CURRICULUM FEATURES
KAUST will offer several unique curriculum elements across the degree programs,
including:
Inter-Semester Activities
- Special short courses and seminars at the end of the fall semester and start of
the winter and spring semesters, similar to the "independent-activities"
period at some major universities.
- KAUST will fund KAUST Investigators and distinguished scientists and scholars at
other institutions, through the KAUST Global Research Partnership. The University
will invite these individuals to the campus for several weeks each year for formal
and informal lectures, and seminars and gatherings to discuss their current research
and trends in science and technology with colleagues and KAUST students.
Cross-Cutting Programs
KAUST will provide four horizontal programs offering core courses and electives
that will apply across the fields of study and degrees, including:
- Program in Communication Skills: The program will provide: enriched offerings to
improve students' English-language communication skills; advanced instruction in
scientific writing and presentations in corporate and industrial settings; electives
in advanced scientific and technical communication; and public offerings of interest
to the KAUST community.
- Program in the Teaching and Learning of Science and Technology: To attract faculty
interested in best practices in curriculum development, KAUST will offer instruction
in outcomes research on innovative methods of teaching and learning in the classroom
and laboratory.
- Program in Management and Entrepreneurship: Students will have access to business-related
core courses in the master's and Ph.D. programs, which will provide guidance in
writing business plans for a startup technology companies, as well as in entrepreneurship.
- Program in Technology and Society: The program will provide: social sciences and
humanities components to enrich the curriculum at the master's and Ph.D. levels,
including electives such as ethical issues in technological advances and the impact
of science on art and literature; and, opportunities for KAUST faculty to collaborate
with colleagues at other universities, including rotations for sabbaticals for special
projects.