The mission of the School of Continuing Education (SCE) is to extend the resources of The American University in Cairo (AUC) to Egypt and the region.

In carrying out this mission, the School of Continuing Education:

• Develops a variety of standardized and customized non-credit education and training programs for individuals as well as for the businesses and companies in which they may be employed;
• Designs programs for personal enrichment across the lifespan;
• Works with faculty throughout the university to assist and facilitate the design and delivery of programs to nontraditional audiences often beyond campus boundaries;
• Serves as an incubator for the development and testing of new program ideas and projects at the university.

The vision for the School of Continuing Education at AUC is that continuing education and all aspects of university outreach at AUC will be viewed by citizens of Egypt and the region as their first and best resource for improving the quality of their lives through education, training, and applied research.

To fulfill this vision, the university will extend its expertise and resources to Egypt’s citizens and the region’s through the most effective combination of educational program design and content that meets identified needs. These programs will include initiatives that are credit and non-credit, degree and non-degree and will be delivered through a variety of pedagogies and instructional media designed to accommodate the requirements of the adult learner across the life span of work and of personal development.

Arabic and Translation 

Offered to non-native speakers of Arabic, as well as to those engaged in the field of translation and simultaneous interpreting. Whereas language offerings range from beginners to advanced, translation programs meet the needs of both beginners and seasoned professional translators. Our Arabic courses include Spoken Arabic of Cairo, Modern Standard Arabic, Arabic for Special Purposes, Arabic Calligraphy as well as a training program in the teaching of Arabic as a foreign language. Our translation programs include courses and certificates in print media translation, legal and UN translation, screen translation, simultaneous interpreting as well as French translation.

Business 

A broad array of business and management courses and certificates in a wide variety of disciplines that are relevant to the new global economy. The tracks addressed include sales and marketing, accounting and finance, management, marketing strategies, financial management, healthcare management, human resource management, investment management, stock market and brokerage, as well as secretarial studies. Special corporate training programs include among other topics customer services, hospitality management, leadership and supervision, safety and environment. Review programs for international associations (CPA, CFA, MHSC and CMA) are offered.

Computer and Information Technology

A variety of training programs to impart the knowledge and skills needed for working efficiently with current information technology (IT) tools and techniques. These include desktop office applications, desktop programming, web technologies and programming, database management, computer graphics, computer networking, and computer hardware and software maintenance. International certification and preparation for ICDL, Cisco and Microsoft tracks are offered.

Education

Graduate certificates are offered in Early Literacy Education, Educational Leadership, Special Needs Education, and Teaching (for Non-Education Majors). Additional certificates in Instructional Technology and Educational Counseling will be available in Fall 2008. In addition to the Early Literacy Education certificate for teachers and school leaders, parenting courses in Early Literacy Education and Special Needs Education are on offer for parents, grandparents and extended family members who care for young children. 
 
English Studies 

General English courses, conversation courses, English for specific purposes, summer English courses, and teacher training certificates. Customized English language programs are offered in the fields of business, communication, specific purposes, test preparation and teacher training.

Youth and Special Studies 

Offerings for young learners range from a one-month educational, recreational and cultural junior summer program to mini-courses in conversational English and German language. Offerings for adults include courses in French, Spanish, and German languages as well as courses in drawing, painting and sculpture. A career preparation program for adults is also offered, as well as in special education, learning disabilities and teacher training.

Location

The School of Continuing Education (SCE) has sites situated in four main locations in Cairo and the Red Sea area, each fulfilling a specific function within the overall operation and mission of the American University in Cairo. 

Tahrir Square Campus

The main AUC campus is located on Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo. The original palace houses central administration and faculty offices, a number of classrooms and Ewart Memorial Hall, one of the most culturally active auditoriums in Cairo. The Greek Campus, located at half block from the palace, houses the School of Continuing Education, the Jameel Management Center, the University’s library and a cafeteria. The Falaki campus is a multi-story building that contains classrooms, faculty offices, smart labs, and a theaters for hosting major events and performances. Other sections of city blocks near the main campus contain AUC classrooms, student services, offices, and a special collection of rare books library.

Heliopolis Campus

The university has a satellite campus at Heliopolis close to the Meridien Hotel and Ismailia Square. The building comprises 10 floors with classrooms, computer laboratories, administrative offices and a cafeteria. Course offerings at Heliopolis mirror those offered downtown. The students who choose to enroll at Helipolis do so because of its closeness to their residence or place of employment. Enrollment and placement tests are conducted at Heliopolis.

Zamalek Campus

The Zamalek Campus is a multi-story building that includes a dormitory for student and faculty housing, classrooms for selected continuing education courses, a computer laboratory, restaurant, gym, clinic, and administrative offices. Registration and placement tests for Zamalek courses are conducted in the Tahrir Square Campus.

Smart Village Office

The American University in Cairo - Smart Village Branch, Km 28 Cairo - Alexandria Desert Road, Building B115

The Smart Village Office is the “portal” of AUC to bridge the gap between the human resource requirements of the professional world represented at the Smart Village and the skills of young graduates. The Office supports the development of training programs and initiatives to advance professional and organizational development by being the nexus point between the university community and the professional community of Egypt and the Middle East region at large.

El Gouna Center

The John D. Gerhart Field Station in El Gouna is a small satellite campus located in downtown El Gouna. Its two main goals are to conduct environmental, marine, and desert ecology research and offer continuing education courses in languages, business, and IT to the Red Sea Community. Other continuing education programs being planned include a lecture series, performances, book and art exhibits. El Gouna campus was made possible through a generous gift from Mr. Samih Sawiris. It commemorates the memory of AUC's late President John D. Gerhart.

The School of Continuing Education provides certificate programs, non-credit term-length courses and variable-length customized courses to fulfil the continuing education needs of individuals and organizations in Egypt and the Middle East. The School of Continuing Education’s regularly scheduled courses and certificates are offered in Tahrir Square campus, Helioplolis campus and Zamalek campus. Customized courses for companies and organizations are also conducted on-site at the client’s facilities.

Following is a small sample of the kinds of programs that the School of Continuing Education offers: The Arabic and Translation programs provide skilled personnel for corporations, organizations and government agencies. Certified accounting preparation programs are offered annually. Twelve computer laboratories allow for state-of-the-art computer training and English-language training. Special summer youth programs provide academic enrichment, recreational opportunities and skill development for children.

The enrolment figures quoted above are headcounts, meaning that each individual is counted once, whether enrolled in one or more than one program.

The total student count can be categorized by gender, nationality and educational background. By gender, 62.3% of the student population are male while 37.7% are female. By nationality, 95.4% are Egyptians and 4.6% with other nationalities. The educational background of students is roughly split between secondary education (47.5%) and bachelor’s degrees (45.3%), with 7% of the population below secondary education level.