education, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Shariah and Islamic Studies, College of Engineering, College of Law, College of Business & Economics, and College of Pharmacy. The new College of Pharmacy was established in 2006, with its first intake of BSc students in 2007.
Between 2003 and 2015, the president of the university was Sheikha Abdulla Al-Misnad. She left in 2015. Her replacement was Hassan Rashid Al-Derham, who currently holds the position, and is the university's sixth president. Al-Derham received his doctoral degree from the University of South Wales.
In December 2015, the university awarded its first-ever honorary doctorate degree to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
In 2019, the College of Dental Medicine was founded, which is the tenth college for Qatar University. The college has a competitive 25 seats in its first class and is a six-year program leading to a Doctor of Dental Medicine.
Strategies
The Qatar University 'Reform Project ' evaluated and restructured the university administration and direction to enhance the quality of instruction and place emphasis on research. The reform was initiated in 2003, led by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, QU former president Dr. Sheikha Al Misnad, and the newly established Office of Institutional Research and Planning. It focused on three principles; “Autonomy”, “Decentralization”, and “Accountability”. While the university had previously operated as a government entity, the reformed institution would be an autonomous body governed by a board of regents who reported to the Emir. This change allowed the university to manage its own finances, stated objectives and vision, and personnel and decentralization within the university granted similar financial and personnel control to colleges, departments and programs.Academically, the reform resulted in the establishment of offices such as the Student Learning Support Center and Student Counseling Center. Construction was undertaken to ensure accessibility of university facilities by handicapped persons. A newsletter, Tawasol, began publication in the university
The reform changed the title of the university from “University of Qatar” to “Qatar University” with a new slogan; “Qatar University, Changing for You” and a new university logo.
A new strategy was put in place "from reform to transformation" covering the years 2018–2022. This new strategy takes into consideration the Qatar National Vision 2030.
Local significance
The university contributes to the process of “Qatarization”, which places an emphasis on the hiring and support of national citizens. While western nations may have trouble implementing such a system due to equality legislation, Qatari nationals only account for approximately 1/4 of the country's population, and this movement is deemed necessary to maintain cultural and national identity.On 9 October 2021, Qatar University hosted 3MT competition with the participation of six local universities. The 3MT Competition is an academic competition that challenges Masters and PhD students to describe their research within three minutes to a general audience.
World view and influence
Qatari leaders have recognized the vulnerability of oil and natural gases as a long-term economic model, especially for a smaller area such as Qatar.The university has directed funding towards contributions to international projects. This has included taking part in global environmental studies through regional measurements, promotion of energy-awareness, and the recent contribution to CERN of data gathered through the university's new positron beam.
Since graduate programs are not available in many fields, Qatar University often works closely with a network of international affiliate schools. Students who have shown exceptional potential or progress can often receive sponsorship from the university for graduate studies abroad, on the condition that they will return to work once finished.
Construction
Qatar University is situated on the northern edge of Doha in the district of Al Tarfa, approximately 16 kilometers from the city center. Due to the growth of the city, this area has recently become more valuable, and a popular development site for upscale residential and commercial buildings. QU has agreed to lease a portion of its property to the construction of new commercial zones to the north and east, as well as a substantial plot for the College of the North Atlantic to the south.A QAR 20 million Scientific and Applied Research Center is under construction.
Colleges and Departments
College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences was established in 2004 through the merging of two former colleges; the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the College of Science. It is the largest college by both number of programs and student population at Qatar University, with a total of 2,383 students; 1,933 Arts majors and 450 Science majors. This reflects approximately 37% of the student body. The college has 240 faculty members, including Dean Dr. Kassim Ali Shaaban.Departments:
- Department of Arabic Language
- *History
- Department of Biological & Environmental Sciences
- *Biological Sciences
- *Environmental Sciences
- Department of Chemistry & Earth Sciences
- *Chemistry Program accredited by the CSC
- Department of English Literature and Linguistics
- Department of Health Sciences
- *Biomedical Program accredited by the NAACLS
- *Human Nutrition Program
- *Public health
- Department of Humanities
- Department of Mass Communication
- *Mass Communication Program
- Department of Mathematics, Statistics & Physics
- Department of Social Sciences
- *Social Work
- *Psychology
- *Sociology
- *International Affairs
- *Policy, Planning and Development
- *Statistics
- Sport Science
- Arabic for Non-Native Speakers Program
College of Business & Economics
Departments:
- Accounting and Information Systems
- Finance and Economics
- Management and Marketing
- Marketing
- *The college is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. An MBA degree program is available for graduate students, as well as a CPA testing program.
College of Education
Departments:
- Educational Sciences
- Psychological Sciences
- Art Education
College of Engineering
The college's previous dean, Dr. Alfadala, was also the founder and former chairman of the university's Gas Processing Center research facility. The current dean is Dr. Khalifa Al-Khalifa.
Programs
The College of Engineering offers the following undergraduate programs: Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.The College of Engineering offers the following graduate programs: Masters of Science in Computing, Masters of Urban Planning & Design, Masters of Science in Engineering Management, Masters of Science in Environmental Engineering, Master of Science in Civil Engineering, Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Master of Science in Electrical Engineering.
The College of Engineering offers the following Doctor of Philosophy programs: Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture, Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Planning, Doctor of Philosophy Chemical Engineering, Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science, Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Engineering, Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering, Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering, Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial and Systems Engineering, Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering, Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Management, Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Engineering, Doctor of Philosophy in Material Science and Engineering.