SDG 17: Partnership for the Goals

Education for SDGs commitment to meaningful education

The American University of the Middle East (AUM) is highly committed to meaningful education for Sustainable Development Goals as the university integrates SDGs into the academic programs ensuring that all the students are equipped with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to address the global goals. High commitment to education for SDGs at AUM is reflected through the institutional programmatic accreditation, capacity building programs on integration of SDGs and maintaining societal impact related accreditation standards, SDG course mapping across all programs, SDG related challenges since 2020 including the Yearly Startup Challenge at AUM tackling SDGs open for all students, and the Self-paced Soft Skills E-courses available for all AUM users.

International Programmatic Accreditations

Nowadays, programmatic accreditation is playing a key role in education to ensure that accredited educational programs not only demonstrate alignment with quality standards but also with the Sustainable Development Goals. For instance, AACSB (for business programs) and ABET (for engineering programs) have a great focus on graduating students that are capable to ethically and responsibly implement sustainable practices. This is contributing to upgrade programs to further integrate SDG principles into the curricula, research, institutional operations, and continuous improvement as preparation for the periodic reviews conducted by these accreditation agencies. 

All the academic programs offered by AUM are related to sustainable and economic development.

Through its accredited programs, the American University of the Middle East is offering quality programs that are amplifying the impact on sustainable and economic development. Currently, AUM offers 6 programs at the College of Business Administration and 8 programs at the College of Engineering and Technology. All AUM programs pursue accreditation by global accreditors ABET and AACSB that both tackle sustainability in their standards.

• Business programs at the College of Business Administration are accredited by AACSB International which fosters engagement, accelerate innovation, and amplify impact in business education. Sustainability in business education is an area addressed by AACSB Standards 2020 through the standard on Societal Impact:

  • • • Bachelor of Science in Accounting (AACSB accredited)

      • Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Concentrations: Finance, MIS, Marketing, HRM) - (AACSB accredited)

      • Masters of Business Administration (AACSB accredited)

• Engineering and Technology programs at the College of Engineering and Technology undergo accreditation by ABET which is the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology. One of the main requirements of ABET is to prepare engineering students to develop solutions that make life on our planet safer and more sustainable. This is also reflected in the learning outcomes adopted by AUM in all its engineering programs:

• Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (ABET accredited)

• Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering (ABET accredited)

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (ABET accredited)

• Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering (ABET accredited)

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (ABET accredited)

• Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Technology

• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (ABET accredited)

• Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering (will undergo ABET after graduation of first cohort)

Capacity building programs on integration of SDGs and maintaining societal impact related accreditation standards

AACSB Societal Impact Seminar at AUM

The American University of the Middle East (AUM) hosted the AACSB Societal Impact Seminar in the presence of all the faculty members of the College of Business Administration. This interactive and engaging seminar wfocused on advancing societal impact initiatives and making greatest impact on communities as per the requirements of AACSB 2020 standards. Participants could develop the key components of a plan for Societal Impact in the areas of curriculum, scholarship and engagement.

AUM Hosted AACSB International - Continuous Improvement Review Seminar

The American University of the Middle East (AUM) hosted the AACSB International - Continuous Improvement Review (CIR) Seminar on 4 and 5 October 2022, in the presence of faculty and staff from the College of Business Administration and the Quality Assurance and Institutional Advancement Department. The seminar focused on the Continuous Improvement Review (CIR) process, which is designed for AACSB-accredited schools to develop a deeper understanding of the philosophy behind the CIR process. Attendees learned how to undergo a successful CIR through interactive discussions on the CIR process and each component of it.

Yearly Startup Challenge at AUM open for all students

AUM has been organizing an annual AUM Startup Challenge since 2021 to invite startup ideas from students across all disciplines, mentoring them, and organizing a grand competition to claim their participation in Babson’s Global Student Challenge. AUM students have been representing the top 10 teams in the Global Student Challenge for the 4 consecutive years and have won second place in the competition in Babson’s Global Student Challenge 2023. In 2024, three AUM teams were among the Top 12 globally.

The AUM Startup Challenge is the first phase of the Babson Global Student Challenge and results in three winning teams competing in the semi-finals and finals along with other participating universities from countries across all over the world. AUM’s annual organization of the AUM Startup Challenge and its engagement in Babson’s Global Student Challenge comes as part of the university’s efforts to expose students further to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and challenge them to think of these goals in the context of business opportunities.

This platform allows learners’ to create their own learning plans and set their self-development goals in various topics. The 9,000+ courses fall under important curriculum topics that are grouped per solution areas under three main categories: Business, Productivity, and IT: