Yearlong industry placements part of degree program at Muscat University

Muscat: Yearlong placements along with the degree program will be a major feature at Muscat University, Oman’s latest Higher Education Institution.
Apart from the focus on high quality education, the university intends to bridge the gap between the student knowledge and the industry and has therefore introduced year long placement programs as part of their degree program, which will allow students to apply what they learn at the university and at the same time gain experience.
“Focus on the quality of education is the topmost priority for Muscat University (MU) - it’s not about the number of students. We are not keen on getting thousands of students, but the ones who can fit into the competent curriculum we offer at MU. If we don’t get enough students in time, we will stop operating,” said an official from the university.
“All of our programs including Foundation, Bachelors and Masters are challenging and it is important that students have a good level English if they want to gain knowledge and complete them successfully. Our IELTS requirement for getting into the foundation program is 4.5, for Bachelors programs it is 6 and for Masters the required score is 6.5.”
MU’s Bachelors and Masters programs are affiliated with those of Aston University and Cranfield Universities respectively, both of which are located in the UK. MU will also have professors flying from the two universities to give lectures to the students here.
Those applying will also have their application reviewed by either of the two universities depending on whether the application is for a Bachelors of Masters program. Only after getting the nod from one of the two institutions will the student be accepted.
“We have a real affiliation with the two universities, our curriculum is the same as offered there, and any student who is a student of MU is also a student of Aston or Cranfield University depending on whether they are studying a Bachelors or a Masters here.
“For example a Bachelors student of MU can go to the Aston University campus in the UK and use their library as a normal student.”
The university has 37 founders, many of who are also business leaders in Oman and the university is further going to explore part- study programs at Aston and Cranfield Universities. Their new building in Al Ghubra will be ready by the summer of 2017 and will be ready to welcome about 250 to 300 students across all their study programs.