Effat University is a leading private non-profit institution of higher education in Saudi Arabia, operating under the umbrella of King Faisal’s Charitable Foundation.
Effat University is strengthened by the legacy of its founder, Queen Effat Al- Thunayyan Al-Saud, wife of the late King Faisal Bin Abdal-Aziz (May God rest their souls). In 1419 H, (corresponding to 1999 G), it started offering academic programs under the name of Effat College.
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Effat College Initial License, 1999
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Effat College Final License, 1999
In order to be a center of academic excellence, Effat College launched different academic programs taught in English to expand the horizons of women in Saudi Arabia and raise their educational level. The first two departments established by the college were Computer Science and Kindergarten. These programs aimed to prepare women for the job market and increase their chances of finding work opportunities.
During the following academic year 1421/ 1422 H (corresponding to 1999/ 2000 G) the founders of Effat established three new programs; Information Systems, Psychology, and English Language andTranslation.
In 1423 H (corresponding to 2002 G), Effat College signed a collateral agreement with King Faisal Private University to become one of its three colleges; Effat College in Jeddah, Prince Sultan College for Tourism and Business in Abha, and Prince Sultan College for Tourism and Management in Jeddah.
After that, three new majors were introduced during the academic year 1426/ 1427 H (corresponding to 2005/2006 G); Business Administration and, for the first time in Saudi Arabia, the first department of Engineering for women consisting of two majors: Architecture and Electrical and Computer Engineering, neither of which had ever been made available to women before in the Kingdom.
Then, on the 25th of Shawwal 1426 (corresponding to 11th of December 2005) a new decree was issued to accredit the official split of ‘The Sister Universities’: King Faisal University and Effat College. Consequently, Effat College became an independent Institution of Higher Education operating under the umbrella of King Faisal’s Charitable Foundation and became completely detached from the King Faisal Universities; the first step towards university status being conferred upon Effat College. Successive efforts were made to develop the College in every possible respect. Consequently the Ministry Decree, dated 23 Shaaban 1429 H (corresponding to July 27, 2008) was issued acknowledging three colleges within Effat University: The College of Science and Humanities, the College of Engineering, and the College of Business Administration. These colleges offered eight programs and different majors responding to national and international demands for development, each playing a crucial role in achieving the goals of Effat University’s strategic plan.
Many factors played a major role in converting Effat College into a university, such as the relentless efforts and the ongoing vision of its founders and administration; the inauguration of the three Colleges and independent Deanships; the establishment of the Research and Consultancy Institute; and the Extension Programs, in addition to the success achieved at the academic, educational and social levels. All these developments paved the way to becoming a University as per the Royal Decree NO. 963/ MB issued by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, on the 3rd of Safar 1430 H, (corresponding the 30th of January 2009 G), associated to the Higher Education Council Decision No. 11, agreement 5.
According to this Decree, Effat College acquired University Status as a private institution of higher education with the following Colleges and Departments:
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Effat University Initial License, 2009
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Effat University Final License, 2009
Effat University exerts considerable effort towards enhancing its graduate programs. In 1431H (corresponding to 2010), the University inaugurated the Deanship for Graduate Studies and Research. In 1432 H (corresponding to 2011 G), Effat University launched its first graduate program – a Master’s in Islamic Financial Management (MIFM) . The MIFM Program is the first of its kind in the Kingdom and the outcome of collaborative work of three institutions: Effat University; Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University; and the École Supérieure des Affaires (ESA), Beirut. In the second semester of the academic year 2010/2011 the University received the Ministry of Higher Education’s decree no. 8963 of 26 Muharram 1432 H (corresponding to 2/1/2011) officially licensing the Program. Furthermore, in 2014/2015 Effat University started two new graduate programs which are a Master’s in Translation Studies and Master’s in Urban Design, the first of its kind in the Kingdom, in order to further develop and enhance the advancing the students and the community as a whole.
As the University continues its mission to provide tomorrow's generations with unique opportunities and experiences, in 1434 H (corresponding to 2013 G) it launched the state-of-the-art Visual and Digital Production (VDP) Program, housed in the Effat College of Engineering. The VDP Program at Effat University is distinctive in that it is not available elsewhere in the Kingdom. Graduates of this Program have the ability to communicate across diverse media platforms; they understand how to plan, create, manipulate and disseminate still images, moving images, sound, interactive media, and social media; they understand the history and theory of the global media industries, as well as the specific attributes and conditions of local media culture, outlets, and potentials; they are able to understand and critically interpret the media they experience; and they are prepared for lifelong learning and to sustain agility in order to adapt to the constant change in media technologies and platforms.
Continuing its commitment to offer exclusive programs, in the academic year 1438/1439H (corresponding to 2017/2018) Effat University opened registration for the Master of Science program in Energy Engineering, paving the way for women to participate in this field for the first time in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In the same year, the MIFM program was updated to cater for the growing needs of the community to become the Master of Science in Finance (MSF) through which students can obtain a general master's in finance or specialize in one of two tracks – Islamic Finance or Entrepreneurial Finance & Strategy.
The updated program was developed with the support of Bocconi University, which also contributed to teaching some of the master program courses in 2017-2018 and 2018- 2019.
By 1438/1439H (corresponding to 2017/2018), Effat University has further developed to offer 4 graduate degrees and 13 undergraduate degrees under four colleges. These four colleges are Effat College of Humanities (ECoH), Effat College of Business (ECoB), Effat College of Engineering (ECoE), Effat College of Architecture and Design (ECoAD). The four colleges housed 13 departments that offered 17 undergraduate and graduate programs. Some of these programs and their tracks/concentrations were the first to be offered in the Kingdom to women including undergraduate programs in Visual and Digital Production, Entrepreneurship, Operations and Information Management. In 1440/1441H (corresponding to 2018-2019), the new Master of Science in Energy Engineering (MSEE) graduated its first cohort of five students. This new master's degree was added to the other three master's degrees: the Master of Science in Finance (MSF), the Master of Science in Urban Design (MSUD), and the Master of Science in Translation Studies (MTS). Most of these degrees were unique programs for women in KSA. In 1440 H (corresponding to Spring 2019), Effat University was also granted the permission from the Ministry of Education to admit males to all its graduate programs (i. e. Master of Science in Finance (MSF), Master of Science in Translation and Interpreting (MTI), Master of Science in Urban Design (MSUD) and Master of Science in Energy Engineering (MSEE)). The first intake of male students in all graduate programs in Fall 2019 was 10. This was done to align with the new developments in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to allow men and women to be equally educated in the same higher educational institutions side by side. This was considered a new step towards the complete fulfilment of women empowerment and their integration in the society mainly in the field of education.
In 1440/1441H (corresponding to 2018/2019), the university also received the approval from the Ministry of Education to change the name of the College of Science and Humanities to Effat College of Humanities as it has no science programs offered under it. The Deanship of Academic Development and Supportive Studies was dissolved and all its sub-units, Effat English Academy, the Testing Center, and General Education Program were added under the Provost Office and Effat College of Humanities. Other units that were added under the Provost Office were the Awards Unit and the Office of Curriculum Development and Review. The Ranking Unit was also added under the Deanship of Quality Assurance. The name of the Digital and Visual Production Program was changed to School of Cinematic Arts to reflect the new nature of its update program serving the evolving needs of the market. Also, the Operations and Information Management Program updated its name to Supply Chain Management program. Due to these major organizational structural updates, the overall number of units of Effat University reached 39 units by the end of In 1440-1441H (corresponding to 2018-2019).
In 1442/1443 H (corresponding to 2021-2022), the Information Systems and Computer Science programs merged into one program, and in Spring 2022 males were allowed to join the 12 bachelor programs offered by the 4 colleges.
In 1443/1444 H (corresponding to 2022-2023), to enhance the efficiency of the organizational structure the five programs under Effat College of Business were re-structured under three departments instead of five - The Accounting and Finance Department, The Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Strategy Department, and The Operations and Supply Chain Management. Due to this re-structuring, the number of Effat University units was further reduced to 35 units.
In the year 1443/1444 H (corresponding to 2022-2023), Effat University also expanded its offerings to new areas that correspond to its new strategic directions as dictated by its mission, aspirations, fifth strategic plan (2022-2027), and the emerging needs of the labor market. One of the most important of these new offerings is its first PhD program, PhD in Business Administration. Effat University once again breaks new grounds by offering this PhD to be the first private university to offer a PhD degree. This strongly supports Effat University's goal of enriching and driving “innovation" through the outcome of this program.
Notwithstanding its academic orientation, Effat University has paid equal attention to the different constituents of the community and their needs through HRH Princess Al Bandari Bin Abdulrahman Al Faisal Center for Civic Engagement (PACCE), previously known as the Extension Programs (established since 2002), and the Executive Education and Community Services Institute (EECSI) in 2009. The PACCE is the bridge between Effat University and the national and international community. The Al Bandari Bin Abdulrahman Al Faisal Higher Institute for Training (PACE-HIT) that belong to PACCE, which is certified by TVTC, offers professional diplomas, short courses, and customized programs covering a wide range of areas that meet the needs of the individuals or groups of the communities it serves. It aims to provide opportunities that help students excel professionally and at the personal level. It exists to produce skilled individuals and ensure sustained and rich relationships for the betterment of the community.
