| University of Bahrain | |
|---|---|
| جامعة البحرين Ǧāmaʿat al-Baḥrayn |
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UoB Logo |
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| Motto | وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْماً |
| Motto in English | "Say: My God! Increase me in knowledge." |
| Established | 1986 |
| Type | Public |
| Endowment | BD 43 million |
| Academic staff | 680 |
| Admin. staff | 1,200 |
| Students | 23,700 |
| Location | Sakhir, Bahrain |
| Nickname | UoB |
| Website | www.uob.edu.bh |
The University of Bahrain (informally Bahrain University), a public university in the Kingdom of Bahrain, is the largest university in Bahrain. In post-nominals the University of Bahrain is typically abbreviated as UoB.
UoB is primarily, but not exclusively, an undergraduate institution offering postgraduate programs under specific conditions. It is the only national higher education institution in the Kingdom that offers mainly undergraduate B.Sc. degrees and some graduate degrees.
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The University was founded in 1986.[1] Its roots date back to the late 1960s when the Higher Institutes for male and female teachers were established. These institutes later developed into the University College of Arts, Sciences, and Education in accordance with the Amiri decree no. (11) for 1978. The Gulf Technical College was established in 1968. It was later renamed the Gulf Polytechnic by the Amiri Decree no. (2) of 18 February 1981. These two colleges remained independent and offered Bachelor’s degrees in the various disciplines of Arts, Science, Education, Business Administration and Engineering. On 24 May 1986, His Highness the Amir issued Decree no. (12) for 1986, establishing the University of Bahrain by merging the two colleges. The funds, assets, and liabilities of the two aforementioned colleges were transferred to the University. On 18 April 1999 an Amiri decree no (18) was issued, amending some provisions of the decree no. (12) for 1986.
Each of the two merged colleges – the University College for Arts, Sciences, BTC had their own logo. Following the foundation of the University of Bahrain in 1986, the University Administration invited proposals for a new logo by means of a competition. Eventually, the present logo was selected and after some modification, it was formally accepted as the University Logo.
The University of Bahrain now comprises nine colleges:
The University of Bahrain, in accordance with its by-laws and in line with the decisions of its Board of Trustees, aims at carrying out activities concerned with higher education and scientific research in its colleges, institutions, research centers and its units to disseminate, develop and preserve knowledge and making it accessible to members of society through:
The King of Bahrain is the Supreme President of the University of Bahrain. The governance and administration of the University is undertaken by the following councils. These councils manage their responsibilities and perform their duties in accordance with the University’s rules, regulations and by-laws.
The following are administrative councils of the University:
The responsibilities and functions of the above councils are defined in the Amiri Decree No. (12) 1986 and was amended by the Amiri Decree no. (18) for the year 1999.
The Board of Trustees administers the University, supervises its activities and monitors the work of the colleges. It is also responsible for decision-making and for applying procedures designed to achieve the goals of the University.
The University is overseen by a Board of Trustees comprising twelve members, including the Minister of Education, as Chairman, and the President of the University of Bahrain. The Board of Trustees is appointed by an Amiri Decree and serves a renewable four-year term.
The Board has the following responsibilities:
The University Council consists of:
It also includes not more than three extramural members who must have relevant experience and academic competence. Extramural members are appointed by the Board of Trustees for a three-year term, renewable only once.
Each of the seven colleges of the University has its own council, which is its highest executive committee. The main task of the college councils is to supervise the academic programs of the college, to monitor the work of the college departments, to improve academic standards, to deal with students matters, and to execute the decisions of the University Council and Board of Trustees.
Each council consists of the dean of the college as chairperson, the departmental chairpersons, and an additional representative from each department. The councils may also include up to three extramural members representing the social and economic sectors most closely associated with the activities of the college.
Each of the academic departments of the University – the major units of the colleges – has its own council consisting of the academic staff of the department of the rank of lecturer and above. The councils hold regular meetings chaired by the head of the department to discuss the department’s academic programs, teaching methods, learning resources, course offerings and student registration.
The academic year is divided into two semesters (fall and spring) and a summer session. The duration of each semester is 16 weeks. The first semester starts in the third week of September and ends in the first week of January. The second semester starts in the third week of February and ends in the last week of June. The summer session starts at the end of June and finishes at the end of August.
The University is developing a university-wide outcomes-based assessment process for all its programs. The objective is a continuous assessment process to improve the quality of the curriculum and the University graduates.
The College of Engineering has six programs fully accredited by ABET, Inc. (in the USA) for the period 2009–2015. Department of Chemistry was accredited by the Canadian Society of Chemistry in 2009. The Business Management Program reviewed by the Bahrain Quality Assurance Authority for Education and Training (QAAET) and obtained confident status. ABET is due to review the College of Information Technology's three programs (computer science, information systems, and computer engineering) in October 2010. The Architecture Program and Interior Design programs are under review by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA).