German Know-How for Oman

In a major boost for German-Omani relations, an agreement to establish the first joint university in Muscat, the capital of the sultanate, was recently sealed. The Oman German University of Technology (OG Tech), which plans to open in September, is a collaborative effort between a group of private Omani investors, the sultanate's educational ministry, and the Rhine-Westphalia Technical College (RWTH) in the western German city of Aachen.

Aachen's RWTH is one of Europe's oldest and most prestigious educational institutions. The degrees conferred by OG Tech will be recognized in the European Union, providing its graduates with a wide range of options.

OGTech was the brainchild of Michael Jansen, a professor at RWTH, who was conducting a study on urban planning and archaelogy in the medieval port city Al Baleed during his first visit to the sultanate 11 years ago. From there, he drew on the inspiration to set up a partnership with Sultan Qaboos University.

Strong demand for technology and science

"It all started with a research project, supported by UNESCO, and then evolved into what college instructors traditionally do, which is to seek cooperation with another university," said Jansen, who spearheaded an academic exchange program that enabled German and Oman students to study in each other's countries. "After that, it snowballed into the idea of establishing a separate university."

There is a strong demand for higher learning in technical subjects in Oman, so the partnership with RWTH to transfer technical know-how to an independent institution financed by private investors was a good fit, according to Jansen.

The Aachen institution is internationally renowned for its research strengths and collaboration with various European universities, such as the Imperial College in London and the Paris Institute for Technology.

Bachelor of Science programs on offer

After many years in the planning stages, Christoph Hilgers, who is project manager of OG Tech, established an academic curriculum that was approved by the Omani educational ministry. Next year the university will offer Bachelor of Science programs in mechanical engineering, applied geosciences, information technology, regional management and tourism, as well as urban design and planning, in conjunction with a pre-university program equivalent to the German high school diploma that will be launched in September with an initial enrollment of 360 students.

"The main focus is on the quality of education, not on the quantity and breadth of offerings, which means operating on a smaller scale, at least initially," Hilgers said.

The teaching staff and professors will be selected by Aachen's RWTH with the language of instruction being English. Considering the demand for a premium education in the sultanate, Jansen added that he wants to set a high standard for Oman and the Gulf region.

Programs leading to an advanced degree

"There are plenty of universities that offer the bachelor's program," Jansen said. "What has been lacking in Oman, even at the Sultan Qaboos University, is research-oriented approach in higher education that leads to an advanced degree. Oman is also well situated for being the center of research geographically, with Iran, India and the Arabian Peninsula at its periphery."

In 2009 master and doctorate programs will be added to the curriculum, and by 2012 an enrolment of 2,100 students is planned, with an expansion at a later stage of up to 15,000 envisaged.