About Us
HIAST is a governmental institution which was established in 1983 to provide highly-qualified engineers and researchers in applied sciences and technology, so they can actively participate in the scientific and economic development process in Syria.
HIAST awards the Engineering Diploma (5 years undergraduate) in Communication, Informatics, Electronic Systems, Mechatronics, Materials Science and Engineering, and in Aeronautics.
Five Master programs (2 years postgraduate, “by-research” academic masters) are available at HIAST:
* Communication Systems ( Four specialties): Radio and Mobile Communications, Communication Networks, Digital Communications, Signal Processing
* Control and Robotics (Two specialties): Automatic control, Robotics
* Informatics (Two specialties); Decision Support Systems, Big Data Systems
* Optical Science and Engineering (Three specialties): Optical Systems, Laser Systems, Optical Measurement Systems
* Materials Science and Engineering (Three specialties): Polymers, Metallurgy, Glass and Ceramics
HIAST awards also the PhD degree in Communications, Informatics, Control Systems and in Materials Science and Engineering.
In addition to undergraduate and postgraduate programs at HIAST, a continuous research and development activities are undertaken by HIAST engineers and researchers working in different departments, laboratories and technology centers that HIAST encloses. Some of these R&D activities are undertaken in collaboration with national and international universities, research centers & organizations.
The Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology (HIAST) is considered the most prestigious institution for higher education in Syria; and it was ranked first in 2015 and in 2016 according to Webometrics Ranking. As an institute for the elite, the students are selected according to very strict criteria. Applicants to HIAST engineering cycle should be among the top 15% of high school students. Moreover, the student must have obtained excellent scores in scientific subjects (Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry). The Engineering study at HIAST is divided into two cycles:
- The "Common Core Cycle", during which students gain strong basis in fundamental sciences such as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, foreign language, etc. This Cycle lasts two years and contains more than 20 subjects a year.
- The "Specialization Cycle", during which students progressively focus on one engineering field among: Mechatronics, Information Systems, Communication, Electronic Systems, Aeronautics and Materials Science and Engineering. This Cycle lasts three years and allows students to apply their theoretical knowledge on mini-projects, case studies, lab experiments and on student projects (4th year project and final-year project).
The attendance is required and there is NO Distance-Study at HIAST.
HIAST Engineering curriculum is derived mainly from the French Engineering Schools "Les Grandes Ecole d'Ingénieurs", which are famous for their excellence all over the world.
Admission and filtering of students along the engineering study at HIAST are very selective. Each year HIAST accepts 100-150 students. Only about 50% of them are graduated at the end. The final average score, calculated over the five years of engineering study, of most of our graduates is between 65% and 70%, and the final average scores of the top graduates are usually about 75% and can rarely exceed 80%.
The academic staff at HIAST is formed of about 85 teachers for about 340 students. This yields a high student-teacher ratio of 4:1. At least 50% of HIAST teachers are graduates abroad, mainly from the French "Grandes Ecoles", in addition to other famous European universities.
