ADU and University of Illinois jointly implement Cooperative Program for Engineering students

The Board of Trustees at Abu Dhabi University (ADU) and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois (UI) at Urbana-Champaign, USA, recently entered into a Cooperative Education Program Agreement establishing a unique 3+2 bachelor/master degree program.

ADU Chancellor, Dr. Nabil Ibrahim shared his views on the new partnership, “The engineering cooperative program with the University of Illinois is ADU’s way of encouraging students to pursue their ambitions beyond borders and learn new perspectives and cultures that reinforce new ways of learning and also enhance their personal development.”

Each year up to 5 students will be admitted into the program and will be given the opportunity to pursue a specified 3-year bachelor’s degree at ADU, followed by a 2-year master’s program at UI. The cooperative program is limited to students from ADU who are enrolled in existing Bachelor of Science degree programs in Civil Engineering or Construction Management.

Each institution will have its individual set of criteria and pre-requisites for selection and admittance of students into the program. At ADU, students will undergo a systematic screening process during their second year of study to assess their viability for participation in the program and the best-qualified candidates will be recommended to the faculty at the University of Illinois. Successful candidates will be expected to complete three years of study in an undergraduate program and at least one UI-integrated Design course.  Students will also be required to submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores and valid scores on an English Language Proficiency test.

Interim Chancellor at UI, Mr. Robert A. Easter said, “We are very excited about the new arrangement with Abu Dhabi University, and we look forward to offering our students the opportunity to receive quality education abroad, while also experiencing life in new surroundings. Most of all, we are pleased to welcome students from the UAE and offer them all the privileges that we offer our students.”

Students from the ADU completing their Masters program at UI are further encouraged to maintain high standards of excellence as they will be awarded a Bachelor of Science degree once they have demonstrated a consistently high performance during their first two semesters at the Illinois campus.

The cooperative agreement will expire of 31^st December, 2015, although students already participating in the program will be able to complete their studies as per the agreement, even after its expiration.