JEDDAH: In order to decrease the number of students who switch majors after a year or two of study, King Abdulaziz University (KAU) is to introduce a preparatory year for students who enroll in its science and arts courses to give them an overview of different majors.
Dr. Osama Taib, KAU’s dean, told a press conference that many students, who take up courses under pressure from family or friends, end up changing their majors after wasting an entire year or two.
Haitham Zakai, general supervisor of public relations and media at KAU, said, “The preparatory year will release the pressure that students usually feel when they start college... Students will take simple basic courses in various subjects to help them decide where their interests and skills are.”
The preparatory year, which is to start from the next academic year, will have two streams — science and arts. Students will be able to enroll according to their specialization while at high school; each stream will lead to majors in corresponding subjects with students in the science stream free to opt for majors related to arts at university.
Students who opt for the science stream must obtain 15 credits in English language, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, statistics, computer skills and communication skills in the preparatory year. They will then qualify to major in subjects such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacology, engineering, computer science, information technology, meteorology, earth sciences and certain subspecialties in home economics.
Students who join the arts stream will study Arabic language, two English language courses, Islamic studies, writing and editing, communication skills, computer skills, and administrative and research skills. They will then have the option to major in arts and humanities, economics and administration, home economics and education.
In the second semester of the preparatory year, students will have a week to acquaint themselves with all the colleges of their stream before submitting their preferences for their chosen major.
“We will try our best to allot students the major of their first preference, depending on availability,” Zakai said, adding that the preparatory year would not prolong the course duration, as the total number of years for graduation would remain the same.
The preparatory year system is not new to KAU; it was initially applied 40 years ago when the university was first established, but was dropped later.
The university will accept about 31,000 students next year, with more students enrolling in the medical school.
