PhD in Business Administration added to American University of Sharjah’s graduate portfolio

American University of Sharjah (AUS) continues to expand its offering at the graduate level with the launch of a PhD in Business Administration. This will be offered with a concentration in finance through the university’s School of Business Administration (SBA). Launching in Fall 2021, the new program is designed for graduates, as well as professionals in the public and private sectors, allowing them to advance their careers in academia or business. Candidates are expected to contribute to the development of the discipline through academic research and to UAE’s business sector both during and after their PhD-BA study.

“Our school has a strong and active research base in the business disciplines, including in finance, which is the first PhD-BA concentration to be launched. Our close research and institutional relationships with prestigious universities around the world provides access to frontier knowledge for our PhD students. The school is well connected with leading organizations throughout the region, providing our students both research and employment opportunities. Those participating in the new PhD program will be given wide scope to collaborate with industry, applying their learning and research in real-world scenarios,” said Dr. Narjess Boubakri, Dean of SBA.

Those undertaking the PhD-BA (Finance) can expect to acquire and develop new knowledge relevant to academia and to the finance industry at both the international and regional level. Faculty delivering the program hail from prestigious universities across the globe, are research active in their specialized fields, and have worked within the region for a number of years. It is this unique combination that makes them well-placed to educate current and future leaders in both academia and business in finance-related institutions in the GCC.

“We know that the most successful business professionals, whether working in industry or academia, have a firm understanding of the rapidly shifting global environment. However, we also know that to be successful in this part of the world, business professionals need an in-depth knowledge of the unique challenges and opportunities this region presents, underpinned by sound research in the discipline. By undertaking research on real-life business problems, our PhD candidates will be well-placed to contribute to the economic success of the region,” Dr. Boubakri said.

SBA also offers prospective PhD students the opportunity to study within a much respected and highly ranked institution. At a university-wide level, AUS has been ranked among the top ten Arab universities by QS World University Rankings every year for the past six consecutive years, and QS World University Rankings places AUS among the top 350 universities in the world. At the school-level, SBA is ranked number one (tied) in the Middle East for business and management studies, according to QS World University Subject Rankings. The school is also the MENA region’s first university—and only one of 35 universities worldwide—to achieve Bloomberg Experiential Learning Partner Status, recognizing SBA’s commitment to experiential learning.

The new PhD accompanies SBA’s three master’s programs: the Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Accounting and Master of Science in Finance. More information can be found at https://www.aus.edu/sba/phdba.