Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi, Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah and President of American University of Sharjah (AUS), the university held its first Graduate Studies Awareness Week this week. Themed "Empowering Career Development," the event highlighted some of the unique features of the university's 13 master's degree programs.

Organized to present new features of its programs for graduates and executives, the Graduate Studies Awareness Week was attended by students and industry professionals looking to advance their management skills, as well as developing their own professional expertise. Designed to meet the needs of working professionals, the AUS master's degree programs help graduates and executives enhance their professional development.

In his welcome note, Dr. Thomas Hochstettler, Provost and Acting Chancellor of AUS, said, "We were established by His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, who wanted to create a teaching institution that developed indigenous talent and helped the country get away from the habit of importing it. Over time, we have demonstrated that we can turn out top-quality graduates, contribute to research and development at a global level, and attract top international talent as faculty. Excellence is in our DNA and we have improved the level of graduate courses available in the region. And now we are contemplating the initiation of doctoral courses to fully utilize the talent of our ever-expanding infrastructure and qualified faculty."

AUS graduate programs have witnessed a 73 percent growth in enrollment with the numbers of graduate students enrolled rising from 255 in Fall 2008 to 441 in Fall 2012.

Presenting an overview of graduate programs at AUS, Dr. Khaled Assaleh, Director, Graduate Studies, said, "Our graduate programs are outstanding due to many factors. These include quality of education that conforms to the best US standards, highly qualified and experienced full-time faculty, a track record of producing illustrious alumni, a well-developed research infrastructure, and a vibrant and diverse campus life. What most people do not realize is that, with a total outlay of AED 8 million per year, at least 30 percent of our graduate students receive full and partial graduate assistantships. This makes us one of the most cost-effective institutions as well."

Throughout the week, the graduate admissions team at AUS provided information and updates about graduate programs, answered questions about admissions or helped with applications.

Through its College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD), College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), College of Engineering (CEN), and School of Business and Management (SBM), AUS offers graduates and professionals from across the Arab world the opportunity to understand its vision for developing future leaders in their respective areas.

Ranked 401 among the top universities in the world and among the top 10 in the Arab world as per the QS Global University Rankings, AUS is a leading comprehensive co-educational university in the Gulf, serving students from the region and around the world. Based upon the American model of higher education, AUS is thoroughly grounded in Arab culture and is part of a larger process of the revitalization of intellectual life in the Middle East.