# Arab American University (Palestine)

The Arab American University (Arabic: الجامعة العربية الأمريكية, abbreviated as AAUP) is a private university in the West Bank, Palestine established in 2000.
AAUP's main campus is located near Talfit in the southern Jenin Governorate. The university has also expanded its presence to Al-Reehan in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate.

## History

In 1996, the idea of establishing a university in the West Bank was raised by a group of Palestinian businessmen, among them Dr. Yousef Asfour, who is currently head of the Board of Directors. Jenin governorate was chosen as the location of the main campus to address the lack of an institution of higher education in the region and the proximity of Jenin to the Arab cities and villages on the Green Line.
The Arab American University was established on September 28, 2000 at the cost of USD $12 million. Four faculties opened at this stage: the Faculty of Dentistry, the Faculty of Sciences, the Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, and the Faculty of Administrative and Financial Sciences.
The academic programmes in AASUP started under collaboration with California State University (CSU) in Stanislaus, which helped with the curriculum, and Utah State University (USU) in Logan, which provided faculty members and staff during the first years. In 2017, AAUP opened the second campus in Ramallah and AlBireh governorate. And currently, AAUP provides over 40 programmes in BA, high diploma, MA, and PhD degrees.

### Faculty of Administrative and Financial Sciences

The Faculty of Administrative and Financial Sciences provides the following BA programs: Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resources Management, Financial and Banking Sciences, Marketing, Hospitals and Health Care Management, Management Information System (MIS), Finance and Data Science, and Economics and Islamic Banking.

### Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences

The Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences offers BA programs related to medical professionals and medical technology, such as Prosthetics and Orthotics, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Environmental Sciences and Technology, Medical Imaging, Pharmacy, and Speech, Language, and Hearing Disorders.

### Faculty of Arts

The Faculty of Arts offers BA degree programs in many academic fields such as: Arabic Language and Media, Basic Elementary Education, and English Language. The faculty also offers some diploma degrees in education like: Diploma in Education for Upper Basic Level – Teaching English, Diploma in Education for Upper Basic Level – Teaching Mathematics and Diploma in Education for Upper Basic Level – Teaching Arabic.

### Faculty of Dentistry

The Faculty of Dentistry offers an academic program enables students to get a BA in Dental Surgery to be a Dental Surgery Doctor. The faculty also offers a Diploma in Dental Technology.

### Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology

The first cohort of students graduated from the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology in 2003/2004, and this faculty offers the following programs: Electrical Engineering and Renewable Energy, Computer Systems Engineering, Geographic Information System, Multimedia Technology, Computer Science, Computer Science / Minor Information Technology, Computer Networks / Minor Information Security / Biomedical Engineering and Telecommunications Engineering.

### Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law was established in AAUP in the beginning of the academic year 2002/2003 and it offers the following programs: Fiqh and Law and Law.

### Faculty of Medicine

The Faculty of Medicine was established in 2020, and it offers BA in Medicine program.

### Faculty of Modern Sciences

This faculty was established aiming to keep up with the global developments and to provide programs that are compatible to the market needs such as: Digital Marketing, Interior Architecture and Optometry.

### Faculty of Modern Media

The Faculty of Modern Media offers some contemporary BA programs such as: Digital Media, Communication and Social Media, and Public Relations.

### Faculty of Nursing

The Nursing Department was established in 2006 and it offers a BA in nursing. In 2016, the department was separated from the Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences and was an independent Faculty of Nursing.

### Faculty of Sciences

The faculty of sciences offers programs that enable students to get their BA degree in many academic specializations. Also, the faculty provides some basic science electives and obligatory courses for students from other faculties. The Faculty of Sciences offers the following BA programs: Biology and Biotechnology, Biology and Biotechnology/minor in Education, Chemistry, Chemistry / minor in Education, Mathematics and Statistics, Mathematics and Statistics / minor in Computer Science, Mathematics and Statistics / minor in Education, Physics, Physics / minor in Computer Science, Physics / minor in Education.

### Faculty of Sport Sciences

AAUP has sports buildings and facilities that provide sport services to student, such as a half-Olympic swimming pool, an international football stadium, sports halls, a gym and some inside and outside courts and fields such as a basketball field, a volleyball field, a tennis field, handball field, five-a-side soccer field, squash field, percussion hall and table tennis hall. The faculty offers a BA degree in sport sciences.

### Faculty of Graduate Studies

AAUP provides MA, PhD and High Diploma graduate programs degrees in:
* Residency Program in Orthodontics, Advanced Residency in Prosthodontics, High Diploma in Oral Implantology, High Diploma in Esthetic Dentistry and High Diploma in Endodontics.
* Master in Business Administration, Master in Human Resource Management, Master in Quality Management, Master in Intercultural Communication and Literature, Master in Strategic Planning and Fundraising, Master in Applied Mathematics, Master in Contemporary Public Relations, Master in Physics, Master in Commercial Law, Master in Master in International Law and Diplomacy, Master in Civil Law, Master in Health Informatics, Master in Molecular Genetics and Genetic Toxicology, Master in Emergency Nursing, Master in Ophthalmic Nursing, Master in Conflict Resolution, Master in Data Science and Business Analytics, Master in Cybercrimes and Digital Evidence Analysis, Master in Computer Science, Master in Educational Psychology, Master in Innovation in Education, Master in Leadership, Master in Accounting and Auditing, Clinical Master in Periodontology and Implant Dentistry, Master in Intensive Care Nursing, Master in Molecular Virology and Master in Criminal Science.
* PhD in Business, PhD in Educational Administration, PhD in Physics, PhD in Information Technology Engineering, PhD in Educational Psychology, PhD in Special Education and PhD in Nursing.

## Scientific research

The Journal of Arab American University
It is a biannual international refereed scientific journal issued by the Deanship of Scientific Research at the Arab American University since 2014 in both English and Arabic. It accepts research papers in different fields of humanities and natural sciences.
Digital Repository
The Digital Repository in AAUP enhances the openness in culture to all communities. The digital repository provides papers, technical reports, conference papers, scientific articles, books, studies, dissertations, scientific papers and researches, projects and data collections.
Research Awards
AAUP Excellence Award for Scientific Research
This award was first awarded in the academic year 2016 / 2017 aiming to encourage researchers in the Palestinian universities to conduct scientific researches.
This award has an amount of US$12.000 and it is granted to the winners of the best scientific researches in one of the following fields: Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences or Social and Humanitarian Sciences.
Best Published Research Award in the Arab American University Research Journal
It is an annual award of an amount of US$15.000 granted to the best published research in Arab American University Journal.
Engineer Zuhair Hijjawi Award
This annual award with an amount of US$10.000 targets undergraduate creative students and is granted for the best scientific research in one of the following fields: Information Technology, Engineering, Environment, Water and Renewable Energy Sciences and the Basic Sciences.

## AAUP centers

AAUP has many centers such as: The Center of Excellence for Climate Change and Environmental Technologies, the Dental Center in Main Campus, the Hydrotherapy and Physiotherapy Center, the Pediatric Rehabilitation Center, the Heart Center, the Simulation Laboratory, the Medical Center in Ramallah Campus, the Policy and Conflict Resolution Studies Center, the Language Center, the Continuing Education Center and Hassib Sabbagh Information Technology Center of Excellence.

## Sports buildings and facilities

The Half-Olympics Swimming Pool
AAUP finished the establishing of the half-Olympics swimming pool that will be part of the courses of the Faculty of Sport Sciences and will provide services to employees and the local community.
AAUP International Stadium
It is considered to be the Palestinian home court for the Palestinian soccer team. It was used in international soccer games.
A Multi-Function Sport Hall
It's a multi-function sport hall. Nationally, it can accommodate over 5,000 persons. It has a Five-a-side soccer field, Handball field, Volleyball field, Table Tennis hall, Badminton field, Basketball field, in addition to a Judo hall, a gym hall, a fitness hall and a squash hall.
Outside Sport Fields
The outside sport fields have fields for sports such as: a Five-a-side soccer, Basketball, Handball, Volleyball, Tennis and Badminton and has a stadium for over 2500 persons.

## AAUP presidents

The presidents of Arab American University are:
* Waleed Deeb (1/9/2000 – 31/3/2005).
* Munther Salah (1/4/2005 – 31/3/2007).
* Adli Saleh (1/4/2007 – 31/8/2012).
* Mahmoud Abu Mwais (11/9/2012 – 31/8/2015).
* Ali Zedan Abu Zuhri (2015 – )