Qatar Foundation - Education

Education

In primary and secondary education, Qatar Foundation has several efforts:

• Qatar Academy and Qatar Academy Al Khor are K-12 schools that offer international and comprehensive academic programs.
• The Academic Bridge Program is a post-secondary school program that helps students transition from high school to university.
• Awsaj Institute of Education is an educational program providing assistance and interventions to students who experience academic difficulties.
• Qatar Leadership Academy is a partnership between Qatar Foundation and Qatar's Armed Forces, which aims to encourage not only the academic but also the athletic, social, and character development of its students.

In higher education, Qatar Foundation has established branch campuses of eight international universities at Education City (the education campus of Qatar Foundation):

• 1998 – Virginia Commonwealth University, programs in art and design
• 2002 – Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar opened, offering a two-year pre-medical Program and a four-year medical program leading to an MD
• 2003 – Texas A&M University at Qatar opened, offering programs in chemical, electrical, petroleum, and mechanical engineering
• 2004 – Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar opened, offering programs in computer science, business, and information systems
• 2005 – Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Qatar opened, offering programs in international affairs
• 2008 – Northwestern University in Qatar opened, offering programs in journalism and communications
• 2011 – HEC Paris executive education programs for mid-career and senior executives
• 2011 – University College London Qatar opened, offering postgraduate qualifications in museum studies, conservation, and archaeology in partnership with Qatar Museums Authority. The first intake of students will be in August 2012.

These international establishments sit alongside the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies which began its first graduate classes in the 2007-2008 academic year. An international center for Islamic thinking and dialogue, it aims to produce scholars who are grounded in Islamic faith, practice and civilization. It offers masters degrees in Islamic finance, contemporary Islamic studies, and Islamic public policy.

Roughly half of these universities' students are Qatari. Around 90 different nationalities are represented by the students, faculty and staff at Education City.

As part of Qatar Foundation's efforts in education, it sponsors the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), a global forum that brings together education stakeholders, opinion leaders and decision makers from all over the world to discuss educational issues. The summit has been held in Doha since 2009:

• The first edition from November 16th to 18th 2009
• The second from December 7th to 9th 2010.
• The third edition from November 1st to 3rd 2011, during which the first $500,000 WISE Prize for Education was awarded to Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder and Chairman of BRAC.
• The fourth edition from November 13th to 15th 2012
• the fifth edition from October 29th to 31th 2013