A total of 206 students from as many as 42 different countries graduated from the Class of 2018 at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development (QF), on Sunday.

The ceremony at the Qatar National Convention Centre witnessed the graduation of HBKU's very first cohorts of science and engineering PhD students and Juris Doctor (JD) law programme. The University also reinforced its year-on-year growth by graduating its largest class to date.

The formal convocation was held in the presence of QF vice chairperson and CEO and HBKU board of trustees chairperson HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al- Thani. HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani was the keynote speaker.

Other distinguished guests included HE the Minister of Education and Higher Education Mohamed Abdul Wahed Ali al- Hammadi, HE the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs Issa Saad al- Jafali al-Nuaimi, and prominent Qatari entrepreneur HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani.

Also present were government officials, members of the diplomatic community, representatives of QF leadership and members of HBKU’s board of trustees, as well as faculty, family and friends of the graduating students.

HE Sheikha Hind said in a statement: “Hamad Bin Khalifa University plays an integral role in supporting Qatar to create a diverse and sustainable economy, through its commitment to developing forward-thinking intellectual capacity among all our students.”

“Each of our exceptional Class of 2018 graduates carry with them the potential to become a driving force of meaningful change, not only in Qatar but throughout the wider international community. We are also particularly pleased to celebrate the conferring of HBKU’s first PhD and Juris Doctor degrees. This marks a significant milestone in our journey to providing lifelong learning opportunities and empowering future generations of professionals who are equipped to deal with the challenges of tomorrow. These students are our future and I wish them the very best in all their future endeavours,” she added.

There are a total of 78 Qatari students and 128 international students in the Class of 2018. They graduated from 25 master’s and PhD programmes. The College of Islamic Studies graduated 126 students this year, whereas the College of Humanities and Social Sciences celebrated 19 students. Additionally, the College of Science and Engineering witnessed the graduation of 49 students, and the College of Law and Public Policy’s inaugural class constituted 12 students.

This year’s graduating class is significantly larger than last year’s 148 – a testament to both the university’s rapid growth and an increasing demand for its pioneering programmes. Additionally, the annual growth in class sizes also underscore Qatar’s continued attractiveness as a destination for education in spite of the evolving regional geopolitical climate.

Dr Ahmad M Hasnah, president of HBKU, said, “Today’s graduation ceremony is as much a celebration of the graduates’ academic successes as it is a reminder of their new responsibilities to action the knowledge they have earned and serve society for the development of Qatar. The future looks promising and I am confident that our alumni will reach their goals, powered by their own unique creativity and innovation, and driven by their quest for education and experience.”

The Class of 2018 also includes the first collection of students to graduate from the JD legal education programme at the College of Law and Public Policy. HBKU’s JD programme is the first-of-its-kind degree in the Middle East and North Africa region.

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