Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Vision Statement

Our vision is to be students’ preferred choice for internationally recognized business education in the Northern Emirates enriched by the impactful research and outreach of our dedicated faculty. 

Mission Statement

The School’s mission is to work with the AURAK ‘family’ to prepare tomorrow’s business leaders to be thoughtful, creative, collaborative and responsible with an ability to think critically, communicate their ideas clearly and take initiative in applying what they have learned. Backed by a diverse faculty committed to enrich their teaching and enhance their community impact by engaging in applied, cross-disciplinary, and pedagogical scholarship, the School offers programs based on the North American model and the cultural characteristics of the Gulf region in a student-centered teaching environment.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Proficiency in the core business knowledge, cross-domain areas, and cutting-edge business research principles and techniques pertaining to the effective functioning of local and international organizations.
2. Ability to take on strategic management roles by applying the knowledge gained from the program to model, evaluate and solve complex business problems, constructing viable and effective solutions in the process.
3. Ability to oversee corporate governance, ethical functioning and socially-responsible organizational behavior.
4. Advanced teamwork, interpersonal, communication and leadership skills necessary for communicating complex business requirements and decisions to supervisors, peers and subordinates in an effective manner.
5. Advanced decision-making skills rooted in critical thinking and analysis skills suitable for dealing with business issues, and solving a range of business problems.
6. Ability for self-evaluation, professional reflection and self-development within a business environment.

Entry Requirements

English Language Proficiency Requirements:

As the language of instruction in the MBA program is English, the following minimum English language requirements apply to both forms of the AURAK MBA:

Prospective candidates for the MBA program who are non-native speakers of English must have a minimum TOEFL score of 550 on the Paper-Based, 213 on the Computer-Based, or seventy-nine on the Internet-Based test, or its equivalent in a standardized English language test, such as 5.5 or 6.0 IELTS or another standardized, internationally recognized test.

The following exemptions from the previously stated English language requirements rule apply:

• a native speaker of English who has completed their undergraduate education in an English-medium institution and in a country where English is the official language
• an applicant with an undergraduate qualification from an English-medium institution who can provide evidence of acquiring a minimum TOEFL score of 550 on the Paper-Based test, or its equivalent on another approved standardized test, at the time of admission to their first-degree program

Graduate Master of Business Administration Program

To be eligible for admission into the Graduate MBA Program, the applicant will need to have completed one of the following:

• A baccalaureate degree in Business Administration, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.0 scale, or its established equivalent in the applicant’s undergraduate degree program;
• A baccalaureate degree, or its equivalent, with a major or minor in Business Studies, Marketing, Finance, Accounting, Economics, or Management/Business Information Systems with a minimum CGPA of 3.00 on a 4.0 scale or its recognized equivalent in the applicant’s undergraduate degree program; or
• A baccalaureate degree, or its equivalent, in a non-business field with a minimum CGPA of 3.00, followed by a postgraduate certificate or diploma in a business-related field. Where the candidate has not completed a postgraduate certificate or diploma qualification, they may be required to successfully complete prior credit hours of study on stipulated undergraduate-level business administration courses prior to admission to the MBA Program (please refer to the last section on MBA preparatory courses).

MBA Preparatory Course Requirements

In the case that a candidate for admission into the MBA program holds a baccalaureate degree, or its equivalent in a non-business field with a minimum CGPA of 3.00, but has not completed a subsequent business-related postgraduate certificate or diploma qualification, they may be required to successfully complete a specified number of credit hours of study on stipulated undergraduate-level Business Administration courses at the university prior to admission on to the MBA Program.

The decision as to which preparatory courses to take will be made by the AURAK Course Team and graduate school working in conjunction with the Admissions Office, on a case-by-case basis based on the candidate’s background.

It is expected that the specified preparatory courses will typically be taken over a one-semester period prior to starting the MBA program. The preparatory courses will normally be scheduled to run at times compatible with the main MBA course. For example, for evening attendance MBA course applicants, the preparatory courses will be run in the evening.

Where feasible, the preparatory courses may be run in a condensed format (e.g. as condensed multi-weekend course modules) provided the learning outcomes remain unchanged and achievable.

AURAK will also accept candidates who have taken and passed the MBA preparatory courses from other UAE Ministry of Higher Education-accredited universities, provided the courses taken have compatible syllabi and learning outcomes.