Program Structure
Program Structure
The teaching year is divided into three semesters; Fall, Spring, and Summer. Each semester consists of 15 weeks; 13 weeks of teaching contact hours and two weeks of reading and exams.
The academic year begins in late September and ends at the end of June, but in some Majors, you are allowed to join at the start of Semester B (Spring), in February.
A typical student, in full-time attendance mode of study, shall register for 33 credits in an academic year; in effect covering an average of 10-12 courses per annum.
A part-time student, however, may register for up to 24 credits in any academic year.
What you will study and when
Majors are part of a modular degree program that contains a combination of courses leading to gain 99 credits as a pre-condition for obtaining a first degree and become a graduate student.
A student registered for a full-time attendance mode shall take typically 33 credits per year.
For an accredited and validated degree, a student at Al Maaref University shall complete courses distributed into five levels.
Level one consists of 7 courses totaling 21 credits for University General Education.
As for level two, a student registers for three courses totaling nine credits for free Liberal Arts. All students are obliged to have Free Liberal Arts electives that contribute in fostering an intellectual and cultural understanding much needed in a professional environment. These Electives are selected from a pool of assigned courses by the University.
Requirements at level three are courses totaling 36 credits for core requirements. And courses totaling 27 credits for major requirements at level four.
To meet the specific interest in the field of study, students are expected to select some courses of a total value of 6 credits at level five. These are labeled Technical Electives. These Electives are selected from any of the optional courses offered by either of the other faculties per semester. These courses complement the major courses and foster the integrative capabilities that students need in preparation for the job market.
It is worth mentioning that students in the Faculty of Business Administration may register for a "Minor" beside his/her "Major". Therefore, in this case, it is possible to register a total of eighteen credits (6 courses) selected from any one of the other seven programs of study. Accordingly, a student will earn a major as well as an emphasis on a particular specialty of interest.
Each student who pursues a valid degree must have a cumulative total of 99 credits (or 33 courses) over a minimum of 3 years of full-time study.
The study period for a degree should meet a combination of different types of requirements that carry on different numbers of credits. The requirements are reflective of different levels of achievement of objectives and outcomes.