The Graduate Programs Office accepts applications during the four terms (September, January, April, July) of the academic year for MBA program and during the terms (September, January, April) for MScIS program.

An applicant must provide the following documents for admission:

• Completed application form.
• Original bachelor’s Degree certificate or certified equivalent approved by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR).
• Copy of a valid passport.
• Four recent passport-size photographs (in color) or in JPEG format file.
• TOEFL/IELTS or equivalent certificate in original as stated under Admission Criteria.
• Two satisfactory reference letters from academicians and/or employers.
• Statement of professional plans and career objective as required in the application form.
• Pay AED  1,100 for admission fee (non-refundable, includes Student ID Card).

The application form for MBA or MSc program may be completed online at the following link:
http://www.ud.ac.ae/admission/graduate/application/mba
http://www.ud.ac.ae/admission/graduate/application/msc

Transfer students must also submit the original transcripts from the university/college they are transferring from. In addition, transfer students must submit the course syllabus and course description for each course they seek to transfer for credit. Students will be informed of the course(s) eligible for transfer credits provided a minimum “B” grade is achieved within 48 hours by the Graduate Programs Office.

A. Regular Admission Requirements

1. Completion of a recognized baccalaureate degree in a discipline appropriate for the MBA/MScIS degree. A Higher Diploma is not equivalent to a baccalaureate degree and does not qualify an applicant for admission to the MBA/MScIS program.
2. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or its established equivalent, in the applicant’s baccalaureate degree program in the related area.
3. A minimum score of 550 in TOEFL or TOEFL iBT 79 or CBT 213 (or IELTS - 6 overall) in the last two years. Students who provided required English official scores (which are documented in the official transcript) during their Bachelor degree need not provide additional English scores. However, as an exception to this requirement, an applicant with an undergraduate qualification from an English-medium institution will be exempted from this requirement given that he/she provides evidence of acquiring a minimum TOEFL score of 500 on the Paper-Based test (iBT), or its equivalent at the time of admission to the undergraduate program.
4. GMAT score of 500 is recommended (although not required-this is optional).

B. Conditional Admission requirements

1. A student with a recognized baccalaureate degree in Business/IT with a cumulative GPA average of 3.00 or above on a 4.0 scale, or its established equivalent, and a TOEFL score of a minimum of 530 or CBT 197, iBT 71 (or IELTS 5.5 overall) or its equivalent on another standardized test approved by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) may be admitted conditionally to the MBA/MScIS program. Such a student must meet the following requirements during the period of conditional admission or be subject to dismissal:
   1. 1.1 Must achieve a TOEFL score of 550, or equivalent, by the end of the student’s second term of study;
   2. 1.2 May take a maximum of six credit hours in the first term of study;
2. A student with a recognized baccalaureate degree in Business/IT with a cumulative GPA average of a minimum 2.25 up to 3.00 on a 4.0 scale, or its established equivalent, and who meets the English language competency requirements for regular admission stated in “Part A” above, may be admitted conditionally to the MBA/MScIS program. Such a student must meet the following requirements during the period of conditional admission or be subject to dismissal:
   1. 2.1 May take a maximum of six credit hours in the first term of study;
   2. 2.2 Must achieve an overall GPA of 3.00 on a 4.0 scale, or its established equivalent, in the first nine credit hours of credit-bearing courses studied for MBA/MScIS program.
3. GMAT score of 500 is recommended (although not required-this is optional).

C. Requirements for Non-Business/Non-IT Degree Applicants

A student who holds a non-business/non-IT degree with a cumulative GPA average of a minimum 2.25 on a 4.0 scale will have to undertake (Pre-MBA courses as shown in Table 1 or Pre-MScIS courses as shown in Table 2 before being considered for formal admission to the MBA/MScIS program.

Table 1: Pre-MBA Foundation Courses (for MBA applicants)

Table 2: Pre-MScIS Foundation Courses (for MScIS applicants)

Appropriate exemptions (EX) will be given for courses taken with a minimum (C) grade in earlier programs from accredited universities or professional certification programs (e.g., CPA, CPM, CMA, PMI, etc.) or through undergraduate program at UD or through passing a challenge exam prepared by UD MBA/MSc faculty. Foundation courses may take up to two terms (about six months) to complete. Students enrolled in these Pre-MBA/Pre-MSc courses must achieve a minimum CGPA of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 to be eligible to join the regular MBA/MScIS program after satisfying the English language requirements.

UD approves, in principle, the admission of applicants transferring from other institutions of higher education. These candidates are eligible for admission subject to the following conditions:

1. The institution they are transferring from is recognized by the UAE MOHESR and uses the credit-hour system.
2. Applicants transferring from other institutions must have earned a GPA of not less than 3.00 and may only be given transfer credit for courses which are equivalent to those offered by UD and in which they have received a minimum grade of B (equal to a GPA of 3.0 or 83-86%).
3. If the transferred student has an academic warning (i.e., GPA is less than 3.0), she/he will be considered for a conditional admission as a new student and not as a transfer student.
4. Prior to their admission, transfer students will be informed in writing of transfer courses approved by the college Dean. The transfer courses will be accepted upon receipt of official transcripts.
5. Transfer credits are entered on the student’s transcript and student’s academic plan with “TC” grade. The transferred courses are credited hours (counted toward the degree) but no grade points are assigned; thus, they are not used in computing the student’s GPA.
6. The maximum number of credits a student may transfer must not exceed 50% of the total hours required for graduation (i.e. 18 Credit Hours).
7. Transferred courses must match at least 80% of the course content of UD courses.
8. No credits will be granted twice for similar courses taken at different universities.

A.Visiting Students

1. Students must have passed all the prerequisites for the required subjects (original transcripts from the university in which the student is currently studying are to be provided).
2. Students must provide a copy of the passport and four recent photos (JPEG format file).
3. Students must fully adhere to UD regulations and rules, including attendance.
4. The cumulative number of credit hours allowed for the registration of visiting students should not exceed 18 credit hours and such students cannot register for more than two consecutive terms.
5. The visiting student could be accepted as a regular student after compliance with UD admission requirements.
6. The visiting student may register at any time during the registration period.

B. Audit Students

UD allows individuals interested in a particular course to attend classes as Audit students.  The following conditions apply:

1. The candidate must show some evidence of prerequisite knowledge required for auditing the course (meet the course instructor/Graduate Program Director to clarify this point and state the purpose for auditing the course).
2. Provide passport copy and four recent photographs (JPEG format file).
3. Pay the regular course fee as applicable for Visiting/Short course students.
4. Attendance policy is not mandatory.
5. Homework assignments/examinations are not mandatory.

All students who have officially withdrawn from the university or have cancelled their registration* at UD, but who wish to be re-admitted, must submit a formal request to the Admission & Registration Department (ARD). A dismissed student may be re-admitted only as a new student with the previous Student ID number. The CBA/CIT Dean and the UD President may approve such readmissions on a case-by-case basis.
(*two consecutive terms or four scattered terms)

1. Admission and acceptance of students to UD is valid for only one term. Students who fail to register will lose their admission status and must resubmit their application as a new applicant. The university will only keep the files in its records for two terms after their submission.
2. Applicants should make sure that all documents required for finalizing their admission are submitted to the ARD before registration begins.
3. The names of UD students on all university documents are spelled in English exactly as they appear on their passports or identity cards. If a name on a passport or an identity card does not appear in English, it will be spelled according to the applicant’s preference.
4. Applicants, who were denied admission to UD, may file a petition for admission on a conditional basis. These applicants will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for approval by the respective Dean and UD President.
5. Students granted conditional admission will be considered At-Risk and accordingly, will be closely monitored by the Graduate Program Director.