By Foreign Ministers
Copyright qna
Doha, September 29 (QNA) – Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) held an introductory session on Monday for its new Bachelor of Science degree in Artificial Intelligence, which represents a qualitative shift in the AI education system, in line with the State of Qatar’s strategic vision and its goals for sustainable development.
HE Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Nuaimi emphasized that this achievement is a milestone in the development of the education system and embodies the State of Qatar’s commitment to investing in quality education and advanced knowledge, in line with the pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030.
His Excellency indicated that AI has become one of the most important drivers of economic and social transformation. It is no longer just a new technology, but rather the language of the future that will reshape methods of work, production, and creativity. He noted that the new program will provide students with a unique opportunity to study AI in its various dimensions within a high-level academic environment that combines theoretical knowledge with practical application.
His Excellency also emphasized the MOEHE’s commitment to developing higher education by creating innovative academic programs and developing existing ones, in line with the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and rapid cognitive development.
His Excellency stressed that the MOEHE spares no effort in supporting the country’s higher education institutions to launch quality initiatives that enhance Qatar’s position as a regional and international hub for knowledge and scientific research. He explained that the partnership with CMU-Q, one of the world’s most prestigious universities in the fields of computing and artificial intelligence, contributes to consolidating the country’s position as a regional hub for innovation.
His Excellency added that the launch of the new program reflects the commitment to preparing a generation of national talent capable of competing globally, contributing to building a knowledge economy, and supporting sustainable development projects. He noted that achieving optimal benefit from this program requires strengthening partnerships between educational institutions and the industrial sector to provide practical training opportunities for students and ensure graduates secure promising employment opportunities.
For his part, Dean of CMU-Q Michael Trick emphasized that the launch of the Bachelor of Science degree in AI represents an important milestone in the university’s journey and its role in supporting education, technology, and the knowledge economy in the State of Qatar.
He pointed out that the university was among the first global institutions to recognize the power of computing and AI, recalling key milestones in its history, including the establishment of the Department of Computer Science in 1965, the founding of the first Robotics Institute in the United States in 1979, and the launch of the Software Engineering Institute in 1984.
He pointed out that the world’s first college dedicated entirely to computer science was established in 1988, before moving the Bachelor of Computer Science program to Qatar in 2004, launching the first Bachelor of AI program in 2018, and eventually introducing the new program to its campus in Qatar in 2025.
Dr. Trick expressed his hope that the new program would contribute to preparing a generation of AI specialists in collaboration with the university’s distinguished faculty members. He emphasized his confidence that the program’s graduates will play a prominent role in the development process in the State of Qatar, the Middle East and North Africa region, and the world.
In turn, Director of Academic Affairs at the Qatar Foundation (QF) Dr. Samah Gamar emphasized that the launch of the Bachelor of Science degree in AI program by CMU-Q represents a qualitative shift in the country’s higher education landscape.
She also noted that the program is fully aligned with the National Development Strategy and the Qatar National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, indicating that the university is a leading global institution in the field of AI, with its research and development having contributed to significant achievements in generative artificial intelligence in academic fields, the labor market, and society, even before the program’s academic launch.
She added that the program has successfully passed all review and quality assurance stages and obtained licenses from the MOEHE. She praised the essential skills it will provide graduates, enabling them to apply their knowledge in vital sectors including energy, healthcare, finance, analytics, sports management, education, and smart cities.
She noted that QF places investment in its greatest resource, human potential, at the core of its mission, emphasizing that the new program at CMU-Q comes with a comprehensive ethical vision dedicated to nurturing and developing human potential and creative abilities based on imagination and discovery.
The session concluded with an interactive discussion with university faculty members, during which the program’s competitive advantages and the importance of its launch at this time were reviewed. The discussion also addressed its contribution to supporting the country in the near and long term, and highlighted the most prominent developments in AI research in the region, particularly in the field of Arabic language processing. (QNA)
