To provide world-class scholarship, education, and research that makes a distinctive British contribution to supporting the aspirations of the Dubai Government to become a hub for education and research in the region
Located in Dubai International Academic City, The British University in Dubai has been established with a mission to make a distinctive British contribution to the higher education system in the United Arab Emirates through the creation of a high-quality research-led university. The University has an alliance with the University of Manchester, University of Glasgow, University of Edinburg and Cardiff University.
British University in Dubai (BUiD) is recognized and supported as Dubai’s premier resource and focus for the reflective pursuit, general accessibility, effective transfer and liberal application of scientific, academic and professional knowledge. The University aims to offer the highest level of internationally acclaimed research-based informed education up to global competitive level in vital modern disciplines. With such an extraordinary motive, the university goes the extra mile to develop leading-edge research capabilities in critical disciplines.
With an aim to support the aspiration of the Dubai Government to become a hub for education and research in the region, BUiD interacts with the industry experts and maintains a constant update with the regional industry and play a stimulating role in enhancing the knowledge-based economy in Dubai and the Emirates. All the academic programs at the University are designed according to the international standards with a goal of enhancing the standard of university education in the UAE.
Offers Industry-Based Academic Programs
Unlike many other universities, The British University in Dubai focuses on industry-specific professional courses to help students with the academic programs that will not only aid pupils earn a degree but also will offer a career beyond books. The university offers specialized Postgraduate Degree Programs and Continuing Professional Development programs in disciplines that are selected for their relevance to the industry demands of the UAE and the Middle East region. It ensures that all its degree programs are based on similar high-quality programs of the international standing that are being offered in its partnering universities.
With accreditations from the UAE Ministry of Education, BUiD is organized around specialized faculties. While striving to be the centers of excellence for research, the University focuses on three main faculties, namely, Faculty of Business& Law, Faculty of Education and Faculty of Engineering and IT. Additionally, each faculty houses different Masters and PhD Programs, and the University offers other academic units including Academic Success Unit, Doctoral Training Research Centre, and Library, to enhance students’ skills.
While training young students at the Undergraduate level, the University keeps their motive to “Harness the Full Potential of National Human Capital.” The major courses offered by BUiD are:
Bachelor of Science (BSc.) Architecture
Bachelor of Science (BSc.) Business Management
Bachelor of Science (BSc.) Accounting and Finance
Bachelor of Science (BSc.) Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence
Bachelor of Science (BSc.) Computer Science and Software Engineering
Bachelor of Science (BSc.) Industrial Engineering
Bachelor of Science (BSc.) Electro-Mechanical Engineering
Most interestingly, the University’s uniqueness lies in its offering of learning, teaching and academic governance based on the widely respected British higher education model and BUiD is undoubtedly one of the most distinguished academic institutions which are providing students with such an extraordinary experience of excellent British education with regional currency and local relevance. It offers specialized postgraduate degrees in numerous sectors including Finance, Project Management, Sustainability Design of the Built Environment, and Informatics (Knowledge and Data management).
The University offers various exciting courses at the Masters level in various sections including Business Administration, Building Services Engineering, Construction Law and Dispute Resolution, Education, Engineering Management, Finance and Informatics among many others.
“Research students are very much part of the research culture, all become members of one of the research clusters and are involved with staff in the relevant seminar and research workshops. Students are only admitted in fields where there is a strong fit, in terms of interest and expertise, with the focus and capacity of the research clusters.” – Claims BUiD. At Ph.D. level, the University offers PhD in numerous sections including Education, Project Management, Architecture, and Sustainable Built Environment, Computer Science and Business Management.
Along with interesting academic programs, the University organizes various events to motivate the students. Among many, to name a few events, BUiD organizes events like BUiD Doctoral Research Conference to give students an opportunity to represent their chosen discipline with an emphasis on academic excellence based on research, discovery, innovation, and collaboration with government and industry. It even organizes BUiD Sustainability Summer School, which is designed to motivate and train students from different subject backgrounds such as Engineering, Computers, Arts and Sciences to think of Sustainability.
Offers Research-Based Curriculum Structure
BUiD believes in the fact, “In a world where new ideas, new processes, and new technologies can be communicated and implemented with unprecedented speed, the capacity of society both to create and introduce beneficial innovation is the key to its economic success and its social and cultural vitality.” Moreover, to achieve that target, the University offers a research-based curriculum as research is increasingly becoming a vital role player in supporting this innovative capacity.
The main objectives behind this stand as “To produce skilled and capable people who can contribute to the industry, commerce, and public service, to use research to engage the potential intellectual capital of the region, and to build and sustain Dubai’s reputation for innovation and the development of talent & human capital.”
About the Leader of the University
In the year 2007, Professor Abdullah Mohammed Alshamsi was appointed as the Vice Chancellor of BUiD, with a bagful of teaching experience at renowned educational institutions. Alshamsi has both academically and professionally sound career with prior experience as a Professor of Civil Engineering at UAEU and degrees with distinctions from renowned Universities. He did both his Bachelors and Masters in Civil Engineering from George Institute of Technology, USA. Later, he completed his Ph.D. in the area of Concrete Properties in Hot Climates from Leeds University (UK).
Apart from being an educator, Alshamsi has served many local and international professional organizations including American Concrete Technical Committee, UAE Society of Engineers, Asian Concrete Institute, Institute of Arbitrators, International Association of University Presidents, and recently, he was also appointed as the Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Buildings. He has extraordinarily contributed in the sphere of education by publishing in numerous journals worldwide in the areas of engineering education and research as well as community work, and conducting specialized educational conference and forums around the world. For his extraordinary contributions, Alshamsi has been awarded numerous awards including Rashid Bin Humaid Award for Culture and Science.
Words of Trust
“I graduated from BUiD as a person who feels quite comfortable being in the spotlight. This whole programme with the amazing professors helped me tap into my academic skills which I never knew were that profound.”
– Nesrin Abdul Zaher Tantawy, Master of Education – TESOL 2016, currently a Lecturer at Al Dar University College.
“I am grateful for the opportunities BUiD offered me, which not only aided me in becoming who I am today but also prepared me for future opportunities, which I am now eager to take up and fulfill to the best of my abilities.”
– Dr. Noha Tarek, Ph.D. Project Management, currently a Project Manager at Tuangru – Canada.
