DEAN’S MESSAGE
DR. ABDULAZIZ BULAILEH
DEAN, COLLEGE OF ARTS
“The College of Arts is one of the oldest colleges in the University of Bahrain, dating back to 1978, when the University College of Bahrain was established. First, it included three different tracks: Arts, Science and Education, but over the past 40 years, the College of Arts has managed to develop itself in a well-thought-out manner. Today it has more than fourteen different programs at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
The College of Arts is distinguished today by the diversity of its programs, which include various disciplines such as Arabic and Islamic studies, English language and literature, media and its various branches of journalism, television, radio, arts, graphic design, tourism and digital media, as well as various social studies that include geography, history, sociology, and psychology. The College is also interested in studying the human being as a key axis to the various programs of development and empowerment, and as a responsible creature that carried the Trust and moral responsibility as mentioned in the Quran.
Unlike the other colleges of the University, which study the scientific material, engineering, finance, business, information technology, education, health sciences and applied studies, the College of Arts has specialized in studying the civilization of humans, their environment, their different languages, and their diverse cultures which confirm their Arab identity, their Islamic religion and their belonging to their country, Kingdom of Bahrain, in accordance with the vision of the wise leadership which always confirms that the human being is the most precious wealth of this nation.
The College of Arts has the honor of teaching the University’s compulsory requirements, which were determined by the University Council, to contribute to the formation of the students’ personality, regardless of their scientific specialization. The College also has a very significant role in developing students’ skills, promoting their different interests and highlighting their leadership roles by supporting various extracurricular activities.
In this regard, the development and modernization process in the College of Arts have come not only at the level of academic programs, but also in the basic programs supporting scientific research, quality of teaching and linking the outputs of education to the requirements of the labor market. This reflects the higher policy of the Kingdom of Bahrain through Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, and is confirmed by the University Administration in many forums, especially in the successive strategies, adopted by the College of Arts and set to be followed through five basic pillars: strengthening the scientific specialization, minor programs, practical training, and development of students’ skills in Arabic language, English language, communication skills, the use of Information Technology in education, and self-learning, in order to arm graduates of the College of Arts with comprehensive knowledge, enabling them through fair competition to enter the labor market with confidence, and making them the best choice for employers locally and globally alike. The College of Arts is proud for obtaining international accreditation for its programs from the British Accreditation Service for International Colleges (ASIC) and receiving the Premier College Award. This accreditation and award are a continuation of the college’s participation in the comprehensive development of the Kingdom of Bahrain.”
Email: abulela@uob.edu.bh
Contact: 17438400 – 17438767
ABOUT THE COLLEGE
The College of Arts is one of the first colleges that were established in the University of Bahrain. The late Amir, His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, issued in May 24, 1986 the Emiri Decree (No. 12 of 1986) establishing the University of Bahrain by merging the Gulf College of Technology which was established in 1968, with the University College of Science, Arts and Education, which was established in 1978.
Following the founding of the University, four colleges were established: College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, College of Business Administration and College of Engineering. In May 1990, the Board of Trustees of the University issued a decision that divided the College of Arts and Sciences to two separate colleges, and thus the University comprised five colleges: College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering, College of Education and College of Business Administration. Later, the College of Law, the College of Applied Studies, and the College of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, and most recently the Bahrain Teachers College which was added to the University.
In its early years and after separation from the College of Sciences, the College consisted, of three departments: Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, and Department of General Studies, until 1999 when it was agreed to restructure the academic departments in the College. The Department of General Studies was changed into the Department of Social Sciences and its Fine Arts part was appended to a new department, i.e. the Department of Information, Tourism and Arts. The French, German and Japanese languages were transferred to the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures to include them alongside English. About a decade ago the name of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures was changed to the Department of English Language and Literature, with the teaching of other languages in specialized centers under the umbrella of the College. A few years ago, the English Language Center and also the Bahrain Credit Media Center were subsumed under the President’s Office. In the year 2009, the Department of Psychology was attached to the College of Arts. In 2016 it was decided that all the language centers to be consolidated under the Center of Languages which is also subsumed under the President’s Office. Currently, the College of Arts includes five departments, namely Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Department of Social Sciences, Department of English Language and Literature, Department of Mass Communication, Tourism and Fine Arts, and Department of Psychology.
KEY FACTS & FIGURES
78.3%
WOMEN PERCENTAGE
73%
STUDENTS SATISFACTION RATE
12
DEGREES OFFERED
ACCREDITATIONS
