by Jim Bush full story additional photos/animations
Purdue University’s colleges of Engineering and Science, and Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) signed agreements in August 2020 to enable Egyptian students to earn a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering, or a Professional Master’s degree in Information Security from Purdue University.
The new degree programs align with Egypt’s strategy of enhancing specialized training in advanced technologies to equip graduates to compete successfully in the digitally driven economy.
Students in the new programs will attend the Egypt University of Informatics (EUI), which MCIT is working to establish in Knowledge City in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital, and then transfer to Purdue, provided that they meet academic requirements. EUI will be the first university in the Middle East and Africa region to specialize in information and communications technology (ICT). Faculty from EUI and Purdue will be encouraged to co-teach courses, and study plans will include blended online course delivery, which Purdue Online will support.
The new Purdue partnership builds on a foundation of collaboration with Egyptian universities. For instance, in April 2019, Purdue received support for the creation of one of three USAID-funded Centers of Excellence in Egypt at the University of Cairo, focused on linkages between research and the public and private sectors. Since the mid-1990s, Purdue has been partnering with a number of Egyptian universities on research, student exchange programs and international educational collaborations.
For the electrical engineering and computer engineering programs, students will spend their first two years at EUI and then transfer to Purdue’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in West Lafayette for their last two years, meeting the requirements to receive a BS degree from both universities.
For the information security program, students will receive a bachelor’s degree from EUI after four years, including taking Purdue blended online professional master’s courses in information security during their senior year. Upon graduation with a bachelor’s degree from EUI, students will apply to transfer to Purdue’s Department of Computer Science to complete requirements for an MS in information security.
A virtual signing ceremony was attended by Egyptian and U.S. dignitaries, including the chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. Also in virtual attendance were Purdue President Mitch Daniels, and Mark S. Lundstrom, acting dean of the College of Engineering.
