Universiti King Saud, Riyadh.

King Saud University (KSU, Arabic: جامعة الملك سعود‎) is a public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, founded in 1957 by King Saud bin Abdulaziz as Riyadh University, as the first university in the kingdom not dedicated to religious subjects. The university was created to meet the shortage of skilled workers in Saudi Arabia. It was renamed to King Saud University in 1982.

The student body of KSU today consists of about 51,168 students of both sexes. The female students have their own disciplinary panel, and there is a center supervising the progress of female students, either personally by female faculty members or by male faculty members via a closed television network. The university offers courses in the natural sciences, the humanities, and professional studies, for which it charges no tuition. The medium of instruction in undergraduate programs is English except for Arabic and Islamic subjects.

History

Establishing Saudi Arabia’s first university was a response to the educational and professional needs of a young nation. King Abdulaziz became king in 1932, and began laying the foundations for modernizing his country and establishing an educational system. In 1953 King Saud, the eldest son of Abdulaziz, acceded to the throne upon his father's death, and instituted the Council of Ministers and the Ministry Education.

Prince Fahd, who eventually became the Saudi King, was the first minister of education. Following the first session of the Council of Ministers, he announced that the first Saudi University would be established as a house of culture and sciences. Prince Fahd said that he was committed to promoting higher education.

In 1957, according to the dictates of the Royal Decree No. 17, Prince Fahd announced the founding of King Saud University, established in order to,

“Disseminate and promote knowledge in Our Kingdom for widening the base of scientific and literary study, and for keeping abreast with other nations in the arts and sciences and for contributing with them discovery and invention, in addition to reviving Islamic civilization and articulate its benefits and glories, along with its ambitions to nurture the young virtuously and to guarantee their healthy minds and ethics.”

Students began studying at the College of Arts in the 1957-58 academic year. Since then KSU developed further according to the needs of the nation.

Between 1958 and 1960 the College of Sciences, the College of Business (now the College of Public Administration) and the College of Pharmacy were established.

Royal Decree no. 112 of 1961 recognized that King Saud University was an independent legal entity, with a budget of its own, responsible for higher education, promoting scholarly research, and advancement of sciences and arts in the country. Naming the Minister of Education as the President of the university, the Statute ordered that the University have a Vice President and Secretary General, and that each college and institute have a Dean, Vice Dean, and a council.

In 1965 the College of Agriculture was established and KSU assumed control over the Colleges of Engineering and Education, formerly under the Ministry of Education in cooperation with UNESCO.

University of Riyadh

Royal Decree no M/11 of 1967 enforced the Statute of the University of Riyadh (currently King Saud University), rescinding all earlier statutes, bylaws, and regulations. Of the main landmarks of the new Statute is the creation of the Higher Council of the University as one of its administrative powers. The membership of the new council includes two active or inactive university Presidents, two faculty members who had assumed such positions outside the country, or two native leading intellectuals.

The Higher Council of the University is the dominant power over the university affairs: it draws out policies, issues decisions to implement and achieve the objectives of the university (especially those pertaining to the creation of new colleges and departments), proposes budgets, and systems of faculty salaries, annuities, and financial awards.

Royal Decree no M/6 of 1972 superseded the Statute of 1967. With the new Statute, the membership of the Higher Council of the University includes five active or inactive university Presidents, or native leading intellectuals. To the council are also added the University Secretary General and two other non-university members. Again, the Statute dictates the creation of an Academic Council overlooking scholarly research and studies. The Higher Council of the University issues the bylaws governing the number of the Academic Council’s members, responsibilities, and powers.

These decrees were issued in response to the growing and widening needs of the university as the establishment of new colleges started. Between 1958 and 1960, three colleges were established: the College of Sciences, College of Business (now the College of Public Administration) and the College of Pharmacy. In 1961/1962 women were first admitted into the College of Arts and the College of Public Administration.

Five years later the College of Agriculture was established. In the same year the College of Engineering and College of Education, having been under the Ministry of Education in cooperation with the UNESCO, were annexed to the University. A year later (1969/1970) the College of Medicine opened. In 1974/1975 the Arabic Language Institute was inaugurated to serve non-Arabic speakers. At this time deanships of Admission and Registration, Students Affairs, Libraries were also established. Again, a year later (1976) the College of Dentistry and the College of Applied Medical Sciences were added to the Riyadh campus, while launching at the same time the Abha based campus with the College of Education. In 1977 the Graduate College assumed its office in supervising and organizing all graduate programs in the various departments of the University.

At Abha, the College of Medicine was established according to Royal Order no. 3/M/380 of 1979 and was added to the University according Royal Directive no. 15128 of 29/6/1400H. Formal study there started in the academic year of 1980/1981.

In 1980 another branch of the University opened at Qassim with three colleges: Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine, and Economics and Administration. Formal study started in 1980/1981 academic year.

King Saud University

In 1981, celebrating its 25th anniversary, the University of Riyadh went back to its original name of King Saud University at the orders of King Khalid bin Abdulaziz. In that year, too, the Deanship of Community Service and Continuing Education replaced the Center for Community Service, and King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) was formally opened.

Two years later (1983) two other colleges were created: the College of Computer and Information Science Sciences and the College of Architecture and Planning. Later, in 1990, the Institute of Languages and Translation was established to be turned four years later into the full-fledged College of Languages and Translation.

In 1993, the Royal ratification of the System of the Council of Higher Education and Universities was issued dictating that each university form its own Council which attends to its academic, administrative, and financial affairs, and carries out its general policy.

In 1996, the Council of Higher Education issued its decision no. 1282/A approving the creation of the Center for Consulting and Research which was renamed King Abdullah Center for Consulting and Research.

In 1997, Royal Decree no. 33 dictated the creation of a King Saud University Community College in Jazan, as well as the establishment of the College of Sciences at the Qassim campus.

In 1998, Royal Order no. 7/78/M of 11/3/1419 decreed that King Khalid University be created in the south. The branches of Imam University and of King Saud University consequently formed the new university. In the same year, after the issuance of the unified regulations for Graduate Studies at Saudi universities, the Graduate College became the Deanship of Graduate Studies, and the Deanship of Academic Research was established in accordance with the dictates of the System of Academic Research issued that year.

In 2000, the College of Medicine was established at the Qassim campus, and the Deanship of Community Service and Continuing Education was turned into the College of Applied Studies and Community Service.

In 2001, the Community College in Riyadh was inaugurated according to the Cabinet Council no. 73. During the academic year of 2002/2003 the College of Science at Al-Jouf was established. That same year the College of Engineering was opened at the Qassim campus, and the creation of community colleges at Al-Majma’ah, Al-Aflaj, and Al-Qurayat was approved.

Beginning with the academic year 2003/2004 Qassim campus became an independent university. On 2003, the Council of Higher Education approved the promotion of the Department of Nursing, College of Applied Medical Sciences, into the College of Nursing.

Former presidents

The following were the Presidents of University since its inception:

·         Abdulwahab Mohammed Azzam        1957-1959

·         Sheikh Nasser Al Manqour     1959-1960

·         Abdulaziz bin Muhammad Al Khwaiter          1961-1971

·         Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Fadda         1971-1979

·         Mansour bin Ibrahim Al Turki            1979-1990

·         Ahmad bin Muhammad Al Dhubaib   1990-1995

·         Abdullah bin Muhammad Al Faisal    1995-2007

·         Abdullah Al Othman   2007-2012

·         Badran Al Omar          2012- now

Libraries

King Saud University has a total of eighteen libraries, making up the main nerve of the academic and learning disciplines of the university. At the time of its transition into its current location, the university added the collections of nine of its libraries to the main library, thereby forming the central library. Later renamed Prince Salman’s Central library, it now enjoys seven branch libraries. Ideally housed in its seven floor building, with an area of 51400 square meters and more than 4000 reading seats, the central library occupies a central location among colleges and facilities, providing students, faculties, employees and other members of the community easy access to its location and holdings. Its collections include books, periodicals, manuscripts, government publications, academic theses, dissertations, press clippings, audio-visual and electronic media. The Libraries Deanship launched this site to help Internet surfers and interested individuals gain access to catalogs, holding locations, galleries, and electronic databases, along with other different facilities.

King Abdulaziz University Hospital

The first university Hospital was King Abdulaziz University Hospital which was originally founded in 1956 but only got affiliated to the college in 1976. This facility now specializes in ENT and ophthalmology. These two departments are among the largest in the Middle East in these specialties. They host skilled physicians in all subspecialties of ENT and ophthalmology as well as world class researchers. In addition, it contains some general medical and pediatric services as well as the university diabetes center. All care is free of charge for all King Saud University staff and students. The hospital provides primary and secondary care services for Saudi patients from Northern Riyadh area. It also provides tertiary care services to all Saudi citizens on referral basis.

King Khalid University Hospital

In 1982, a dedicated university hospital was opened and was named King Khalid University Hospital. This facility is an 850-bed facility with all general and subspecialty medical services. It contains a special outpatient building, more than 20 operating rooms, and a fully equipped and staffed laboratory, radiology, and pharmacy services in addition to all other supporting services. The hospital provides primary and secondary care services for Saudi patients from Northern Riyadh area. It also provides tertiary care services to all Saudi citizens on referral bases. All care is free of charge for all King Saud University staff and students.

Research Centers

    Center of Excellence for Research in Engineering Materials

    Faculty of Pharmacy Research Center

    Faculty of Engineering Research Center

    Faculty of Food and Agriculture Sciences Research Center

    Faculty of Science Research Center

    Faculty of Arts Research Center

    Faculty of Languages and Translation Research Center

    Faculty of Education Research Center

    Faculty of Administration Science Research center

    Faculty of Medicine Research Center

    Faculty of Computer Science and Information Research Center

    Faculty of Applied Medical Science Research Center

    Faculty of Architecture and Planning Research Center

    The Research Center of the Science and Medical studies Departments

    Research Center for University Studies in Aleeshah

    Research Center for University Studies in library

    Research Chairs Program

Academics

The university offers a broad range of undergraduate courses in the natural sciences, the social sciences, the humanities and professional studies. Tuition is completely free and generous scholarships are available for Saudi and international students. The medium of instruction in undergraduate programs is English except for Arabic and Islamic subjects. Applicants are required to pass an Arabic examination if they are from a non-Arabic speaking country. English language support at all levels is provided by the Languages Unit.

List of colleges

    Preparatory Year Program

Science Colleges

    College of Architecture and Planning,

    College of Business Administration,

    College of Engineering,

    College of Science,

    College of Foods And Agriculture,

    College of computer and Information Sciences,

Health Colleges

    College of Medicine,

    College of Dentistry,

    College of Pharmacy,

    College of Applied Medical Sciences,

    College of Nursing,

    College of Health Sciences,

Humanities Colleges

    College of Arts,

    College of Education,

    College of Law and Political Science,

    College of Languages and Translation,

    College of Tourism & Archaeology,

    Arabic Language Institute,

    College of Teaching

Community Colleges

    College of Applied Studies and Community Service,

    Community College in ALRiyadh

College of Medicine

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia witnesses exceptional progress in many fields such as health and science. The King Saud University College of Medicine was established in 1967 during the reign of King Faisal. Actual studies began in 1969. The choice of members for the Teaching Board and the supervision of exams until 1978 were done cooperatively between the faculty and the University of London. In 1974/1975, the College opened a special department for female students and incorporated the Ministry of Health’s Prince ts name was changed to King Abdulaziz University Hospital to be utilized for training male and female students in the clinical stage. At the 25th anniversary of inauguration of King Saud University 1981, the building of College of Medicine and King Khalid University Hospital were inaugurated for teaching and health services. The College has also made agreements with different universities in America, Canada and U.K. to support this Academic Board in the College and to train graduate Saudi doctors, as well as to provide preparation for their higher studies and specialization in different medical disciplines.

College of Science

The College of Science was established in 1958, one year after the founding of King Saud University. The College began with six departments: geology, zoology, botany, physics, chemistry, and mathematics. In the beginning, the College had few students and a small number of lectures halls and laboratories. In keeping with the growth of the university at large, the College has witnessed considerable progress in many respects. The number of departments has increased, laboratories have improved, and the College now attracts a large number of students.

College of Engineering

The College of Engineering was established as a joint project between the Ministry of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and UNESCO in November 1962. This project lasted until 1969 when the College of Engineering became an official part of King Saud University.

The college started with three departments: the department of civil engineering (CE), the department of electrical engineering (EE), and the department of mechanical engineering (ME). In 1968, the department of architecture was established and it became a college in 1984 under the name the College of Architecture and Planning.

In 1974 two departments were established: the department of chemical engineering (CHE) and the department of petroleum engineering (PE). In 1988 surveying engineering (SE) was also established as a program in the department of civil engineering. In 1982, the program of industrial engineering was established in the department of mechanical engineering. Later on the program became the department of industrial engineering (IE) in 2002. In sum, there are now seven departments offering the Bachelor of Science Degree in the following fields;

    1. Electrical Engineering

    2. Civil Engineering

    3. Surveying Engineering

    4. Mechanical Engineering

    5. Industrial Engineering

    6. Chemical Engineering

    7. Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering

The number of students of the college has risen from 17 in 1962 to more than 4000 students in 2005. The Faculty members have similarly grown in number from 4 to 210 (including lecturers and teaching assistants) within the same time span.

Student life

Foreign students

University also offers foreign students the opportunity to enroll through the Vice Rectorate for Knowledge Exchange and Technology Transfer in the fields of Engineering, sciences, medicine, and arts.

Student aid and housing

The University offers students 910 SR/month (245 $), 50% discount on foreign books, and free residence fully furnished at university housing/hostels complex, free food within university restaurant, free medical treatment, full return tickets to their country.