American University of Sharjah
American University of Sharjah (AUS; ) is a private university in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. It was founded in 1997 by Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. Located in University City in Sharjah, AUS has more than 5,000 students from more than 94 countries and a full-time faculty of more than 360 from 48 countries. AUS offers 26 majors and 48 minors at undergraduate level as well as 16 master's degrees and a PhD in Engineering Systems Management. The university is organized into three colleges and one school. The university is licensed by the Commission for Academic Accreditation of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (UAE) in the United Arab Emirates, which recognizes all undergraduate and graduate programs. American University of Sharjah is accredited in the United States by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. History The American University of Sharjah was founded in 1997 by the Emir of Sharjah, Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi. AUS was granted a license by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in 1998 and held its first student council elections the same year. The subsequent year saw the university being granted a license by the UAE Commission for Academic Accreditation. The development continued with the university launching its first graduate degree—a Master of Business Administration (MBA)—in 2000 and holding its first commencement the following year. The US Middle States Commission on Higher Education recognized this and, after a comprehensive assessment, granted accreditation to the university in 2004. In 2006, Emir Al-Qasimi inaugurated the new AUS Library. The university saw its student body cross the 5,000 mark in 2009. In 2010, the AUS Bachelor of Architecture degree program became the first outside of North America to be granted accreditation by the US National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). In 2012, Forbes Middle East ranked the AUS MBA program as the best offered by a private university in the Gulf region. Campus American University of Sharjah is situated in University City, 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the center of Sharjah City and about 25 km from the neighboring emirate of Dubai. AUS is the flagship institution of University City, a 1,600 acre complex that includes other educational establishments. The university has dormitories, a sports complex, and a gym. Other amenities include a health center, a pharmacy, a bank, a post office, a barbershop, a ladies beauty salon, and two convenience stores. The center of the AUS campus comprises 12 academic buildings. The academic buildings house classrooms and lecture halls of various sizes; a library; science, language, computer and engineering laboratories; workshops and digital studios; and offices for faculty, academic administrators, and support staff. The campus includes student residential halls (for men and for women) as well as a large Sports Complex and a Student Center. Approximately 40 percent of the student body lives in campus housing. Unlike most American universities, AUS requires faculty members and their families to live on