Strathclyde Business School Dubai

Strathclyde Business School has been delivering the Strathclyde MBA on an executive (part-time) basis via our international centres since 1988. We’ve successfully offered and developed the MBA in the UAE since 1995.
A pioneering and experienced MBA provider, we update and review our MBA to reflect the current business environment. Strathclyde’s MBA is strategy-focused and blends theoretical and practical business learning. Our MBA is flexible and responsive to the needs of working individuals. Our wide choice of electives can help you personalise the programme to suit your business interests. These elective classes can be studied in UAE, as well as in Glasgow or at our other international centres, to give you an international learning and networking experience.
The MBA project gives you an opportunity to examine in depth a managerial, organisational or environmental issue of your choice over an extended period of time.
Our Executive MBA allows you to study whilst continuing with your career and allows you to implement your learning into work.
The programme is designed for busy executives who need to combine career and family commitments with the demands of MBA studies. The flexibility of the part-time approach enables most participants to graduate within two years. However, study may be spread over a longer period if necessary, to a maximum of five years.
monthly intensive seminars delivered by Strathclyde academics at our Dubai centre
You’ll work in an international environment alongside like-minded classmates and be part of our long established network of students and alumni from our international postgraduate centres.
A highlight of the Strathclyde calendar is the annual MBA Summer School which takes place in Glasgow, over May and June. The summer school is open to all study routes of the MBA who have reached the elective stage of the programme. It's a great way to accelerate your studies, and network with a large group of international colleagues.
We're a triple-accredited business school: the first business school in Scotland to hold this accolade, and one of only 90 in the world (March 2019, MBA Today), to be triple-accredited, holding accreditation from the international bodies, AMBA, AACSB and EQUIS.
The MBA has also been accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research.
Strathclyde has been consistently recognised as one of the topmost universities in the UK and Europe. 
The Strathclyde MBA programme structure has three distinct ‘pillars’ at its core:
The pillars comprise a series of 10 credit modules and one 20 credit module, which clearly embrace the specific leadership challenges and responsibilities impacting business leaders.
Our Building Capabilities module provides you with a solid foundation in the management of key functional areas found in today’s business organisations.
A number of electives will be on offer each year, led by subject specialists from across the Business School which has a wide pool of academic experts offering a wide range of classes.
To reflect both the latest challenges facing business and the latest insights from our world-leading research, the range of electives is revised annually.
A highlight of the Strathclyde MBA calendar is the annual MBA Summer School which takes place in Glasgow over May and June. The Summer School is open to all study routes of the MBA who have reached the elective study stage, and is a wonderful opportunity to study your elective choices alongside a group of like-minded international colleagues.
Your MBA journey concludes with the capstone MBA project. You'll be able to choose the MBA project that suits you best. You can opt for a research dissertation, entrepreneurial project or consultancy project.
Throughout your studies, module and programme-level business engagement activities ensure that your MBA journey is a highly experiential one, and reflective of current issues impacting the business world.
Strategic Leadership Development is designed to be a reflective leadership journey for each MBA student, in which a personal portfolio is constructed to track and action-plan personal strategic leadership development outcomes arising from the MBA experience.
You'll explore the trends and future directions of strategic leadership in organisations through expert speakers, cases, careers and development initiatives, industrial visits and engagement activities.
understand multiple perspectives of what constitutes effective strategic leadership from practitioners across organisational type, history and international location
explore and become conversant in methods, thinking and changes in cutting edge strategic leadership practice
enhance your professional development network and practice engaging with a broad range of stakeholders interested in strategic leadership theory and practice
identify effective strategic leadership practices for addressing organisational change risk management and sustainable performance outcomes in modern organisational contexts
critique your strategic leadership identity based on self-reflection and observations gained from the MBA experiences and the views of those around you
This module will explore the nature of organisations from multiple perspectives and how to nurture a high-performance organisation by addressing:
Organisational studies, organisational behaviour and human resource management will be examined through the perspective of sustainability.
You'll consider the role of the leader in setting the vision, shaping the environment and supporting change. You'll also explore how to create sustainable workplaces that attract and retain talent and ensure the health and wellbeing of employees.
discuss the challenges in leading organisations that nurture employee health, wellbeing, commitment and high performance
demonstrate awareness of key concepts, considerations and methods of managing organisations through understanding and application of theory in organisational studies, organisational behaviour and human resource
critique contemporary perspectives on organisational design, culture, politics and processes, and the workforce
examine theories and practical considerations relating to planned organisational change and what these mean across the four perspectives of organisational design, culture, politics and processes and the workforce
understand where sustainable practice sits in relation to organisational design, culture, politics and
This module takes a systems approach to corporate governance. It examines at an institutional level the culture, context and compliance to global and regional governance best practice and the benefits thereof.
The module examines the key contemporary factors that are challenging boards of directors and the options for dealing with them to help create sustainable organisations that have a positive impact on shareholder and wider stakeholder groups.
You'll be asked to critically analyse the implications for organisations of governance ‘grand challenges’ – specifically related to:
develop an understanding of the issues that organisations face when designing a corporate governance system
critique the tools, principles and practices used to measure adherence to governance standards both externally mandated and internally agreed
discuss the characteristics and role of governance in the life of an organisation, and the impact of governance philosophy/ approach on organisational culture, performance, ethics & sustainability
critique an organisation’s governance approach relative to expectations and measures particularly related to environmental and social impact
critically analyse the standards, codes and measures that ensure boards and senior leaders are performing effectively
Most strategic decisions are made in the face of uncertainty about the future. The module introduces ways of making decisions under uncertainty about the future business environment and evaluates and provides practical experience in scenario thinking as a team-based method.
The module presents the Intuitive Logics scenario method and gives students practical experience. Developing the skills of scenario thinking is a strong underpinning practical part of the class.
identify the key principles of scenario methods, specifically the Intuitive Logics method
develop practical skills in the application of the Intuitive Logics scenario method
In this module, you'll examine the role of digital disruption, digital maturity, and digital initiatives in shaping organisational outcomes. You'll also learn how technological innovation can create value through digital transformation.
develop an understanding of the organisational and institutional implications of digital disruption and digital technological innovation trends
analyse an organisation’s digital maturity and organisational readiness to engage in digital transformation and technological innovation
demonstrate a capacity to innovate business processes, business models and operational approaches through the application of digital technologies and organisational change methods > Build a personal capacity in communicating with, and educating others, about digital transformation at strategic and operational levels, and with a variety of stakeholder groups
demonstrate strategic decision-making, business planning and influencing skills in relation to identifying, appraising and recommending digital transformation and technological options
Markets can often be highly complex and judgement can be clouded by this complexity. By taking an approach based on microeconomic analysis, you'll learn to undertake a rigorous and “emotionless” approach to analysing opportunities in existing and new markets, and the potential these hold.
This provides an alternative but complementary perspective on the assessment of business activity, looking externally, rather than internally, at the consequences which are influenced by the nature of demand and the behaviour of competitors.
understand the key influences of profit in a business: production conditions on the supply side; and the nature of demand
This module will examine the entrepreneurial mindset and ways to bring creativity to bear in pursuit of new sources of value creation.
You'll compare attitudes and practices across national and organisational cultures. Entrepreneurial Thinking and Practice may be delivered online or in-person depending on programme variant.
differentiate between traits and mindsets and recognise the role of growth mindsets in entrepreneurial thinking and action
consider ambiguity and uncertainty in the entrepreneurial journey and examine your personal responses to these conditions
identify your personal frames of reference and appraise the impact of these on your creative thinking and action
assess your ability to communicate with empathy and consider how to foster trust and psychological safety to support entrepreneurial thinking and practice for yourself and those around you
reflect on your entrepreneurial skills, competencies and linked behaviours and how these have developed over the course of the class
This module will teach methods for collecting data, how to conduct quantitative analysis and translate the outcomes into actionable insights that might inform business decision making, resource allocation and investment choices.
You'll consider a range of data from market, financial and customer analysis to operational performance factors, and learn how to present information in accessible formats for different audiences.
In this module you'll examine the concept of marketing and how it operates within consumer, business-to-business, service and public organisations. You'll examine the underlying concepts and frameworks that help organisations to design appropriate strategies.
understand the principles and practice of marketing in different business sectors: consumer, business-to-business and services
evaluate theories of buyer behaviour and assess their relevance in different contexts: consumer, business-to-business, services, public and private sector
discuss the central concepts, issues, and strategic value of branding across organisational settings, markets and territories
examine the value-creating potential in areas such as product development, omnichannel management, communications and pricing strategy in an environment which recognises changes in technology, social media and a focus on long-term sustainability
assess the challenges of managing the customer journey in the digital environment
appraise the marketing and brand management approach of an organisation, and identify strategic marketing and branding initiatives to improve performance
understand the relevant responses from marketing to the issues of corporate social responsibility and sustainability
You'll explore the principles of contemporary operations and project management in this module. In doing so, you'll evaluate the inherent tension between managing ‘business as usual’ and change. You'll also examine how these systems of management can contribute to the strategic success of their organisation.
deploy operations management principles and techniques to support the strategy of the organisation
use project management principles and techniques to support the strategy of the organisation
explain how project management and operations management can be effectively integrated within organisations
evaluate how the implementation of these systems of management might vary between new value creation and support of ongoing operational activity
This module will teach you the language and methods of managerial and financial accounting. You'll learn about the key processes and criteria of financial decision-making.
demonstrate an ability to discuss, interpret and react to information in financial statements and reports
explain key accounting and financial management concepts and how they can be applied in the evaluation of organisational financial performance
appraise the strategic and operational value of accounting and finance functions to organisational leadership teams and performance
critique the challenges of matching actual practice to ideal standards of ethics, audit activity, regulation and compliance in organisational governance, managerial behaviours and decision-making
apply accounting and financial management, principles, concepts and methods in conducting a review of financial strategy, performance and governance for an organisation
The capstone element of the Strathclyde MBA is the project, which will showcase your learning and allow you to examine an issue of your choice over an extended period of time.
You can opt to write a research dissertation, put together an entrepreneurial business plan or undertake a consultancy project.
The MBA project will enable you to put into practice the knowledge and skills you have developed throughout the MBA experience, and allow you to showcase the learning you have gained.
You'll complete a traditional research project and identify implications for practice. Assessment for this option is based on a dissertation.
With this option, you'll undertake a project that delivers operational cost improvement, enhanced customer experience or a transformed business model within an existing organisation. Assessment is based on an extensive client project report and final client presentation.
You'll undertake an entrepreneurial project, leading to the submission of a business plan as part of the final assessment.
In the 2023 Financial Times Business School rankings, Strathclyde Business School was ranked 1st in Scotland and 62nd in Europe.
seminars on Saturdays and Sundays, from 9am to 6pm, which are led by academics from the University of Strathclyde approximately once a month
tutorial sessions of three hours, held once a week, either in the evening or on weekends. They are led by local counsellors who have been approved and appointed by Strathclyde.
The programme is structured over four semesters. There are two semesters a year and each semester is approximately five and a half months long.
If you start the programme in October, you’ll undertake the programme in this order:
As far as possible, coursework will be related to your work environment. The assignments are set, marked and validated by the University of Strathclyde academic staff. They're identical to and assessed on the same basis as students undertaking the programme in the UK.
At Strathclyde we recognise the pace of change in higher education has accelerated, disrupting traditional operating models and driving innovation in the design and experience of the learning journey.
In this shifting context, Strathclyde Business School has introduced the Global Practitioner initiative – this is an organisational innovation aimed at placing practical expertise and content relevance alongside academic knowledge and intellectual challenge at the heart of a high-quality, transformative student experience.
Bridging theory and practice, Global Practitioners play a crucial role in stimulating and facilitating learning for our MBA, executive education and specialist Masters students. Our Global Practitioners are a new class of colleagues from a diverse range of industries and backgrounds, reflecting the broad nature of subjects addressed in our general management programmes and the rich variety of students and colleague profiles in our learning environment.
30 Global Practitioners have joined the Business School to support the development and delivery of the MBA and specialist Masters programmes from September 2022.
Our selection process is designed to identify talented professionals from a wide range of academic, business and cultural backgrounds.
While there are formal requirements for entry listed below, we take into consideration:
In order to assess these skills, we ask you to complete a number of essays outlining your experience and aspirations alongside references supporting your work experience and academic record.
We will ask you to undertake a formal interview to discuss your achievements and aspirations. We also encourage you to visit the school or centre you’re applying to and to ask as many questions as you need.
hold a degree from a UK university, or equivalent academic qualification from a comparable non-UK institution. If you studied for your undergraduate degree at a non-UK institution we will need a copy of your degree transcript. Professional qualifications will also be considered.
have a minimum of three years' full-time postgraduate experience where the management of people and resources has played a significant role.
The MBA programme is highly interactive and requires a high level of competence in English speaking, writing, reading and understanding. A minimum IELTS Academic score of 6.0 (or IELTS General Training 6.5) or TOEFL 550 or iBT 79 is required if your first language is not English.
You can be exempt from the English Language Proficiency test if you meet one of the following conditions stipulated by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research in the 'Graduate Education Admission Regulations for Licensed Non-Federal Institutions':
No matter how fluent your written and spoken English is, unless you meet one of the above criteria, as a UAE accredited programme, we cannot exempt you from the English Language Proficiency requirement.
In order to undertake the Diploma/MBA you need to be competent in word processing, the use of spreadsheets and in report writing.
We strongly recommend that you have access to your own computer. Guidelines for software and hardware are available from our UAE partner.
Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter.
All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision.
Students on programmes of study of more than one year (or studying standalone modules) should be aware that tuition fees are revised annually and may increase in subsequent years of study. Annual increases will generally reflect UK inflation rates and increases to programme delivery costs.
Details of fees and payment by instalments are available from your local MBA administrator.
Potential cost per credit if student on one route chooses to take core class at a more expensive centre. There are a few variations.
A one-week summer school option is available to students in Toulouse every year. Students would cover own travel (students arrange this themselves) and accommodation costs (approx 100 euros per week) but no cost associated with teaching.
All MBA candidates offered a place on the Strathclyde MBA in UAE for the October 2024 intake can take advantage of an ‘Early Bird’ Enrolment Discount of AED 10,000 by securing their place with AED 2,000 deposit, if paid by 31 August 2024
For further information on our scholarships and the application process, please contact sbs-uae@strath.ac.uk.
We recognise that career development is one of the main reasons why people invest in an MBA. The MBA job market offers plenty of global opportunity but can be complex and challenging.
That's why we offer a dedicated careers service for MBA students. This consists of career planning and skills development as well as unlimited access to personal advice and coaching. Our careers service is delivered in-house and by a team of top consultants.
We work with you to compliment your own proactive job search efforts. We help use your own particular career background and strengths to help with your next career move.
You’ll gain the understanding and tools to develop your personal, strategic career plan, as well as the self-marketing and communication skills to make effective applications and impress at interview.
You’ll have the knowledge of the global job market and a range of contacts to make it work for you.
You’ll have access to a library of MBA-specific information and resources through our Careers Portal. This offers:
There are hundreds of MBA and MSc alumni who have passed through the Dubai centre. These graduates comprise an active core of the University of Strathclyde UAE Alumni Association. This also includes Strathclyders from other programmes and campuses who now live in the UAE.
The alumni group has a LinkedIn page and coordinates regular events and initiatives to allow networking, continued education, career progression, and community outreach.
Get more information about some of the recent Strathclyde UAE alumni events and contacts for details about the planning committees for your local alumni chapter.
To ensure that you are on the appropriate alumni mailing list to hear about such activities, please update your details with the university.
If you think the right programme for you is an MBA, we would encourage you to meet with our Postgraduate Programme Coordinators in the UAE to discuss the structure and practical aspects of the programme we offer, as well as your options.
Our MBA is offered through various modes of study, both in Glasgow and in our international centres.
The University of Strathclyde is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, number SC015263.

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