The common feature of all engineering endeavors is scientific problem solving. An engineer confronted with a problem uses knowledge and intuition systematically to determine the best solution to the predicament. To meet the contemporary challenge of a constantly changing technological society, an engineer must have a strong background in the fundamentals of his discipline. The basic philosophy of Sharif University of Technology (SUT) is to provide such a scientifically-oriented education for its students.
The fundamental aims of Sharif University of Technology are three. The first is the creation of an institution where students can be instructed in both theoretical and applied sciences with special emphasis on the particular needs of our society. The second is to teach students the advanced knowledge and techniques required to participate in the fields of engineering and technology and to cultivate them into creative engineers, good scientists and innovative technologists. The third is to educate engineers who are ready to be employed, who contribute significantly to their jobs, who have a strong sense of public responsibility and a desire to continue to learn. Particular emphasis is placed on the promotion of multi-disciplinary research at the graduate and doctoral levels.
SUT is one of the largest engineering schools in the Islamic Republic of Iran. It was established in 1966 under the name of Aryarmehr University of Technology and, at that time, there were 54 faculty members and a total of 412 students who were selected by national examination. In 1980, the university was renamed Sharif University of Technology. SUT now has a total of 300 full-time faculty members, approximately 430 part-time faculty members and a student body of about 8,000.
Originally, the 20 hectare university campus housed four departments; Electrical, Metallurgical, Mechanical Engineering and Chemistry. Since then, SUT has expanded its services until, today, it comprises ten different departments in science and engineering. All departments offer B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs.
SUT has established several research centers. These centers, while maintaining their own separate identities, co-exist within the university system. This arrangement gives individual researchers the opportunity and flexibility to conduct research while establishing a working relationship between the university and industry. There are also computer, language, Islamic studies, graphics, workshop and physical education centers on campus, as well as a large central library.
SUT also includes facilities such as the Office of International and Scientific Cooperation (OISC), which is responsible for establishing and maintaining relations with academic and scientific institutions abroad and for organizing events related to the advancement of scientific cooperation. OISC is in charge of the preparation and global distribution of university publications in English and Farsi.
SUT is also a member of the International Association of Universities (IAU), the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).
Sharif University of Technology has earned a respected reputation and rank among institutes of higher learning in the Middle East. It strives to continue improving its standards.
Faculty
The full-time and part-time faculty members are eminent scholars involved in research, as well as teaching. Since founded, the university has focused on attracting the most talented and well trained faculty members available. A brief glance at the background and interests of the faculty of each department confirms that SUT has been successful in attaining this goal.
To keep up with the latest developments in their areas of interest, after four years of employment, each faculty member is entitled to spend one year on sabbatical at a research institution of their choice anywhere in the world.
Enrollment
Undergraduate admission to SUT is limited to the top 5% of students who pass the national entrance examination administered yearly by the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education. The university also offers seminars and off-campus programs designed to allow professional engineers to keep pace with the technological changes in their particular fields of endeavor.
Students may supplement their classroom work with laboratory courses, independent study and research under the supervision of the faculty. Each department is equipped with its own library, workshops, laboratories and computer sites. Elective courses in the humanities and social sciences complement technical studies.
SUT operates on the semester system. Fall semester runs from mid-September through mid-January and spring semester runs from early February through May. The university does not charge tuition. Students, however, are expected to pay for their own books and personal expenses. Dormitories are available for students from outside Tehran.
Facilities
SUT is equipped with contemporary computer systems, including an advanced local and international data-transmission network, readily available to both students and faculty members.
There are also resources for cultural activities including two auditoriums. The physical education center provides courses and extracurricular sports programs for both men and women, including intramural and intermural competitions. Sports include soccer, basketball, volleyball, handball, badminton, table tennis, tennis, swimming, gymnastics, biking, skiing, wrestling, weight lifting, body building, judo, tae kwan do, karate, mountain climbing and chess. There is also a stadium in use for cultural activities such as music. There are a number of live-in dormitories attached to the university and the campus has a self-service restaurant.
Location
The university is located in Tehran, the capital and largest city of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with a population of 12 million. More importantly, Tehran is the industrial nerve center of Iran. It is the ideal location for a technical institution such as SUT which seeks to orient its scholarly pursuits toward the satisfaction of the scientific and technological needs of industry and society as a whole.
The campus is situated in the southwest part of the city, near Azadi Square and Mehrabad International Airport. This location provides easy access to the university from all points in Iran and the world.