Qatari Graduates To Play Active Role In Economic Development Of The Nation

Increasingly relying on its younger generation of national talent to fulfil a broad set of roles across the economic spectrum will also help Qatar achieve its sustainable development targets outlined under Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030.

Reem Al Mohammed is an HBKU graduate from the College of Islamic Studies (CIS), Master of Science in Urban Design and Architecture programme. “My studies at HBKU have inspired me to look at the built environment from a fresh perspective,” she says. “I now have a greater understanding of the impact that the buildings we live in can have on our wellbeing and on the wellbeing of our societies.”

Programmes at HBKU have been designed to suit the immediate developmental needs of Qatar. These include programmes in translation studies, computer engineering, data science, Islamic finance, cyber security, the recently announced programme focusing on Genomics and Precision Medicine. The programmes seek to supply talent to those professions that are undergoing rapid expansion in the country and require highly skilled experts.

Graduating in the Executive Master in Energy and Resources programme, Talal Alsiddiqi believes that it is every Qatari’s duty to play a role in the nation’s progress in a way that fits their skills, expertise and experiences. “Everyone has responsibility to contribute to the community in his or her own way,” Alsiddiqi says.

At HBKU, state-of-the-art facilities are underpinned by a unique collaborative multi-disciplinary learning environment. Through workshops, public lectures, conferences, and expert guest speakers, students are supported by a holistic learning environment. This helps them assimilate knowledge from beyond their chosen field to inform their learning.

Ameena Al Haroon, graduating with a Master of Arts in Audiovisual Translation (MAAT) from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, said, “My studies have greatly expanded my knowledge of linguistics a great deal and helped me support my quantitative understanding of marketing. I’ve developed new insights that will be extremely useful in my future career.”

Shaikha Al Thani, who has been studying for a Master of Science degree in Islamic Finance at HBKU, shares similar feelings about the nature of her HBKU programme. “The level of teaching is very high and nowhere else in the region can you find a programme that offers such an in-depth look at this field.” Al Thani has been inspired to study Islamic finance by her family, many of whom are in the banking sector, and she says that her graduate education at HBKU has enabled her to fulfil her goal of joining them in an industry she is deeply passionate about.

Qatar is rightly proud of its rich cultural heritage and adherence to Islamic values and this is reflected in all the programs delivered throughout HBKU’s College of Islamic Studies. For Lolwa Al Thani, who graduates this year with a Master of Science in Urban Design and Architecture in Islamic Societies, Qatari traditions formed the core of her studies.

“I wanted to focus on studies which relate to my culture and stay within the Islamic boundaries. My studies have taken my previous knowledge and have greatly expanded upon it – exposing me to fascinating concepts and helping me formulate new ideas,” she said.

Originally published on www.thepeninsulaqatar.com