Authored by Dr. Michael J. Benedik, Provost, Hamad bin Khalifa University
The season for graduation has arrived when students from colleges and universities around the world hope to complete their studies and receive their diplomas. While thousands of students in Qatar, and millions throughout the world, are in the midst of this right-of-passage, only a handful go beyond to get a post-baccalaureate or graduate degree. But what do such graduate degrees signify and why are graduates with Masters or Doctoral degrees so important?
To be clear, a college degree is an important achievement. Much is made that college graduates are not ready to work but that is not the goal. College was never intended as job preparation but rather the training of intelligent adults who can communicate, think, process information, be a generalist in their area of study but importantly be able to learn the specifics about the job they are meant to do.
Graduate degrees are quite different, one might view them as a specialist degree in the field of study but with something extra. Although advanced course work is an essential part of graduate degrees offered at Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU), the critical distinction is that our graduates have engaged not only in learning but also in advancing the knowledge of their field, be that through research or other scholarly activities.
This is in fact the hallmark of a research university. Educating the next generation of students is key for any institution of higher education. But modern research universities are additionally meant to focus on creating new knowledge through the (research) activities and initiatives of their faculty. This is true for all the disciplines from the hottest cutting edge high technology in medicine, engineering or computer science, to a deeper study and understanding of our cultures, literature and history, not to mention understanding our environment, world, and human behaviors. Research in all these areas, and more, advance our knowledge.
It is the pairing of this research with the education of our students that make research universities truly unique. Graduate students work hand in hand with their faculty to make a new discovery or a novel analysis of their study topic. The part they play in creating and learning something new is an essential aspect of their degree. It also underscores the value of research universities and what they contribute to communities, countries and the world.
Research universities serve as hubs of discovery and innovation, and we often quantify this by how many patents or startups are generated. However, this vastly undervalues their numerous other contributions. Fundamental research is key to driving future technology, and today’s startups are built on the knowledge infrastructure of previous years and decades. Much of today’s research undertaken at universities will be the foundation for the next generation of technology and provide entrepreneurial opportunities in so many disciplines. Current and future advances discovered at research universities serve as economic engines for their communities and countries. World class research universities attract world class students, faculties and innovators to their campuses and communities, and compete in the international arena, not just local or regional.
However, the importance of research goes far beyond only the technical discoveries. If we fail to understand how humans behave, if we don’t better learn about our world and its inhabitants and ecosystems, if we don’t understand the implications of our laws or public policies, then we face a bleak future. Modern research universities have a profound impact on our society and culture by shaping public opinion, influencing policy, and fostering critical thinking and creativity. Research universities provide the platform to explore these new ideas and theories that change our understanding of the world.
Beyond teaching and research, universities are actively engaged with their local communities, providing a range of services and outreach programs that benefit residents and businesses. For example, through the Minaretein Center our faculty and students provide education to the local community. Across HBKU there are programs that promote public health, good government, improved education, and collaboration with local governments and nonprofit organizations to help them operate better. The latter includes organizations who we’ve previously worked with to raise awareness for such campaigns including breast cancer, diabetes and mental health.
Research at HBKU by our faculty and students also helped to drive Qatar’s response to the Covid 19 pandemic and studies are still ongoing to ensure that lessons that need to be learned from that dark period are in fact learned.
HBKU's commitment to community engagement transcends beyond Qatar. We take immense pride in the pivotal role played by our faculty and students in making the recent FIFA World Cup one of the most accessible global sporting events in history. Furthermore, in recent years, we organized educational trips to Jordan and Bangladesh for our students to gain a deeper understanding of the circumstances displaced refugees endure due to conflict. In both instances, critical knowledge-building was accompanied by humanitarian assistance and other voluntary activities. We remain dedicated to using our resources to make a positive impact on communities both locally and globally.
Let me return to the topic of why students who have successfully completed a graduate degree bring enormous added value. They are of course experts in their field, having studied a topic deeply for 2 or more years. They bring with them a fresh perspective based on the latest knowledge and developments in their field. Inherent in a graduate degree is the development of innovative problem-solving skills. In order to conduct their research, graduate students gain skills in generating and/or analyzing complex data and identifying patterns that lead to a new understanding or discovery. Graduate school is not easy, you can be assured that any student completing a graduate degree is driven and has a strong work ethic. At HBKU the majority of our students in fact complete their degree while continuing to be fully employed around Qatar. They are used to working long hours and juggling projects and competing demands on their time. They will in fact be the leaders for tomorrow, not merely the workers.
U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, “If you want to build a great city, create a great university and wait 200 years.” Although the time frame has changed, young universities are now having outsized impacts on their communities, the underlying principle remains true, great cities (not just large cities) all have great universities. Luckily Doha is no exception.