General Education

At AURAK, every bachelor's degree requires specific courses called the General Education Program. These courses are designed to give students the basic knowledge to think critically, analyze information, and solve problems effectively. The aim is to create informed, capable, and forward-thinking citizens. All the General Education Program courses are at the university level and focus on hands-on learning. Specifically, this program helps students apply their knowledge to real-life situations, improving their critical thinking, communication, teamwork, math skills, and personal and social responsibility. Although it's not a separate degree program, all undergraduate students must complete the General Education requirements and other academic course

Mission

The General Education Component is the fundamental constituent of all degree-granting programs. It provides students with fundamental knowledge that broadens their acquaintance with disciplines. As the component providing transferable skills of cortical thinking, numeracy, and synthesis, the General Education Component supports the University mission by preparing students to face the challenges of a globalized, multicultural, and rapidly changing world. The General Education Component complements the students’ major program of study by examining achievements in areas of human inquiry and creative endeavor to cultivate those abilities so essential for the acquisition of knowledge.

Purpose

The purpose of the General Education Component is to explore broad disciplinary areas in order to expand students’ perspectives and improve their skills in analytical and critical thinking. The General Education Component is intended to facilitate a well-rounded and informed educational experience established on a holistic awareness of a broad spectrum of knowledge areas to ensure that students are exposed to a wide range of disciplines and topics. The General Education Component is designed to provide a relevant and challenging educational experience.

Completion of General Education Requirements

AURAK’s General Education Component embodies the vision, mission, and purpose of the University. The courses are required of all graduates as the intellectual foundation upon which AURAK’s educational framework is built. They are an essential element in the University’s educational process and lay the foundation for professional success, personal growth, and responsible citizenship. Students have the opportunity to acquire knowledge, learn communication skills, and examine their goals, values, and potentialities. Students are encouraged to complete their General Education Component requirements by the end of their second year of study.

Competencies

Orientation courses are designed to establish a basic understanding of humanities and general orientation subjects. These courses provide the essential literacy foundation for students. Knowledge courses offer students a wide range of options to explore and advance their academic interests. They cover subjects in social and behavioral sciences, arts and humanities, mathematics, and natural sciences. The General Education Program at AURAK aims to develop the following competencies, which are fundamental to its mission and purpose:

Competencies	Description	Program Learning Outcomes
Critical Thinking Skills	Reasoning, inquiry, reflection, creativity and innovation, and the ability to analyze and synthesize information	Solve abstract, familiar and non-routine problems without assistance using appropriate information drawn from relevant fields of work or disciplines
Communication and Teamwork	The development, interpretation and expression of ideas, the ability to consider and integrate multiple points of view and to work with others on shared objectives	Present collaborative group analysis of topics that include complex ideas and integrate multiple points of view.
Empirical and Quantitative Skills	The ability to derive knowledge from observable facts, the manipulation and analysis of data, resulting in informed, verifiable solutions and conclusions, effective understanding of technological concepts and the appropriate use of technology as a problem- solving tool	Analyze empirical data using appropriate information retrieval and analysis methods, tools and techniques to arrive at informed, verifiable solutions to abstract, familiar, and non- routine problems.
Personal and Social Responsibility	The ability to consider ethical and moral aspects of actions and consequences, intercultural awareness, and knowledge of regional, national, and global responsibility	Articulate the ethical and moral aspects of possible courses of action in particular situations and explain the consequences which might follow with reference to intercultural issues at regional, national, and global levels.

Learning Outcome 1: Solve abstract, familiar, and non-routine problems without assistance using appropriate information drawn from relevant fields of work or disciplines.

Learning Outcome 2: Present collaborative group analyses of topics that include complex ideas and integrate multiple point of view.

Learning Outcome 3: Analyze empirical data using appropriate information retrieval and analysis methods, tools and techniques to arrive at informed, verifiable solutions to abstract, familiar, and nonroutine problems.

Learning Outcome 4: Articulate the ethical and moral aspects of possible courses of action in particular situations and explain the consequences that might follow with reference to intercultural issues at regional, national, and global levels.

AURAK ensures that graduates acquire a holistic awareness of a broad range of knowledge areas. The General Education Component addresses these needs in a diverse, connect, globalized environment through courses that are not only broad and deep in content but use up-to-date pedagogical methods. The diverse range of topics in the General Education Component, the interdisciplinary and globalized focus of the content, the pedagogical shift to experiential and activity-based learning, the focus on research, innovation and enhanced aesthetic sensitivity all combine to aid in the development of responsible, self-directed individuals who will engage in life-long learning.

The General Education Component at AURAK fulfills the requirements of a liberal arts and sciences education by providing a comprehensive foundation in the competencies that enable students to grow academically as well as professionally. To achieve the General Education Component learning outcomes, students must complete 31-33 semester credit hours consisting of:

Orientation Courses (O) – 13-14 semester credit hours
Humanities/Fine Arts (H) – minimum of 6 semester credit hours
Social and Behavioral Sciences (S) – minimum of 6 semester credit hours
Natural Sciences/Mathematics (N) – minimum of 6 semester credit hours

AURAK distinguishes between categories of Orientation Courses (O) that provide a coherent foundation and academic orientation, and Knowledge Domains that offer students opportunities to develop and pursue a variety of academic interests. The Knowledge Domains are delineated into Humanities/Fine Arts (H), Social and Behavioral Sciences (S), and Natural Sciences/Mathematics (N). In addition, the General Education Component requires that of the courses taken to fulfil General Education Component requirements, at least three (3) courses must qualify as Writing Intensive courses. The codes “O”, “H”, “S”, and “N” identify the category to which a course belongs.

All AURAK undergraduate students must complete all General Education Component requirements to graduate. Completion of these requirements will amount to a total of 31-33 credit hours. All students must complete the Orientation Course requirements (amounting to 13-14 credits), and a minimum of 18 credits from the three remaining Knowledge Domains (amounting to a 18-19 credits). The courses for each of these are as follows.

Orientation Courses (13-14 semester credit hours required)

Students must complete from 13 to 14 semester credit hours from the following list of courses.

Prof. Rachel Matar - Dean, School of Arts and Sciences (Chair)
Dr Khouloud Salameh - Associate Dean, School of Engineering and Computing
Dr. Abdelfatah Arman - Associate Dean, School of Business
Dr. Kutbettin Kilic - Assistant Professor of Middle East Studies, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
Dr. Asha Cyril - Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology
Dr. Muhammad Shafiq Ahmed - Assistant Professor of Physics, Department of Mathematics and Physics
Ms. Gulbahor Amirova - Senior Instructor in English, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

Last Updated: 11 Sep 2026

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