The University of Birmingham will open an overseas campus in Dubai next year, making it the first globally-ranked top-100 university to open a branch in the Emirate.
Opening in September 2018, the campus will teach a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs, focusing on the needs of the labour market in Dubai.
Its first programs will be in Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Primary and Secondary Education, and Business.
“What Birmingham aspires to do is aligned with the Government of Dubai’s aspirations”
In the years to come, postgraduate researchers will join students on the campus.
“We are a research intensive university and research will be at the heart of what we do in Dubai,” commented David Eastwood, the University of Birmingham’s vice-chancellor.
Announcing the launch at the Going Global conference in London today, he added: “There is a real opportunity to drive innovation in Dubai.”
The university will provide mobility opportunities for students on both campuses. Eastwood said he envisages the campus will become “a hub for the international experience for our students right across the University of Birmingham group”.
There is “full transferability, full equivalence” between degrees offered in Birmingham and Dubai, added Robin Mason, the university’s pro vice-chancellor, and students on the two campuses will pay equivalent fees.
All programs will be taught by University of Birmingham staff and will follow the same curriculum as those on the home campus.
Abdulla Al Karam, chairman and director of the Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority, said “there could not have been a better time than this” for the university to put down roots in Dubai.
“The University of Birmingham is exciting to have in Dubai because it’s one of the top 100 universities, it’s part of the Russell Group; but most importantly because of the timing,” he told The PIE News. Dubai started welcoming branch campuses 15 years ago
“What Birmingham stands for or aspires to do is basically aligned with the Government of Dubai’s aspirations. As a research university, they will establish research in energy, water and transportation, which is part of our plan.”
The focus on education will also be extremely beneficial for Dubai, he said, as education and teacher training are an “integral part” of the UAE’s national strategy, UAE Vision 2021, the goals of which include positioning the UAE’s education system as one of the best in the world.
