SAUDI GAZETTE JEDDAH — Prince Muqrin University in Madinah has modified curriculum and admission norms to be on a par with international universities. In addition, the university has also modified its organizational framework. This was announced by Prince Muqrin Bin Abdulaziz, chairman of Al-Bayan Charitable Foundation for Education and honorary chairman of the university's council. Speaking at a press conference Wednesday night on the sidelines of a meeting of the university's board of trustees, Prince Mansour Bin Muqrin, chairman of the board, pointed that the university offers two majors, which are not available in any other university in the Kingdom, namely computer forensics and mechatronics. He said these majors are crucial for the Ministry of Interior and public sector ventures such as SABIC and Saudi Aramco. In addition, Prince Mansour said other computer specializations at the university included video games and animation technology, which allow students to start their own companies after graduation, instead of looking for jobs. The cost of equipment for these specializations, which are introduced in an attempt to meet the job markets needs, exceeded SR28 million. The university, said the prince, offers scholarships for different students, especially the children of martyrs. The scholarships are instituted by companies and banks, in addition to a university endowment specified for the purpose. Asked about plans to introduce postgraduate programs, Prince Mansour said they would consider this matter after the graduation of the first batch of students from the university. "We have now 650 students in the preparatory year and we are still young. We are still building the foundation and it is too early to talk about establishing other branches of the university," he explained. According to Prince Mansour, the university is following up necessary paperwork with the government to be able to accept students from Europe and the US. Asked about the role of women in the university, he said the board of trustees decided to assign Ilham Hassan as the deputy of the university for both boys and girls sections. "We are proud of our female students who have great ambitions," he said.
