American universities are causing an impact abroad, as seen in Education City.
Many people consider the Middle East a place of constrained male dominated learning environments, but many American universities are capitalizing on the need for higher education opportunities in this part of the world. Education City, a fourteen square kilometer home of learning for school age up to degree seekers located in Doha, Qatar, is home to five institutions of higher education with American foundations. These places offer the chance for many young adults and teenagers to gain an American degree without leaving their families and their nation. The Qatar Foundation funds most of these ventures as well, making them a provocative prospect for any university looking for a foothold abroad.
The five institutions, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University, Texas A&M University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Cornell University, have each offered valuable programs for both men and women looking for a quality education. Northwestern University recently announced that in the fall of 2008 they would be creating a journalism school as well to further expand Education City.
Carnegie Mellon University, established in 2004, offers undergraduate degrees in business, computer science, and information systems.
Georgetown University, established in 2005, offers a four year bachelor degree in Foreign Service.
Texas A&M University, established in 2003, offers degrees in chemical, electrical, mechanical, and petroleum engineering. They recently started offering masters degrees as well in engineering.
Virginia Commonwealth University since 1998 has offered bachelors of Fine Arts degrees in communication, fashion, and interior design.
Cornell University, started in 2001, offers a two year pre-Med program along with a four year medical program leading to a Doctoral degree.
The exceptional buildings that house the Education City are funded by Qatar’s vast oil and gas wealth. The nation of Qatar, surrounded by turmoil in the much publicized Middle East, is a place of envy and stability that many growing nations should sought to be like.
The institutions themselves are run very differently than in the United States. Servicing a majority of Muslim students, most of the universities offer mosques and are run from Sunday through Thursday. That doesn’t mean the students don’t get to experience life as a college student. Education City offers state of the art dorm buildings, as well as the luxuries found in the average American college, such as foosball. This life promotes tolerance, as men and women of all races spend time together in the dorms, cafeterias, and the classrooms.
The competition to be part of these new, powerful learning experiences is intense. Through all five institutions, approximately three hundred openings are available a year. While this does not allow for many opportunities, the room for growth is present.
The faculty and administrators are not those of the original American universities. Many are hired on an interim basis from foreign countries, or from even Qatar.
The most important, and encouraging, factor about these institutions is the opportunity they give to women to gain a valuable degree. Also, for Qataris that do not have the credentials to initially get into one of these institutions, there are bridge programs to approve the students’ standing to make them eligible to receive a great, American education. Although most classes are single sex, some are coeducational, and overall women are not looked down upon as many are in the Muslim faith. To see a woman like Mais Taha studying to be a petroleum engineer is a promising sight for global equality. The opportunity for these men and women to improve their lives alone is invaluable.
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