Wollongong to become first private university to offer PhDs

About 500 people have enquired about about the new programmes on offer at the University of Wollongong in Dubai.

DUBAI // The University of Wollongong in Dubai will this year become the first private university with federal accreditation in the country to offer PhD programmes. The university will also be offering a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programme following approval from the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA). The CAA is part of the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, which is driving the research and development capacities in both federal and private institutions across the UAE.

Meanwhile, UAE University, a federal university which launched its first Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes this year, will take its first DBA students in February. The University of Wollongong in Dubai, an Australian university with a branch campus in the emirate, hopes to expand its research and teaching work in the UAE. The university's president, Prof Robert Whelan, said: "Both private and public sector organisations in the UAE are increasingly seeking professionals differentiated by their capacity to undertake original, theoretical research to deal with organisational challenges.

"The UAE's rapidly expanding higher education sector is also creating demand for research-active academics with doctoral qualifications for teaching in advanced subjects and to conduct research." About 500 students have enquired about the programmes, around 50 per cent of whom are Emiratis from Dubai and Abu Dhabi. About 35 students will be admitted in October. Ali al Muwaiji, an Emirati, is one of the first students to sign up for a PhD. He studied for his Masters at Wollongong in Australia in Applied Finance and Banking and wanted to go to a university he knew had the quality he was looking for back home in Dubai.

"It's the best university in Dubai and is a well-known university around the world," he said. Prof David Graf, the head of the UAE University's DBA programme, said Wollongong's development of the course reflected a growing demand for research skills. "The people on the DBA programmes are already high-level administrators who want to contribute to expanding knowledge at corporate or government level, rather than using the qualification as an entry level degree, addressing problems within their organisation," he said.

Ronald Bradfield, the director of Strathclyde Business School, said that the Scottish university, which has a branch campus in Abu Dhabi, was also in the process of setting up a DBA and was awaiting accreditation from the CAA. "There is, apparently, a huge demand for part-time doctoral programmes in management in the UAE. I get an average of three e-mails or calls a week asking if we offer part-time PhD or DBA programmes," he said.

"Some, in particular MBA graduates, seem to think a doctorate is the next step in education. Others say they are interested in a doctorate because it will ensure rapid career advancement, while others say they really enjoyed their MBA programme and wish to continue studying because they find it stimulating." One of the reasons such courses had not yet taken off, he said, was the length of time a doctorate required. "Many of those I speak to about our part-time doctoral programmes quickly lose interest when I tell them it takes a minimum of four to five years, requires attendance at a number of research methodology courses and requires a significant thesis," he said.

"Over the past year, I have talked to around 40 potential applicants. We have identified just six who we think have the potential to undertake a doctoral degree programme. At the same time, the completion rate for part-time doctoral programmes is very low - around 30 per cent." @Email:[e-mail]