FAQs

Abu Dhabi School of Management (ADSM) offers four Master programs:

1. Master of Business Administration (MBA)
2. Master of Science in Quality and Business Excellence (MSQBE)
3. Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Development (MSLOD)
4. Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA)

ADSM is officially licensed by the UAE Ministry of Education – Higher Education Affairs to award degrees in higher education and all of its academic programs have been accredited by the Commission for Academic Accreditation. Kindly refer to link: www.caa.ae

The MBA program consists of 33 credit hours. Students in the program take 13 core courses, a total of two elective courses, and three courses of the Signature Learning Experience (SLE).

MSQBE program consists of a total of 30 credit hours comprising 8 core courses and 2 elective courses.

MSLOD program consists of a total of 30 credit hours comprising 8 core courses and 2 elective courses.

MSBA program consists of 36 credit hours. These include five 3-credit hour common core courses, three 3-credit hour major-specific courses, two 3-credit hour major-specific elective courses, and a 6-credit hour individual major-specific Thesis.

The MSBA program offers two concentrations, Big Data Management and Artificial Intelligence Management. Prior to choosing a concentration, students must complete the five 3-credit hour common core courses.  Then in each concentration, students must complete the three 3-credit hour major courses, select two 3-credit hour elective courses and complete the individual major-specific Thesis.

MBA core and elective courses are offered in a modular and intensive format. 15 contact hours are delivered for each credit and a 2-credit course involves a minimum of 30 hours of instruction. These are delivered over two consecutive weeks, Thursday, Friday and Saturday of each week. (Thursday 4:30 – 9:30 PM, Friday 4:00 – 9:30 PM and Saturday 9:30 AM – 03:30 PM).

All SLE courses have a value of one credit hour and are delivered in a workshop format during weekdays from 4:30 – 9:30 PM.

MSQBE and MSLOD courses will be delivered over a 10-week period on weekdays from 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Each course will consist of 45 contact hours of lectures and other learning activities. Assessments are conducted outside the contacts hours. Classes will be held over four terms in a year (Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer).  Full-time students will be able to complete the program in 12 months by taking two or three courses in each term.  Typically, students will take two courses each in their first term and Summer session.

MSBA courses will be delivered over a 10-week period on weekdays from 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Each course will consist of 45 contact hours of lectures and other learning activities. Assessments are conducted outside the contacts hours. Classes will be held over four terms in a year (Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer).  Full-time students will be able to complete the program in 18 months by taking two courses in each term.

The MBA and MSBA programs can be completed on full-time basis in 14-15 months. The MSQBE and MSLOD programs take 12 months on full-time basis.

All ADSM programs can be taken on part-time basis, for more information you may contact the Office of Student Affairs on 02 6917800.

Our programs are offered only in a traditional face-to-face format.

Our education system is based on assignments, case studies, research & projects. There are no traditional exams such as midterms and finals for evaluation. However, students undertake in-class and out-of-class assessments.

ADSM has two major annual intakes, Fall (September) and Spring (April), in which you could join any of the academic programs offered at ADSM: MBA, MSLOD, MSQBE or MSBA.

In addition ADSM takes a third intake of the MBA and MSLOD programs in the Winter term (January).

Applicants need to have a recognized Bachelor degree, and there program specific requirements for MS programs, while the MBA program requires a recognized Bachelor degree in any field.

The MSQBE program requires a Bachelor’s degree in business or engineering and the MSLOD program requires a Bachelor’s degree in a business related area. Applicants who do not meet this requirement will have to complete Bridging courses prior to progressing into the Master’s program.

The MSBA program requires a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Economics, Business, or a quantitative social science. Applicants who do not meet this requirement will have to complete Bridging courses prior to progressing into the MSBA program..

Admission to MBA program requires at least three years of work experience. However, no experience is required to get enrolled in the other MS programs.

You need to fill an application form at the Student Recruitment Unit, or you may download it from here. You will then need to pay an application fee of AED 500 when submitting your application form. This fee is to be paid to the Finance Unit. Once you have paid the application fee, submit the Graduate Application form to Student Recruitment. Currently, there is no online application form.  In case of any questions, please call Student Recruitment Unit at +971 2 691 7810

please refer to the Admission Procedures page for further details.

Applicants to the MBA program must demonstrate their potential for graduate work through previous academic performance and professional work experience in addition to an ability to make unique contributions to the classroom.

Each applicant will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, please refer to the Admission Requirements page for further details.

Applicants to the MS programs must demonstrate their potential for graduate work through previous academic performance. Each of ADSM’s MS programs has a program-specific admission criteria.

Each applicant will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, please refer to the Admission Requirements page for further details.

The applicant’s GPA should be at least 3.0 for direct entry into ADSM’s academic programs. Applicants whose GPA is  2.50 or above but less than 3.0 may be conditionally admitted. Applicants whose CGPA is between 2.0 and 2.49 may be admitted after completing the Remedial Program.

An interview is mandatory for applicants whose GPA is less than 3.0, please refer to the Admission Requirements page for further details.

Below are the English Language Proficiency Tests and minimum scores required for Direct Entry:

• EmSAT: 1400-1525
• IELTS (Academic): 6.0
• TOEFL – International Paper Based or AmidEast ITP: 550
• TOEFL – Computer Based (CBT): 213
• TOEFL – Internet Based (iBT): 79

Please refer to the Admission Requirements page for further details.

Work experience cannot be considered as academic credit hours.

There are program specific requirements that may mandate applicants to complete a Bridging Course or Remedial Courses prior to progressing into the Master’s program. For detailed information, please refer to the Admission Requirements page for further details.

All applicants for admission are required to obtain recognition of their Bachelor degree from the UAE Ministry of Education – Higher Education Affairs. The recognition process is dependent upon whether you completed your studies within the UAE or outside the UAE. You will find detailed information here.

Students at ADSM are required to pay fees for their programs either directly or through their employer. Master of Business Administration (MBA) costs AED 135,000.

Students at ADSM are required to pay fees for their programs either directly or through their employer. MS programs cost AED 110,000.

Applicants with outstanding academic records will only be considered for Merit or Excellence based scholarships. In order to apply for the Merit Scholarship, students would require to show evidence of achieving at least an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.5 and an IELTS score of 6.0 or higher. Whereas the Excellence Scholarship requires evidence of achieving at least an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 and an IELTS score of 6.0 or higher.

You will find detailed information in the Tuition and Financial Aid page.

There are three options for payment:

1. Payment in Full
2. Term Based
3. Post- dated cheques/monthly installments

Payments are to be made to the Finance Unit

You will need to pay an application fee of AED 500 prior to submitting your application form. This fee is to be paid to the Finance Unit.

ADSM has only one campus in Abu Dhabi. We are located on Salam Street & 31 Street.

Parking is available and easy to find on campus.