Developing Engineering Education in the Middle East Using the North American Model - What Assumptions Are Valid?

摘要

The development of aerospace and mechanical engineering programs at a new university in the United Arab Emirates is a challenging task. A new private, locally owned, university is providing all programs in English using the North American educational model in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Program development and regulation is significantly difference in the Gulf region than the United States and the diversity of student background and education challenging. Many established institutions have set up branch campuses to deliver programs with varying results. Programs that enroll student-nationals have to achieve accreditation by a governmental regulatory body for student-nationals to be eligible to work for the government. The sociopolitical aspects in the Middle East provide for significant interlocking of control and ownership by key people in the government structure. Most major corporations have significant government, or government official, ownership. The large number of public-private owned company's means that student-national employment is affected for most engineering opportunities and government accreditation is required to be competitive.