The College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) at Abu Dhabi University will launch 2 new bachelor programs – a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and a Bachelor of Aviation. Both programs are under accreditation from the Academic Accreditation Committee (AAC) at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR).
Dr. Ali Nazmy, Dean of CECS, said that the college currently comprises of 1582 students, of which about 18% are UAE Nationals. 60 students are currently enrolled in master degree programs at the college, 15 of which are enrolled in the Master of Computer Science program and 45 are enrolled in the Master of Engineering Management.
The college expects to enroll about 380 additional students in the new bachelor programs. He said that state-of-the-art laboratories for mechanical engineering will be built before the beginning of the new semester. The laboratories will be designed to house 4 areas of specialization: energy systems, engineering materials and their types, aviation and electro-mechanics.
He pointed out that students will have to do an internship which will be related to their studies to provide them with invaluable practical, hands-on experience. Students will spend 240 hours in a professional environment related to their fields of study within a 6-week period of training.
The internships will be supervised by college-assigned faculty members and monitored through constant communication with and supervision by the various internship organizations. The internship will also give students the opportunity to come up with ideas for graduation projects, inspired by their internship placement.
Dr. Osama Mohammed, Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering and Associate Professor of Structural Engineering, said that the graduation project of students of civil engineering will be an integrated group project, namely to design the civil works of a resort consisting of multiple elements such as structuring hotels, structural designs for bridges, water treatment and desalination plants, and the analysis and design of structural elements of the resort. This project will grant participating students the opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary, synergetic environment. He added that each team will present its part of the project.
Dr. Ahmed Okeil, Chair of the Department of Architecture and Design and Professor of Architecture, explained that the interior design project will be an individual project prepared over two semesters. During the 1st semester, students will select buildings to gather data about, and meet with concerned authorities to find out about their needs. During the 2nd semester, students will prepare new designs for the selected buildings. These projects can include an internal re-design of Abu Dhabi Airport, theaters, children’s libraries, clinics, restaurants and centers for the elderly, as well as administrative, entertainment, and commercial buildings.
He added that students will present their proposals and drawings. They will be discussed with project supervisors and submitted for assessment at the end of the 2nd semester. Arbitrators from other universities or governmental institutions will participate in the assessment process to determine how successful the students were in applying what they learned from the program. He concluded by pointing out that the project will be designed manually and digitally, utilizing state-of-the-art devices at the university, to keep students abreast with products and work materials available in the market today.
