HH Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim al-Thani, HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani and HE Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti at the ceremony. Right: HH Sheikha Jawaher and other dignitaries at the ceremony.
A total of 1,041 female students from the Class of 2015 of Qatar University (QU) graduated yesterday at a ceremony graced by HH Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim al-Thani, wife of HH the Emir. A total of 381 male students had graduated on Wednesday.
The female graduates received their degree certificates from QU president Prof Sheikha Abdulla al-Misnad. A total of 136 students were honoured for achieving GPA 3.50 and above. The ceremony also saw the awarding of Qatar’s second PhD degree to Alaa Ghassan Aboutaqa from the Department of Civil Engineering. Male student Maan Mohamed Jalal Haj Rashid from the Computer Science and Engineering Department had received the first-ever PhD degree on Wednesday.
Also attending the ceremony were Qatar Museums chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, HE the Minister of Transport Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti, QU Board of Regents vice-chairman and Qatar Centre of Leadership managing director Sheikh Dr Abdullah bin Ali al-Thani, Qatari Businessmen Association chairman HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani as well as local dignitaries, QU vice-presidents and associate vice-presidents, deans, heads of departments, faculty, students’ relatives and alumni.
The new graduates comprised 924 Bachelors, 106 Masters, 10 PharmD and one Diploma. The undergraduate degrees by college represented 368 Arts & Sciences (CAS), 200 Business & Economics (CBE), nine College of Education (CED), 134 Engineering (CENG), 92 Law (LAWC), 21 College of Pharmacy (CPH) and 99 Shariah & Islamic Studies (CSIS).
Masters’ degrees by college were 26 CAS, 23 CBE, 12 CED, 35 CENG, four CPH and six CSIS. Ten students received Doctor of Pharmacy degrees, while one received diploma in education and one PhD in engineering.
Prof al-Misnad thanked HH Sheikha Jawaher for honouring the graduates and praised the students for achieving their academic goals.
She said QU continues to ensure that its academic and research environment is of a standard that motivates students to strive for success and excellence. The institution is committed to developing human capabilities and offering opportunities for students to gain knowledge, experience and skills that empower them to lifelong learning and to contribute to driving the country’s development and progress.
“QU is also committed to enriching its educational offerings, which is reflected in the establishment of the College of Medicine (CMED) based on a directive from HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. Along with the College of Pharmacy and programmes at the Health Sciences Department, CMED is designed to address the increasing need for Qatar-trained healthcare professionals and to support the country’s growing healthcare sector and national strategies in healthcare and education,” Prof al-Misnad explained.
“QU continues to support and engage female students to become leaders in the world of business and other professional sectors, and achieve success and development, and to help them in overcoming challenges, societal restrictions and cultural barriers, and in balancing time and responsibilities between their personal and professional life.”
Valedictorian Eiman al-Shammari of College of Arts & Sciences congratulated her colleagues, saying: “Today, we are preparing to start a new phase in our personal and professional lives. We have waited for a long time for this moment in our academic journey. On behalf of my colleagues, I extend our gratitude to our parents and faculty for their contribution in our success, for their invaluable support and for guiding us in our endeavours. We also thank Qatar University for providing us with high-quality academic programmes and with opportunities that unlocked our potential and shaped us with the best skills and knowledge.”