Soore University

Soore University
Type	Private
Established	1994
President	Dr. Mohammad Hossein Saei
Students	4000
Location	Tehran, Iran; Coordinates: 35°42′0.72″N 51°22′13.8″E / 35.7002000°N 51.370500°E
Website	Official website

Soore University (SU) (Persian: دانشگاه سوره, Danushgah-e Surhe) is a private research university located in Tehran, Iran. Soore University was founded in 1994, and it is considered among the top art universities in Iran alongside Tehran University of Art and College of Fine Arts at University of Tehran. Historically, Soore University is particularly strong in Graphic Design and Cinema among arts.^[1]

History[]

The art department of the Islamic Advertisement Organization began to work independently in the early years of the 1970s in the area of teaching various art courses, and thousands of trainees in different parts of the country have been instructed in those art programs by these facilities and make use of their educations formally or informally. At the beginning of the period of Ali Khamenei's leadership, mentioned the necessity of attention of the art fields to the underlying, monumental and fundamental works and also, that aware and committed artists should widely and actively attend and play their roles in a way that is suitable to the comprehensive dimensions of the cultural invasion. Following his words, after doing extensive surveys, the art department of the organization got determined to set up an academic unit to solve the major problems of artists and those interested in art. They decided to do so in the area of the shortcoming of the educational spaces by making use of its artistic and cultural experiences. It was an effort to compensate for the lack of the workforces acquainted with the problems of the art and culture, and to fulfil the objective of promoting the ritual art and tending the literature of Islamic revolution by cultivating the committed and religious alumni. To answer the mentioned policy, Soore Educational Institution, which had been initially created to independently hold the training courses, was formally registered and continued its activity under the title of Soore Higher Education Institution.

In 2003, the vice-chancellor of the Art Department of Islamic Advertisement Organization proceeded to establish Soore non-profit higher education institution of the second type. After meeting with the approval of the High Council and consolidating its acts to acknowledge second stage institutions, the Soore non-profit Higher Education Institution of the second stage was promoted to the first stage institute in the spring of 1997. Soore higher education institution has two other branches. One in Isfahan which was established in August 1996 with two courses in cinema and theatre and the branch of Ardabil which was founded on 17 November 1996 with two programs in architecture at the associate degree and restoration at the bachelors level.

Furthermore, in 2010, after coming to a principle agreement, the Soore Higher Education Institution was converted to a university. In 2012, by the kind permission of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Soore University managed to hold courses in Cinema and Islamic Architecture at the masters' level. After obtaining the related license in 2013, the higher education programming and development council of the Science Ministry declared for changing the name of Soore Higher Education Institution to Soore University.

Also, for running the programs in Cultural Relations and Advertisement, Media Laws and Media Management at the asters' level, the required arrangements were made, and Soore succeeded to obtain the necessary permissions for holding the courses in Cultural Relations and Advertisement at the masters' level along with Journalism and Public Relations at the bachelors' level in 2006-2007. Since February 2007, university students were taking these three courses. In 2009, Soore managed to run the first course in the Management of Cultural Affairs at the bachelors' level. In the same year, by permission of the Science Ministry, Soore began to accept the university students in some courses without holding the entrance exams. In June 2013, the Higher Education Programming and Development office of the Science Ministry declared for running the Management of Public Relations course at the bachelors level and the courses on Media Management and the Management of the Cultural Programming at masters' level.^[2]

Schools and programs[]

School of Art

The art faculty of Soore University commenced its work as the most significant, the biggest and oldest faculty of Soore University from 28 8th 2006 with the approval of the trustees board and the board of directors with the aim of dividing the educational and scientific activities in the specialized fields and areas and with the intention of attaining the formal and verified structures of the Science, Research and technology ministry.^[3]

School of Architecture & Urban Planning

The faculty of architecture was founded in 1993 and the aim of establishing this faculty is ameliorate the culture components in architecture and introducing and updating the Iranian architecture considering the current needs of the Iranian society and effective steps have been taken towards accomplishing these goals by employing the inside experienced professors and making relationship with the universities of the other countries.^[4]

School of Culture & Communication

Although the foundation of Soore University was laid based on running art courses and educating creative artists, as the times was passing, the new requirements were revealed to the authorities of the university forcing them to review the goals and policies of the university. Accordingly, the proposal for establishing new courses was posed until an agreement was finally reached to run the journalism and public relations courses at BA degree and culture communications and propaganda courses in master's degree.^[5]