The Civil Engineering Department is the oldest engineering department in Iraq. It was formed in 1921 as a simple nucleus, the School of Engineering, which was established to train graduates of elementary school in irrigation work. Over several years, it developed into the first department in the College of Engineering when it opened in 1942, and admission to the department for high school graduates was initially a four-year program that awarded a diploma, which later became a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
The Electrical Engineering Department was established in 1950. So far, many thousands of Electrical engineers were graduated from this department and they are working in Iraq and abroad. The electrical Engineer will study for 4-year program and award B.Sc. degrees in electrical engineering, which is equivalent to 160 credit hours and done field training in their specializations. Electrical Engineering offers a wide range of employment opportunities in different fields, including, but not limited to electrical power generation and distribution, installation, computer applications, IT, electronic circuit design and communication systems.
Also the Electrical Engineering Dept. awards Master Degree (M.Sc.) and Ph.D. degree in three disciplines. Power and Machines; Electronics and Communications; and Computer and Control according to the British and USA standards.
The minimum period of the M.Sc. degree is 2 years and the period of the Ph.D. degree is 4 years. These programs after the B.Sc. degree.
The Department of Architecture at the College of Engineering, University of Baghdad was established in 1959, offering a five-year undergraduate program leading to a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture. Until the academic year 2022-2023, the department had produced over 3000 architectural engineers, many of whom have achieved remarkable architectural accomplishments in various sectors within Iraq, as well as on the Arab and global architectural scene.
The department admits between 50-60 students annually for undergraduate studies, with 10% of the accepted students being foreign or Arab. The curriculum includes both theoretical and practical subjects, covering architectural design, graphics, building construction, interior design, landscape design, architecture theory, Islamic architecture, philosophy and criticism, environment, technology, planning, urban design, and supporting courses in construction, HVAC, and plumbing. In addition, courses in Arabic and English languages, human rights, and democracy are also offered. The courses are structured in balanced units, adhering to international university standards.
The Master’s degree program in Architectural Sciences was established in the late 1970s, and has been a two-year program since then. The program offers three specific tracks: Environment and Architecture Technology, Architecture Theory and Islamic Architecture, and Housing and Urban Design. The program has produced around 300 graduates until the academic year 2022-2023.
The Doctorate degree program in Architectural Sciences was also established in the mid-1980s. The program is at least three years long and has produced around 55 graduates until the academic year 2022-2023. The curriculum covers a wide range of specialized subjects, including history and philosophy of architecture, Islamic architecture, technology, urban development, housing issues, and other related sciences.
The department was established based on the decision of the scientific body and approved by the University Council in its forty-eighth session on 10/8/1969. Prof. Dr. Najeeb Suleiman Kharofa was nominated and unanimously elected by the College Council to be the head of the department. With the beginning of the department, the necessary steps were taken to start teaching by naming the academic staff and defining the curricula, in addition to preparing textbooks to start actual teaching in the department during the academic year 1970-1971.
The department has witnessed several changes, which can be summarized as follows:
- In 1970 the department was established, and it was then called the Department of Agricultural Engineering.
- In 1975, the name of the department was changed to the Department of Irrigation Engineering and Agricultural Machinery.
- In 1976 the master’s degree in this field was introduced.
- In 1980, the PhD study was introduced.
- In 1981, the name of the department was changed to the Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering.
- In 2003, the name of the department was changed to the current name, which is the Department of Water Resources Engineering.
The curricula of the Department of Water Resources Engineering at the College of Engineering have been developed, after studying the curricula of five international universities. Afterwards, the percentages of the different branches taught in those universities have been extracted and some requirements have been modified to suit the conditions of Iraq. Then, a four-year curriculum was prepared according to the current rules of the College of Engineering.