The integrated institutional structure for PMU is based on the North American model of education, English as the language of instruction, and a number of individual courses and subject areas that must be mastered by every student. A distinguishing characteristic of PMU is its commitment to a set of six competencies and learning outcomes that are integrated throughout the curriculum in a developmental manner.
The Undergraduate Core Curriculum consists of three components.

• The Assessment Capstone Series consists of three courses required of all PMU students. The first two courses are developmental building blocks designed to increase the success of the third and final capstone course taken during the student's senior year. The Assessment Capstone Series measures the student's success in achieving the six learning outcomes.
• The University Core Curriculum contains additional courses required of all PMU students. Four courses in written, oral, and professional communication, as well as three other courses in designated competencies will develop six learning outcomes that distinguish PMU graduates. The University Core Curriculum also includes required courses in Arabic Language, Islamic Studies and physical education.
• The College Core Curriculum prescribes academic subjects which PMU students are required to master. Each college of the university has determined the specific College Core courses that are required of its students. All students, however, are required to successfully complete courses in each of three College Core fields: natural and physical sciences, mathematics, and social and behavioral sciences.

Throughout the Core Curriculum, all assignments involve a set of learning outcomes, and expectations are articulated by examples and models. Faculty lead students to think critically with a purpose beyond the classroom, and assignments include reasoning and writing for oral presentations. Critical thinking experiences in the Core Curriculum stress reasoning as a means of discovery and a tool for increasing understanding in both university courses and the student's personal life. Reasoning is recognized as a broad, extra-academic and life-enhancing ability superior to narrow, insulated mechanical skills.

The purpose of the Core Curriculum is to furnish PMU students with a seamless education, from the Preparatory Program, to graduation in an academic program major, and then to employment. Faculty members teaching in the Preparatory Program are fully aware not only of the content of their individual programs, but also of the objectives and expectations of the Core Curriculum, especially the University Core Curriculum and the Assessment Capstone Series. Similarly, faculty members teaching in PMU colleges incorporate into the university's academic majors the content and processes taught in the University Core Curriculum. This attention to PMU competencies is vital for students to be evaluated successfully in the final Assessment Capstone course given during the senior year.
PMU employs teaching faculty committed to using the concepts, processes, and technologies taught in the University Core Curriculum. The PMU Teaching Development Center plays an important role in enhancing these abilities among faculty.

PREP PROGRAM

The Preparation Program begins the transformation of students into members of an energetic, goal-oriented, intellectual community. This community is comprised of self-directed, analytical learners who use a variety of effective academic skills and strategies and are committed to the learning process. Although it carries no academic credit, this intensive program establishes a crucial academic foundation, especially in English - necessary for students to succeed in the intellectually rigorous degree programs at PMU. Essentially, this program lays the groundwork for students ultimate achievement of the six PMU core competencies in communication, technical competence, critical thinking and problem solving, professional competence, leadership, and teamwork.
Classrooms are student-centered, highly interactive, and communicative. A well-trained, English-speaking faculty function as supportive organizers and facilitators as students learn EFL, mathematics, and study skills and learning strategies. All courses incorporate the use of technology; the study skills and learning strategies courses provide instruction in specific software programs and in technology skills that are important to learning.
The environment of the entire program is infused with the PMU's unique elearning outcomes approach to education. This approach is manifested in non-traditional pedagogy, methodology, techniques, and classroom management style. The result is student-learners and teacher-facilitators who share a commitment to developing higher order intellectual abilities. These students will grow into university graduates who are life-long learners who are able to function and adapt in an ever-changing, technologically interconnected, global community.
During the intensive, highly structured Preparatory Program, students are required to attend both daily classes and workshops, where they complete out-of-class assignments. Each of these environments is an experience in new ways to learn. In the workshops, faculty and staff oversee sessions to ensure that students understand the content, employ appropriate learning skills and strategies, and complete all assignments. These experiences are vital to accomplishing the goals of the Preparatory Program.
The subject matter, methodology, and structure of the PMU's unique Preparatory Program equip entering students with the academic and personal skills necessary to succeed in a university that sets high standards for all its graduates.