Sohar University

Sohar University
Type Private
Established 2001
Vice-Chancellor Professor Barry Winn
Academic staff
 532 (2015)
Students 6318 (2015)
Location Sohar, Oman
24°17′52″N 56°46′49″E / 24.2979°N 56.7803°E / 24.2979; 56.7803Coordinates: 24°17′52″N 56°46′49″E / 24.2979°N 56.7803°E / 24.2979; 56.7803
Website http://www.soharuni.edu.om/

Sohar University (جامعة صحار ) was established in 2001 as the first private university in Oman. It was granted degree awarding powers by the Oman Ministry of Higher Education, with the authority to provide programs and courses whose successful completion leads to academic awards.

Summary

Sohar University has obtained official approval from the Ministry of Higher Education, following issuance of the Ministry Decision No. 47/2001 dated 11/9/2001, to commence the first private university in the Sultanate of Oman. It started in 1996/1997 with the name of Sohar college of applied sciences until formally approved as a university in a big ceremony under the patronage of His Highness / Sayed Asaad bin Toriq, The representative of HM

History

Sohar University effectively began its life as the Sohar College for Applied Sciences, which opened in 1998. At that time, the College’s main overseas partner was the University of Lincolnshire & Humberside (UK). In 2001 Sohar University became affiliated to the University of Queensland (UQ), a member of Universitas 21, to ensure that its academic activities met international standards.

Academic

The medium of instruction is English for most programs, but some courses in the Faculty of Education and Arts are delivered in Arabic. Nearly all students spend one year in the General Foundations Program (GFP) to improve their English, math and computer literacy skills prior to entering a degree program offered through the faculties of: Business, Computing and Information Technology, Engineering, Education & art, English & Language studies. Law students are exempted from studying English at the GFP.

Campus Expansion

The University campus is located in Sohar, Oman's fastest growing city and the administrative centre of Al Batinah region in the Sultanate of Oman. The University lies on the coast of the Gulf of Oman, 224 kilometres west of the capital Muscat, and approximately 200 kilometres south-east from Dubai in the UAE. The area around Sohar, including Saham and Liwa, has a population of approximately 300,000 and is expanding rapidly, largely due to the very recent establishment of the Sohar Industrial Port Company (SIPC).

With the support of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said the University has embarked on an ambitious expansion of the existing campus. The extended campus will cater to the growing number of students seeking a tertiary education. In 2008 Queensland-based Noel Robinson Architects’ (NRA) were appointed of to design the new 120 million Australian Dollars Sohar University campus. Buildings include a new Library, Sporting Facilities, Multi-purpose lecture theatres, Graduation Hall, Faculty Buildings for Engineering, Business, Health Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities, Administration, Student Services and post-graduate residences. NRA has collaborated with the University of Queensland during the design for the campus buildings.[1] The new campus is designed to develop the potential of students to meet the needs of modern industries in the Sultanate.

References

  1. ↑ "Queensland Architectural firm appointed to design $120m University Project in Middle East". Thinking the Town. Satrapia. 2011-05-30. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
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