The CoB at AU is a young and fast-growing institution. It is one of six colleges at AU. AU is a private non-profit university where English is the official language of the university. It is in the heart of the city of Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, built around the palace of the former King of Saudi Arabia, King Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud. The college admitted its first batch of 24 male and female undergraduate students in the Fall of 2008. Whereas the first male and female cohort of MBA students was admitted in the Fall of 2010. It offers a vibrant undergraduate business administration degree that is grounded in liberal arts education with six majors (Accounting, Entrepreneurship and Family Business, Finance, Human Resource Management, Marketing, and Operations and Project Management). The college also offers an MBA program that is directed toward middle managers. Six tracks are available: MBA- General, MBA- Accounting/Taxation, MBA-Digital Marketing, MBA-Finance, MBA-Healthcare Management, and MBA-Human Capital Management. The College, as part of its commitment to serving the community, also offers active Executive Education programs. The college's pioneering curriculum and its diverse faculty are attracting the best and the brightest students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Students learn from distinguished scholars and practitioners who have excellent academic credentials.
Students, at the College of Business, learn the skills necessary to confront and manage the challenges of modern businesses. They are well trained to recognize change and growth and equipped with the right skills to deal with them. In-class lectures and case analysis, executive lectures involving well-accomplished executives and government officials, and internship experiences with diverse businesses give students the edge needed to help companies compete in today's global marketplace. It graduates leaders with exceptional abilities to manage and sustain growth in public and private organizations through critical thinking, analytical decision-making, information technology, and collaborative execution. Through such a well-rounded education, Alfaisal business students become not only leaders of profitable family enterprises and public corporations but, also, capable societal leaders contributing to the growth and development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the region. They are well suited for the operationalization of the Saudi 2030 Vision.
College of Business Approach
The College achieve its ideals by
- maintaining a small class size in order to maximize student participation inside the classroom and faculty/student interaction.
- using problem-based pedagogy including case studies and experiential learning activities.
- curriculum grounded in liberal arts education that promotes independence and critical thinking.
- helping students to develop quantitative, technological, and leadership competencies.
- encouraging student participation in learning outside the classroom through Business Club activities, internships, research projects, field trips, and so on.
- working closely with the local business community to ensure the relevance of student learning opportunities.
- conducting high-quality research with applicability to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the global business community.
- engaging in selective consulting projects to increase faculty and student exposure to significant business and development issues inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- connecting students to the business and public communities through an active Executive Lecture Series and at least a four-months internship program.
National and International Recognition
The College of Business (CoB) programs are approved and recognized by the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia. Alfaisal University opened its doors for instructions in 2008. Despite its young age, Alfaisal University (AU) is recognized as one of the best universities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Many of our students, including graduates of the CoB, are regularly accepted in top international universities around the world and many are currently pursuing their graduate degrees.
The CoB is an active member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and, recently, fulfilled the AACSB eligibility requirements for working toward AACSB full accreditation within the next few years. Only 6% of business schools worldwide hold AACSB accreditation. The College of Business was featured in Newsweek as one of the ten Leading Business Schools in 2017; please see the link http://www.newsweek.com/insights/leading-business-schools-2017/alfaisal-university.