Page 14 - Faculty Handbook 2021-22

4. About the Colleges and Foundation Program

4.1. Colleges
There are four Colleges at DU. These are:

1) College of Arts and Applied Sciences (CAAS)
2) College of Commerce and Business Administration (CCBA)

3) College of Engineering (CE)
4) College of Law (CL)

Each College is headed by a Dean, who reports to the Deputy Vice Chancellor. The Dean is also a
member of the University Council and University Academic Council.

The Colleges have around 141 faculty members drawn from 22 nationalities with Omanisation
percentage of 16.3%. Around 91.5% of the faculty members have Doctorate Degree and 25.5%
are at the level of Professor or Associate Professor. The number of students enrolled in the
Colleges is around 5,100 in the year 2020-21.

These Colleges offer a total of 59 programs, comprising 16 Diploma Programs, 29 Bachelor
Programs, 13 Master Programs and 1 Teaching Diploma Program in different fields of specialization.
College-wise, CAAS offers 27 programs, CCBA 14 programs, CE 15 programs and CL 3 programs.

(For details refer the DU Catalogue available on the University Website.)

The programs offered by the Colleges are benchmarked both nationally and internationally. The
Colleges are also going through program accreditation process with international professional
bodies and are prepared for program accreditation by OAAAQA, as and when it starts.

DU also offers a variety of courses and training programs for its own non-academic staff, executives
and employees of government organisations and commercial firms and for adult learners in local
community through its Community Service and Continuing Education Centre (CSCEC).

4.2. Foundation Program

The University offers a pre-college program known as Foundation Program (FP). The FP is designed
to bridge the gap between secondary education and undergraduate studies at Colleges. The
program’s focus is to ensure students’ readiness to embark on their university studies.

FP is headed by a Director, who reports to the Deputy Vice Chancellor. He is also a member of the
University Council and University Academic Council.

The General FP is a one-year bridge program intended to equip high school graduates to pursue
university majors and is undertaken by most university students in Oman. The program focuses
on three major areas: English, Mathematics and IT, plus general study skills. The curriculum is
aligned with the learning outcomes stated in the Oman Academic Standards (OAS) for General
Foundation Program (GFP).

The FP has around 46 faculty members drawn from 10 nationalities, which included 10 Omanis.
Majority of the faculty members in FP have Master Degree. The number of students enrolled in
the FP is around 950.

Dhofar University Faculty Handbook (2021-22) Page 10