A total of 65 Omani and Non-Omani graduates were celebrated during an official ceremony held in the auditorium on campus at the German University of Technology in Barka on Sunday evening, 13rd December. The ceremony was attended by GUtech’s Board of Directors and Board of Governors, members of the Majlis Al Dowla and Majlis Al Shura and the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Sultanate, as well as other dignitaries.
The students graduated from Bachelor of Science programmes in Urban Planning and Architectural Design, Applied Geosciences, Computer Sciences, Bachelor of Engineering in Process Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Environmental Engineering and MSc in Petroleum Geoscience.
For the first time students graduated from the BEng in Mechanical Engineering and Process Engineering. The majority of GUtech graduates have already found positions in various companies, such as Petroleum Development Oman, Schlumberger, Oman Oil, PetroGas Rima, Dar Al Handasah, Bank Muscat, Muriya Tourism Development, Al Bustan Palace Hotel. Others are pursuing a MSc degree abroad, for example in Automotive Engineering or in Industrial Engineering at RWTH Aachen University in Germany, a Master’s in Engineering in the UK and a MSc in Petroleum Geosciences in the UK.
Professor Dr. Michael Modigell, Rector of GUtech addressed the students: “You received the best education. You will be part of the elite in Oman,” he said while adding: “You are well prepared for a professional job. The first pillar of GUtech’s educational approach is that we educate young people to be independent, self-reliant and at the same time flexible to work in a multicultural environment.” In order to stay competitive in the long-run the Rector advised the students: “Do not stop learning, stay curious and you will always be at the forefront in your professional careers. Choose your job according to your skills and knowledge and not according to the salary. In the end success will bring you a higher salary,” stressed the Rector. Moreover, Dr. Hussain Al Salmi, Deputy-Rector for Administration and Finance encouraged the students to “become Ambassadors of GUtech and to serve the community with their knowledge. Your deeds will be remembered,” he said.
On behalf of the GUtech graduates Ahlam Al Mutawa and Arwa Al Marhoobi, Department of Computer Science, addressed the audience on behalf of the students. “Graduates of 2015 we have made it,” said Ahlam while continuing to thank for all support received from parents, friends and family members. The students stressed that GUtech has become their home in the past years and that they have developed as independent thinkers. “We were taught not what to think but how to think,” she said adding that many students participated in study-excursions to different places, for example to Germany, to Spain, UK or elsewhere. Each year the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is sponsoring a number of GUtech students.
“Most of us got the privilege to travel to Germany which helped us to mature in our studies.” Her speech was followed by the GUtech student pledge, which stresses that GUtech graduates shall act as loyal and reliable ambassadors of GUtech. “I will behave in all fields of life with honesty and integrity, taking responsibility for my doings and respecting the rights, opinions and dignity of all people at any time”.
On the sidelines of the Graduation Ceremony a special photo exhibition about the city of Aachen was inaugurated at GUtech. “Aachen is the initiator for intellectual dialogue between Oman and Germany. We need dialogue in these times. We believe that the exchange of knowledge is part of friendship between people. Let’s go together,” said Dr. Juergen Linden, former Lord Mayor of the city of Aachen during the inauguration of the exhibition at GUtech. “Aachen is a place of history, of sciences and technology,” he said while stressing the importance of GUtech’s partner University RWTH Aachen University for the city of Aachen. The university is one of the leading universities of technology in Europe “RWTH Aachen has more than 300 innovations per year.”
GUtech emphasizes the future career prospects of its graduates and several companies in Oman are sponsoring GUtech students. A number of GUtech students are sponsored by local companies, such Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), Oman-India Fertilizer Company (OMIFCO), Salalah Methanol and Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries (Orpic).. GUtech also combines research and teaching, so that students learn about the real-world problems and are able to apply their theoretical knowledge in practice.
GUtech was founded in December 2006 in Muscat. A total of 1300 students have been studying at GUtech in winter 2015/2016 and a total of 199 students have graduated from GUtech. The university is affiliated with RWTH Aachen University, one of the leading universities of technology in Europe. The Rector of RWTH Aachen University is the head of the Board of Governors (BoG). The Board members met for their annual meeting at GUtech in the past few days. GUtech is the sole German University of Technology in Oman and in the Gulf region. All GUtech programmes are unique and tailor-made for Oman and the region. All GUtech BSc and BEng programmes are internationally accredited.

The first campus of the university was located on the beach road in Athaiba, the second campus was located beside the Sultan Qaboos Highway and Muscat International Airport. In September 2012 GUtech relocated to its final main campus in Halban/ Barka, located beside the Express Highway. The medium of teaching at GUtech is English. However, GUtech offers German classes, where the basics of the German language are taught.