New accreditation for QU programmes

Qatar University (QU) yesterday announced the academic accreditation of its colleges of Education (CED), Engineering (CENG), and Health Sciences (CHS), taking the total number of accredited programmes to 37.
Details of the accreditation were outlined by CED dean Dr Ahmed al-Emadi, CENG dean Dr Khalifa al-Khalifa, and CHS Human Nutrition Department head Dr Tahra El-Obeid in the presence of QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham, vice president for Academic Affairs Dr Omar al-Ansari and other officials.
CED was awarded a five-year accreditation by the Specialised Professional Association (SPA)/Teachers of English to Students of Other Languages (TESOL) for its Bachelor of Education in Secondary Education/English. The college also achieved a five-year accreditation by the SPA/Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) for its Masters of Education in Special Education (MSPED), and a five-year accreditation by the SPA/Teachers of English to Students of Other Languages (TESOL) for its Diploma in Secondary Education/English.
CENG was awarded renewal of its five-year accreditation by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) for seven of its undergraduate programmes – Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Computer Science. ABET accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology.
CHS Department of Human Nutrition was awarded a seven-year accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). The ACEND accreditation has been awarded to three universities outside the US – QU (Qatar), Kyung Hee University (South Korea) and Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico), making QU the first university in the Middle East to achieve this accreditation.
Commenting on this achievement, Dr Hassan al-Derham said: “The new academic accreditation adds value to QU colleges’ numerous achievements. It reflects QU’s commitment to advance the quality of its programmes and the level of its graduates, and the university’s ongoing efforts to strengthen links with the industry. Accreditation is a very important process to improve the learning outcomes and to ensure that they align with the needs of the labour market. I applaud the efforts of the deans, faculty, and staff in contributing to this achievement.”
CHS dean and QU Biomedical Research Centre director Dr Asma al-Thani said: “The achievement of the ACEND accreditation is a testament that CHS Department of Human Nutrition meets the educational standards of ACEND and that it provides its students with the required knowledge, skills, and competencies to join the dietetics profession.”