Islamic Education Department
The Department was established in the university in 1986. It started with three sections: Islamic Law (Sharia), Religion Foundations and Islamic Education. As education is linked to the requirements of the job market, the Sharia and Religious Foundations Sections were suspended in 1991, while the Islamic Education section continued. The Department focused its efforts on providing highly qualified cadres in the fields of education and academic research. The Department strategy agrees with the general strategy of the College to prepare professional teachers and qualify specialists educationally and pedagogically. The Department applies this strategy through its annual executive plans, active participation in academic research and community service. In 2011 the Master's degree program in Islamic Education was launched in the department.
Vision:
The department is committed to achieving excellence in academics and research and performing a distinguish community services by disseminating a moderate way of Islam.
Mission:
- To prepare specialists in Islamic studies and qualify them in all stages of general education to achieve excellence in academic research.
- To cooperate with governmental institutions and community service.
- To achieve excellence in academic research, seeking constant educational and professional development.
Department Objectives:
Through its work inside and outside the university, the Department seeks to achieve the following objectives:
- Prepare Islamic Education teachers in all stages of general education.
- Provide Omani society with specialists in Islamic sconces.
- Equip students with research skills specific to Islamic Sciences.
- Disseminate Islamic culture and awareness in Omani society through lectures, symposia and media.
- Instil Islamic values in students and apply them in practice.
- Make students aware of their role in disseminating Islam and equip them with knowledge about Islamic doctrines in general and Ibadhi doctrine in particular.
- Meet the requirements of community institutions majoring in Islamic education.
- Encourage individual and collaborative research among Department faculty.
- Equip students with the skills of using information technology in Islamic Sciences.
Bachelor's degree in Islamic Education
The program prepares Islamic Education teachers to teach in Basic and Post-Basic Education schools. It aims at building the enlightened Moslem who combines originality and contemporariness through the study of Quranic sciences, Hadith, Islamic Law (Sharia) and Faith and the Biography of the Prophet (Sira Nabawiya). In order for student teachers to possess competencies which enable them to teach these subjects, they study various educational courses (e.g. Curriculum and Methods of Teaching, Educational Psychology, Foundations of Education, and Instructional Technology). These are supplemented by practice in labs and microteaching sessions. In addition, they have to do teaching practice in Basic and Post-Basic education schools.
The program aims at providing students with skills of research and new technology to equip them in the fields of interpretation (Tafsir), tahqeeq and takhreej . To be enrolled in the Islamic Education major, a student must get a minimum grade of 'C' in Islamic culture, Basic Arabic Language and English. Then s/he will be interviewed to test for fluency in Arabic and desire to join the major to reflect the character of a teacher of Islamic Education.
Students enrolled in this program must complete (125) credit hours, distributed as follows:
- University requirements: (12 credit hours)
- Major requirements: (107 credit hours)
- Major electives: (6 credit hours)