Alhosn University has earned approval from US-based Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (Abet) for its Bachelor of Science degree programmes in civil engineering, industrial engineering, and software engineering.

This marks the first time that a private university in Abu Dhabi has received the accreditation for its civil engineering programme, a statement from the institute said. It is also the first time that any university in the UAE has received the Abet accreditation for its industrial and software engineering programmes.

The accreditation is the culmination of two years of hard work that began with Alhosn’s application for accreditation for its Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE), Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering (BSIE), and Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering (BSSE) undergraduate programs with ABET’s Baltimore, Maryland, US-based Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) in 2010.

Alhosn performed programme self-studies in the spring semester of 2011 and submitted the results in June of the same year, with an EAC team later on visiting the university in October to evaluate the application process on-site.

The programmes each proved to be at an academic level satisfying Abet’s stringent institutional and programme criteria. The university received official word that all three programmes had been granted the accreditation in late August this year, retroactive from March 15.

“It is indeed a great privilege to be the first private university in Abu Dhabi to receive this mark of excellence for civil engineering, and to become the first and only university in the entire country to be Abet accredited for industrial and software engineering,” said professor Abdul Rahim Sabouni, vice chancellor and CEO, of Alhosn University.

“As a federation of 31 professional and technical member societies, Abet lends a respectable voice to the fields of applied science, computing, engineering, and technology. This achievement attests to the university’s firm commitment to developing programmes that meet the highest international standards.”

Abet accredits post-secondary education programmes in applied science, computing, engineering and engineering technology in the US and internationally. Over 3,000 programmes distributed in more than 660 colleges and universities in over 20 countries are Abet-accredited.

Regarded as a pioneer in engineering education, Alhosn University has established the Society of Women in Engineering (Sowe), and has been offering for the fourth year in a row special scholarships for female engineering students.

The university has announced that 10 scholarships will be added this academic year for (Sowe), five for female students in mechanical engineering, and five for female students in civil engineering. – TradeArabia News Service