College of Engineering

Welcome to the College of Engineering (CEN) at American University of Sharjah (AUS).

As one the Middle East’s top-ranked engineering colleges, CEN empowers the next generation of innovators, problem solvers, independent thinkers, global citizens, entrepreneurs and leaders that will impact the future of the world. We provide a life-changing experience to students inside and outside the classroom to help them excel as engineers and computer scientists. Our faculty engage in cutting-edge research that inspires students during their educational experience at AUS. The college continues to reinvent itself and ensure state-of-the-art infrastructure to meet the changing needs of students, faculty and community. The college forges strong ties, collaborations, and alliances with alumni, industry, government, and community.

With a strong track record of excellence, the college offers a wide choice of programs, including ten undergraduate programs: chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, industrial engineering and mechanical engineering. It also offers 10 master’s programs, including biomedical engineering, mechatronics engineering, engineering systems management, construction management, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering, in addition to two PhD programs in engineering systems management and another in biosciences and bioengineering. Our undergraduate and graduate programs are accredited by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the Ministry of Education's Higher Education Affairs Division in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). All undergraduate programs are accredited by their respective commissions of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

The excellence of our programs has been recognized both within the UAE and internationally. As per the 2024 QS World University Subject Rankings, our engineering and computer science programs are ranked #365 worldwide. The civil engineering program is ranked #1 (tied) in the UAE and among the top 200 worldwide. Furthermore, AUS engineering and computer science graduates are rated as the top choice for employers in the UAE as per the 2023 QS World University Rankings.

Our college continuously strives to improve our undergraduate and graduate curricula to better meet the needs of today's students and employers. Many of our courses have laboratory components that enrich the students' learning experience, allowing them to be exposed to theory and practice. Project-based learning is also implemented in many courses. Undergraduate students are also encouraged to seek industry-sponsored graduation projects and are required to do an industry internship before graduation. We provide our students with an outstanding educational experience that prepares them to achieve the highest personal and professional goals.

In Fall 2023, the college launched CEN 2.0, in which major changes were implemented in all seven undergraduate programs to ensure all programs are robust and better meet student needs. The changes included (1) reducing the number of credit hours needed for graduation, which will help in reducing the study time and cost; (2) integrating data analytics, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and advanced technology throughout all four years of the undergraduate students’ study at CEN; (3) adding new core and elective courses focusing on emerging areas in engineering and tailored to meet industry demand; (4) offering new sustainability-related courses, preparing them for future jobs where sustainability will be key, regardless of the profession or industry; (5) improving the college’s First Year Engineering Experience that will help enhance the student’s university life and better understand the discipline of engineering; (6) placing greater emphasis on practical learning by allowing students to spend more time in the college’s new laboratories, which feature state-of-the-art equipment; (7) completing a 16-week internship prior to graduation which will increase the student’s employability and workplace readiness; and (8) enhancing the students’ soft skills including entrepreneurship, leadership, teamwork, communication and other essential areas to support their success in the workforce.

In addition to the changes brought about as part of CEN2.0, several new programs were launched in Fall 2024. These include the Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biological Engineering, the Bachelor of Science in Digital Construction Engineering and Management, the Bachelor of Science in Intelligent Systems and Mechatronics Engineering, the Master of Science in Machine Learning, and a minor in Safety and Fire Protection Engineering.

Our curriculum follows the American model with a strong emphasis on technical competence in addition to 21st century skills, including communication, leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation. Students are also exposed to a variety of liberal art courses that widen their perspective and help them better shape the future. The college keeps pace with current trends including artificial intelligence, data science, smart cities, robotics, internet of things, virtual and augmented reality, bioinformatics and sustainability.

In September 2019, the College of Engineering moved to a new state-of-the-art environmentally sustainable building (21,000 sq. meters) with smart classrooms and labs. CEN has more than 50 labs equipped with the latest technologies spread over three buildings with a total size of 38,000 sq. meters. CEN employs various smart digital solutions to improve the student’s learning and university experience, such as electronic advising and attendance monitoring.

Aligning with the university's dedication to research excellence, our research centers are driving transformative and innovative solutions across various disciplines. Our three research centers include: the Energy, Water and Sustainable Environment Research Center, Advanced Biosciences and Bioengineering Research Center and Artificial Intelligence, Smart Infrastructure and Robotics Research Center. A fourth research center on Materials Research is developed in collaboration with the College of Arts and Science.

CEN currently has 96 outstanding full-time faculty, with 84 percent having earned their PhDs from leading universities in the US and Canada, 10 percent from leading universities in the UK, and 4 percent from leading universities in EU. Representing diverse backgrounds, our faculty members and have the required knowledge and expertise in their fields of specialization to deliver quality education. Most faculty have prior industry and teaching experience in the US, Canada or elsewhere. Several faculty members hold prestigious endowed chaired research positions sponsored by industry, such as the Petrofac Research Chair in Renewable Energy, Dana Gas Chair in Engineering, and the Riad T. Sadek Chair in Civil Engineering. Our faculty are actively engaged in numerous research projects in their respective disciplines. 

Many of our faculty have received prestigious awards such as the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC)/Airbus Diversity Award, Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Young Arab Researchers, Khalifa Award for Higher Education, Sheikh Rashid's Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement, Technology Innovation Pioneer Award and the IBM Faculty Research Grant Award.

The college also has 25 excellent lab instructors who hold at least a master's degree and are highly experienced. The smooth functioning of the college is supported by 21 qualified staff members.

Our student body consists of 2,700 students and is quite diverse, representing 70 nationalities. The percentage of female students is among the highest worldwide, reaching 35 percent in our programs. We admit the brightest students from UAE and around the world.

We prepare our students for employability through a career hub that provides personalized services. The College has strong ties with strategic industry partners through the Engineering Al Nukhba Program which provides students with various internship opportunities. In many cases, the students elect to extend the internship work to be their graduation project or work on an industry-sponsored senior design project that has a positive impact on the society. Students are encouraged to commercialize their university project ideas through the recently launched Product Development Program. They can also enhance their educational experience and strengthen their community engagement through the CEN makerspace. The college is also partnering with top international universities to enable students to earn world-class postgraduate education as part of a “4+1” Accelerated Program or Dual Degree Master’s Program.

Many of our graduates have gone on to higher education at prominent universities around the world including MIT, Stanford University, Columbia University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Texas at Austin, University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, Iowa State University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Toronto, McGill University, Carleton University, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, King’s College London and University College London.

Our graduates are highly employable and have joined the workforce with local and multinational companies both in UAE and abroad. Examples include Google, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, GE, SAP, Accenture, Dell, HPE, Schlumberger, Amazon, Schneider Electric, Petrofac, Henkel, Siemens, Baker Hughes, Cummins Middle East, Proctor & Gamble, PWC, EY, Nielsen, Xerox, MBC, Etisalat, Du, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates Airlines, Emirates Global Aluminum, Abu Dhabi Police, Dubai Police, Sharjah Police, Bee'ah, Adnoc, Expo 2020, Injazat, Telecommunication Regularity Authority, Road and Transportation Authority, Prime Minister's Office, Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, The UAE Cabinet, UAE Space Agency, Civil Aviation Authority, Yahsat and Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre.

We are proud of the impact our students and alumni are making in the world, in both the private and public sectors. Some of our graduates have become CEOs of large corporations and state ministers. Others have chosen the entrepreneurship track and started their own companies such as Musafir.com, Global Invisions Group, Keno, Aebiss, Zero Ohm Electronics, Lubrex, Rentech Systems, Tayar and CG-Interactive.

Our students have won many local and international competitions. Examples include Sandooq Al Watan Research Award, Sharjah Islamic Bank (SIB) Annual Student Research Award, Microsoft's Imagine Cup, ACM/Gulf Programming Contest, IEEE UAE Student Day, Cyber Quest Security Competition, GE DigiNation Hackathon, Accenture Hackathon, KPMG Innovation and Collaboration Challenge Competition, Dubai Police Capture the Flag Cyber Security Challenge, Dubai Health Authority (DHA) Hackathon, Sharjah Sustainability Award, L'Oreal Brandstorm Challenge, Unilever Hackathon, MBRSC Space Hackathon Challenge, KUSTAR Mobile Application Contest, and Emirates Think Science Competition. Other students, both undergraduate and graduate, actively participated with faculty in their research and published in top journals and conferences.

Other students, both undergraduate and graduate, actively participated with faculty in their research, received AUS research grants, and published in top journals and conferences.

In order to further empower our students, the college houses several recognized industry certification programs: Cisco, HP, Red Hat, Amazon AWS, IBM, SAP, VMware, and Drone Academy. These valuable titles and certifications are very helpful in enhancing our students' skills and job prospects.

Students have an opportunity to participate in exchange, study abroad, business incubation programs, research, and join a large number of student clubs and honor societies for extracurricular activities.

The College of Engineering at AUS offers its students extraordinary opportunities. I encourage you to visit us in person and learn about the impact that our students, alumni, faculty and staff are making to build a better tomorrow. We look forward to sharing more with you about the exciting and rewarding fields of engineering and computer science at AUS.

Sincerely,
Fadi Aloul, PhD, CISSP

Dean | College of Engineering
Professor | Department of Computer Science and Engineering
American University of Sharjah