Master in Chemical Eng. in American University of Sharjah?

[gradschoolfiasco]

Does anyone have a story or experience or opinion about the American University of Sharjah (AUS)? I'm thinking about applying Master in Chemical Eng and get funded by Teaching / Research Assistantship in AUS but I have no idea about this campus.

 

[Meremeow]

I'm an alum of AUS's college of architecture, art and design, class of 2014. I don't have a lot of info on the program itself, but I can tell you a bit about the campus if you'd like. Campus is pretty, lots of marble and palm trees. It gets so so hot in the summer that we used to plan our summer term classes with walking distance in mind. It's one of the best universities in the region for its undergraduate programs but I think they've been trying to push for graduate research in STEM judging by their recent job openings, which is a reflection of the country in general, I think. 

It's a tough place to live without a car, your movement will feel very restricted. That said, I had a lot of carless friends in undergrad and all you need is just a good friend with a car and you're good to go. The campus itself is close to a new residential area with lots of food options and a carrefour for your grocery needs, and I think a new shopping mall is opening nearby, which might be convenient. Again, it's close, but when the weather is hot it's not walkable-y close. Half of the year though the weather is absolutely beautiful.

Campus is about ~20 minutes from Dubai. There's probably plenty of websites to look up what Dubai is like, but I recommend the beaches over the malls. There's a lot of outdoorsy offerings, especially in Eastern Sharjah, where the weather is milder even during hotter months. Same thing for Ras Al Khaimah and Fujeirah. Sharjah itself has incredible, world class cultural institutions (look up the sharjah art foundation and the sharjah book fair if you're interested.)

Does that help? Sorry I can't help much with the department or program itself but let me know if you want to know something specific about campus. I'm currently writing this from the AUS library where I'm holed up working (procrastinating) on my own grad school applications.