ASIIN (a German accrediting organization) granted full certification to the Bachelor programs in Biotechnology and Environmental Biology. The accreditation procedure included a detailed examination of the curriculum, evaluation methodologies, and the competency of the personnel appointed. The accreditation has resulted in a significant improvement in the degree plan, resulting in high-quality biology courses on offer. Our program strives to provide graduates with the skills and knowledge required to meet the highest international standards. We are happy that a number of our alumni presently hold positions of leadership in decision-making in both the public and commercial sectors.

The Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry has been accredited by the CSC for the period 2014-2019 and an extension was granted to 2021 due to the pandemic. The accreditation process included examination by the CSC of a Self-Study document prepared by the department followed by a site-visit conducted by two CSC experts appointed by the society. Based on that the department received a full report documenting the strengths of the degree and the areas where improvements are required. The department and the degree program have received high rating from the CSC in its first cycle of accreditation, considering both the curricula and the facilities are of international standards. Moreover, the suggestions received by the department from the CSC have been taken into consideration and the Chemistry degree plan was modified to satisfy these suggestions such as adding a Biological Chemistry core course to comply with international standards of chemical education.

In 2022, the Department of Chemistry went through the accrediting process for its two undergraduate degrees, (B.Sc. Chemistry (second cycle) and B.Sc. Applied Chemistry (first cycle)). The process is reaching its final stages. The site visit was completed, and the preliminary report was received. The final official CSC report and certificate are expected before the end of the summer 2023.

The BSc. in Computer Science has undergone an accreditation evaluation by ABET during the 2016-2017 cycle. Full accreditation was granted to the program from 2015 to 2023.

An online re-accreditation visit was conducted in December 2022; no deficiencies, weaknesses or concerns were reported by the reviewers. The official results will be announced in August 2023.

Earth Sciences 

Successful Accreditation of the Department of Earth Sciences by the Geological Society of London (GSL) Exhibiting its commitment to the mission and vision of the Department of Earth Sciences, the Department in 2013 applied to the Geological Society of London for accreditation of its undergraduate

Earth Science and Geophysics programs. In response, the Geological Society, London critically assessed our two programs for over a year in order to ensure that our courses meet the standards established by the accrediting body. Now, I am delighted to inform that our BSc Earth Sciences (Geology) and Geophysics programs have been accredited by the Geological Society for a period of 6 years starting October 2014. Students who will be graduating this year are privileged in having an accredited degree. In the given scenario, I would like to briefly outline the advantages of accreditation. The process of accreditation, as we know, helps the Department to realize its strengths, challenges and opportunities to augment the delivery of innovative and modern methods of pedagogy. Moreover, it also provides insights on essential skills and knowledge needed for today’s job market. Accreditation also enhances the Department’s inter- and intra-institutional interactions, reputation, marketing, and represents peer recognition. In addition, accreditation encourages academic and technical staff to continue self-evaluation, and pursue excellence in order to maintain an effective system of imparting knowledge. It provides national and international acceptance on the quality of education being offered at the SQU and in the Sultanate of Oman. Accredited programs enhance employment opportunities for the Department graduates by having an internationally recognized degree. It also can be used as a measure for recruiting the best academic staff and researchers. Taking this opportunity I would like to thank Department’s staff for their untiring support, in particular the Department’s Accreditation Committee Members for their hard work in preparing documents. I also would like to acknowledge the College of Science and SQU for all their support to make this process successful. I also extend my gratitude to the oil companies operating in the Sultanate of Oman and to the government sector institutions for their continuous support to academic activities in the Department. In the meantime, as we progress in our academic excellence, I encourage all the Department personnel to continue working with great enthusiasm and motivation to meet our academic and research goals as specified in the Department’s mission and vision.  I extend sincere congratulations to one and all on this successful endeavor.

Dr. Salah Al-Khirbash,

Earth Science Department, Head

ASIIN (a German accrediting organization) granted full certification to the Bachelor programs in Biotechnology and Environmental Biology. The accreditation procedure included a detailed examination of the curriculum, evaluation methodologies, and the competency of the personnel appointed. The accreditation has resulted in a significant improvement in the degree plan, resulting in high-quality biology courses on offer. Our program strives to provide graduates with the skills and knowledge required to meet the highest international standards. We are happy that a number of our alumni presently hold positions of leadership in decision-making in both the public and commercial sectors.

The Bachelor program in Mathematics received full accreditation by ASIIN (a German accreditation agency). The accreditation process involved a thorough review of the curriculum, assessment methods, and quality of staff. The accreditation has led to a substantial improvement of the degree plan, which results in offering high quality applied and pure mathematics courses. Our graduates are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge at the highest international standards. We are proud that a number of our graduates currently have leading roles in decision making in various areas in public and private sectors. 

ASIIN, a German Accreditation Agency, has accredited the Bachelor Program in Physics since 2018. The accreditation process included the concepts, content and implementation of the program, the examination system, the program resources, the transparency and documentation systems and the quality management of the program. Because of the accreditation, the Physics Department has upgraded the Final Year Project to six credit hours, introduced a core physics internship and oral examinations in all higher-level courses. The Program is currently undergoing the second cycle of accreditation with the same agency.

The Department of Statistics is maintains high and competitive international standard in training and research. The programs of study are internationally accredited. Credit goes to the Adhoc Committee members who participated in this task: Dr. Khidir Abdelbasit (Chair), Dr. Charles Bakheit and Dr. Ronald Wesonga (Rapporteur).