Business education in the Middle East

The Middle East sits at one of the most strategic crossroads in the world, a meeting point of trade, culture, and ideas between East and West. For higher education, and especially business education, this geography is an advantage few regions can match. With strong links to South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and Central Asia, the region could easily position itself as a magnet for ambitious students from across these markets.

That potential is real but not yet fully realised.

Over the past decade, the Middle East has made noticeable progress in gaining international recognition. Local universities are appearing more often in Times Higher Education and QS rankings, and many are actively pursuing international accreditation. This includes the well-known AACSB for business schools, but also broader US regional accreditations such as those from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC), or WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).

These steps matter. They send a signal of quality to international students, help attract top faculty, and open doors to partnerships with global institutions. They also allow the region to compete more directly with Europe, North America, and Asia in the battle for international students.

Yet there is a risk in chasing these badges of approval. They can become the goal rather than a means to something greater. Many local business schools have adopted Western teaching models and case studies wholesale without rethinking them for the realities of Middle Eastern markets. The result is graduates with internationally recognized degrees who may still be underprepared for the unique business dynamics of the region, such as family-owned conglomerates, resource-to-diversification economies, Islamic finance, and rapidly evolving entrepreneurial ecosystems.

The irony is that local institutions have something no foreign branch campus can replicate: deep cultural context and proximity to some of the most dynamic growth markets in the world. They could be building programs that combine global best practices with homegrown insight, producing graduates who understand not only how to succeed in London or Singapore but also in Riyadh, Cairo, Nairobi, and beyond.

This would mean less reliance on Harvard and INSEAD case studies and more emphasis on the real-life growth stories, challenges, and innovations happening within the region and its neighbors. It would also mean stronger partnerships with local industries, startups, and government initiatives, turning the classroom into a live laboratory for the economic transformation currently underway.

The Middle East is already attracting branch campuses from some of the world’s most prestigious universities. That can be a strength but it should not overshadow the need for homegrown institutions to build their own brand of excellence. Rankings, AACSB status, and US regional accreditation are tools, but tools only.

If local universities can use them as a foundation rather than a finish line, the region could emerge not just as a connector between East and West but as a global hub for business education in its own right, distinctive, relevant, and deeply rooted in the markets it serves.