The Campus Complex

American University of Sharjah is situated in University City, which is located 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the center of Sharjah. The distinctive architecture of the domes and arches of the academic and administrative buildings is accentuated with graceful Arab motifs.

The center of the AUS campus comprises 11 academic buildings. The academic buildings house classrooms and lecture halls of various sizes; a state-of-the-art library; science, language, computer and engineering laboratories; workshops, digital studios and dark rooms; and offices for faculty, academic administrators and support staff.

The campus includes 12 student residential halls (eight for men and four for women) as well as a large Sports Complex and a Student Center. Approximately 50 percent of the student body lives in campus housing. Unlike most American campuses, faculty members and their families are required to live on campus. Thus, there is a large and continuous faculty presence at the heart of the campus, providing students with a learning and living environment that allows for on-going interaction with faculty members and their families.

The City of Sharjah

The location of the university enhances its mission. Sharjah is situated strategically between the Far East and the West, between Africa and Asia. Straddling the breadth of the UAE, the emirate of Sharjah has beautiful beaches on the shores of both the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Its landscape varies from level plains to rolling sand dunes and mountain ranges.

Today, as in ancient times, Sharjah is a global trade center. Modern Sharjah is a city of learning and the arts, as confirmed by its 1998 UNESCO designation as the Cultural Capital of the Arab World. This context facilitates the university’s intention to be an academic center at the intersection of ancient cultural traditions and contemporary intellectual currents. The city of Sharjah boasts over 27 museums with splendid collections of artifacts and art objects as well as exhibits on science and natural history.

These institutions are sites for field trips, research and possible internships. Sharjah hosts many cultural festivals, programs, educational conferences, fairs and economic expositions, including the annual book fair and the Sharjah International Biennial art exhibition. These resources permit AUS to broaden students’ formal education in a way not possible elsewhere in the region.