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AUS college of engineering achieves CAA clustering privilege

The UAE Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) has recognised the outstanding quality of education provided by American University of Sharjah’s (AUS) college of engineering, extending the college clustering privileges. Such privileges allow for all the college’s undergraduate and graduate programmes to be reviewed and accredited as a group rather than on separate occasions, making the process more efficient for both the university and the commission. Only the most high-quality degree programmes in the UAE receive such privileges as they are awarded to institutions who meet the highest standards of educational excellence.

Receiving clustering privileges follows the commission’s recognition of AUS last October as a high confidence institution. Bestowing high confidence status to institutions is part of the CAA’s implementation of the UAE’s 2019 Standards for Institutional Licensure and Programme Accreditation. As well as clustering privileges, other advantages that come with being a high confidence institution include longer accreditation validity, shorter review visits and priority processing for new programme applications.

Dr Fadi Aloul, dean of the college of engineering, said the recognition is testament to the exceptional education provided by the college, and the university more broadly. He said: “Being a high confidence university evidences the standard of faculty, facilities and curricula available at AUS. It provides incoming students and their parents with assurance that they are undertaking a degree of the highest regard that will be well recognised by employers and other universities in the world.”

As well as accreditation from the CAA, the bachelor of science degree programmes in chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering and mechanical engineering offered by the college of engineering are accredited by the engineering accreditation commission of ABET. The bachelor of science degree programme in computer science offered by the college of engineering is accredited by the Computing accreditation commission of ABET. ABET is the global accreditor of college and university programmes in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology. AUS was the first university in the Gulf region and the second outside the US to receive this accreditation.

“Accreditation from the CAA and ABET evidences the college’s position as a provider of world-class engineering education. The progression of some of our students into leading engineering graduate schools in North America, Europe and Australia also shows the high standards of education in our college, as does the regard with which employers in the UAE and abroad hold our graduates. We look forward to continuing to work with these accrediting bodies and providing our students with a high level of quality," Aloul added.

For more information about AUS College of Engineering and the programmes it offers, please visit www.aus.edu/cen.