1 University of Kurdistan Values and Vision University of Kurdistan (UOK) is committed to providing an environment which nurtures train- ing of human resources in a creative, responsible, motivated, conscious and disciplined way based on Islamic and moral values. UOK is bound to respect and promote the lofty principles of academic culture based on knowledge and professionalism and leading to the development of constructive collaboration with national and international HEIs and research centres. Mission Statement The University of Kurdistan as a leading comprehensive educational institute relies on its own young and motivated lecturers and invaluable assets, and uses innovative training methods and technologies to train a committed and skilled workforce to meet the challenges and problems of society at local and global levels. Moreover, UOK attempts to meet the diverse needs of the community in various fields and at various levels by nurturing applied research, developing new frontiers of knowledge, and offering consultancy services. Overview of UOK The University of Kurdistan commenced its activities as the Higher College of Sanandaj, an affiliate of Tarbi- at Moallem (Teacher Training Institute), Tehran in the academic year 1974-1975. Its first intake of students was in the field of Mathematics Teacher Training. In the following academic year, the college became an off campus faculty of Kermanshah’s Razi University and was thereafter named the Sanandaj Faculty of Teacher Training. In addition to admitting students in Mathematics Teacher Training, it began to accept students in Chem- istry and English. By expanding its pedagogical activi- ties and conducting research in a wide variety of fields, this teacher training unit was granted university sta- tus by the Ministry of Higher Education and Culture in 1991. Henceforth it became known as the Univer- sity of Kurdistan. Since then a great range of courses at various levels have been added to the university’s graduate and postgraduate programme lists. Currently, University of Kurdistan has over 10000 stu- dents (1.7 percent international), of which over 30 percent are postgraduate students. University of Kurd- istan has an autonomous college (Pardis), 8 faculties and 50 departments offering 187 undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Moreover, UOK employs ap- proximately 360 full-time academic faculty members 2 with over 95 per cent having Assistant Professorship or above grading (17 Full Professors and 82 Associate Professors, Assistant Professor 242). In addition, over 380 part-time teaching staff are employed and the number of administrative staff totals 385. Currently, the university has 8 research institutes and 6 academic journals and has its own pub- lishing press with many yearly publications. Moreover, UOK has plentiful research and teaching laboratories to aid students and staff at all faculties. UOK has a non-centralized administrative structure managed by the Board of Trustees (which has the highest position in the University and overlooks future educational expansion, financial projections and other major plans of the University), the Chancellor, 5 Vice Chancellors (Vice Chancellors for Educational and Academic Affairs, Research Affairs, Student Affairs, Financial Affairs and Cultural and Social Affairs), Board of Directors and the University Council. 3 Faculty of Agriculture The Faculty of Agriculture was founded jointly with the Faculty of Natural Resources in 1991. In 2007, the Faculty of Agriculture separated from the Faculty of Natural Resources and com- menced its academic teaching and research activities on an independent basis. It is currently one of the major providers of research in agricultural fields in the region. Both training and research are undertaken at the highest professional level and a wide range of agriculture based scientific courses are offered to graduate and postgraduate students. The faculty›s mission is to develop resources and technology to provide contemporary and future needs of the agricultural sector of Kurdistan province, to advance and disseminate knowledge and to provide advice and guidance in the field of agriculture for sustainable economic development. The faculty has 8 departments, offering 12 undergraduate degree programmes and 24 postgraduate degree pro- grammes (including 7 PhD degree programmes), comprising of: Biosystems Engineering Water Sciences and Engineering Agricultural Economics Plant Protection Agronomy and Plant Breeding Animal Science Soil Science Horticultural Science & Engineering 4 5 At present, the Faculty of Agriculture has over 1000 students and 69 full-time academic mem- bers of staff. The faculty has 28 laboratories including Soil Chemistry Laboratory, Soil Physics Laboratory, Plant Breeding Laboratory, Plant Pathology, Genetics Laboratory, Entomology Labo- ratory, Poultry Production Unit, Quail Production Unit, Dairy Cattle Production Unit. In addition, this faculty has four greenhouses and 50 hectares of agricultural research fields. The below table lists all degree programmes offered by the faculty. Faculty of Agriculture List of Degree Programmes Department of Animal Science Animal Science BSc Animal Breeding MSc&PhD Animal Physiology MSc&PhD Animal Nutrition MSc&PhD Veterinary Laboratory Sciences BSc Department of Agronomy & Plant Breeding Production and Plant Genetic Engineering (Agrotechnology & Biotechnology) BSc/MSc Plant Genetic and Breeding MSc Agroecology MSc Agricultural Biotechnology MSc&PhD Agronomy (Crop Physiology) PhD Agrotechnology-Weed sciences MSc Agrotechnology-Seed science and technology MSc Agroecology MSc&PhD Department of Horticultural Sciences Food Science & Technology BSc Landscape Engineering BSc Horticultural Science & Engineering BSc Horticultural Science & Engineering: Fruit Trees MSc Horticultural Science & Engineering: Vegetables MSc Horticultural Science & Engineering: Medicinal Plants MSc Horticultural Science & Engineering: Ornamental Plants MSc Greenhouse Crops Production MSc Department of Food industry Food Science and Engineering BSc Department of Soil Sciences Soil Science & Engineering BSc 6 Faculty of Agriculture List of Degree Programmes Soil Biology and Biotechnology MSc Soil Physics & Conservation MSc Soil Resources & Land Evaluation MSc Department of Agricultural Economy Agricultural Economics BSc Agricultural Policy & Development MSc Agricultural Extension & Education MSc Department of Plant Protection Plant Protection BSc Agricultural Entomology MSc Plant Pathology MSc&PhD Department of Water Sciences & Engineering Water Sciences & Engineering BSc Irrigation & Drainage Engineering MSc Department of Biosystems Engineering Mechanics & Biosystems Engineering BSc Design and Construction MSc Postharvest Technology MSc Food Industry Machinery Engineering BSc Department of Agriculturul Extensicn and Education Sustainable Agriculturul Extensicn and Education, Invention and Agricultural MSc Entrepreneurship Sustainable Agriculturul Extensicn and Natural Industries MSc 7 Faculty of Art and Architecture Because of the importance of Art, architecture and planning at national and international levels and the rich history of the arts in western Iran, especially in Kurdistan, the University of Kurd- istan launched programs in the aforementioned fields in the early years of its establishment as a university. The University of Kurdistan commenced offering degree programs in Architecture, Planning and Music in 1999, 2006 and 2016, respectively. These two departments were initially part of the Faculty of Engineering but in 2012 became part of the newly established Faculty of Art and Architecture. In light of its expansion and development plans, the Faculty of Art and Architecture is in the process of establishing degree programs in Handicraft as well as aiming to offer its existing degree programs at PhD level in near future. In total, the faculty currently has three departments: Urban Planning Architecture Music (Iranian) 8 The Faculty of Art & Architecture has 12 full-time academic staff and numerous part-time staff with a total student population of 302. Staff in the faculty undertake research of the highest quality and renowned for its interdiscipli- nary orientation. The research fulfills University of Kurdistan’s mission to further its impact and national and international ranking by conducting research that shapes the actions of govern- ment, industry, and cultural life through practical and action-led modes of research and engage- ment. Research in the faculty is clustered around a number of research themes including architecture, urbanism public sphere, environmental psychology, informal settlements and sustainability. The Urban Studies Journal was first published in 2010 with the aim of focusing on the results of sci- entific research and experiences of cities. It welcomes all original submissions that extent our understanding of the urban condition and the rapid changes taking place in cities in Iran and across the globe, whether from an empirical, theoretical, or a policy perspective. In addition, due to the research background of the Urban Planning Departmental staff, our faculty is pursu- ing to launch a Center of Excellence in Urban Regeneration and Upgrading by the start of next year. The main goal of this center is to provide the required settings for informal settlements and rundown urban textures studies based on the Urban Regeneration and Upgrading approach. 9 The Faculty of Art and Architecture’s current building has been built on 4600 square