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Science and business dominate new course offerings
Universities are responding to students' and the region's demand for degrees in these fields with a range of new programmes this semester.
- By Amelia Naidoo and Rania Moussly, Notes Editor and Staff reporter
- Published: 22:53 September 26, 2009
- Image Credit: Illustration: Luis Vazquez/Gulf News
Universities are responding to students' and the region's demand for degrees in these fields with a range of new programmes this semester.
As the UAE seeks to establish itself as a higher education hub in the Middle East, it is also widening its science and business programmes on offer.
From world-renowned institutions launching programmes in these two fields to local universities strengthening their courses on offer, it is clear that business and science are the way to go to meet the demands of the region.
Al Ain-based UAE University's (UAEU) College of Food and Agriculture launched a masters degree programme in Horticulture Science this semester, accredited by the Agricultural Institute of Canada.
UAEU is the only institution in the region to offer a specialisation in the science and art of cultivation. As urban developments rise up across the UAE's landscape, so too does the demand for horticulture specialists.
Students are required to complete 36 credit hours at a total cost of Dh57,800 on either a part-time or full-time basis.
To delve into subjects such as crop management systems for vegetable production, tree biotechnology and irrigation and drainage systems, applicants are required to hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent in horticulture/agriculture with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.5.
Similarly the Higher Colleges of Technology, looking to meet market needs, recently introduced a BSc in Transport Engineering and an MSc in Transport Management and Planning, in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport (DOT). The DOT guarantees immediate employment for the highest ranking students occupying the 40 places on the four-year programme, which received more than 700 applications.
New science programmes at Abu Dhabi University (ADU) include environment science and engineering management.
Commerce disciplines remain undergraduate students' most popular choice said marketing manager Jay Jayatilaka of the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD). At the postgraduate level MBAs are in high demand.
Reporting an increase in applications from Kazakhstan, UOWD is currently awaiting approval from the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) at the Ministry of Higher Education for bachelor degrees in digital security and management information systems.
However UOWD has discontinued its Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) in Property Development and Management for "obvious reasons".
Civil engineering is the degree of choice for students who applied to ADU this year. The Master of Human Resource Management also received a large number of applications.
Of the 4,400 applications the University of Sharjah (UoS) received, more than 1,000 were for its engineering programme followed by 630 for business.
Medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, law, architecture, fine arts and design and biotechnology all received a record number of applications, said UoS chancellor Professor Samy Mahmoud.
At Murdoch University Dubai, the most popular programmes this year were commerce, media, mass communication, business administration and human resource management.
Professor Brian Smart, executive dean and head of Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus, said there has been considerable interest in the institution's undergraduate degree programmes across the board, including those in engineering as well as new courses in civil engineering and fashion design, retail and marketing.
ADU has seen a large number of female applicants interested in engineering programmes such as landscape architecture, construction management and computer engineering. "On the other hand, we have a few male students interested in majors like interior design," said marketing and public relations manager Suzan Nubani. Among new applicants, ADU has more students applying from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
UoS and the American University in Dubai have also observed that this year women seem more attracted to engineering and the sciences. "We have a large pool of highly-qualified women admitted to biotechnology, architecture, civil engineering, industrial engineering, electrical and computer engineering, computer science and IT at UoS. This bodes well for the future of the UAE and the entire region," said Mahmoud.
Murdoch University Dubai has noticed that students have grabbed the opportunity to do a double major or double degree. "This has definitely become very popular with the students joining this year as many of them like the idea of doing either a BCom degree with a minor in media or studying for a mass communication degree with a minor in business etc. Students like the flexibility of being able to pick and choose classes according to their interests," said Maisa Mannila, head of marketing and public relations.
The American University of Sharjah's (AUS) director of student recruitment Mohammad Al Shahed reported a slight increase in female applications to the School of Engineering as well as an increase in the percentage of applications from UAE nationals.
"We see a very substantial interest from Emiratis in our new BEng Civil Engineering course," said Smart of Heriot-Watt.
Programmes in executive education are expanding rapidly due to the global economic crisis with professionals seeking to further their skills in an uncertain job market.
BITS, Pilani-Dubai has launched eight degrees for working professionals in the UAE. These were given initial approval by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority.
The programmes offered include MBAs in engineering and technology management and information technology enabled services management, masters degrees in microelectronics, software systems, design engineering and biotechnology, engineering technology and information systems.
Classes will start in the second week of October.
INSEAD Abu Dhabi is also noting the value in executive education and is working toward launching a Global Executive MBA programme in Abu Dhabi.
"There are strong executive MBA programmes in the region - the programme we are planning is different. It has a very strong component of leadership development, finance, marketing, strategy, coaching to develop leadership skills and a strong focus on international issues," said dean of the INSEAD EMBA programme Professor Javier Gimeno.
He said the main benefits of the EMBA are that "the payoff is very fast and it is local".
New programmes set to be launched
UAE University
Masters in Horticultural Science
Higher Colleges of Technology
Masters in Transport Management and Planning
University of Wollongong, Dubai
Bachelor's in Digital Security
Bachelor's in Management Information Systems
Abu Dhabi University
Bachelor's in Architecture
Bachelor's in Environmental Science
Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering
Masters in Special Education
Masters in Engineering Management
Masters in Library and Information Science
University of Sharjah
Bachelor's in IT - Multimedia
Combined Bachelor's in Law and Sharia
Bachelor's in Business Administration in Finance and Islamic Banking
Masters in Applied Sociology
Masters in Special Education
Masters in Communications and Journalism
Murdoch University Dubai
Bachelor's in Business Information Systems
Bachelor's in Computer Science
Bachelor's in Environment Management
Masters in Human Resource Management
Postgraduate certificates/diploma in Public Relations, Journalism, Media Production
Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus
Bachelor's in Automotive Engineering
Bachelor's in Civil Engineering
Bachelor's in Fashion Design
Masters in Fashion Retail and Marketing
Dubai Medical College
Course in ‘Professional Attitudes and Social Skills'
BITS Pilani-Dubai
MBA in Engineering
MBA in Technology Management
MBA in IT-Enabled Services Management
Masters in Microelectronics
Masters in Software Systems
Masters in Design Engineering
Masters in Biotechnology
Masters in Engineering Technology
Masters in Information Technology
INSEAD Abu Dhabi
Global Executive MBA
American University in Dubai
Bachelor's in architecture
Certificate in Middle Eastern Studies
MBA in Management of Construction Enterprises
MBA in Health Care Management
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