UCL Qatar has started its new academic year by welcoming one of the biggest MA student intakes since the London-based university set up its operations in Qatar in 2010, in partnership with Qatar Foundation (QF).
Forty-nine graduates from over 25 countries will now begin full or part-time studies on UCL Qatar’s Library and Information Studies MA and Museum and Gallery Practice MA, the university has said in a statement.
UCL president and provost Professor Michael Arthur visited the UCL Qatar campus in Education City last week, meeting with the UCL Qatar community and welcoming new students.
Welcoming them to Education City, Sam Evans, director of UCL Qatar, said: “We hope our new joiners are as excited as we are for the term ahead. It’s an incredible intake this year and we’ve got high hopes that the new members of the UCL community will prove to be yet another stand-out set of students.”
The new intake was formally inducted last week with a series of workshops, talks and orientation sessions. They also had the opportunity to meet and speak with UCL Qatar alumni and ask the provost about life at UCL at a private event held in Msheireb Museums.
During this event, Professor Arthur had the chance to meet UCL Qatar’s partners, with whom he discussed possibilities to explore future co-operative projects, while continuing to work towards a successful completion of UCL Qatar’s contract with QF in October 2020, the statement noted. He also confirmed that UCL would continue to support its partners in Qatar to continue providing education opportunities for students and develop their workforce, research and academic capabilities.
On what the students could look forward to, Evans noted: “Over the coming months and years, they will receive an education from one of the world’s top 10 universities, join an international network of students, researchers and experts, and gain hands-on, practical work experience through placements at some of the best global heritage institutions.”
Since 2013, UCL Qatar has graduated 216 students up to doctoral level, representing 49 countries. UCL Qatar students have followed the UCL tradition of enjoying successful careers at some of the most prestigious museums, libraries, and galleries in Qatar and across the world.
Over the last five years, more than 1,700 professionals have also benefited from UCL Qatar’s Executive Education and Professional Development courses – providing a major boost to the level of proficiency and skills among Qatar’s national workforce in the sectors of museums and knowledge management, the statement added.