Qatar University

Qatar University (Arabic: جامعة قطر; transliterated: Jami'at Qatar) 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 (93 women and 57 men) 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 (Pharm) 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 (United Kingdom).

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 (2003-2007)' 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 (OIPD). 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 (SLSC) and Student Counseling Center (SCC). 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 (Three Minutes Thesis) competition with the participation of six local universities (Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Al Rayyan International University College, Virginia Commonwealth University- Qatar, Texas A&M University at Qatar (Tamuq) and University of Calgary-Qatar). 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

Programs:

Arabic for Non-Native Speakers Program

College of Business & Economics

Founded in 1985, it has begun work on a new QR 185 million facility to accommodate its student body and provide resources. Dr. Nitham M. Hindi was appointed as Dean in August 2010.

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 (AACSB). An MBA degree program is available for graduate students, as well as a CPA testing program.

College of Education

The College of Education was the primary academic body under which Qatar University was founded in 1973. The dean is Dr. Hissa Sadiq.

Departments:

• Educational Sciences
• Psychological Sciences
• Art Education

College of Engineering

The College of Engineering was established in 1980, and has become one of the largest at Qatar University. The college offers both undergraduate and graduate courses.

The college's previous dean, Dr. Alfadala, was also the founder and former chairman of the university's Gas Processing Center (GPC) 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.

Honors Program

Qatar University's Honors Program was established in 2009. to provide academic opportunities for high-achieving students. Students in the program complete 24 credit hours of honors courses, as part of the 120 credit hours necessary for their undergraduate program. Students must graduate with an overall GPA of 3.5 or above, with a minimum score of 3.0 in all honors courses. Qatar University holds strict requirements for students wishing to apply:

Minimum of 90% or higher in high school certificate or an equivalent certificate (current QU students must complete 12 to 18 post-foundation credit hours with a 3.5 GPA)

• Minimum score of 500 on the TOEFL exam or 5.5 on the ILETS
• Minimum score of 550 in the Math portion of SAT, 24 on the ACT
• Two letters of recommendation from current or previous instructors, counselors or academic advisers
• Copy of transcript
• A written essay
• Pass an interview

In addition to academic advisers, Honors students are assigned an adviser to assist with honors issues and other consultation. For courses which are not offered as Honors, students may propose an "Honors Contract" to specify honors-level objectives and goals to be monitored by a sponsoring professor.

Qatar University student clubs

Qatar University is the biggest and most popular university in Qatar, as stated by UniRank. It has 10 colleges that teach the courses in either Arabic or English. Qatar University Student clubs represent the non-academic aspect of student's life. These clubs are student meetings that fall under the supervision of the Student Activities Department. It aims to build the educational, life and social experience of students.

Student clubs

Student clubs are divided into three categories:

• Departmental and college clubs such as the Statistics Club
• Talent and skill clubs such as the Voice Club and the Poetry Club
• Clubs and public associations, such as the Book Club

Research centers

Research is conducted in and across colleges and is buoyed by an increased research budget, a multimillion-dollar Research Complex and partnerships.

• 18 centers of research
• Biomedical Research Center (BRC)
• Center for Advanced Materials (CAM)
• Environmental Science Center (ESC)
• Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI)
• Laboratory Animal Research Center (LARC)
• Qatar University Young Scientists Center (QUYSC)
• Ibn Khaldon Center for Humanities and Social Sciences
• Central Lab Unit (CLU)
• Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE)
• Center for Sustainable Development (CSD)
• Centre for Law and Development (CLD)
• Early Childhood Center
• Gas Processing Center (GPC)
• Gulf Studies Center (GSC)
• KINDI Center for Computing Research (KINDI)
• National Center for Educational Development (NCED)
• Qatar Mobility Innovation Center (QMIC)
• Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center (QTTSC)

Notable alumni

• Nasser Al-Khelaifi, businessman, president of Paris Saint-Germain
• Mansour Mohamed al-Muslah, Qatari businessman
• Muhammad Harithi, Omani poet and writer
• Mariam Al Maadeed, Qatari scientist, vice president for research and graduate studies at Qatar University
• Amal Al-Malki, academic
• Noor Al Mazroei, chef and activist
• Saad Al Mohannadi, Qatari president of Public Works Authority Ashgal
• Moza bint Nasser, consort of Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
• Nourah Al Saad, writer
• Fatma Al Sharshani, mural artist and calligrapher
• Abdulla bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, Qatari Minister of Municipality
• Abdulrahman bin Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatari Minister of Culture
• Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, wife of the Emir of Qatar
• Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Qatari Prime Minister

Эх сурвалж: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)