University of Sharjah

University of Sharjah
جامعة الشارقة Jame'at ash-shāriqah
Established	1997[1]
Type	Private[1]
Endowment	AED 605 million (2013/2014)[2]
Chancellor	Hamid M.K. Al-Naimiy
President	HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi
Academic staff	466 (spring 2012)[3]
Administrative staff	851 (spring 2012)[4]
Students	10,833 (spring 2012)[5]
Undergraduates	10,144 (spring 2012)
Postgraduates	689 (spring 2012)
Location	Sharjah, United Arab Emirates 25°17′15″N 55°28′37″E / 25.28750°N 55.47694°E / 25.28750; 55.47694Coordinates: 25°17′15″N 55°28′37″E / 25.28750°N 55.47694°E / 25.28750; 55.47694
Campus	Urban 36,328 square metres (391,030 sq ft) University City campus;[6] 1,970 square metres (21,200 sq ft) Khorfakkan campus;[6] 355 square metres (3,820 sq ft) Kalba campus;[6] 562 square metres (6,050 sq ft) Meleha campus;[6] 380 square metres (4,100 sq ft) Deba campus[6]
Newspaper	The University Forum
Colors	green and white
Website	sharjah.ac.ae

The University of Sharjah (UOS or Sharjah University) is an Emirati private national university located in University City, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. It was established on 1997 by its founder, supreme president and chairman, the ruler of Sharjah HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi to meet the emirate of Sharjah's aim of educational needs. The university goals constitute of becoming a leading academic institution in the Middle East and around the world.^[1] In addition to its main campus in Sharjah City, the university has built campus facilities to provide education and training programs directly to several communities throughout the emirate. Most significantly, the university plays an important role in the socioeconomic development of the emirate of Sharjah.^[7]

The main campus for the University is located on the southern edge of Sharjah in University City, which is in close proximity to the Sharjah International Airport. The University of Sharjah extends its services through five branches located in different geographic areas in the emirate of Sharjah such as Khor Fakkan, Kalba, Meleha, and Dibba Al-Hisn.

History

The University of Sharjah was founded in 1997 by HH sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi,^[1] member of the supreme council of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Sharjah. The university was established as a result of shiekh Sultan vision of a distinctive institution in the emirate of Sharjah based upon Islamic architect and history and to meet the demand of the surrounding society in particularly the UAE and the gulf region.

The Kalba campus, which had 100 million AED for construction expenditure, was inaugurated on February 28, 2011 in the city of Kalba by the president. Of the 100 million AED, 90 million went towards academic, scientific and administrative buildings and 10 million was spent on the outside campus and the surrounding area.^[8]

As part of the Medical & Heatlh Sciences campus, the University Teaching Hospital and the University Teaching Dentistry Hospital were also inaugurated on June 11, 2011 by the president.^[9]

The Stock Market for Training virtual monitor was commenced on October 1, 2012. The monitor was set up by the Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority. The virtual monitor was made in a similar fashion to the Dubai Financial Market and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange virtual monitor's.^[10] The training stock market simulator was commenced on September 25, 2013 as part of a MoU between the university and ESCA.^[11]

On 24 March 2012 the three-floored library on the woman's campus was opened. The library has been constructed on an area of more than 10,000 square meters and has the capacity to hold up to a million books. The inauguration of the library increased the total number of the university's libraries up to nine libraries.^[12]

Campus

Sharjah college of Medicine

The main administration building in the main University City campus.

The fountain at the center of the Medical & Health Sciences campus, a campus landmark.

Student center

There are two student centers around University city campus which are designed to house dean of student affairs office, student unions offices, offices for student clubs and societies, a fine arts room, a bookstore, branches for the Sharjah Cooperative Society and Sharjah Islamic Bank, and a number of small convenience commercial shops. Other services available in the student center include Emirates Post Office, Etisalat service, barbershops, and various restaurants and coffee shops.^[13]

Dormitory

The University of Sharjah has two separate dormitories on University City campus which are under the supervision of the dormitory supervisors. The dormitory supervisors are required to prepare the annual plan for the dorms, draft reports with statistics, advertise and publish handouts, receive new students at the beginning of each semester, provide guidance to students, acquaint students with the dorm rules, regulations and other responsibilities, and are responsible to give their full attention to any students requiring medical attention. The Student Housing Department is responsible for organizing entertainment, sports events and weekly outings for all students living in the dorms.

The university offers students the choice from one, two and three-bedroom dorm rooms. Dorms are provided with clinics, study halls, computer labs, laundry facilities, garden areas, TV rooms, reception halls, and other areas for recreational activities.^[13]

Transportation

Transportation in the university is provided by a private transportation company that provides buses for students around various destinations in the emirate of Sharjah and around the United Arab Emirates. Students living in the dorms are provided with free bus transportation to the Medical and Health Sciences campus and to Fine Arts and Design campus.^{[Note 1]} There is also free transportation from Sharjah and Al Dhaid to the University and vice versa.^[13]

Academics

Main library, University City campus.

The University of Sharjah offers the largest number of accredited programs in the United Arab Emirates.^[14] The university currently offers a total of 80 academic degree programs including 51 bachelor degrees, 15 master's degrees, four PhD degrees, one graduate and nine associate diploma degrees. The University is fully licensed and all its programs are accredited by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the United Arab Emirates.^[15]

The following programs: civil engineering, electrical and electronics engineering, industrial engineering and computer engineering offered by the College of Engineering are accredited by the American Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).^[14][16] The organizing committee for the International Conference on Quality Assurance and Academic Accreditation, held in Portland, Oregon from 12–13 April 2013, requested permission from the University of Sharjah to present a report prepared by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) on the Industrial Engineering program offered by the College of Engineering at the University of Sharjah.^[17]

Additionally, the Sharjah Surgical Institute (SSI), which is located in the Medical and Health Sciences campus and offers training program for surgeons from the region, was established with the cooperation of international partners, including Johnson and Johnson and Olympus.^[14] The Clinical Training Center (CTC) is accredited as a medical training and testing center by the: Royal College of Surgeons of England, International Federation of Surgery and Obesity and Metabolic Disorders(IFSO), European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES), American Heart Association, and the Ministry of Health in United Arab Emirates.^[14]

As of first quarter, 2012 accreditation is currently in progress for programs in the College of Business Administration by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).^[14]

Two new master degree programs and one PhD program: M.S. in Engineering Management; M.S. in Construction Engineering and Management; and PhD in Engineering Management and Innovation has been approved by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to be offered as of the fall semester 2013.^[18]

University rankings

University of Shrajah was ranked as the 551st best university by QS.^[19] According to the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities the University of Sharjah is ranked 6th in the United Arab Emirates,and 3821th worldwide in 2014.^[20] The university is also ranked by SCImago Institutions Rankings in 2013 as 4th in the United Arab Emirates, 149th regionally, and 2345th worldwide.^[21] The University Ranking By Academic Performance of the same year considered it to be 3rd in the country and 1753th worldwide.^[22] The University is also ranked fifth in the United Arab Emirates by 4 International Colleges & Universities search engine in 2013.^[23]

Student body

As of spring semester, 2012 the university had an enrollment of 10,833 students: 10,144 undergraduate students and 689 academic degree-seeking graduate students.^[5] Of all students, 5,243 (48.3 percent) are Emirati nationals, 3,615 (33.3 percent) are other Arabs, 1,040 (9.6 percent) are GCC members, and 935 (8.63 percent) are international students.^[5]

Research

The University of Sharjah research system consists of, in the field of medical research, the Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, the Sharjah Academy for Scientific Research, and the Clinical Training Center (CTC) as well as the Biotechnology Program in the College of Sciences.^[24]

Medical education was introduced at the University with the rationale that the main “raison d’être” for a university is education in a broad sense and is a main focal point in the curriculum of the college of medicine. Medical education research utilizes the concept of Evidence-based medicine and translates the research into best available evidence in medical education.^[24]

Two separate three-year studies conducted by the University of Sharjah, the Sharjah Medical Research Institute and the Sharjah Academy for Scientific Research have found 15 compounds that have the potential to fight cells that cause Alzheimer's and three compounds that could combat cells responsible for the progression of breast cancer. The results have been picked up by the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, and the University has been approached by Inserm institute in Paris. Inserm has stated that it will provide the University with up to 3,000 cancer cell lines for testing. Both projects are now at the pre-clinical phase.^{[25][26][27][28]}

In 2013, three students in the college of engineering submitted a new development of smart waste containers that has formed a collaboration between University of Sharjah and Dubai Municipality.^[29]

Athletics

The Sport Department regulates students participation in a variety of sports and other recreational activities in the University of Sharjah. The University is equipped with two separate sports centers designated one for males and the other for females, both of which are equipped with a swimming pool, sports hall, and gymnasium.

Some of the athletic activities organized by the Sport Department include swimming, volleyball, karate, shooting, aerobics, yoga, table tennis, chess, billiards, ground tennis, squash, football and basketball. The university awards students who excel in athletics grants and scholarships.^[30]

Notes

References

External links

• Media related to University of Sharjah at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website
• Official UHS website
• Official UDHS website