Schools and Skills in RAK
The government of Ras Al Khaimah has put education and knowledge among its top priorities. This has reflected in the number of educational establishments set up in the emirate in recent years.
Ras Al Khaimah has three universities and one college with two campuses, for men and for women. These establishments offer different undergraduate and graduate programs in art, science and technology. The first three universities are privately owned but are strongly supported by the RAK government; the last one is sponsored by the federal government.
Ittihad University
Ittihad University was the first university in Ras Al Khaimah. It was established in 1999.
It has four colleges which offer the following courses/degrees:
- College of Engineering and Computer Science: Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering - Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
- College of Management and Information Systems: Bachelor of Business Information Systems
- College of Education: Bachelor of Education in English Language Teaching
- College of Arts: Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Translation
RAK Medical and Health Sciences University
This university was established with the vision to become the leading medical and health sciences university in the UAE. The school offers four Bachelor programmes:
- Medical Science: Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
- Dental Sciences: Bachelor of Dental Surgery
- Pharmaceutical Sciences: Bachelor of Pharmacy
- Nursing. Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Clinical training and internships are offered in government-owned hospitals in Ras Al Khaimah: Saqr Hospital and Obaidullah Hospital. Admission is open to students of all nationalities
Higher Colleges of Technology
This university is fully owned and supported financially by the federal government and has sister schools in other emirates of the UAE. Admission is open only to UAE nationals. The school has two separate campuses – one for girls and boys each. The following diplomas are offered: Bachelor, Diploma, and Higher Diploma. Higher Colleges of Technology offer the following courses in Ras Al Khaimah campuses:
- Information Technology
- Engineering
- Business Administration
Other smaller university-type establishments in Ras Al Khaimah include:
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy RAK Branch
Gerald J. and Dorothy Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy is a part of the Tuft University in the USA. The school offers Master's Degree in Nutrition Science and Policy, a one-year academic program consisting of eight courses and a thesis conducted in three 13-week terms, consisting of a 10-14 day intensive residency period in United Arab Emirates (UAE), with the remainder of each course taught using the latest distance learning methods and technologies. Building on the Friedman School's joint emphasis on both science and policy, the degree adds a new focus on nutrition and public health issues and challenges in the Gulf, Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.
Royal College of Applied Science and Technology
The College is licensed by the Ras Al Khaimah Free Zone with the objective to offer off campus training programs of various reputed international universities in the branches of medicine, dentistry, nursing, engineering, management, information technology and humanities. IGNOU, the Indira Ghandi National Open University, one of the largest universities in India, has its international centre at Royal College of Applied Science and Technology, Ras Al Khaimah.
Royal College of Applied Science and Technology is also the International Centre of Birla Institute of Technology from Ranchi, India. It offers the following courses:
- Electronics and Communication Engineering (4 yrs)
- Electrical and Electronics Engineering (4 yrs)
- Computer Science and Engineering (4 yrs)
- Bachelor of Architecture (5 yrs)
- Integrated Engineering (6 yrs)
- Bachelor of Business Administration (3 yrs)
- Bachelor of Business Management and Accounting (3 yrs)
- Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences (4 yrs)
- Master of Business Administration (2 yrs)
- Executive MBA (2 yrs - Classes on Fridays)
Royal College of Applied Science and Technology is also the recognised Off Campus International Centre of the University of Seychelles, American Institute of Medicine, which is accredited, recognised and approved by the Charter of the President of the Republic of Seychelles.
University of Bolton, Great Britain
University of Bolton announced in 2008 that it will open a branch campus in Ras Al Khaimah in September 2008 which will offer a broad range of the university's undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Built Environment, Engineering, Business, Computing/Information Technology and Art and Design.
Ras Al Khaimah Centre for Advanced Materials (RAK-CAM)
The centre was established in 2007 carry out research in cooperation with leading international research bodies on
- Advanced structural materials, ceramics, and composites
- Polymeric materials, including plastic and molecular electronics
- Inorganic materials; e.g. minerals and novel synthetic inorganics
- Electronic materials; e.g. compound semiconductors, solid state lighting
- Nanomaterials for diverse applications
- Biomaterials; e.g. materials for biofuel technologies
- Materials for solar energy applications
- Energy storage systems, including rechargeable batteries and super capacitors
- Materials for environmental remediation and hydrocarbon processing; e.g. catalysis and separations
- Materials for water purification and conservation technologies
The American University of Ras Al-Khaimah
Classes should begin in Fall 2009.
Primary and secondary schools
A large number of government-run public schools (primary, elementary and higher secondary) are spread all over Ras Al Khaimah with Arabic as their main medium of instruction. There are also many private schools. Those where Arabic is the main language of instruction include
- The Egyptian School
- Badr Primary School
Apart from the above schools, there are English-medium ones which offer varied curricula to suit the expatriate community, offering syllabi such as GCSE, IGCSE, A Levels, O Levels, CBSE, Kerala State-Board (Indian Syllabi), Pakistani, Dhaka Board(Bangladeshi Syllabi) etc.
- Ras Al Khaimah English Speaking School
- The International School of Choueifat
- Indian School Ras Al Khaimah
- Bangladesh Islamia School
- The New Indian Higher Secondary School
- Pakistani Higher Secondary School
- Indian Public High School
The Kids Zone in the Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone is an English-language kindergarten for children of parents employed by companies in the Zone and parents of staff members of the Zone.
Related Links
www.uaeinteract.com/education
www.rakftz.com/schools_and_skills
