On Thursday, September 8th, 2022, the University of Jordan launched in a special ceremony under the patronage of his excellency the President of the University, Prof. Nathir Obeidat, the master's program in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. The new MSc program is a joint program between the departments of Computer Engineering and Mechatronics Engineering at the University's School of Engineering.
The program, which was established within the project to develop curricula
for artificial intelligence and robotics (DeCAIR), is supported by the European Commission within the Erasmus Plus program. The new program aims to provide the Jordanian labor market and the regional market with specialized cadres in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics, in light of the increasing use of smart technology in all fields globally.
In his speech during the ceremony, Obeidat praised the introduction of this qualitative program within the programs of the School of Engineering at the university and indicated that in the midst of the university’s celebration of its 60th anniversary, the launch of this program gives us confidence that the university is on the right path towards the future and keeps pace with the important developments and transformations in the sector of technical education.
He added that the program aims to meet the needs of the local and regional labor market by providing students with the necessary knowledge and skills in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics that serve many other sectors, calling on the Schools of Engineering and King Abdullah School for Information Technology to unify and combine their efforts and expertise to ensure the program success and achievement of its goals.
The Dean of the School of Engineering, Prof. Nasser Al-Hunaiti, said that the program was approved by the Ministry of Higher Education as well as the Higher Education Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission. It is the eighteenth program of the master's programs offered by the School of Engineering within its goals to keep pace with the latest technology, and engineering developments.
Hunaiti added that the program was developed in partnership with the Jordan University of Science and Technology, Tafila Technical University, the Lebanese University, the Beirut Arab University, the Italian Universities of Genoa and Pisa, the Spanish University of Granada, the University of Stuttgart, Germany and the Greek Foundation for the Development of Creative Thinking. The program provides modern applied curricula, specialized laboratories, and training opportunities in partner countries.
The project coordinator at the university, Prof. Gheith Abandah, said that the (DeCAIR) project came in response to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the emergence of artificial intelligence and robotics technologies. The DeCAIR project aims to qualify experts in artificial intelligence and robotics through a master’s program in artificial intelligence and robotics at the University of Jordan and a new bachelor’s program in Engineering Intelligent systems at Tafileh Technical University (TTU), in addition to the development of courses in artificial intelligence and robotics for six bachelor's programs and five master's programs in Jordanian and Lebanese partner universities.
He added that the project included the participation of European experts in developing plans and curricula for artificial intelligence and robotics, providing 19 specialized training courses for faculty members and students, and establishing specialized laboratories for artificial intelligence and robotics.
Professor of Computer Engineering at the university, Prof. Iyad Jafar, indicated that the program, which will accept the first batch of students in the first semester of the 2022/2023 School year and consists of 33 hours. The program is of an applied nature that seeks to qualify and graduate experts capable of employing modern technologies in this field to provide solutions that benefit all areas of life, and mainly targets bachelor students in the disciplines of electrical engineering, computer engineering, mechatronics engineering, electrical engineering, communications engineering, and medical engineering. The program also accepts undergraduate students from other engineering majors, artificial intelligence, Department and information technology.
Dr. Musa Al-Yaman of the Mechatronics Engineering Department at the University of Jordan reviewed the history of the Computer Engineering and Mechatronics departments and presented the new courses offered, as well as the courses updated at the BSc and MSc levels.