Did You Know Texas A&M Has a Campus in the Middle East? Not for Much Longer

Texas A&M University's main campus is in Bryan-College Station, Texas.  It is home to some of the best programs in agriculture, engineering, and business programs.

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Texas A&M has campuses all over Texas including, Bryan-College Station, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Houston, Kingsville, McAllen, Round Rock, and Temple.   West Texas A&M University in Canyon is also a part of the Texas A&M University System.

Did You Know Texas A&M has a Campus in the Middle East?

In 2003, Texas A&M University opened a campus in Qatar.  Qatar is located on the Arabian Peninsula, in the Middle East.  It shares a land border with Saudi Arabia and sits across the Persian Gulf from Iran.  The purpose of the campus in Qatar was to advance education and research in chemical, electrical, mechanical, and petroleum engineering.

It was announced on Thursday, February 8th, that the Texas A&M University Campus in Qatar will so be closing.  The Board of Regents of the Texas A&M University System voted to begin the multi-year process to shut down the Middle East campus.

“The Board has decided that the core mission of Texas A&M should be advanced primarily within Texas and the United States,” Board Chairman Bill Mahomes said. “By the middle of the 21^st century, the university will not necessarily need a campus infrastructure 8,000 miles away to support education and research collaborations.”

The closing will take four years, giving students the chance to complete their education, and research obligations are fulfilled, and making sure the faculty and staff are supported.

The decision came after the Board of Regents decided to readdress the campus in the Fall of 2023, due to the heightened instability in the Middle East.

According to the press release, during the afternoon’s public session, Regent Mike Hernandez made a motion to terminate the agreement with the Qatar Foundation. The motion was seconded by Regent Randy Brooks and passed on a 7-1 vote. Regent Michael Plank dissented.

“The work in Qatar is great work,” Mahomes said. “But it is a fraction of what Texas A&M accomplishes year after year.”

Over the next four years, the last of the Qatar Aggies will graduate from Texas A&M University.  This doesn't mean that there will never be another Middle Eastern citizen graduating from Texas A&M, it just means they will have to attend the university at one of its Texas campuses.