Admission

Postgraduate programs are open to applicants who have strong academic records, proficiency in the language of instruction, and the potential for advanced study. Acceptance depends on the overall merit of the applicant and the number of available places. Applicants for postgraduate programs will be assigned to one of the two categories upon admission: unconditional or conditional. Those with deficiencies in some requirements will be required to address them before unconditional admission status is granted.

Categories of Admission

·         Unconditional Admission

Unconditional admission status is given to an applicant who meets all admission requirements.

·         Conditional Admission

Conditional admission status is given to an applicant who is admitted on the provision that one or more of the primary admission requirements, which may be lacking, will subsequently be fulfilled. 

Admission Procedures

The Deanship of Postgraduate Studies publishes the application and admission procedures and deadlines for all open postgraduate programs every year in coordination with Deanship of Admissions and Registration and the concerned colleges. These procedures include an interview and take place once a year for diploma and masters candidates but on an individual basis for doctoral candidates.  Where a program is offered in both full- and part-time modes the candidate must indicate, at the time of application for admission to the program, their preference.

Transfer of Credits 

Upon admission, and with approval of the departmental board, a maximum of 50% of the course work requirements in the degree plan may be transferred from another program. This may include coursework taken at a partner institution (see Section 3.2 Partnered Programs). However, course work that has been used in another academic degree will not be transferred into a student's course requirement. The department board administering the program will be charged with assessing the credit transfer equivalency and should report transfer of credits to the Deanship of Postgraduate Studies.

Course work to be transferred must meet the following criteria:

a.     Application for transfer credits should be submitted not later than the end of the Add/Drop period of the first semester.

b.    For an application for transfer of credits for courses taken during enrollment in the doctoral and masters programs, including an off-campus period, prior approval should be obtained from the student’s department board and the Deanship of Postgraduate Studies.

c.     Transfer credits must be from a recognized university or equivalent institution.

d.    The courses must appear on an official transcript.

e.     Credits transferred should not have been obtained more than three years before admission to the SQU program.

f.     Only courses with "B" grades (or equivalent) and above can be transferred.

g.    The courses must be equivalent to courses in the current program of study.

h.     Credits earned by correspondence do not qualify for transfer.

i.      Transferred credits will not be included in the CGPA calculation. 

Language Proficiency

Where the language of instruction is English, postgraduate diploma, masters and doctoral programs require evidence of the minimum English proficiency for admission. Candidates whose mother tongue is English and who can demonstrate proficiency in an interview with the Dean of Postgraduate Studies are exempted from this. Otherwise proof of competency must be demonstrated by either:

a.     Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 550 or higher (or equivalent in the new versions), or

b.    Band 6.0 or higher ranking on the academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS), with a minimum of 5 in each of its components.

 TOEFL or IELTS results are considered valid for entry to diploma or masters programs for two years after testing; entry to doctoral programs is exempted from these requirements if a masters degree with these requirements has been completed not more than two years prior to entry into the doctoral programs.

A candidate with IELTS 5.5 or TOEFL 500/197 may take a zero credit advanced English course during his/her first semester. Such a student will not register in any postgraduate courses. To gain admission in the program and register for postgraduate courses, he/she should pass with the equivalent of a "B" grade. The English course grade will be recorded on the transcript as PASS/NO PASS. 

The English proficiency level for conditional students to register in bridging courses will be specified by the department which offers the courses.

For programs where the main language of instruction is Arabic, the programs will designate minimum skill levels required in the Arabic language, and the English language.

Registration for postgraduate courses may be deferred for up to one year until the language requirement is met. During this period the student may not be able to register in any postgraduate courses. If there has been a deferment and a student thereafter wants to rejoin a program, approval of the concerned college is required. 

Deficiencies in the Specialisation

Candidates whose academic background is considered to be deficient in the proposed area of specialisation will be required to take some specified courses to cover the deficiencies. Such bridging courses must be completed with a CGPA of 2.75 within a period of one year. The departmental interview committee will define the bridging courses for each candidate at the time of admission. Waiving any bridging courses for any student will be subject to the approval of the Dean of Postgraduate Studies in consultation with the concerned college or department.