Khalifa University of Science and Technology announced today that it will organize a ‘Virtual Under-Graduate and Postgraduate Fall 2020 Orientation Program’ to acclimatize newly enrolled students, enabling them to experience a smooth and positive onboarding and transition to the Khalifa University community, academically and socially.
The virtual orientation program is part of Khalifa University’s response to the ongoing pandemic situation and the university’s efforts to ensure the safety of students and parents. The orientation program also serves as a model introduction to the upcoming classes in the new academic year and is part of Khalifa University’s online strategy to reach lessons to students wherever they are.
The Fall 2020 orientation program on 17-18 August will combine both live and pre-recorded sessions that will target new undergraduate students and their parents. The first day will target both students and parents, while the second day will be exclusively dedicated to students. The orientation program for newly enrolled students of MD, Master’s and doctoral programs is scheduled for 19-20 August.
The orientation program will include virtual student registration, welcome addresses by College Deans, informational interactive sessions by academic and service departments, as well as virtual tours of the campus and the dormitories/residences. New students and their parents will have online access to important information, including FAQs on available services and resources, Student Guidebook and Parent Guidebook.
Dr. Ahmed Al Shoaibi, Senior Vice President, Academic and Student Services, said “In line with the government directives, courses during this academic year at Khalifa University will be offered as a hybrid model, with a mix of online and on-campus courses. This will depend on the nature of each course and the need for students to access campus resources such as laboratories or studios, as required.”
At the Graduate Studies level, each of the departments in the College of Engineering, and College of Arts & Sciences will organize Graduate Program Information Sessions, while the College of Medicine and Health Sciences will offer special sessions on the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) program and the Pre-Med Bridge (PMB) program.
Representatives from various administrative, campus-life and academic departments including Student Success, Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Student Life, Career Services, Health & Safety, Scholarship, IT Services (Ankabut), Finance, and Library will also offer details of each of the sections’ functions to familiarize the newly enrolled students.
From Fall 2020, Khalifa University plans to offer new Bachelor’s programs in ‘Earth and Planetary Sciences’, ‘Cell and Molecular Biology’, as well as post-graduate Masters programs in Civil and Infrastructural Engineering, Cyber Security, Health, Safety and Environmental Engineering, in addition to an Accelerated M.Sc. program. Also from Fall 2020, Khalifa University plans to offer Ph.D. programs in Science.
This academic year, Khalifa University of Science and Technology is targeting to admit more than 1,000 students across its bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral programs. The University currently offers 16 bachelors, 17 Master’s and three doctorate (PhD) programs. Of the three doctorate programs, the PhD in Engineering is offered across 12 concentrations.
The new students will have the opportunity to work with continually evolving interdisciplinary, collaborative research centers in the UAE’s strategic science and technology domains. The research centers at Khalifa University cover nuclear engineering, robotics, aerospace, biomedical engineering, artificial intelligence, data science and information security, water and environmental engineering, space systems, smart technologies, advanced materials, hydrocarbon exploration and production, supply chain logistics, as well as renewable energy, and energy storage.
