The University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) has won the approval to offer the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programme by UAE’s Commission for Academic Accreditation.

With this, UOWD becomes the first nationally accredited University in the UAE to offer this programme, and is currently, the only one, it said in a statement.

The goal of the DBA is to provide business professional with a combination of research skills training, exposure to the latest business research and original applied research, which will help them develop as ‘researching professionals’ in their organisations, it said.

“I am proud that this university has reached the stage of maturity and international standing that makes it possible for us to offer doctoral degrees,” said Professor Rob Whelan, president of UOWD.

“We are excited to be at the forefront of promoting a culture of research innovation which will contribute so much to the development of the human capital in the UAE and therefore help the UAE in its strategic objective of moving to a knowledge-based economy,” he added.

UOWD’s research showed that more than 90 per cent of master degree holders in the region are keen to undertake doctoral degrees, a pointer to the strong demand for doctorate programmes, said professor Whelan.

The introduction of these programmes in the UAE means that people will no longer have to travel abroad to obtain a doctoral qualification of international standard. Also, they can continue working with their organizations, and take up these programs on a part-time study basis, he pointed out.

The DBA program is scheduled to start later in 2010, the statement said. – TradeArabia News Service