Dear students,

As HCT students you will find this catalog of immense value, and importance, as you navigate your way through what promises to be an exhilarating and engaging academic year.

We are witnessing the dawn of a new era in education, hastened by the repercussions of global health issues in 2020. We are experiencing the disruption of traditional, or conventional, education models, resulting in a fast-tracked transformation of educational themes; from traditional instructional learning, to interactive learning to knowledge building and empowerment. Coupled with these extraordinary events are the challenges and demands brought about by the 4^th Industrial Revolution, which are changing the way we learn and also interact with each other.

The UAE has the infrastructure and capabilities needed to adapt to the swift transformations this era is ushering in. As a nation, we are blessed that the UAE Government has proactively planned for the future by investing greatly in human capital development through education, strengthening digital and technological capabilities, and supporting a range of initiatives in these vital fields.

As a result, the role played by educational institutions is broadening, going beyond preparing our graduates for jobs, but nurturing them to ensure they possess a range of skills so they can be innovative, well-rounded professionals who can meet the evolving demands of the commercial, governmental and industrial sectors, as well as of UAE society, in general.

The role changes can be achieved through an education model, known as “Future Persona 4.0”, which reflects the nature of the current generation of students, who are thriving in the digital word of learning, and which will lead to the creation of the “person of the future”. This model is made up of three inter-linked Personas – Digital, Professional and Entrepreneurship Personas.

The Digital Persona empowers students, using digital tools, to be globally competitive in their chosen fields, as well as being educationally self-reliant, so that they can adequately face future career challenges. The ‘Professional Persona’ gives students the ability to meet high levels of professionalism that are now the global standard for workplaces.  This will include professional certifications and practical training programs and vocational skills for students. The ‘Entrepreneurship Persona’ allows students to apply their digital and professional skills, enabling them to create creative projects that add value to the economy, by establishing start-ups and creating new jobs.

HCT is already addressing the requirements of the “Future Persona 4.0” model, by leveraging the 4^th Industrial Revolution, such as Blockchain, IoT and Artificial Intelligence, as well as its “digital campus”, providing learning services to students wherever and whenever required. Hence, we are aligned with the future of education, which will be more digital in format, have an on-demand delivery, be personalized in design, and be highly agile, or adaptable, in relevance to emerging economic and societal trends. As a result we are producing students who possess creative, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, who are empowered to positively respond to new, dynamic developments, both locally and globally.

At HCT we believe that the development of the “person of the future” can be achieved by implementing a “hybrid” learning system, which combines on-campus learning and distance, or online, learning. This will encourage students to develop new skills, capabilities and outlook on society, and one which will embrace the opportunities brought about by the recent disruptions to society. The adoption of such an evolutionary change in education will require the cooperation of institutions, students, faculties, parents and society. As “digital natives” we envisage you, our HCT students, as eagerly embracing this digital transformation in learning; and our experiences to date have already proven this to be true.

We will always be ready to embrace the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow and to achieve this we must empower our students today and make preparedness a part of your student experience at HCT, by ensuring you possess knowledge, skills and training that remain valuable, relevant and in-demand.

You, and your parents and guardians, are urged to use this catalog as a valuable tool to guide you in the forthcoming academic year, as it contains all relevant information about the program majors, courses, professional certifications, academic rules, grading, student conduct, graduation and much more.

We wish you a highly rewarding, fulfilling and ultimately successful 2020-21 academic year.

Dr. Abdullatif Al Shamsi
President & CEO
Higher Colleges of Technology