British University of Bahrain
Having opened its doors in September 2018, The British University of Bahrain (BUB) is currently busy preparing for its second major intake of students, which will be in September 2019. BUB is proving a popular choice for Bahraini students and the admissions team is currently working long hours to process the large number of applications being received!
The success the institution has seen, according to BUB’s Vice President, Professor Keith Sharp, is attributable to three major factors. The first, and probably the most important in his view, is the fact that students studying at BUB gain a degree awarded by the University of Salford, Manchester. And not only is the degree awarded by Salford, but students will have studied exactly the same courses and have been assessed to exactly the same standards as those studying on the home campus in the UK. Professor Sharp explains: “This means that BUB graduates will be viewed by employers in exactly the same way as students who travelled to Salford to study, for the simple reason that their degree and the knowledge and skills which it represents is identical to that received by their UK counterparts. The degrees awarded to our students are not ‘British-style’ degrees but real British degrees from an established and highly regarded British university.”
A second reason for BUB’s popularity, according to Professor Sharp, is that the University of Salford programmes which BUB students study have been developed in close collaboration with their respective industries and every aspect, from the syllabus, the methods of learning and teaching used and even the ways in which students are assessed, have been designed to prepare students to the maximum extent possible for the world of work. Professor Sharp puts it like this: “Along with our colleagues in Salford, we want, and indeed expect, our graduates to be ‘work-ready’: not just in terms of the technical knowledge and skills they possess within their particular field, but in terms of their ability to solve-problems, collaborate with and lead others, their ability to communicate and, most important of all, to continue to learn and adapt throughout their working lives.”
The third reason that BUB believes it has become a popular choice for the local residents on the island is that it provides both value for money and convenience for those students who understand the value of a degree from a leading British University but, for various reasons, prefer not to travel abroad. As Professor Sharp notes: “Studying in the UK is becoming more and more costly with the effect that international students are increasingly looking for alternative ways to obtain a British degree. This, coupled with uncertainties over Brexit and increasingly stringent rules governing student visas, means that the ability to gain a UK degree in the student’s own country, at a fraction of the total cost of studying in the UK, has become a very attractive option.”
BUB is organised into three different colleges and currently offers nine undergraduate programmes. The College of Engineering and the Built Environment offers four programmes: BSc Civil Engineering, BSc Quantity Surveying, BSc Construction Project Management and BSc Property and Real Estate. The College of Information and Communications Technology offers two degrees: BSc Computer Networks and BSc Software Engineering. The College of Business offers three programmes: BSc Marketing, BSc Accounting and Finance and BSc Business and Management. All of the academic courses were selected after a careful study of the labour market in Bahrain and the skill gaps already existing and likely to emerge in the coming years.
BUB offers a number of scholarships based on merit, worth up to 25 per cent of the annual fees. Khurram Salman, recruitment and outreach officer at the institution explains: “BUB wants to attract the best and most committed students Bahrain has to offer. For this reason, we offer scholarships based on merit, including outstanding performance at the school level and, in the case of students transferring from other universities, their overall performance to date.” Commenting on the current recruitment cycle, Khurram added: “Applications to BUB are coming in thick and fast. My advice to anyone thinking of applying for entry this year would be to do so as soon as possible so as to ensure your place is reserved.”
BUB looks forward to preparing youngsters to enter the global workforce with the best technical and soft skills possible.
