NYU Stern School of Business Partners with NYU Abu Dhabi to Launch One-year Full-time MBA Program in the UAE 

MBA Blog / 25th September 2023

The NYU Stern School of Business (NYU Stern), one of the world’s premier research and teaching institutions, and NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), an exceptional liberal arts and research university, have announced the launch of the Stern at NYUAD One-year Full-time MBA Program.

With 54 credits, the One-year Full-time MBA Program mirrors its two-year counterparts, offering students the ability to complete a comprehensive MBA that blends knowledge and practical experience while benefiting from a shorter time away from the workforce. Experiential internship projects are integrated into the curriculum, with modules designed to provide hands-on learning experiences with local organizations.

The new Stern at NYUAD MBA represents a step change for business education in the MENA region and will help develop a pipeline of globally oriented problem-solvers in the UAE and beyond. It provides a unique opportunity for ambitious, early-career professionals to broaden their experience and take advantage of emerging private and public sector growth in the region.

NYU President Linda G. Mills said, “The establishment of the Stern at NYUAD MBA is truly a landmark occasion. The launch of this program – NYUAD’s first professional degree offering, created in collaboration with NYU’s Stern School — is an important new stage in NYU Abu Dhabi’s successful development, and a major step forward in fulfilling the vision that NYU and our Abu Dhabi partners have had for this groundbreaking institution from the beginning. It is also a wonderful example of the type of cross-school collaboration that we can expect to see more of in the coming years, and I have no doubt its impact will be felt both regionally and globally.”

Stern at NYUAD is scheduled to welcome its inaugural class in January 2025. Distinctive features of the MBA program include spring and fall modules in Abu Dhabi and summer modules in New York City. Students will also benefit from industry expertise from a range of key UAE and global business leaders, ensuring graduates gain invaluable international exposure and have every opportunity to enhance their career prospects.

Commenting on this milestone, Raghu Sundaram, Dean of NYU Stern School of Business, said,  “The introduction of this full-time MBA to the MENA region is groundbreaking for students who want to earn an MBA from one of the world’s leading business schools in just one year and build a career in a region that is seeing exponential growth. Through this pioneering collaboration with NYU Abu Dhabi, we have a wonderful opportunity to educate the next generation of leaders and enhance the talent pipeline in the UAE.”

Tamkeen, NYU’s partner in UAE, has supported NYU Abu Dhabi’s trajectory as a beacon of academic excellence, both locally and globally. The addition of a one-year full-time MBA program strengthens NYUAD’s academic offerings and underscores the UAE’s commitment to education as a national strategic priority and an essential enabler of economic, societal, and cultural advancement.

Mariët Westermann, NYUAD Vice Chancellor, expressed her enthusiasm for the MBA program, stating, “The partnership between NYU Stern School of Business and NYU Abu Dhabi marks a pivotal moment for education in the UAE, with far-reaching implications. As NYU Abu Dhabi remains committed to breaking new ground in global education, this collaboration is a remarkable milestone in our relentless pursuit of excellence, distinction, and service to society in the UAE and many other countries around the world. The Stern School’s presence at NYUAD will help fuel the knowledge economy in this dynamic crossroads region, respond to the surging demand for global business leaders, and the opportunity to take international business education to the next level.”

The Stern at NYUAD One-Year Full-time MBA Program will be led by Robert Salomon, Professor of Management at Stern since 2005, who will be the inaugural Dean of Stern at NYUAD. Rob is an award-winning scholar and educator who has been teaching and conducting research on globalization and global strategy for more than 25 years. In 2016, he published Global Vision: How Companies Can Overcome the Pitfalls of Globalization. Prior to this appointment, Rob was Vice Dean for Executive Programs and Professor and NEC Faculty Fellow of International Management at Stern. He held previous appointments as a Visiting Professor at the IESE Business School in Spain and as an Assistant Professor at the USC Marshall School of Business.

On successful completion of the MBA program, students will graduate with a fully accredited New York University degree, jointly conferred by NYU Stern and NYU Abu Dhabi.

To learn more about the program and to register interest, please visit: stern.nyuad.nyu.edu