King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

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King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
جامعة الملك فهد للبترول و المعادن
Jāmiʿat al-Malik Fahd li-l-Bitrūl wa-l-Maʿādin

KFUPM Logo
Former names	College of Petroleum and Minerals (1963–1975) University of Petroleum and Minerals (1975–1986) King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals[1](1986-Now)
Motto	وقل رب زدني علما Wa-Qul Rabb-ī Zid-nī ʿIlman Say, 'Lord increase my knowledge'
Type	Public
Established	23 September 1963; 57 years ago (1963-09-23)
Endowment	more than $500 million
President	Dr. Muhammed M. Al-Saggaf
Academic staff	800+
Undergraduates	8,000+
Postgraduates	1500+
Location	Dhahran , Eastern Province , Saudi Arabia
Campus	Enclosed
Nickname	Jāmiʿat al-Bitrūl
Website	www.kfupm.edu.sa

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM or UPM) (Arabic: جامعة الملك فهد للبترول و المعادن‎, Jāmiʿat al-Malik Fahd li-l-Bitrūl wa-l-Maʿādin – short: Arabic: جامعة البترول‎ Jāmiʿat al-Bitrūl) is a public university in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Among Saudi universities, its science, engineering, business and management programs are the most highly regarded in the country as well as in the whole region.^[2]

The university is ranked fourth, by the American National Academy of Inventors, among top 100 worldwide universities for granting US Utility Patents in 2018.^[3] And Stanford University has recently released a list of the top 2 percent of the most-cited scientists in various disciplines. The exhaustive list has 159,683 researchers, of which more than 60 researchers are professors currently employed at KFUPM.

History[]

KFUPM is the premier university in Saudi Arabia and in the whole Middle East and North Africa region. KFUPM was established on 23 September 1963 by a Saudi royal decree as the College of Petroleum and Minerals providing high-level education about petroleum and minerals, two of the most-valuable natural resources in Saudi Arabia.^[1] It was elevated to university status in 1975 and expanded its programmatic offerings in a wide-ranging spectrum of science, engineering, technology, and business/management.^[1] It was renamed after King Fahd in 1986.^[1]

Academics[]

KFUPM degree offerings include Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Engineering, Master of Business Administration, and Doctor of Philosophy. The grading system is the standard 0 to 4.0 scale with classes of:^[4]

Grade	Letter Grade	GPA
Exceptional	A+	4.00
Excellent	A	3.75
Superior	B+	3.50
Very Good	B	3.00
Above Average	C+	2.50
Good	C	2.00
High-Pass	D+	1.50
Pass	D	1.00
Fail	F	0.0

Admissions[]

With an acceptance rate of less than 10%, it is the most coveted university in Saudi Arabia, recruiting roughly the top 2% of the national talent based on admission criteria that includes performance on the nationwide aptitude tests The university's admission policy applies certain criteria to ensure admissions of the most promising students.^[5] In 2012, the university accepted the best 2% of high school graduates from all over the Kingdom.^[6] comprising 20% for the high school certificate, 30% for the general capabilities test (similar to SAT), and 50% for the collective test performances (test of high school's maths, physics, chemistry and Biology). Both the general capabilities test and the collective test are constructed by Qiyas.

Rankings[]

University rankings
Global – Overall
ARWU World[7]	401-500 (2019)
CWTS World[8]	543 (2019)

KFUPM was named the top university in the Arab Region as per QS University Rankings for 2015^[9] and 2016.^[10] KFUPM was ranked 18 among "QS Top 50 Under 50".^[11] The QS Top 50 Under 50 is a new ranking that lists the leading universities worldwide founded since 1962.^[12] Also, it was ranked as one of the best 400 universities around the world according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities ARWU in 2011 and 2012 by Shanghai Jiaotong University.^[13] In 2012, the ARWU ranked the Mathematics subject in top 50 worldwide.^[2] In the academic year 2018-2019, it was awarded the 200th position in the QS World University Rankings.^[14]

Accreditation[]

All programs of the engineering colleges were evaluated for "Substantial-Equivalency" recognition by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).^[15] They were found substantially equivalent to similar accredited programs in the U.S. All Business & Management related programs offered by the College of Industrial Management (including its flagship Master of Business Administration @ KFUPM are accredited by Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). KFUPM is a member of AACSB since 1975 and it among the first few schools outside USA to get this prestigious recognition^[16]

Organization[]

Colleges[]

College of Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences[]

• Department of Petroleum Engineering, BSc, MS, PhD
• Department of Geosciences,
  • • Geology (GEOL): BSc, MSc, PhD
    • Geophysics (GEOP): BSc, MSc
    • Environmental Sciences (ENVS): MSc
• Center of Integrative Petroleum Research

College of Engineering Sciences and Applied Engineering[]

• Department of Aerospace Engineering:
  • Aerospace Engineering (AE): BSc, MSc
• Department of Chemical Engineering:
  • Chemical Engineering (CHE): BSc, MSc, PhD
• Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering:
  • Civil Engineering (CE): BSc, MSc, MEng, PhD
• Department of Electrical Engineering:
  • Electrical Engineering (EE): BSc, MSc, PhD
  • Telecommunication (TELE): MSc
• Department of Mechanical Engineering:
  • Mechanical Engineering (ME): BSc, MSc, PhD
  • Material Science and Engineering (MSE): MSc

College of Computer Science & Engineering[]

Contains^[17]

• Department of Computer Engineering:
  • Computer Engineering (COE): BSc, MSc
  • Computer Networks (CNW): MSc
  • Computer Science & Engineering (CSE): PhD (joint program with ICS)
• Department of Information & Computer Science:^[18]
  • Computer Science (CS): BSc, MSc
  • Software Engineering (SWE): BSc
  • Computer Science & Engineering (CSE): PhD (joint program with COE)
• Department of Systems Engineering:
  • Industrial & Systems Engineering (ISE): BSc, MSc
  • Control & Instrumentation Systems Engineering (CISE): BSc
  • Supply Chain Management (SCM): MSc
  • (SCE): MSc, PhD

College of Sciences[]

• Department of Chemistry:
  • Chemistry (CHEM): BSc, MSc, PhD
  • Industrial Chemistry (ICHEM): BSc
• Department of Mathematics & Statistics:
  • Mathematics (MATH): BSc, MSc, PhD
  • Statistics (STAT): BSc
  • (AS): BSc
• Department of Physics:
  • Physics (PHYS): BSc, MSc, PhD
  • Medical Physics (MEPH): Master of Medical Physics.

KFUPM Business School (KBS)[]

Formerly known as (CIM) offers some of the most coveted undergrad and grad programs in the whole region:

• Department of Accounting & Management Information Systems:
  • Accounting (ACCT): BSc
  • Management Information Systems (MIS): BSc
• Department of Finance & Economics:
  • Finance (FIN): BSc
• Department of Management & Marketing:
  • Marketing (MKT): BSc
  • Management (MGT): BSc
• Master of Business Administration Program MBA (Regular, Evening, Weekend)
• Executive MBA Program

College of Environmental Design (CED)[]

• Department of Architecture:
  • Architecture (ARC): BSc
• Department of Architectural Engineering (ARE):
  • Architectural Engineering (ARE): BSc, MSc, M.Engg.
• Department of City & Regional Planning:
  • City Planning (CP): BSc
  • City & Regional Planning: MSc
• Department of Construction, Engineering & Management:
  • Construction, Engineering & Management: MSc, M.Engg.
  • Engineering Management: M.Engg.

College of General Studies (non-degree)[]

• English Language Department (ENGL)
• Global & Social Studies Department (GSS)
• Islamic & Arabic Studies Department (IAS)
• Physical Education Department (PE)

Community colleges[]

Additionally, there are two active and one defunct community colleges:

• Dammam Community College: Associate's Degrees in Accounting, Computer & Information Technology, Marketing, Human Resource Management, Safety Technology and Supply Chain Management.
• Hafar Al-Batin Community College: Associate's Degrees in:
  • Business Administration,
  • Office Administration,
  • Computer Science & Engineering Technology,
  • Electrical & Electronics Engineering Technology,
  • Mechanical Engineering Technology,
  • Non-destructive Evaluation Technology
• Ha'il Community College (defunct), now University of Ha'il

Other academic departments[]

• Preparatory Year Program^[19]
• Continuing Education Department:^[20] The Department of Continuing Education Programs offers short courses. These courses are designed for engineers, managers, and practitioners who are interested in pursuing further studies in their fields. The courses are open to all applicants who have the desire and the background to participate.
• University Diploma Programs^[21] offers Diploma Degrees in Accounting, Computer Applications and Marketing.

President(Head of Institution)[]

The current President of KFUPM is .^[22]

Previous rectors(Heads of Institution) of KFUPM[]

• Dr. Sahel N. Abduljauwad (Acting)
• H.E. Dr. Khaled S. Al-Sultan
• H.E. Dr. Abdulaziz Al Dukhayyil
• H.E. Dr. Bakr Bin Bakr
• Dr. Saleh Ambah

International Advisory Board[]

King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals organized the International Advisory Board (IAB) in March 2007. The IAB is composed of senior academic and corporate executives.

IAB members[]

King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Science Park[]

Generally referred to as the KASP, the science park was established in 2002 and is located on a 35-hectare site north of the KFUPM campus. The park is closely integrated with the university. With its proximity to the science and engineering colleges, KASP provides interaction between tenant firms and their personnel and university scientists and engineers. At present, Schlumberger,^[27] Ciba, Yokogawa,^[28] Honeywell,^[29] UOP, Baker Hughes^[30] and JCCP have joined the park.

Consulting Services Center[]

The Consulting Services Center facilitate the consulting services for the university faculty to serve the industrial community in Saudi Arabia which contributes to their professional development and helps the outside community to resolve problems that require high intellectual and technological background.^{[citation needed]}

Technology Business Incubator[]

The Technology Business Incubator provides a set of logistical, strategic, and operational support for start-up Saudi technology companies and entrepreneurs.

Liaison office[]

The Liaison Office is a point of contact with the industry/business.

Sultan bin AbdulAziz Science & Technology Center (SciTech)[]

The center is at the corniche of nearby Khobar city on 21,700 m². The buildings area is 14,100 m². It consists of seven main show halls, dealing with different sciences and technologies. There are more than 350 scientific exhibited pieces and the IMAX scientific dome,^[31] the Astronomic Observatory, Educational Unit, Conference Hall, Temporary Exhibitions Hall and Administrative and Services Facilities.

Research[]

The Research Institute (RI)[]

The technical expertise for applied research available in the RI is focused in its seven centers with their sections/labs.

• Center for Applied Physical Sciences: The Metrology and Standards Section and the Central Analytical Laboratory.
• Center for Communications and Computer Research: Computer Technology, and Communications Technology Sections.
• Center for Economics and Management Systems: Business Incubators, Economic Studies, and Management and Quality Control Sections.
• Center for Engineering Research: Materials, Urban Areas Engineering, Engineering Analysis, Energy Systems Sections, and Material Characterization Laboratory.
• Center for Environment and Water: Water, Environment, and Marine Studies Sections.
• Center for Petroleum and Minerals: Petroleum and Gas Engineering, Petroleum Geology and Geophysics, Minerals Resources, and Remote Sensing Sections.
• Center for Refining and Petrochemicals: Refining, Petrochemicals, and Petrochemical Products Development Sections.

The manpower of the RI as of 1 January 2005 was 258 full-time employees, of whom 53 held PhD degrees, 64 held MS degrees, 50 held BS degrees, and 91 held other credentials. Project teams are typically formed of 35% full-time RI researchers, 25% faculty members, 10% students, and 30% support staff.

Library[]

^[32] The library, centrally located in Building 8 and a short walk from most classrooms and laboratories, has an available floor space of nearly 7,000 square meters. It is an "open-stack" library, allowing users free access to its resources. Reading areas are on the first, third, and fourth floors.

The current collection of books and bound periodicals totals over 328,000 volumes, 32% in science, 21% in engineering, 24% in humanities, and 23% in social sciences. It has over 23,000 volumes in Arabic and over 300,000 volumes in English and subscribes to approximately 1,500 periodicals. In addition, there are some 490,000 research reports on microfiche and 63,000 documents in other media, including more than 25,000 educational films and 38,000 reels of journal back issues on microfilm. Audiovisual materials are provided through a well-equipped audio-visual (AV) department with a collection consisting principally of motion pictures, filmstrips, videotapes, and audio cassettes. These AV materials can be used in the library auditorium which is also used for seminars, lectures, short courses, theses defense, and other presentations.^{[citation needed]}

Collaborations[]

• Center for Clean Water and Clean Energy at MIT and KFUPM.^[33]

KFUPM Endowment[]

It was announced in 2007 that the University will establish an independent administrative body tasked with managing and overseeing donations and the University's industry collaboration activities. The Endowment Fund Office is composed of an independent governing board, with a professional staff that manages the Fund's operations, resembling those of Harvard Investment Group and the Yale Investment Office. The KFUPM Fund is the first in Saudi Arabia to be professionally managed by specialized finance and investment teams. The mission of the Fund is to be able to provide the necessary financing (up to 30%) the University needs in the future, and cover costs that aren't sponsored by the University's main funds source, The Ministry of Education. In just over five years, the Endowment has grown to be the largest university endowment in Saudi Arabia (relative to the size of KFUPM budget) and was able to raise more than $500 million in financial assets along with real estate assets.^[34] The Endowment's main investment projects include the establishment of a business park in the north side of the KFUPM campus that includes constructing numerous hotels and office buildings. The University has contracted the UK-based Marts & Lundy to consult on fundraising and managing activities.^[35] The Fund's main financing activities include the establishment of specific-purpose research grants and projects. In addition, the Endowment has announced the creation of 8 doctoral fellowships (the first of its kind in the kingdom that is unrelated to governmental constraints in terms of funding).^[36]

Campus life[]

Students clubs[]

KFUPM alumni[]

Government and public service[]

• Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of Energy (BSc and MBA, in industrial administration, '85)
• Abdulaziz bin Majid, former governor of Al Medina Al Monawwarah.
• Eng. Abdullah bin AbdulRahman AlMogbel, Saudi Minister of Transport and Former Mayor of Riyadh
• Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal, Former Chairman of Sama Airlines and member of Arab Thought Foundation Board of Trustees (BSc, Computer Science, '88)
• Saud bin Khalid Al Faisal, deputy governor of Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority and president of National Competitiveness Center(NCC) (BSc, Finance '01)
• Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer, was President of Iraq under the Iraqi Interim Government after the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
• Fahd bin Abdul Rahman Balghunaim, Former Saudi Minister of Agriculture (BSc, Civil Engineering, '75)
• Abdullatif bin Ahmed Al Othman, Former governor of Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority and former Senior Vice President of Finance Saudi Aramco (BSc, Civil Engineering, '79)

Academics[]

• Khaled S. Al-Sultan, former rector of KFUPM and professor of Optimization and Operations Research in Systems Engineering, KFUPM, (BSc and MSc, Systems Engineering, '87)
• Zaghloul El-Naggar, a Muslim scholar and chairman of Committee of Scientific Notions in the Qur'an, Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, Cairo, Egypt. El-Najjar worked as a Professor of Geology at KFUPM from 1979–1996^[38]
• Ali Abdullah Al-Daffa, professor in field of History of Mathematics.
• , professor of Information Systems and Decision Sciences at the Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University, Canada.
• , professor of Civil Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Regina, Canada.
• , professor of Environmental Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, University of British Columbia, Canada.
• , professor of Tennessee Tech., USA.
• , professor of Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge, Norway.

Oil and gas industry[]

• Khalid A. Al-Falih, Former Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources and Former Chairman and President and CEO of Saudi Aramco, earned M.B.A.in 1991.^[39]
• Nadhmi Al-Nasr, former interim president of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and Saudi Aramco Vice President of KAUST (BSc in Chemical Engineering '79).^[40]
• Kamal Al-Yahya PhD, geophysicist and senior VP in CGG.

Sports and media[]

• Yasser Al-Qahtani, Saudi Arabian footballer (drop-out)^{[citation needed]}

See also[]

• List of things named after Saudi Kings

References[]

External links[]

• Official website

Coordinates: 26°18′35″N 50°08′38″E / 26.30972°N 50.14389°E / 26.30972; 50.14389