VCUarts Qatar announces new Interdisciplinary Bachelor’s program 

Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar), a Qatar Foundation partner university, has celebrated the upcoming launch of its new Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) program at an event held at Virginia Commonwealth University’s campus in Richmond, Virginia. 

The event was attended by Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson of Qatar Foundation; Dr. Michael Rao, President of Virginia Commonwealth University; Francisco Marmolejo, President of Higher Education, Qatar Foundation; and Dr. Hend Zainal, Executive Director, Strategy, Management and Partnerships within Qatar Foundation’s Higher Education division.

Expected to welcome its first cohort in Fall 2027 at VCUarts Qatar’s campus in Qatar Foundation’s Education City, the program places design at the center of an interdisciplinary education, enabling students to connect creative practice with knowledge and methods from other fields. The program draws on the academic strengths of Qatar Foundation’s partner universities in Education City, offering students the flexibility to pursue their interests across disciplines while developing a strong foundation in design.

The program’s proposed focus areas integrate design with business and entrepreneurship; communications and media; ecology and sustainable environments; data science and digital literacies; humanities and the preservation of cultural heritage; and health and well-being.

Amir Berbić, Dean of VCUarts Qatar, said: “Our Interdisciplinary Studies offering is an innovative academic model, responding to a growing need for graduates who can combine specialist knowledge with the ability to collaborate across areas of focus. 

“We view design as not only concerned with producing objects, images, spaces or experiences, but also as a way of thinking: a way of asking questions, framing problems, understanding human needs, connecting different perspectives and imagining possibilities.  In that sense, design serves as connective tissue between disciplines.   

The Richmond launch also reflected the longstanding partnership between Virginia Commonwealth University and Qatar Foundation and their shared commitment to developing new educational opportunities that draw on the complementary strengths of Education City’s universities.

“The innovative nature and scope of this new program at VCUarts Qatar once again reflects how Education City serves as a testbed for bold, creative ideas that support progressive, holistic learning and the nurturing of the agile, multi-talented workforce of the future,” said Dr. Zainal.

“It also illustrates the value of Qatar Foundation’s unique ecosystem of education, where institutes of learning focused on different disciplines intertwine to elevate the student experience and the acquisition of skills and knowledge. We look forward to seeing how this latest milestone in our longstanding and immensely valued partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University creates new dimensions in learning for students at Education City.”

The new program’s students will develop a foundation in design methods and creative practice, learning to investigate complex questions, work across different perspectives, and develop and test ideas. They will apply these capabilities through interdisciplinary coursework, research opportunities, internships, and a culminating capstone project.

More information about the program can be found here.