General Education Program

​​​​​​​​​​​​​Overview

The General Education Program, committed to Liberal Arts Education (LAE) philosophy, strives at allowing students to acquire an eminent civic and moral sensibility so that they can contribute within their immediate and global contexts as engaged world citizens. The Program provides broad-based, yet in depth, general education courses in the fine and Humanities, in the Social Sciences and Natural Sciences, in the methods of quantitative analysis, in Islamic history, philosophy, and Ethics, in the study of cultural diversity and global awareness, and in the study of a foreign language other than English to consolidate their awareness of cultural diversity. The underlying philosophy of liberal arts education embedded in the program affords students with an all-inclusive perspective and instills in them an understanding of the values of different academic disciplines. In addition, the program not only helps the students to acquire a particular area of specialization or vocation, but also trains them to develop the general critical and intellectual skills that they need to continue developing throughout their lives.

To implement the above philosophy, the General Education Program complies with the formalities laid out by the University major programs. As a non-degree awarding program, it hosts the entire student population of the University, irrespective of their specializations. Upon enrolling in any of the major programs, students commit to completing the 42 credits of GEP courses as a prerequisite requirement for their graduation. Students can choose from 65 courses grouped into four required fields in accord with Liberal Arts Education (LAE) philosophy: humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and research and innovation.

Program Vision: ​

The General Education Program seeks to acquire a place of preeminence in promoting the true spirit of Liberal Arts Education (LAE), research, intercultural communication and community engagement.​

Program Mission: ​

The General Education Program creates a vibrant environment for academic excellence, societal relevance and global awareness through imparting Liberal Arts Education, disseminating high quality research and advancing the best of citizenship traits among the students and the community at large​

Program Goals 

1. Achieve the General Education Program’s mission as a liberal arts provider and enhance its national and international presence through deepening its partnership with local and global communities.
   
2. Develop an efficient and transparent working environment through effective leadership of the General Education Department.
   
3. Adhere to the Liberal Arts Education (LAE) principles in providing excellent curricular and extra-curricular activities through a variety of educational resources and services.
   
4. Promote students’ ethical, moral and civic contributions towards their immediate and distant contexts.
   
5. Recruit and retain qualified faculty and staff and create a vibrant environment conducive to professional growth and development
   
6. Offer technological support and other required facilities in order to optimize the General Education Department’s functioning through an efficient management of its budget.
   
7. Strengthen research culture and scholarship and encourage faculty and students to increase their research output.
   
8. Enhance relationships and interactions with local and global communities through projects and  joint activities  
   

Knowledge Diversity

The human experience is at the core of the GEP educational objectives. By exploring broadly the courses in humanities and fine arts, natural sciences and mathematics, and social and behavioral sci​ences, students develop an understanding of the nature of human experience-its complexity, its diversity of expression, its continuities and discontinuities over space and time.

Inquiry-based Learning

Inquisitive style of teaching and learning aids students in growing beyond acquiring general knowledge and focus more on developing broader perspectives of concepts, theories and facts of any field or topic under study. 

Critical Thinking, Formal Analysis, and Effective Expression

Communication is one important facet of the GEP educational objectives. By comparing and evaluating the ideas of others and by participating in various styles of research, students develop their capacities for critical judgment. By exploring mathematical and other quantitative reasoning systems, students acquire the ability to think in abstract, symbolic ways. By writing and communicating orally, students acquire the ability to express their ideas effectively and to interact with others smoothly and persuasively.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Comparing and evaluating the ideas of others and participating in various styles of research help students develop their capacities for critical analysis and problem solving. By exploring mathematical and other quantitative reasoning systems, students acquire the ability to think in abstract, symbolic ways.

Effective Communication

Communication is one important facet of the GEP educational objectives. By writing and communicating orally, students acquire the ability to express their ideas effectively and to interact with others smoothly and persuasively.

Intercultural Understanding

By learning about their own culture and the cultures of others, students gain personal and global awareness. This awareness of the diversity as well as the uniformity of the human race promotes the notion of global citizenship and civil engagement, both at a national and international level.

Social and Ethical Responsiveness

By undertaking social responsibility and by examining the ethical implications of knowledge, students learn teamwork; they also learn to evaluate the effects of actions at personal and social levels. They learn to assume responsibility, to disseminate knowledge, and to uphold civic duty.​​

Knowledge and Understanding

• Demonstrate an understanding of terminology, norms, conventions and practices in the fields of study.
• Explain major facts, theories, concepts and principles pertinent to the fields of study.
• Demonstrate an understanding of fundamentals and major conventions of academic research.​
  

Skills

• Apply theoretical and practical knowledge using concepts, principles and theories to address issues in the field of study.
• Evaluate and solve problems and find solutions to current issues in the field of study.
• Critically analyze issues and problems in various complex context, in a field of study.
• Produce research by applying academic conventions and principles.
• Perform practical tasks and procedures in the field of study.
• Communicate effectively using oral and written communication skills.
• Perform mathematical operations and quantitative methods​
  

Values

• Demonstrate integrity and academic professional ethics finding solutions to societal issues.
• Demonstrate effective teamwork, leadership skills, responsibility, and commitment to quality
  
  

​The GEP is a non-degree granting program within the framework of the University. All university students must complete the 42 credits of general education courses as a prerequisite requirement for graduation from their own respective departments. For instance, those studying towards a bachelor's degree in Psychology must earn a total of 126 credits, 42 credits of which are offered through the GEP.​​