Establishment and Development

The Department of Educational Policies at King Saud University is one of the oldest departments in the College of Education. It was established in 1387 AH under the name Department of Education. Since its establishment, the department has contributed to preparing students in the foundations and skills of the teaching profession at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The department participates with other college departments in offering educational courses that support the preparation of students for the teaching profession. A major part of its academic activity also focuses on graduate studies, offering programs in Foundations of Education, Educational Policies, Adult Education, and Continuing Education.

Development of Related Academic Fields

In earlier stages, the department included several fields that later became independent departments. The Department of Psychology separated from the Department of Education, currently the Department of Educational Policies, in 1392 / 1393 AH.

Educational Administration was also a track within the Department of Education before becoming an independent department at the beginning of the first semester of the academic year 1419 / 1420 AH. The department also supervised a special program for female students in pre-primary education, “Kindergarten,” until it became independent under the name Early Childhood at the beginning of the first semester of the academic year 1439 / 1440 AH.

Notable Academic and Administrative Contributions

• A number of academics associated with the department have held leadership positions in educational, academic, and administrative sectors.
• Some department members served in the Vice Rectorate and the General Secretariat of the Shura Council, including His Excellency Dr. Hamood Al-Badr.
• Professor Dr. Munir bin Matni Al-Otaibi served as a cultural attaché in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Federal Republic of Germany.
• Professor Dr. Fahd bin Sultan Al-Sultan served as Director General of Education at the National Guard and later as Assistant Secretary-General of King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue.
• Professor Dr. Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Sunbul served as Director General of the Arab Center for Adult Education in the Kingdom of Morocco and later as Deputy Director General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization.
• One of the department’s female members served as President of Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University.
• His Excellency Professor Dr. Mohammed bin Mohammed Al-Rasheed served as Director General of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States and later as Minister of Education, may Allah have mercy on him.

Department Chairs

A number of faculty members have chaired the department, as listed below: