University of Mosul
The University of Mosul is a public university located in Mosul. It is one of the largest educational and research centers in the Middle East, and the second largest in Iraq, behind the University of Baghdad.
The University of Mosul was closed by ISIS in 2014 but reopened just after a few months with new buildings and courses. Over 8,000 books in its library were believed to have been destroyed. The university was considered to have been used as a base by ISIS and was hit by Combined Joint Task Force airstrikes in March 2016. Iraqi forces recaptured it in January 2017.
History
The University of Mosul was founded in April 1967, building on the foundations of the 1929 College of Medicine, under the control of the Ministry of Health.The university was established as an academic center of higher education in the city of Mosul, Iraq. Today the university offers accredited bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in more than 100 scientific specializations. More than 80,000 students have graduated since the foundation of the university.
Fall to ISIS and recapture by Iraqi government
When ISIS captured the city of Mosul during the 2014 Northern Iraq Offensive, the university was shut down and looted. When it was reopened under their control that year, the only fields of study permitted were medicine, dentistry, nursing, and pharmacy. The university was used as a base by ISIS, with certain buildings being used as barracks and manufacturing facilities for weaponry. Many of the chemistry laboratories were used for the production of chemical weapons, and some were left booby-trapped when the city was retaken by Iraqi forces in 2017. Over 8,000 books and 100,000 manuscripts in its library were believed to have been destroyed. The university reopened in March 2017 with some buildings still under construction.Medical College
The medical college is located in the Medical Township which includes the Teaching Hospitals in al-Shifa'a Court, Mosul City, Iraq. The College of Medicine was the first established College of what is now the University of Mosul, founded in 1959 and initially affiliated with the Department of Health and subsequently with the University of Baghdad. In April 1967 and with the establishment of the University of Mosul, the college became part of University of Mosul.The Undergraduate program in the Medical College is six years and the language of instruction is English. The college grants doctorate degrees with the Iraqi and Arabic Boards. The Medical College has 142 staff, and the total number of graduates from the college up until 1992 was well over 6400.
Sports and athletic facilities
Mosul University has several athletic facilities, including the College of Physical Education, a multi-purpose arena and home to the Mosul basketball teams. It also serves both as the university's primary recreation facility and as a satellite location for several varsity sports. The college also has cardio rooms, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a smaller pool for aquarobics and other activities, a mezzanine where classes are held, an indoor cycling studio, weight rooms, and a gym floor for basketball. The college also holds sports such as volleyball, fencing, and wrestling. The offices of women's field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, and men's soccer are also in the college. Mosul takes part in inter-university competitions in a wide range of sports.Research centers
The university houses a number of scientific research centers, which reflect the university's orientation towards technological and practical developments. These centers conduct research, develop and update the university departments.- Computer Center
- Environment and Water Resources Center
- Regional Studies Center
- Mosul Studies Center
- Remote Sensing Center
- Non-Irrigated Agriculture Research Center
- Academic Teaching and Training Improvement Center
Library system
Undergraduates continue to use the library, particularly because of its easy access as it is central to most locations within the university. The Medical College Library is the primary repository for Mosul University's rare books and manuscripts. Iraq's oldest collections of maps, gazetteers and atlases both old and new are stored in the university's Central Library and is open to the public. The library holds collections of Arabic and foreign literature.
The Central Library is the main source of information at the university and plays an important role in facilitating research and enhancing the teaching process. It is open to students and staff, supporting learning, teaching and research.
The library is located in the center of the university campus, and is composed of the following sections:
- Classification and Cataloging Section
- Periodical Section
- Circulation Section
- Multimedia Section
Campus
Colleges
The first steps towards the establishment of the University of Mosul were taken in 1959, with the founding of the College of Medicine which was then part of the Ministry of Health, and subsequently linked to the University of Baghdad until the University of Mosul was created in 1967.In 1963 two more colleges were established: the College of Engineering and the College of Science, followed by the College of Agriculture in 1964 and College of Arts on 1966.
Reflecting the increasing needs of the different academic specialization in Iraq, the university continued to establish more colleges and departments: in 1975 the Education College was founded, and the Veterinary Medicine College in 1976. By 2011 there were a total of 24 colleges, and this framework still exists.
The 19 official colleges of the university are:
- College of Medicine
- College of Medicine
- College of Dentistry
- College of Pharmacy
- College of Engineering
- College of Sciences
- College of Arts
- College of Agriculture and Forestry
- College of Administration and Economy
- College of Education
- College of Veterinary Medicine
- College of Physical Education
- College of Law
- College of Archeology
- College of Education for girls
- College of Basic Education
- College of Nursing
- College of Fine Arts
- College of Computer Science and Mathematics
- College of Electronics Engineering
- College of Political Sciences
- College of Islamic Sciences
- College of Environmental Techniques
- College of Tourism Sciences
College of Medicine (Mosul)
The academic year starts in September until the end of June to be followed by summer holiday for two months. There is another 14 days holiday after a mid-year examination in January. The education in the college is free and the college is funded by central government and Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
College of Pharmacy
The College of Pharmacy at the University of Mosul was established in 1992 and is located on the university campus.The college is organized into six major departments: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences.
The teaching programs of study are courses of five years. The first four years include courses in basic, pre-pharmaceutical, pharmaceutical and clinical sciences which involve theoretical, practical and clinical experiences. In the fifth year and for six months the students attend departments in hospitals for training in clinical pharmacy or specializations such as pediatrics, internal and surgery wards. This is followed by one month of training in the pharmaceutical industry and one month of training at the Drug and Poison Information Center. In this center the students study and practice the design of clinical trials, evaluation of clinical papers and professional communication. Two summer programs are also involved, including training in community pharmacy and in hospital pharmacy to improve students' knowledge in pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical skills. On completion of the fifth year the student is awarded a bachelor's degree in pharmaceutical sciences.