public university
A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...
in
Rabat
Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...
,
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
. It was founded in 1957 under a royal decree ( Dahir). It is the first modern
university
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
in Morocco after the
University of al-Qarawiyyin
The University of al-Qarawiyyin (), also written Al-Karaouine or Al Quaraouiyine, is a university located in Fez, Morocco. It was founded as a mosque by Fatima al-Fihri in 857–859 and subsequently became one of the leading spiritual and educ ...
in Fez. It is named after
Mohammed V of Morocco
Mohammed al-Khamis bin Yusef bin Hassan al-Alawi, better known simply as Mohammed V (10 August 1909 – 26 February 1961), was the last Sultan of Morocco from 1927 to 1953 and from 1955 to 1957, and first King of Morocco from 1957 to 1961. A ...
.
History
The university was founded in 1957. It is named for Mohammed V, the former
King of Morocco
The king of Morocco (; ) is the monarch and head of state of Morocco. The kings of Morocco are members of the Alawi dynasty. It is one of the country's most powerful offices.
Mohammed VI ( Sidi Mohammed bin Hassan al-Alawi) is the current kin ...
who died in 1961.
In 1993, it was divided into two independent universities: Mohammed V University at Agdal and Mohammed V University at Souissi.
In September 2014 the two universities merged into one, known as Mohammed V University, but maintaining the two campuses. The university has 18 total colleges as of 2020.
On 3 January 2018, the university launched the first professional bachelor's degree in
Music
Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
in Morocco.
In June 2021, the university was included in the CWTS Leiden ranking for its first time.
On 23 February 2023, Mohammed V University and
Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number 2 billion worldwide and are the world's second-largest religious populatio ...
signed an agreement establishing the “
ICESCO
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO, formerly ISESCO) is a specialized organization that operates under the aegis of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and is concerned with fields of education, ...
Open Education Chair” at the university for “equitable access to inclusive and quality education”.
Notable Alumni
Arts and Science
* Mohammed Abed Al Jabri, Moroccan academic and philosopher; he graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1967 and a PhD in 1970.
* Soumia Fahd, Moroccan herpetologist
*
Laila Lalami
Laila Lalami (, born 1968) is a Moroccan-American novelist, essayist, and professor. After earning her '' licence ès lettres'' degree in Morocco, she received a fellowship to study in the United Kingdom (UK), where she earned an MA in linguist ...
, Moroccan novelist now working in the United States, 2015 finalist for the
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
for ''
The Moor's Account
''The Moor's Account'' is a novel by Laila Lalami. It was a
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction finalist in 2015.
''The Moor's Account'' is a fictional memoir of Estebanico, the Moroccan slave who survived the Narvaez expedition and accompanied Cabeza ...
'', a fictional novel of the historic figure
Estevanico
Estevanico (–1539), also known as Mustafa Azemmouri and Esteban de Dorantes and Estevanico the Moor, was the first person of African descent to explore North America. He was one of the last four survivors of the Narváez expedition, along with ...
, the first black explorer of North America and one of four survivors of the 1527
Narvaez expedition
Narvaez (also appearing with an acute accent, as Narváez) is a surname of Spanish and also Basque origin. Notable people with the surname include:
Politics
*Elina Narváez, Ecuadorian politician
*Francisco de Narváez (born 1953), Colombian-born ...
.
*
Ahmed Toufiq
Ahmed Toufiq (born 22 June 1943) is a Moroccan historian and novelist who has been serving as Minister for Islamic Affairs in the government of Morocco since 2002.
Biography
Toufiq was born on 22 June 1943 in Marigha Village in the High Atlas. ...
, Moroccan writer and historian who has served as Minister for Islamic Affairs in the government of Morocco since 2002.
*
Omar Al-Tawer Omar Al-Tawer (Arabic: عمر التاور; born September 24, 1979), is a Moroccan novelist, researcher, and academic. He won several intellectual prizes, including the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, the Edward Saeed Prize in Criticism of Orientalist D ...
, novelist and professor
Politics and Diplomacy
*
Moulay Rachid of Morocco
Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco (born 20 June 1970) is a member of the Alawi dynasty. He is the younger brother of King Mohammed VI and the youngest child of the late King Hassan II and his wife, Lalla Latifa. He is currently second in the line ...
Prince of Morocco.
*
Mohammed VI of Morocco
Mohammed VI (; born 21 August 1963) is King of Morocco. A member of the Alawi dynasty, he acceded to the throne on 23 July 1999, upon the death of his father, King Hassan II.
Upon ascending to the throne, Mohammed initially introduced severa ...
, King of Morocco.
*
Abdelilah Benkirane
Abdelilah Benkirane (, born 1954) is a Moroccan politician who was the Prime Minister of Morocco from November 2011 to March 2017. After having won a plurality of seats in the 2011 parliamentary election, his party, the moderate Islamist Justi ...
, 15th
prime ministers of Morocco
A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only ways ...
.
*
Nabila Mounib
Nabila Mounib (; born 14 February 1960) is a Moroccan politician who currently serves as a member of parliament (MP) for the Casablanca-Settat constituency in the House of Representatives. She also served as General Secretary of the Unified Soc ...
Rafik Abdessalem
Rafik Abdessalem Bouchlaka is a Tunisian politician. He served as the minister of foreign affairs under Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali.Sana AjmiRafik Abdessalem, ''Tunisia Live'', 17 December 2011
,
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...
under Prime Minister
Hamadi Jebali
Hamadi Jebali (, '; born 12 January 1949) is a Tunisian engineer, politician, and journalist who was Prime Minister of Tunisia from December 2011 to March 2013. He was the Secretary-General of the Ennahda Movement, a moderate Islamic party in Tun ...
, received a B.A. in philosophy from Mohammed V University.Sana Ajmi Rafik Abdessalem , ''Tunisia Live'', 17 December 2011
* Abdelouahed Belkeziz, 8th
Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (; ), is the chief administrative officer of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the head of the General Secretariat and other organs of the OIC. A secretary general ...
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
and Permanent Representative of
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
to UNESCO.
*
El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed
El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed (also known as ''El Uali'', ''El-Wali'', ''Luali'' o''r Lulei''; ; 1948 – 9 June 1976) was a Sahrawi nationalist leader, co-founder and second Secretary-General of the Polisario Front.
Youth and background
El-Oua ...
Mohamed Abdelaziz (Sahrawi politician)
Mohamed Abdelaziz ben Khalili ben Mohamed al-Bachir Er-Rguibi (; 17 August 1947 – 31 May 2016) was the 3rd Secretary General of the Polisario Front, from 1976, and the President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic from 1982,President of the Sahrawi Republic.
* Khadidja Hamdi, wife of Mohamed Abdelaziz.
*
Hatim Aznague
Hatim Aznague (born September 10, 1997) is a climate justice advocate and activist from Morocco. He is known for mobilizing youth. and encouraging the government to engage and involve youth in the process of decision making related to sustainab ...
, Climate advocate and Activist.
See also
*
List of Islamic educational institutions
Institutions that have an Islamic or Muslim identity or charter include:
Historical institutions in continuous operations
Institutions founded before the colonial era and which are still in operation:
* University of al-Qarawiyyin, Morocco, th ...
List of universities in Morocco
This is a list of notable public and private universities in Morocco
The higher education system comprises 13 public universities, 8 private universities, and 211 private institutes and schools. Public universities are free, except for Al Akh ...