University of Arizona opens satellite branch at PSUT

AMMAN — Mashhoor Al Refai, president of Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT), and Brent White, dean of the University of Arizona’s International Branches, opened a satellite branch of the American university at the PSUT campus recently, according to statement sent by PSUT.

The vice presidents of PSUT and a number of deans of the university, in addition to a delegation from the University of Arizona attended the event. The opening resulted from PSUT’s work, since its establishment in 1991, to implement academic curricula commensurate within the standards of modern educational methods aimed at generating graduates who are both academically and practically equipped to meet the requirements of the global labour market, said in the statement. 

Refai said in the statement that the start of the 2018/19 academic year saw the introduction at the university of a joint master's programme in engineering management, taught at the PSUT campus. Its partner, the University of Arizona, ranks 24th in the world in this specialisation, the statement added.

Students taking the programme are accredited with two separate master's degrees from both the US and Jordan. The statement said that the two parties plan to develop and introduce further joint programmes at both the postgraduate and undergraduate levels in the future, and work will be carried out on strengthening academic and research relations between the two sides.

According to the statement, the agreement will help provide PSUT students with more opportunities for acceptance into universities overseas, for a wide range of disciplines in both undergraduate and graduate studies. Furthermore, it enhances the exchange of expertise between the two parties, allowing each party to benefit from the other’s educational, administrative and management resources.

White praised the importance of cooperation between the universities, and called PSUT a fine university that enjoys a good reputation for programmes. 

The name of PSUT is also carried highly by its students who consistently achieve excellent results in international competitions, he added in the statement. 

Beyond the opening ceremony, the visiting delegation from the University of Arizona met with members of the university’s various departments and the deans of the schools involved in the agreement. A meeting with the students enrolled in the master of engineering management programme was also held to familiarise them with the University of Arizona and the programmes they offer.