Welcome to the College of Arts & Sciences
What is the College of Arts & Sciences (A&S)? At the PI, we have organized the common university-level coursework for all of our students into a single program that we call the College of A&S. As the figure below shows, students enter the College of A&S after the Advanced University Placement Program and before their Engineering Programs. The Advanced University Placement department has the task of preparing our students for their subsequent university studies, which are all conducted in English. After the College of A&S, students enter one of the five Engineering Programs where they will complete their last two and half years of studies before graduating.
Arts & Sciences Courses. Our courses are shown in our course flowchart [pdf]. A&S courses that all PI students must take include Chemistry, Communication, Humanities and Social Sciences, Islamic Studies, Mathematics, and Physics. Courses in Humanities and Social Sciences include required courses in Economics as well as elective courses that students may take to broaden their studies beyond science and technology. These electives are designed to help our students develop a current and global perspective and to help them build successful professional lives. Such courses include History, Leadership, Political Science, and foreign languages such as German. The College of A&S also requires all students to take our Freshman Success seminar, where students learn time management and study skills, and learn more about the specifics of the Engineering Programs. Finally, A&S has two courses called STEPS, which stands for Strategies for Team-based Engineering Problem Solving. In these STEPS courses students integrate what they are learning in science, math and communication; couple it with team work and project management tools; and then build a working prototype of a useful machine. Examples range from trebuchets, a type of medieval siege weapon, to solar-powered model racing cars.
Arts & Sciences Faculty. The faculty and staff of A&S, about 50 exceptionally well educated, skilled and caring educators, is truly committed to excellence. Almost all have the highest degree, usually a Ph.D., in their field. Most were educated in American universities but some have degrees from European, Australian, and South African universities. Laboratory technicians have at least university bachelor degrees and often masters degrees. A&S classes are usually limited to no more than 20 students per class and each professor maintains several office hours each week where students are welcome to ask for additional help in understanding concepts or applying these concepts to practical problems. Office hours are in addition to an "open-door" attitude about student access to faculty for help and advice.
Arts & Sciences Facilities. Our classrooms are new, roomy, well lit, and equipped with computers, projectors, and internet connections. Our laboratories are also new, fully equipped with the latest equipment, and often use computers to record, analyze, and plot students' experimental results.
