| King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals جامعة الملك فهد للبترول و المعادن Ǧāmaʿat al-Malik Fahd Lilbetrūl wa al-Maʿādin |
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KFUPM Logo |
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| Motto | وقل ربي زدني علما Say My Lord Increase Me in Knowledge (English) |
| Established | 23 September 1963 |
| Type | Public (male only) |
| Rector | Khaled S. Al-Sultan |
| Academic staff | 800+ |
| Undergraduates | 7,000+ |
| Postgraduates | 500+ |
| Location | Dhahran, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia |
| Campus | Enclosed |
| Former names | [1] College of Petroleum and Minerals (1963-1975) University of Petroleum and Minerals (1975-1986) King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (1986-Now) |
| Nickname | Ǧāmaʿat al-Betrūl |
| Website | www.kfupm.edu.sa |
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM or UPM) (Arabic: جامعة الملك فهد للبترول و المعادن Ǧāmaʿat al-Malik Fahd Lilbetrūl wa al-Maʿādin - short:(جامعة البترول Ǧāmaʿat al-Betrūl)) is a public university in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
It was established on 23 September 1963[2] by a Saudi royal decree as the College of Petroleum and Minerals providing high-level education about petroleum and minerals, two of the most-valuable natural resources in Saudi Arabia. It was elevated to university status in 1975.[3]
Among Saudi universities, it is highest regarded for excellence in its science and engineering programs. It offers some programs that are not offered elsewhere in Saudi Arabia.[4]
It is named after King Fahd. It was renamed to its current name in 1986.[5]
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Located in Dhahran, the campus is between the headquarters of the Saudi Arabian oil company, Saudi Aramco and the Dhahran Air Base. It is near the coast of the Persian Gulf and is 7 kilometers from Khobar city. The port city of Dammam is 20 kilometres away. The oil-producing town of Abqaiq is 70 kilometres west, and the oasis city of Al-Hasa is about 130 kilometers south of the campus. The Kingdom of Bahrain is 35 kilometres from the Saudi coastline accessed via King Fahd Causeway.
The 900 acres of the campus are divided into three sections: North, Central, and South. The North section consists of the Preparatory Year Campus, the North Faculty/Staff housing compound, and the student dormitories. The Central section contains all the academic facilities: classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices, the University administration, the Research Institute, the Library, the Information Technology Center, and many support facilities. The South section contains faculty and senior staff housing.
The academic buildings are on a 100-foot "Jabal" (Arabic for mountain). The Academic Complex of the "Jabal" dominates the surrounding countryside. Fortune magazine called it "a jewel of a university on Arabian sands." A water tower, located between academic buildings, has become the symbol of the university and can be seen from several kilometres away. There are more than thirty academic buildings whose facilities include:
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The facilities also include a natural outdoor amphitheatre, playing fields and indoor courts for intercollegiate and intramural sports, and the distinctive water tower with circulatory water systems.
Wireless service: The Wireless Connectivity (WiFi) Service is deployed within the university campus. This KFUPM Wireless LAN service is available in all academic and administrative buildings.
Smart Card Service: This Smart Card is an all-in-one card and is designed to make life easier for students, faculty and staff on the campus. It may be used for a range of campus services and access control including:
The medium of instruction in KFUPM is English. However, courses on Islamic studies and Arabic language are taught in Arabic. University offers degrees of Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy. The grading system is the standard 0 to 4.0 scale with classes of:
| Grade | Letter Grade | GPA |
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| Exceptional | A+ | 4.00 |
| Excellent | A | 3.75 |
| Superior | B+ | 3.50 |
| Very Good | B | 3.00 |
| Above Average | C+ | 2.50 |
| Good | C | 2.00 |
| High-Pass | D+ | 1.50 |
| Pass | D | 1.00 |
| Fail | F | 0.0 |
With an acceptance rate of only 15%, it is the most selective in Saudi Arabia. The university's admission policy applies certain criteria to ensure admissions of the most promising students.[6] comprising 20% for the high school certificate, 30% for the general capabilities test (similar to SAT), and 50% for the collective test performances (test of high school's maths, physics, chemistry, English).
THE - QS World University Rankings ranked KFUPM at 221 amongst the top 300 universities around the world (2011).[7]
One of the best 400 universities around the world according to the famous world university ranking ARWU by Shanghai Jiaotong University (2011).[8]
All programs of the engineering colleges were evaluated for "Substantial-Equivalency" recognition by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).[9] They were found substantially equivalent to similar accredited programs in the U.S.
The new trends in accreditation criteria have brought outcome assessment to focus. Accrediting agencies such the ABET, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the Computer Science Accreditation Board and the National Architectural Accrediting Board require programs or colleges seeking accreditation to have self-assessment. Industry push and competitive job markets have also contributed to the need for continuous program-quality improvement that focus on student learning and preparation for professional practice after graduation.
Preparatory Year Program (Orientation Year) is a mandatory two-semester program for all students admitted to KFUPM before being enrolled in university's regular degree programs. The Preparatory Year Program aims at preparing newly admitted students for their undergraduate studies at the university. It is a non-credit program. A student must select a major by the end of the prep year. Students can be exempted from some courses after passing some promotion exams. Courses include:
Additionally, there are two active and one defunct community colleges:
The current Rector of KFUPM is Khaled S. Al-Sultan.[10]
King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals organized the groundbreaking International Advisory Board (IAB) in March 2007. The IAB is composed of senior academic and corporate executives. It is part of the university's long tradition of bringing an international perspective to higher education and research in Saudi Arabia.
Dhahran Techno-Valley[34] is destined to gather national and international research centers in one location. It is expected that outstanding services plus recreational activities will add to the vibrancy and networking amongst tenants in the Valley Community. Academic support from KFUPM is a commitment that can be counted upon. Other leading technological and scientific institutions in the area will also be fully used. The Techno-Valley consist of five entities at the KFUPM Dhahran campus: King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Science Park, The Innovation Center, Consulting Services Center, Technology Business Incubator, and Liaison Office. The valley includes a sixth entity of Sultan Bin AbdulAziz Science & Technology Center (SciTech), located on the shores of the Persian Gulf at nearby Al-Khobar city.
Generally referred to as the KASP, the science park was established in 2002 and is located on a 35-hectare site north of the KFUPM campus. The park is closely integrated with the university. With its proximity to the science and engineering colleges, KASP provides considerable interaction between tenant firms and their personnel and university scientists and engineers. At present, Schlumberger,[15] Ciba, Yokogawa,[16] Honeywell,[17] UOP, Baker Hughes[18] and JCCP have joined the park.
Creating a world-class environment that aspires innovation and entrepreneurship was the main objective for KFUPM behind establishing Dhahran Techno-Valley. KFUPM vision for innovation facilitates the flow of technology from university laboratories and research centers to the knowledge-based and technology marketplace. The Innovation Center supports new concepts from the idea generation stage through the prototyping steps until reaching to the proof of concept and including the intellectual property protection. The innovation vision of the university describes all the roads, distances, conditions and connections between where the entrepreneurs are and where they want to go. It provides many alternative paths to future innovation and all university entrepreneurs.
The Consulting Services Center facilitate the consulting services for the university faculty to serve the industrial community in Saudi Arabia which contributes to their professional development and helps the outside community to resolve problems that require high intellectual and technological background. It is hoped that such interaction contributes to the professional development of the faculty members and to the university by providing practical applications and state-of-the art course content. The interaction would improve quality of research and design projects and would provide more training and employment opportunities for students.
The Technology Business Incubator provides a set of logistical, strategic, and operational support for start-up Saudi technology companies and entrepreneurs to help increasing success of their companies. It gives office space and office support services that are designed with technology companies in mind. These services include immediate availability of modular office units, furniture, computers, network, internet connectivity, servers, printers, communication facilities including telephone and fax services, shared reception, secretarial, and support services, meeting facilities, access to business, science, and technology library, and access to cafeteria and leisure facilities.
The mission of the Liaison Office is to facilitate and promote the University capabilities, expertise and services to the local industries and to be the focal point of contact with the industry/business.
The center is at the corniche of nearby Khobar city on 21,700 m2. The buildings area is 14,100 m2. It consists of seven main show halls, dealing with different sciences and technologies. There are more than 350 scientific exhibited pieces and the IMAX scientific dome (the only IMAX theater in Saudi Arabia),[19] the Astronomic Observatory, Educational Unit, Conference Hall, Temporary Exhibitions Hall and Administrative and Services Facilities. The center aims to cultivate the individuals of the Saudi society, especially teenagers, to let them know more about the principles of science, their application, and explanation; it simplifes them by presenting them in an interactive and interesting style, depending on education through entertainment/education through experiment and observation.
Research at the university can be classified into personal, sponsored, and client-funded. The mission of the RI is to serve the nation by conducting client-driven research and development using university resources. Among its objectives are to serve the nation as a professional problem solver; adapt imported technologies to the Saudi environment; serve the needs of government organizations, local industry, and businesses for research and development; develop local expertise; support graduate and undergraduate programs at KFUPM; and contribute to the high-quality education and training of students.
The technical expertise for applied research available in the RI is focused in its seven centers with their sections/labs.
The manpower of the RI as of 1 January 2005 was 258 full-time employees, of whom 53 held PhD degrees, 64 held MS degrees, 50 held BS degrees, and 91 held other credentials. Project teams are typically formed of 35% full-time RI researchers, 25% faculty members, 10% students, and 30% support staff.
The library, centrally located in Building 8 and a short walk from most classrooms and laboratories, has an available floor space of nearly 7,000 square meters. It is an "open-stack" library, allowing users free access to its resources. Reading areas are on the first, third, and fourth floors. To encourage maximum usage, it operates with a minimum of regulations and restrictions.
The current collection of books and bound periodicals totals over 328,000 volumes, 32% in science, 21% in engineering, 24% in humanities, and 23% in social sciences. It has over 23,000 volumes in Arabic and over 300,000 volumes in English and subscribes to approximately 1,500 periodicals. In addition, there are some 490,000 research reports on microfiche and 63,000 documents in other media, including more than 25,000 educational films and 38,000 reels of journal back issues on microfilm. Audiovisual materials are provided through a well-equipped audio-visual (AV) department with a collection consisting principally of motion pictures, filmstrips, videotapes, and audio cassettes. These AV materials can be used in the library auditorium which is also used for seminars, lectures, short courses, theses defense, and other presentations.
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The cafeteria is a spacious building adjacent to the student dormitories. It can accommodate more than 1,500 students at a time. Students are provided subsidized meals, consisting of breakfast, lunch and dinner. In addition to the student cafeteria, there are coffee shops in different academic buildings and student dormitories offering varied refreshments.
Sports and recreation facilities are in three areas on the main campus.
The university has a separate area for student housing on campus consisting of buildings that accommodate more than 4,000 students. As of June 2009, the construction of Phase-II student housing buildings is finished and now accommodate 1,500 students. Phase-III of student housing and a multi-story car parking building are under construction which will accommodate about 1,500 students.