HBKU launches 8 new academic programmes
Expanding the horizons of learning and offering students more opportunities, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) yesterday launched eight new graduate programmes across six of its colleges.
The new programmes, which will begin from September this year and their details were announced at a special event at Multaqa (Education City Student Center).
The launch event started with an address by Dr Emad El-Din Shahin, dean of the College of Islamic Studies (CIS). Dr Amal Mohammed al-Malki, founding dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), Dr Mounir Hamdi, founding dean of the College of Science and Engineering (CSE), Dr Susan L Karamanian, dean of the College of Law (CL), Dr Edward L Stuenkel, founding dean of the College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS) also spoke.
Each member of the senior management delivered a brief overview of their respective colleges and the newlyintroduced programmes, which are: Master of Arts in Applied Islamic Ethics at CIS; PhD in Humanities and Social Sciences at CHSS; Master of Information Systems in Health Management and Master of Science in Sport and Entertainment Management (a joint degree with the University of South Carolina) at CSE; LLM in International Law and Foreign Affairs and LLM in International Economic and Business Law at CL; Master of Science in Exercise Science CHLS (a joint degree with the University of South Carolina); and a Master of Public Policy offered by CPP – HBKU’s newly inaugurated college.
Taking to Gulf Times, Dr Amal Mohamed al-Malki, founding dean of CHSS said the college is launching the biggest programme so far.
“We are launching a PhD programme which is the biggest from the college so far. It is the first of its kind in Qatar and one of the very few programmes that exists in the world. It is a student-centric programme and moreover it is an interdisciplinary programme. We have also considered the local, regional and international demands while launching this programme as the academia is changing rapidly,” explained Dr al-Malki.
Following the presentations, prospective students and members of the community interacted with faculty from each of the colleges and the admission teams to learn more about the new graduate programmes as well as HBKU’s academic and research opportunities.
Maryam al-Mannai, vice president of student affairs at HBKU, said: “Each of HBKU’s new programmes were carefully selected with past, current and future challenges and trends in mind. The programmes benefit from the expertise of top-tier faculty members, a nurturing educational ecosystem, and well-rounded curricula that integrate unconventional learning methods.”
“With specialisations spanning global ethics, social studies, health and exercise sciences, international law and affairs, and public policy, the programmes are a testament to HBKU’s robust growth. As the university nears its tenth anniversary, it cements important milestones and achievements that have materialised in a very short time span,” she explained.
The new degree programmes are aimed to provide specialised capacity to address the most in-demand current and future skills of local and international employment markets. The expansion of its degree offerings reflects a logical continuation of the university’s consistent growth and leadership as an academic institution and a world-class purveyor of multidisciplinary education and research in Qatar.