Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University

Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University
Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU), formerly Riyadh University for Women, is a public women's university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is the largest women's university in the world. Established in 1970 during the reign of King Faisal bin Abdulalziz, it assumed its current name in 2008 when it was granted university status by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and is named after Noura bint Abdul Rahman, elder sister and adviser of King Abdulaziz ibn Saud and the eldest daughter of Abdul Rahman bin Faisal, the last emir of the Second Saudi State.
The university offers diplomas, bachelor and postgraduate degrees. It has 34 colleges in the city of Riyadh and in the neighbouring cities, an Arabic Language Institute (for non-speakers of Arabic), a Deanship of Community Service and Continuous Education, and a Community College. It has more than 5,000 academic and administrative staff.
History and name
The university was founded in 1970 as the first College of Education for women in the Kingdom. Within the following 25 years, there were 102 similar colleges in 72 cities around the country, accommodating 60,000 students. There were 6 colleges in the city of Riyadh alone, primarily in the fields of education, social service, science, arts, and home economics. In 2004, the decision was made to unify all of the women's colleges in Riyadh, thus creating the first all-female university in the Kingdom. Other colleges around the Kingdom were unified and expanded in their respected regions into independent universities.
In 2008, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud inaugurated the campus and changed the university's name to "Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University" after Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman, the sister of the country's first king and leader, King Abdulaziz. Nourah in Arabic means "light." With this launch was the building of the world's largest and most modern women's institution of higher education in a self-contained higher education city. The first rector was Princess Al Jawhara bint Fahd Al Saud.
On 12 June 2011, the new campus was opened in an official ceremony by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, during which he said:
"Women carry a responsibility that is more than a duty, to maintain the stability of society and contribute to building the economy of the nation, and to represent the community and the nation to the highest standards, outside and inside the country. To be the caring mother, exemplary citizen and productive employee. Outside the nation, to be the ambassador of her country and community, and to represent well her religion, faith and our values."
In February 2017, the university was the host of the first-ever opera in Saudi Arabia. The show, "Antar and Alba", was produced by Opera Lebanon.
Colleges and Departments
Health Colleges
College of Medicine
Basic Sciences
College of Dentistry
Preventive Dental Sciences
Clinical Dental Sciences
Basic Dental Sciences
College of Nursing
College of Pharmacy
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Clinical Pharmacy
College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Rehabilitation Sciences
Health Sciences
Medical Technology
Communication Sciences
Science Colleges
College of Business and Administration
Economics
Law
Business Administration
Accounting
College of Computer and Information Science
Computer Sciences
Information Systems
Networking and Telecommunication Systems
College of Science
Physics
Chemistry
Mathematical Sciences
Biology
Humanities Colleges
College of Art and Design
Interior Design
Graphic Design and Digital Media
Painting and Printmaking
Fashion Design and Textiles
College of Art
Arabic Language and Literature
English Language and Literature
Geography
History and Civilization
Library and Information
Islamic Studies
College of Education
Curriculum and Instruction
Early Childhood
Special Needs Education
Psychology
College of Home Economics
Nutrition & Food Science
College of Social Work
College of Languages and Translation
English Language and Translation
French Language and Translation
Community College
Computer Sciences and Information Technology
Administrative Sciences
The Deanship of Community Service and Continuous Education offers various diploma options.
The Arabic Language Institute (for non-speakers of Arabic) offers grant scholarships to non-speakers of Arabic from different countries. The institute has over 350 students from more than 40 countries.
In early 2018, the university became the first in the Kingdom to offer a driving school for women, following the allowance of King Salman to grant women the right to drive in the Kingdom. More than 50,000 female students are expected to take part. Despite these advancements Saudi Arabia still has some of the worst rates of unemployment among women in the world
Preparatory Year Program (PYP):
To ensure quality and a smooth transition into university life, PNU students are required to enroll in a two-year preparatory program of necessary skills, such as:
Study skills
Intensive English program
Communication skills
Computer skills
Campus services and facilities
Description
The campus was constructed in a record time of two years, supported by 75,000 construction workers and the latest building machinery and methodologies. It is 13 million square meters in size, with a maximum capacity of 60,000 students.
The campus has 600 high-tech smart buildings, large-capacity student residencies, various models of faculty residence units, and three spacious, state-of-the-art recreation centers. In addition, it has pre-schools, primary schools, intermediate and secondary schools. It also has an elegant central library, research centers, a university hospital, student support centers, student-accessible sport facilities, a convention center and an automated metro system by Hitachi Rail Italy.
Health and Wellness
Sports Facilities include a number of sports halls (basketball, volleyball, aerobatics, bicycles, etc.) as well as an olympic sized swimming pool. In 2016, the university signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the General Authority for Sports, aiming to increase participation in sports to 40% by 2030.
Sustainable Design
Water recycling plant
Solar thermal plant
4000 sq. meters of Solar Panels, which provide 16% of heating and 18% of air-conditioning needs
38 of the university's buildings, totaling a million square meters, have been submitted for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating and the library has applied for the second highest LEED "Gold" rating.
Central Library
The library holds over 2 million books in both Arabic and English with a maximum capacity of 5 million, in addition to numerous journal subscriptions, government publications, dissertations, databases, and manuscripts.
Research Centers
Social Research and Women's Studies
Social Science Research.
Women's Studies Research
Human and Social Development Research
Natural Sciences Research Center
Aljazeera Chair
Academic Societies Established
Saudi Society for Child Care.
Arabic Language Society.
Student Support Centers
Clubs and Student Councils
Meeting Rooms and Offices
Media and screening rooms
Restaurants and Cafes
Banquet Halls
Bookstore
Pharmacy
Supermarket
Bank
Convention center
2 large halls
2,700 seats (largest in the country)
1,350 seats
13 conference and meeting rooms.
Transportation
Due to the physical size of the campus, an efficient means of transporting students needed to be developed. To this end, an 11.5 km automated guideway transit system, the Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University Automated People Mover (PNU-APM), was constructed. The network, built to light metro standards, opened in 2012 and has 4 lines and 14 stations. It has 22 two car AnsaldoBreda Driverless Metro trains, each having a maximum capacity of up to 110 passengers and a maximum speed of 60 km/h. The driverless technology used in the trains is the same as that of the Copenhagen Metro.
International partnerships
University of Auckland in New Zealand
University of Southern Denmark in Scandinavia
Valencia College in the United States
Rouen University in France
Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands
Monash University in Australia
Dublin City University in Ireland
Memberships in Regional and International Associations
International Association of Universities
Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World
Association of Arab Universities
The Society of Arab Universities
The Scientific Society of Arab Nursing Faculties
Colleges of Computing and Information Society
Association of Social Services
American Council on Education
Association of Colleges of Fine Arts
Scientific Society for Arab Faculties f Medicine
Society of Colleges of Science
See also
Education in Saudi Arabia
List of universities and colleges in Saudi Arabia
Women's rights in Saudi Arabia
References
External links
Official site in Arabic and in English
Aerial view and building photos
Photographs from Tridonic.fr
Dedication of the new campus by King Abdullah (video)
1970 establishments in Saudi Arabia
Universities and colleges established in 1970
Education in Riyadh
Universities and colleges in Saudi Arabia
Women's universities and colleges in Saudi Arabia