The University of Dubai was established in 1997 by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry to address skills and qualifications gaps in the workforce and to support the government's human resources development programs in the private and public sectors. In June 2006, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister, UAE and Ruler of Dubai, kindly granted the University a three million square feet piece of land at Academic City and selected a schematic design for a new campus.

UD degree programs have been recognized by the Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research in the UAE. The degree programs in the College of Business Administration are: Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, Finance and Banking, Management, Marketing, Human Resources Management, Entrepreneur Management, Supply Chain & Logistics Management and Business Economics.

 In the College of Information Technology the degree program is: Bachelor of Science in Computing & Information Systems. The University of Dubai College of Business Administration is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) - only 5% of business universities worldwide hold this prestigious international accreditation including Harvard Business School.

The UD College of Business Administration (CBA) is also a member in the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) and is working towards earning European quality Improvement System (EQUIS) accreditation. On the other hand, the Computing and Information Systems (CIS) program offered by the College of Information Technology is accredited internationally by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in USA.