Zayed University

Zayed University (ZU) is a public university based in the United Arab Emirates. It was established in 1998. It is one of the three government-sponsored higher education institutions in the United Arab Emirates. It is named in honor of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the country's first president.
After achieving accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education in the US, it became the first federal university in the UAE to be internationally accredited.
ZU offers 17 majors and 10 minors at the undergraduate level and 10 master's degrees. The university has eight colleges: the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises, the College of Business, the College of Communication and Media Sciences, the College of Education, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the College of Natural and Health Sciences, the College of Technological Innovation, and the College of Interdisciplinary Studies.
History
In 1998, Zayed University was founded by the federal government of the United Arab Emirates. Until 2008, the university was accepting only UAE national women, but after the opening of the Sweihan campus, a collaboration between Zayed University and the UAE Armed Forces, approximately 200 male students were admitted.
The university is currently engaged in cooperative relationships with a number of institutions throughout the world, such as the Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education in Scotland, the Australian National University, School of Business Management and Organization of the Foundation Antonio Genovesi Salerno in Italy, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain, and Waseda University in Japan.
In 2018, the university was featured for the first time in the QS World Rankings at 701–750. Zayed University was ranked 20 out of 180 in the 2022 QS World University Arab Rankings.
Accreditation
In 2008, Zayed University announced that it had received accreditation from the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Zayed University announced it had received re-accreditation in 2013.
Through the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation Continuous Improvement Commission (CAEP), in 2013, the College of Education received accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Zayed University College of Education is the first university outside of the US to be internationally accredited.
Programs within its College of Arts and Creative Enterprises were recognized as substantially equivalent through NASAD in July 2015.
Colleges and academic programs
University College
University College delivers a standardized interdisciplinary general education program to all undergraduate students during their first two semesters at Zayed University and consists of four specialized departments that provide comprehensive support and instruction for students.
College of Arts and Creative Enterprises
Undergraduate Programs
Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Animation Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Graphic Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Interior Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Visual Art
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Multimedia Design
College of Business
Undergraduate Programs
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Accounting
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Finance
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Human Resource Management
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Marketing and Entrepreneurship
Graduate Programs
Executive Master of Business Administration
Master of Science (M.S.) in Finance
College of Communication and Media Sciences
Undergraduate Programs
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Communication and Media Sciences with Concentrations in:
Integrated Strategic Communications
Tourism and Cultural Communications
Media Production and Storytelling
Graduate Programs
Master of Arts (M.A.) in Communication Concentrations in:
Tourism and Cultural Communication
Strategic Public Relations
College of Education
Undergraduate Program
Bachelor of Science (B.S.Ed.) in Education with Concentration in Early Childhood Education (PreK–Grade 3)
Graduate Program
Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Undergraduate Programs
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in International Studies with Concentrations in:
International Relations
Middle East/Gulf Studies
Political Economy & Development
Graduate Programs
Masters in Diplomacy and International Affairs
Master of Arts (M.A.) in Judicial Studies
College of Natural and Health Sciences
Undergraduate Programs
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Public Health and Nutrition
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Environmental Science and Sustainability
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Psychology
College of Technological Innovation
Undergraduate Programs
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Information Technology with Concentration in
Security and Network Technologies
Web and Mobile Application Development
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Information System and Technology Management with Concentration in
Management Information Systems
Enterprise Systems
Business Intelligence
College of Interdisciplinary Studies
Bachelors of Business Transformation with concentrations in
Finance
Accounting
Operations Management
Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Growth Strategy & Management
Bachelors of Social Innovation with concentrations in
Psychology
Political & Economic Systems
New Media
Societal Design
Behavioral Economics
Bachelors in Computational Systems with concentrations in
Digital Security
Machine Intelligence
Applied Data Science
Bachelors in Sustainability with concentrations in
Sustainability Enterprise
Sustainability Policy
Sustainability & Safety
Graduate programs
Master of Science (M.S.) in Information Technology Concentration in Cyber Security
Student services
Student Accessibility Services
The Zayed University Student Accessibility Services Department provides support and equal education opportunities for students with diverse learning needs.
The Student Accessibility Services Department consists of three centers:
Khalaf Al Habtoor Assistive Technology Resource Center, Dubai, established in 2012.
Humaid Mater Al Tayer Assistive Technology Resource Center, Abu Dhabi, established in 2014.
Abdul Wahid Al Rostamni Inclusive Learning Center, Dubai, established 2019.
Library
Zayed University has two libraries.
The UAE Film Library and Archive
Established in 2013, The Film and Library Archive at Zayed University is the first of its kind in the region. The collection will act as a repository for the UAE film industry, preserve works by Emirati filmmakers and include films produced about the UAE. The collection also includes materials associated with filmmaking including posters, scripts, artwork, production stills, and press kits.
Archives and Records Management
The University Archives serves as the official repository for university records that are deemed to have “historical, administrative, academic legal, and/or fiscal value.”
Zayed University Learning Commons
The Zayed University Learning Commons collaborates with colleges to provide support in academic writing, language, mathematics, and study skills.
In 2011, the newly constructed Abu Dhabi Campus library was inaugurated housing 150,000 books from the collection. At 40,000 sqm, the library is one of the largest in the Middle East.
Research
Zayed University supports faculty and student research through research training programs, fellowships and grants. In 2014, the university invested 4,687,269 AED in internal research funds.
Grants and fellowships
Research Incentive Funds (RIF)
This competitive grant funds faculty research over a period of one to two years and was designed to support and enhance the research culture at Zayed University. Researchers receive grants that range from a maximum of 30,000AED for individual one year projects to a maximum of 150,000AED for team grants.
Research Clusters
A new initiative was established in 2016 to encourage cross-discipline collaboration among faculty. A maximum of 50,000AED per project is allocated.
Laboratories
College of Arts and Creative Enterprises
Fabrication Lab (3D Printing, Laser, prototype digital manufacturing)
College of Business
Bloomberg Finance Lab
College of Communication and Media Sciences
du Multimedia Labs
College of Natural and Health Sciences
Air Quality Lab
Aqueous Geochemistry Laboratory
Cognition and Neuroscience Lab * Microbiology Laboratory
Environmental Simulation and Remote Sensing Lab
Hydroponic Lab
Hyperspectroscopy Lab
Instrumentation Lab
Marine Science Lab
Nutrient Analysis Laboratory
Organic Chemistry Lab
College of Technological Innovation
Advance Cyber Forensics Research Lab
Capstone Lab
Cisco Regional Academy Lab
Database Lab
Digital Forensics Lab
Enterprise Systems Lab
Game Development Lab
Graduate Lab
Hardware Lab
Human Computer Interaction Lab
Information Security Lab
Intelligent Remote Sensing and Tracking Lab
Multimedia Lab
Networking Lab
Operating Systems Lab
SMART Lab
Undergraduate research
The Undergraduate Research Scholars Program was launched in 2010 to encourage and support undergraduate student research. The competitive program provides students with faculty mentorship, workshops and lectures over a two and a half year period during the course of their studies. Students are expected to produce original research that is submitted to international academic journals at the end of the program.
Abu Dhabi campus
In 2009, Zayed University announced plans for the construction of a new campus in Abu Dhabi to meet the needs of a growing student population in the capital city. The campus was designed by German architect, Hadi Teherani, and inspired by the desert environment in which it would be constructed combining the modern and traditional to produce a striking complex with an iconic roof design. The campus was completed and operational in 2011. The new campus is located in Zayed City in Abu Dhabi and covers an area of 77 Hectares with a total built up area of 188,500sqm.
Dubai campus
The Zayed University Dubai campus moved to its current location in Al Ruwayyah, near Academic City, Dubai back in 2006. The original campus was near the northern end of the Abu Dhabi peninsula, on Delma Street.
Academic performance
Management Office
In December 2010, the Federal National Council queried the competency of the university's senior management. According to The National, Zayed University was reported to owe over Dh33 million in unpaid water and electricity bills.
According to The National, three people held the position of provost between April and June 2011, with a total of seven provosts between 1998 and 2011. This was confusing.
In 2012, the effectiveness of its teacher education program was questioned. According to The National, none of the 110 teachers it produced between 2010 and 2012 were employed by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC); ADEC allegedly claimed the university produced lazy and poorly skilled graduates.
Following His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Maitha Al Shamsi was instated as president in 2013. Al Shamsi was followed by Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna Khalid Al Qasimi, who was appointed president in 2014.
As well as existing concerns over academic integrity, transparency, and plagiarism at Zayed University, concerns have been raised about the weak academic credentials and lack of international experience among the new management.
Legal concerns
The professor, Matt J. Duffy, expressed concern that his activities-—which included writing for Gulf News, launching a student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and teaching objectively about the U.A.E.'s media laws—-may have led to his dismissal. Despite claiming to follow Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in its MSCHE Self-Study ("Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers"), the university would not comment on the case in public.
Materials deemed to be offensive are removed from the University Library, or are deposited in a locked holding space called Special Collections. Students must obtain faculty approval in order to access these materials, which include books on nursing, art magazines, human sexuality, and books containing views critical of religion. Librarians at Zayed University must consider censorship and culturally appropriate attitudes toward access and authority when teaching information literacy.
References
External links
Universities and colleges in the United Arab Emirates
Universities and colleges in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi
Educational institutions established in 1998
1998 establishments in the United Arab Emirates