Al Maaref University

Al Maaref University
جامعة المعارف
Other name
 Al-Ma’aref University
MU
Motto Mastering Life with Wisdom and Knowledge
Type Private
Established 22 December 2011
Parent institution
 Islamic Association of Learning and Education (IALE)
President Prof. Ali Alaeddine
Students 500+ (intake for Academic Year 2017-2018)
Location Beirut, Lebanon
Campus Suburban
Website www.mu.edu.lb

Al Maaref University (MU) : Arabic: جامعة المعارف‎, is a not-for-profit private university in Lebanon. The decree of establishment (N.7265) was given by the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) on 22 December 2011.[1] Al-Maaref University is accounted to date the 33rd university that is officially recognized by the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE).[2]

It is a subsidiary organization of the Islamic Association of Learning and Education (IALE) that has been operating since 1995.

History

The first published university prospectus was dated July 2015.[3]

The university is guided by Article 10 of the Lebanese Constitution,[4] the Educational Reforms[5] as initiated by the National Reconciliation Accord (Taef Agreement), and the international conventions for economic, social and cultural rights.

Despite acquiring permission to establish the university in 2011, it only came to fruition in January 2015. The university set-up a main campus off the Airport Avenue in preparation to get the approval for starting its academic operations and courses delivery from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education by the second week of October 2015.

The initial plans of Al-Maaref University consisted of establishing a faculty of engineering and two faculties in social sciences. However, the engineering faculty was postponed after consultation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. The alternative option for the third faculty was settled on Religions and Humanities. As well, the place of operation changed from Haret Al-Hureik to Be’er Hassan area, off Airport Avenue in Beirut. Currently, Al-Maaref University has three established faculties, plus two newly established faculties (pending Council of Minister's signature), and in the process of legalizing a sixth faculty and new majors in the Faculty of Mass Communication & Fine Arts (details are presented next).

Organization

Al-Ma’aref University has an organizational structure that is faculty based.[6]

The university has three faculties headed by Deans, led by a University President and guided by a Board of Trustees[7] of 12 notable members of the Lebanese society.

Academics

The faculties are:

  • Business Administration (BA),
  • Mass Communication and Fine Arts (MCFA),
  • Religions and Humanities (RH) including Translation and Languages department.[8]
    • Engineering (approved by technical committees from the Ministry of Education & Higher Education, & waiting for the Cabinet of Ministers for official approval)
    • Sciences (approved by technical committees from the Ministry of Education & Higher Education, & waiting for the Cabinet of Ministers for official approval)
    • Education (application submitted for approval to the technical committees from the Ministry of Education & Higher Education)

Each of the current three faculties has departments running majors in different disciplines. The total number of majors leading to a recognized Bachelor degree is 18. The university has plans to expand the majors offered to students in the second and third year of its operations.

The Faculty of Business Administration runs eight majors in the following areas:

  • Accounting
  • Banking and Finance
  • Economics
  • Human Resources Management
  • Management
  • International Business
  • Marketing
  • Information Technology and Management Systems

The Faculty of Mass Communication and Fine Arts offers four majors in the following areas:

  • Media Studies
  • Journalism and Digital Media
  • Advertising and Public Relations
  • Radio and Television

The Faculty of Religions and Human Sciences offers six majors in the following areas:

  • Comparative Religions
  • Quranic Studies and Prophetic Hadith
  • History and Comparative Civilizations
  • Islamic Studies
  • Philosophy and Theology
  • Language and Translations (English, French, Arabic, Persian, ...)

Market

Al-Maaref University is expected to attract students from across the Lebanese society covering the public and private sectors. The primary market target of the Al-Maaref University is the young generation who finished their 12 years of schooling with particular emphasis on those underprivileged sectors of society who are striving to afford entering the higher education. Financial aid is available to students. It is to be noted that 99.7% of the students enjoy an average of 57% financial aid and scholarships.

Based on statistics conducted by the Centre of Administration of Statistics[9] and more recent by Bankmed,[10] 36.80% of students population that amount to 190,157 are enrolled in the Lebanese University, a major public university that has presence in major cities across the Lebanese territories. Around 63.20% of the rest of the students are enrolled in private universities.[11]

Campus and facilities

The main university campus is located off Beirut Airport Avenue in Beirut, Lebanon with a prospect of expansion to two more campuses in two major cities (Baalbeck-Beqaa Valley, Nabatieh) in two years.

The Beirut Campus is at the heart of a number of further and higher educational establishments. It is next to Greenfield College (Al-Murouge)[12] and Al-Rawdah High School[13] as well as near the MUC Matn University College of Technology (MUC), University of Sciences and Arts in Lebanon (USAL), Lebanese University (LU) at Al-Hadath , University of Saint Joseph (USJ), American University of Culture and Education (AUCE), and Arab Open University (AOU).

Al-Maaref University is located in an area that has access to a range of sports facilities and amenities. The university locale is surrounded by Lebanese and international restaurants, and shopping malls with easy reach to four hospitals and health centers. As well, the 'Downtown' in Beirut is 15 minutes driving whilst the airport is five minutes away from the university.

References

  1. ↑ Official Journal (2013), Al-Maaref University Decree Number 7265, Lebanon: Council of Ministers, Issue 1., at http://jo.pcm.gov.lb/j2012/j1/wfm/m7265.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.mehe.gov.lb/Templates/HomePage.aspx
  3. ↑ Al-Maaref university Prospectus (2015). Al-Maaref University: Mastering Life with Wisdom and Knowledge, Beirut.
  4. ↑ Lebanese Constitution (1995). The Lebanese Constitution: Promulgated May 23, 1926 with its amendments, http://www.presidency.gov.lb/English/LebaneseSystem/Documents/Lebanese%20Constitution.pdf Archived 2015-11-27 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ Shuayb. Maha (2012). Rethinking Education for Social Cohesion: International Case Studies. Palgrave Macmillan
  6. ↑ "University Governance, Organization, and Competitiveness." 2007. 14 Sep. 2015 http://mup.asu.edu/UniversityOrganization.pdf Archived 2015-07-23 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ Tempus (2010). Higher Education in Lebanon., European Commission: EACEA
  8. ↑ Al-Maaref University (2015), Al-Maaref University: The Constitution.No. 827.7907, Beirut. Endorsed by Board of Trustees on 14/07/2015
  9. ↑ Yaacoub, N. and Badre. L. (2012). Education in Lebanon., Central Administration of Statistics. Issue 3.: European Commission
  10. ↑ Bankmed (2014). Analysis of Lebanon’s Education Sector. Report Analysis . Beirut: BankMed at http://www.bankmed.com.lb/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=_VZgIkH-7-s=
  11. ↑ Statistics Bulletin 2014-2015. Center for Educational Research and Development 2014-2015 http://www.crdp.org/en/desc-statistics/25995-2014%20-%202015
  12. ↑ http://www.greenfieldcollege.com/
  13. ↑ http://www.rhs.edu.lb/
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.