Qatar University drives Qatar's knowledge economy

The new programmes particularly reflect Qatar's ambition of becoming pre-eminent in fields including engineering, environmental science, healthcare and pharmacy while also preserving Arabic language, culture and identity.

An MSc in Biomedical Sciences, which has its initial intake of students this month, is the first of its kind in Qatar and the wider Gulf region.

The course was benchmarked against similar programmes in the US and has been tailored to meet the demand for highly-trained professionals to work in Qatar's increasingly-advanced healthcare system.

The four semester-long programme will groom graduates to find jobs in clinical and research laboratories and in the field of clinical chemistry, hematology, immune-hematology and blood banking, microbiology, cytogenetics, molecular diagnostics, and lab management.

Dr Eiman Mustafawi, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said, "This programme will produce a cadre of specialists who will contribute to best practices in health and healthcare processes in Qatar. We are pleased to offer this first-ever programme that will advance clinical practices and lab management approaches."

Other new courses soon to be on offer at the College include a PhD in Environmental Sciences and an MSc in Materials Science. These programmes are expected to have their first intake of students in September 2013.

They follow the recent introduction of doctorates in Pharmacy and Engineering, both of which began last September. The PhD Engineering programme capitalises on Qatar's focus as a driving force in world-class engineering projects. Students are expected to foster innovative ideas, methods and techniques in sciences and engineering. They also have the opportunity to take part in a programme of research and doctoral training, in a joint initiative with University College London.

QU's College of Pharmacy recently introduced a DPharm programme to complement its internationally-recognized undergraduate courses. Available full-time and also part-time for select resident Qatar pharmacists, the doctorate is designed to meet international standards for an advanced degree in health sciences and to further advance the practice of pharmacy in Qatar.

Three new Masters programmes at QU have been introduced in the environment of preserving and enhancing Arabic language and culture. The MA in Arabic Language offers three tracks - language, literature and criticism, and cultural studies and comparison. Meanwhile, the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies has launched two new Masters this academic year - Quranic Sciences and Tasfeer, and Fiqh and Usul Al Fiqh.

The first of their kind in Qatar, these programmes are designed to produce a cadre of specialists in Quranic research, analysis and interpretation of religious texts, Islamic jurisprudence and its origins, sources and principles.