Graduate Catalog

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The University

History of Khalifa University

In 2017, UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, issued a decree to merge Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research, Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, and The Petroleum Institute under one university called Khalifa University of Science and Technology (Khalifa University).

Khalifa University is a comprehensive research-intensive university with three colleges, three research institutes, 18 research centers, and 36 departments covering a broad range of disciplines in science, engineering, and medicine. The internationally top-ranked university is the one university in the UAE with the research and academic programs that address the entire range of strategic, scientific and industrial challenges facing the UAE’s knowledge economy transformation and our rapidly evolving world.

Khalifa University’s world-class faculty and state-of-the-art research facilities provide an unparalleled learning experience to students from the UAE and around the world. The university brings together the best in science, engineering and medicine in the UAE, to offer specialized degrees that can take promising high school graduates all the way to top-rated doctorate degree holders. It will continue to evolve with the UAE’s rapidly developing national goals and needs and nurture the innovation ecosystem required for the country’s targeted knowledge economy transformation.

The histories of the three merged institutions are integral to the vision and mission of the unified university. Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research (KUSTAR) was inaugurated on 13 February 2007 by the President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and had in its remit to provide Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral-level education primarily in engineering and the sciences. The university opened its Abu Dhabi campus (now the Main Campus) in October 2008 to add to the campus in Sharjah (formerly Etisalat University College, EUC). The Sharjah branch campus, which has since closed, had a very proud history that stretched back to 1989.

The establishment of Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MI) on 25 February 2007 as a graduate-only institute was part of a resource diversification plan for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi’s leadership views research and education in alternative energy fields as a cornerstone for the future development of the Emirate and expressed their commitment through the establishment of the Masdar Initiative, Masdar City, the Zayed Future Energy Prize (renamed Zayed Sustainability Prize), and the Masdar Institute.

The Petroleum Institute (PI) was established in 2000 through Emiri decree. Prior to the merger with KUSTAR and MI, it was financed and governed by a consortium of five major oil companies: ADNOC, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Total S.A., and Japan Oil Development Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of INPEX. PI admitted its first students in the Fall of 2001 and offered Bachelor’s and Master’s programs, as well as a research program tailored to the needs of the oil and gas industry. The purpose of the PI, as part of Khalifa University, will continue to provide highly-trained engineers and geoscientists for the UAE oil, gas and broader energy industries.

University Vision and Mission Statement

To be a catalyst for the growth of Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s rapidly developing knowledge economy, the engineering and science education destination of choice, and a global leader among research intensive universities in the 21st century.

University Strategic Goals

As a world-class, research-intensive institution, Khalifa University will:

  • Set new standards in education, research, and scholarship that will benefit the UAE and the world.
  • Drive Abu Dhabi and the UAE as a knowledge destination and engine for socio-economic growth through active translation of research into the nation’s economy.
  • Seamlessly integrate research and education to produce world leaders and critical thinkers in applied science, engineering, management, and medicine.
  • Continuously innovate and integrate the global standard in methods of learning and discovery.
  • Build a diverse community of service-oriented, ambitious and talented individuals, through an environment that encourages and nurtures creative inquiry, critical thinking, and human values.
  • Empower the community with practical and social skills, business acumen and a capability for lifetime learning that will enrich the workforce of the country.

Research

The KU research community responsibly manages funding, collaborations and research compliance in a manner consistent with international standards, and the mission and objectives of KU. The university provides support for the development, submission, and management of proposals and awards for both internal and external funding. KU’s research priorities address specific industry and sector needs, technical platforms and expertise. These include clean and renewable energy, water and environment, hydrocarbon exploration and production, healthcare, aerospace, supply chain and logistics, advanced materials and manufacturing, robotics, AI and data science, information and communication technologies.

Licensure and Accreditation

Khalifa University of Science and Technology, located in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, is officially licensed by the Ministry of Education of the United Arab Emirates to award degrees/qualifications in higher education. All the academic programs offered by Khalifa University of Science and Technology are accredited by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the United Arab Emirates.

A number of our undergraduate programs are also accredited by the international engineering accreditation body ABET:
• BSc. Aerospace Engineering
• BSc. Biomedical Engineering
• BSc. Chemical Engineering
• BSc. Civil Engineering
• BSc. Computer Engineering
• BSc. Electrical Engineering

• BSc. Earth and Planetary Sciences

• BSc. Industrial and Systems Engineering

• BSc. Mechanical Engineering
• BSc. Petroleum Engineering
• BSc. Petroleum Geoscience

University Financial Resources

Khalifa University of Science and Technology is a not-for-profit, public institution. The core budget of the University is provided by the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The University is a semi-government entity with an independent legal personality, financial and administrative independence, and full legal competence to practice its activities and achieve its objectives.