In the recent years, the Middle East countries have taken initiatives aimed at diversifying their economies and reducing their dependence on oil revenues. They have also established knowledge hubs in an effort to attract and retain top talent.
A prominent example is that of the Education City, founded by the Qatar Foundation, a vast 12-kilometer campus in Qatar that houses top international institutions including Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Northwestern, Georgetown, Texas A&M and HEC Paris.
According to Amy Bassindale, senior business manager for the Gulf region for Hays, “The economic environment in the Gulf region is strong, and all signs point to further growth. Despite global economic turbulence, the transformation of the economy is continuing, and governments’ long-term goals are being pursued”.
In fact, the Hays GCC salary guide 2024 found that 67% of employers in this region want to grow their organisation’s headcount this year.
Another fact that may surprise you! Guess which country placed the highest number of management consulting grads from the INSEAD MBA class of 2023.
Well, the second highest was the UK with 39 recruits but the leading region was the UAE with 74 MBA grads being recruited into this most-sought-after industry. Even Saudi Arabia recruited 13 INSEAD grads into management consulting.
In this article, let’s take a look at some of the top internationally reputed MBA programs with a presence in the Middle East.
Top MBA programs in the Middle East
1. INSEAD’S Global Executive MBA (GEMBA)
The GEMBA offered by INSEAD is one of the oldest programs offered by a top ranked globally reputed business school in the Middle East. INSEAD’s Abu Dhabi campus was inaugurated in 2010 and saw its first GEMBA batch in the same year.
The program is held across three campuses: in France, Singapore and Abu Dhabi with each campus having a slightly different duration ranging from 14-17 months.
INSEAD’s new campus at Abu Dhabi’s ADGM Square, an international financial centre, on Al Maryah Island, was inaugurated in 2017. The GEMBA commences every October and can be completed in a span of 15 months.
The program is a good fit for senior working professionals with more than 8 years of work experience aiming for senior management roles and can be completed while continuing with your professional commitments. It sees around 235 participants (across the 3 campuses) from 61 nationalities, the average work experience being 14 years.
The program is known to be very rigorous. Participants would be required to attend around 12 weeks of class on campus. They’ll also be required to devote 10-12 hours for homework in a week.
During the latter half, the classes across campuses are merged with modules held on all the 3 campuses. All the students complete their graduation in December and earn an Executive Master in Business Administration degree.
There are four application rounds and applications are reviewed on a rolling admissions basis in each of these rounds. More than 50% of the class receives a scholarship and applying early can increase your chances of getting one.
The GEMBA fee for the Abu Dhabi campus is US$ 146,000. The career outcome of the program also looks impressive with 60% changing employer, 56% changing sector, function or geography. 11% going the entrepreneurial way by either starting or returning to their own company.
2. Stern at NYUAD Full-time MBA Program
NYU Stern’s 12 months full-time MBA program will be offered in the Middle East in partnership with NYU Abu Dhabi. This would be a good chance for students in the MENA region to attend a full-time program offered in collaboration with a prestigious US business school.
The inaugural batch of this program is scheduled to begin in January 2025 with modules in both Abu Dhabi and New York. The spring and fall modules would be held in Abu Dhabi with the summer modules in the New York City.
The accelerated one-year program would be a good fit for those aiming for a career in the MENA region; the one-year format also works favourably in terms of ROI.
The program includes real-world, experiential learning opportunities (Signature Internship Project) which includes project-based internship courses in partnership with organizations in the UAE. Through this, students would get a chance to work on and address real-world business challenges faced by companies in the UAE.
Quoting Dean of NYU Stern, Raghu Sundaram, “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.
Whether the program confers a New York University degree or diploma from both NYU Stern and NYU Abu Dhabi is a point you’d need to clarify on – since the official website mentions both in different sections.
The estimated program tuition would be US$119,107.
3. London Business School (LBS)
For those looking for an MBA degree offered by a prestigious business school in the UK, LBS offers an executive MBA program on its Dubai campus which is available in 2 formats – in-person as well as blended. Both the programs have 2 intakes – September and January.
The LBS EMBA program on both the Dubai as well as London campus provide access to the same courses, electives, global experiences and networking opportunities. In fact, many of the faculty travel and teach across both the campuses. The fee for the EMBA in Dubai is US$ 155,500 + 5% VAT.
The program has a flexible schedule and can be completed in 17-22 months. So, how much time would you need to devote from your busy schedule?
During year 1 of the in-person format, you’d need to attend classes for 21 business working days on campus whereas in case of the blended format, you’d need to attend for just 13 business working days.
During the 2nd year, you’d be taking up electives as well as a Global Experience. Your schedule would be dependent on your choice of electives and the format in which they are delivered. In addition to this, you’d also need to keep aside around 20 hours study time each week.
The cohort sees students with an average of 15 years of work experience. The recent cohort saw 93 students across 39 nationalities, 40% being women.
4. Georgetown University – McDonough School of Business
Another top US business school – Georgetown’s McDonough offers an executive MBA, suited for working professionals, in the Middle East held at Dubai DIFC location. The recently launched 20-month long program has its class sessions taken by Georgetown’s top faculty who travel to Dubai for these monthly sessions.
It follows the same rigorous curriculum as the EMBA offered in the US. The program awards a diploma from Georgetown University with a Master of Business Administration.
The program that starts in September has in-person classes – 4 days a month – held From Thursday to Sunday, once a month. It also includes 4 week-long residencies – 2 in Dubai and 2 in Georgetown’s Washington, D.C. campus in the Unites States. Students would be required to dedicate an average of 12-15 hours a week on coursework beyond the classroom.
The global residencies would involve student consulting teams working with Fortune 500 companies, NGOs, non-profits – spending 6-8 weeks, remotely working, trying to solve complex business problems. This culminates with students travelling abroad to make their presentation at the client’s facility.
Students have the benefit of lifelong career services, and also have access to the alumni network comprising more than 200,000 graduates globally.
The tuition fee is USD $153,414 + VAT which includes accommodations in week-long residencies in Washington, D.C., and other locations, however it does not cover accommodation costs in Dubai.
5. HEC Paris
5.1 HEC Paris Executive MBA
In the Middle East, the EMBA has a week-long format and is offered every 2 months. This part-time 18-month program with its intake in February has two campus options to choose from: Doha, the capital of Qatar and Riyadh, the capital city located in the heart of Saudi Arabia, both the cities being financial hubs. The program has two intakes each year and follows a rolling admissions process.
Participants are required to complete a total of 8-9 modules including specialization. They get a chance to study across geographies at HEC Paris EMBA campuses in France, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. The program sees an average of 240 students from 50 different nationalities across 4 tracks with an average of 15 years of work experience. The program tuition fee is US$114,000.
In 2010, HEC Paris joined Qatar Foundation bringing in its various executive education programs which are delivered through its Qatar campus in Doha. In addition to the Executive MBA, other programs offered include Specialized Master’s in Strategic Business Unit Management (SBUM) and Executive MBA – Emerging Leaders Track.
5.2 HEC Paris in Qatar: Executive MBA – Emerging Leaders Track (ELT)
This ELT track of the EMBA program was launched this year (2024) with an inaugural batch of 38 professionals from 12 nationalities.
The 15 to 18 months long part-time program, aimed at fostering leadership and innovation, has its intake in October. The program has 6 modules of 5-7 days, with core modules held in Dohar, Qatar and two international modules in London and Dubai.
The class comprised 68% women and 63% Qatari nationals, the class average age was 29 years with 5 years of work experience. The program tuition fee is $118,000.
6. The University of Manchester
6.1 Manchester Global Executive MBA
The 18 months long program commences in January and has a blended format. It comprises four core workshop residentials across locations – Manchester, Dubai and Hong Kong so that participants gain insights on international business environment and culture. You can then choose to pursue electives at any of the global centres.
Candidates with significant managerial experience in senior leadership roles are preferred.
The school provides 26 nights of accommodation across these locations. Students are required to dedicate around 20 hours per week. The program fee is £42,250.
6.2 Manchester Global Part-time MBA
This 2-year part-time program has 2 intakes in a year – in January and July. It follows a blended learning format. Professionals from any industry with a minimum of 3 years of work experience can apply.
The core courses are held at your home centre while you can choose to take your electives across global centres in Dubai, Hong Kong, Manchester, Shanghai and Singapore. The program would have an estimated 28 days of teaching delivered across six workshop residencies. The program fee is £39,585 (inclu. 5% VAT).
7. Strathclyde Business School
The school has been offering the Strathclyde MBA on an executive (part-time) basis in the UAE since 1995. The program offers participants the flexibility to complete the course requirements in 2 to 5 years. There are 4 semesters, 2 in a year, with each semester having a duration of 5.5 months.
All the classes are conveniently scheduled over the weekends or in the evening at the Dubai campus. There are monthly seminars on Saturdays and Sundays taken by faculty from the University of Strathclyde. There are tutorial sessions of 3 hours held weekly led by local counsellors.
The elective sessions can be taken in the UAE, also in Glasgow or at other international centres, to enhance students’ learning and networking experience.
The program offers 2 intakes – in April and October. You’d need to have at least 3 years of post-graduate work experience to be able to apply.
A highlight of the MBA experience is the annual MBA Summer School held at Glasgow in May and June where MBAs from all study routes get a chance to network with international peer community.
Would you like to suggest any other good MBA programs in the middle east? Post them in the comments below along with the reasons why they should be worth considering.
Reach out for professional career counselling or admissions consulting help: info@mbacrystalball.com
Also read:
– Best MBA programs in Asia | Hong Kong, Singapore, India, China
– MBA in USA vs Canada vs Europe vs Asia: Which is the best country for MBA abroad?
– Best part-time MBA programs in the world
– Best MBA programs in USA for Indian students
– MBA in USA vs Canada vs Europe vs Asia: Which is the best country for MBA abroad?
Reference: 1 | Image: Denis Harschi (Unsplash)
