Imagine a course set in a fascinating cosmopolitan jet set city with a legendary high quality of life - then, perhaps, ask yourself if it really might be possible to pursue a career-launching study course in such an unfamiliar setting.

For increasing numbers of students it seems there is more to study in the Gulf than simply the allure of a vibrant international hotspot.

The host country’s ancestral traditional culture underpins the fabric of the society behind the region’s meteoric growth in terms of wealth and international importance.

But beyond the attractions of life in the Gulf it seems courses, for example a civil engineering degree, have of necessity become finely tuned to the commercial rationale of a fast-moving economy, and when it comes to a blue chip career such as civil engineering.

the emphasis is squarely on practicality, within a framework which encourages and stimulates further development - there’s never a point where limits are artificially set, and the ambitious student can use the flexibility of approach found in study options to make the best use of the system and gain potentially far more than a certificate from the experience.

A few lines from the mission statement of the American University of Sharjah sets this out in language everyone can understand: The civil engineering degree will also help you improve your communication skills, use computer tools and develop high standards of professional ethics.

“We place considerable emphasis on group-based, open-ended design projects, and we motivate our students to stay ahead of current technical developments and environmental and global issues.

“With governments throughout the region eager to develop and enhance their infrastructure and the construction industry playing a significant role in that development, our region has seen an increased demand for civil engineers.

“As a result, you will be in a privileged position to start a career in this sector upon graduation.” There’s a well-defined symbiosis between the country and its top education establishments, but as the AUS points out the aim is to exceed set limits and break new ground. In an area which is consciously turning itself into an educational centre of excellence the AUS, for example, is a powerhouse which can play a significant role in growing the economy.

This doesn’t mean that study courses are straightforward conduits to a career in the region itself, although for many that will be a logical follow-through.

Skills acquired at university are exportable, whether through gaining experience of cutting edge design in mechanical engineering, or seeing how really huge projects are really managed while studying civil engineering.

The university counts its graduates “a success” if they can achieve an ability to develop as independent thinkers and - among several other attributes, an ability to design a system, component or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability and sustainability”.

In other words it is hoping to turn out graduates who are extremely capable and fully geared for the practicalities of the “real world” of business and commerce, in the knowledge that this will boost the skills base needed to ensure that economic growth maintains its momentum.

As a very different but also essentially practical study option it surely deserves serious study for anyone aiming to find the best way of laying the foundation for a career in civil engineering or a related discipline.