Whether expanding its educational offerings or taking the lead in pioneering initiatives, AUC has many firsts. These are just a few of them.
First in Egypt
- University accreditation by National Authority for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Education
- School of Continuing Education accreditation by International Association for Continuing Education and Training
- FinTech graduate program — among first worldwide
- University spinoff: D-Kimia, develops novel and affordable diagnostic solutions to detect a broad range of diseases, including hepatitis C and cancer
- University-based startup accelerator and incubator: AUC Venture Lab, accelerated more than 120 startups and created more than 500 jobs
- Egyptian Chair in Coptic Heritage professorship
- MBA program
- Certified medical technology professional training program
- Canadian Society for Chemistry’s international accreditation of undergraduate chemistry program
- Food chemistry graduate program
- El-Khazindar Business Research and Case Center
- Desert Development Center’s introduction of new citrus varieties, promoting a thriving export industry
- First farm fully powered by solar energy (Desert Development Center)
- Implementation of solar powered, village-scale drinking water solutions and chicken incubators in remote areas of Egypt (Research Institute for a Sustainable Environment)
- 3MT PhD thesis competition
- Neighborhood initiative: AUC working to create a livable, just and sustainable neighborhood around its campuses
- Yousef Jameel Science and Technology Research Center: first research facility to develop micro/nano devices. The center includes Egypt’s first Clean Room, equipped with full-scale fabrication tools
- University-based business and economics knowledge portal: BusinessForwardAUC.com
- Association for Information Systems student chapter
First in the Region
- First Center for Learning and Teaching for professional faculty development
- Blended degree, in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education
- University Career Center
- Cocurricular transcript
- Academic integrity initiative
- Carbon Footprint Report
- Cairo International Model United Nations
- Cairo International Model Arab League
- School of Business Financial Service Center
- First University FabLab
- Partnership with Udacity online educational platform
- Validation of undergraduate architecture program, with no reservations, from the joint UNESCO and International Union of Architects Council for Architectural Education
- Cosmos Radio, first science radio station in the Arab world, launched by Society of Physics Students
- School of Business: Triple crown accreditation; joining The Global Alliance in Management Education
- Association of Chartered Certified Accountants accreditation for the undergraduate accounting program, with maximum exemptions
- First and only department-based counseling psychology training clinic
- Master of Arts in community psychology — first and only in Africa
- Master of Arts in international human rights law
- Master of Science and graduate diploma in sustainable development
- Concentration in precision health, Master of Global Public Health
- LLM in international and comparative law, first American-style legal education in the Arab world
- Solar energy specialization, Bachelor of Science in physics
- Petrochemical specialization, Bachelor of Science in chemistry
- Principals’ Academy, enhancing expertise of school leaders, Graduate School of Education
- Public policy and public administration master’s programs first in the Middle East and third outside the United States to receive accreditation from the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration
First Outside the United States
- ABET accreditation for computer science and engineering program
- American Association of University Professors global chapter
- Only higher education institute outside North America to be featured in The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges (2014 – 2018)
First Worldwide
- Triple crown accreditation in public affairs education for Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy at the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy
- Master’s in migration and refugee studies: first worldwide to combine migration and refugee studies with a focus on the Middle East and Africa