University of Dubai to get new campus

The University of Dubai (UD) unveiled plans to set up its own dedicated campus in Dubai International Academic City as part of an expansion plan. The announcement came at the university’s 10th graduation ceremony hosted at the Shaikh Rashid Hall in Dubai World Trade Center. Announcing the university’s ambitious plans, Majid Al Shamsi, Chairman, UD Board of Trustees, said: “In recognition of the university’s growing role, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has granted a plot of land of 3 million square foot at the Academic City to establish a campus that befits the status that UD has reached.” The design of the new campus is nearly finalised and it is expected to be fully ready in 2014. Construction for the first phase of the new facility will begin in December this year. Once completed, it will have buildings for the College of Business Administration, College of Information Technology, College of Law, General Education Department and a state-of-the-art library among other facilities. Shaikh Hasher bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, Director-General of the Dubai Department of Information, gave away the degrees to the graduating students. In addition to its MBA programme, The UD will begin a new Master of Science degree with a concentration in Information Systems Management in September 2012. The university also has a proposal under review to offer a Master in Law (LLM) degree in September 2013 and will launch a PhD programme in Business Administration by September 2014. The university which was founded in 1997 by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry holds the distinction of being accredited by international bodies like AACSB and ABET.