UDST President to QNA: 7 Thousand Students 25 Percent of Them are Qataris

Doha, August 26 (QNA) - Doha University of Science and Technology (UDST) has geared up to welcome more than 7,000 students (males and females) at the start of a new academic year, including over 1,700 freshmen.
UDST President Dr. Salem bin Nasser Al Nuaimi, pointed out this that the new students are the largest batch ever received by the university.
In remarks to QNA, Dr. Al Naemi said that the university has over 7,300 male and female students, 25 percent whom are Qataris, which tells that the university has become attractive, as it offers qualitative majors that meet the requirements of the local and global labor market as well as the desires of students.
Doha University for Science and Technology, which was established by Emiri Resolution No. 13 of 2022, is the first national university to offer applied academic, technical and vocational education in the State of Qatar, and provides more than 60 applied programs that include master's, bachelor's, diploma and certificate qualifications, he said.
Dr. Al Naemi said that all the freshmen and old students, will enroll in five colleges that offer educational programs in the fields of business, computing and information technology, engineering and technology, health sciences and general education. These majors were provided according to the capacity of the university, which in turn is reflected in the total number of students and the quality of these majors themselves, he pointed.
DUST is the only university in the State of Qatar that offers the "midwifery" major, which is highly sought after by girls, he said explaining that the program was designed in response to a national need to locally develop this specialty and graduate midwives who contribute to achieving the national health strategy that prioritizes women's health.
Dr. Al Naemi noted that the 'Midwifery' program was launched in accordance with the International Federation of Midwives (IFM's) education standards , which develop the skills and knowledge of midwives and prepare them to provide professional care and support for pregnant women, newborn babies and their families. 

UDST President reiterated the university's great attention to scientific research, pointing that during the academic year 2022-2023, UDST conducted over 250 research papers that were published in prestigious international journals.
He revealed that UDST will organize during the academic year 2023-2024 a large number of local and international scientific conferences and workshops, in vital and important sectors, within the framework of the university's focus on the research environment, in cooperation with the Qatar National Research Fund of the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council. The university has distinguished faculty members who excel in conducting scientific research in all its disciplines, including engineering, food security, informatics and health sciences.
Dr. Al Neami told QNA that the university is also has important local and international partnerships, including more than 50 local partners in the governmental, private and mixed sectors, universities and professional centers, in addition to more than 20 global partners in a number of countries, including, US, Canada and Ireland to name a few.
On the University's priorities for the new academic year, Dr. Al Neami said that they include expanding the infrastructure to accommodate a bigger number of students, as well as providing services that help students diversify their orientations and interests, in a way that helps them go beyond the local scope.
UDST priorities also include keeping up with and simulating the requirements of the local labor market, offering and providing not only academic programs, but specialized ones that meet the needs of various sectors in the country, and expanding researches on local and international problems.
Dean of the College of Engineering Technology Dr. Awni El Otoom told QNA that all college programs enjoy a remarkable turnout from students, such as marine engineering, mechanical engineering, and smart manufacturing engineering. They are all new programs that use the latest technology, including artificial intelligence, smart manufacturing, and the Internet of Things, he noted.
For her part, Dean of the College of Health Sciences Dr. JoAnne MacDonald talked about the college's programs and their importance to society in Qatar and abroad, including the midwifery program.
She indicated that UDST offers two types of certificates in this specialization, one of which is a post-diploma bachelor's degree for professionals who practice different health professions and wish to complete their studies in this specialty to obtain a bachelor's degree, in addition to another program, which is a bachelor's degree in midwifery for those who enroll in the college after secondary school.
She stated that this program was selected and developed in response to a national need, adding that it graduates midwives who contribute to achieving the National Health Strategy in the State of Qatar. (QNA)