The Mission of the College of Science and General Studies is to provide an outstanding educational experience through problem-based learning, undergraduate research experience, and excellent faculty as teachers and guides. Through core courses, the College provides a sound scientific and mathematical foundation for graduate or professional study in medicine, biomedical science, public health, science journalism, and science education. The general studies curriculum, which offers core courses in the humanities and social sciences, adds value to students’ lives and to society as a whole.
Since 2010, the College of Science and General Studies has offered a four-year Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree program in Life Sciences. The College also provides core courses in the natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences for students majoring in the colleges of Business, Engineering, and Medicine.
The College curricula are developed by faculty having teaching and research experience at western research universities in the USA and Europe. Students are taught and guided by distinguished research-active faculty from western universities. Instruction involves problem-based and technologically-enhanced learning. The goal of the undergraduate program in Life Sciences and the general education courses is to train students to be critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and team players. Participation in faculty research projects will be a featured activity for undergraduate students in the College.
Life Sciences program
The Life Sciences program provides instruction in all aspects of molecular biology, including the structure and function of genes (DNA), transmission of genetic information from the gene to functional RNA and protein molecules, human and population genetics and evolution, as well as ethical and legal aspects of genetics and genetic engineering.
The program curriculum emphasizes the acquisition of conceptual and laboratory skills in molecular biology and other sciences (chemistry, physics) with attention to biotechnology. Biotechnology is a series of enabling technologies that involve the manipulation of living organisms or their sub-cellular components to provide useful products, processes, or services. Industries are turning to biotechnology to improve their products and make the manufacturing process easier, cleaner, and more cost-effective. This trend has resulted in a large increase in the number of positions available for individuals trained in Life Sciences, especially molecular biology and biotechnology.
The College plans additional undergraduate degree programs in Computer Science and Environmental Science.
Click here for Life Science Curriculum (PDF)
BS Program in Computer Science
Computer Science deals with the theory of computations and its various applications, such as networking, data security, software development, artificial intelligence, multimedia and graphics etc. Over the past two decades, the field has expanded very rapidly as the need for computers now extend far beyond the old traditional usage of scientific computing. Computer scientists have a tremendous variety of job opportunities. Computer science graduates can design, implement, or manage computer software systems, as well as employ computers in new areas of application. They can also move easily into engineering, business, education and other multidisciplinary fields.
In the computer science program we offer at Alfaisal, students obtain a broad foundation in both theory and applications. The program has been designed to cover most core areas of study recommended by the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM). Computer science core courses include the fundamentals of programming concepts, data structures, algorithms, operating systems, web development, networks etc. The program offers two tracks of specialization; one is in security and net-centric computing, and the other is in multimedia, graphics and visualization. The curriculum includes a senior project and several elective courses in computer science, and nine credit hours of electives in areas of interest to the student. This enables a student to prepare for immediate employment or further study at the graduate level.
The plan below lists a semester-by-semester sequence of courses to finish the degree in eight semesters. The 4-year curriculum is 133 credit hours total. The first five semesters for both tracks are identical.
