AL AIN // UAE University plans to launch the country's first doctorate in business administration (DBA) this autumn or next spring. The course follows the first cohort of 38 PhD students to study at a federal university in a programme that began at the campus last month. The DBA is part of a drive to produce new business talent while giving students more extensive higher education options at home.
It was developed after requests by Emiratis in senior positions at public and private companies, said Prof David Graf, the dean of the College of Business and Economics. The master's of business administration "is a toolbox of things you can use to do your job better, but it doesn't give you real depth", he said. The first class will comprise up to 15 students, and between six and eight teaching staff. The first two years of the programme will be taken up with coursework before students start their dissertations.
Most candidates will finish within four years but will be allowed up to six. The course will be offered part-time so that candidates can continue to work. "We will have a strong team of professors and are hoping to bring some from abroad to work as dissertation directors," Dr Graf said. Students who began their doctorates at UAE University in February are studying subjects from climate change to sustainable architecture.
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