Texas A&M University's campus in Qatar was established in 2003. The campus was set up through an agreement between Texas A&M and the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development, a private institution under the laws of the State of Qatar. The Qatar Foundation was started by then-emir Shiekh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his wife and mother of the current emir Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. The campus was opened as part of Qatar's "massive venture to import elite higher education from the United States to Doha using the oil and natural gas riches of the tiny Persian Gulf nation". Since 2003, there have been 635 graduates. The original agreement was for undergraduate programs in chemical, electrical, mechanical, and petroleum engineering. In 2010, an additional agreement established a graduate studies program in engineering. In 2011, a third agreement established a research program. The two initial agreements ended in June 2013 and in January 2014 a renewal agreement was signed for a period of ten years.
