KHDA Higher Education Classification

Prospective students (and parents) consider future employment prospects when selecting universities and academic programmes. Strong employability data gives universities a significant advantage. This sends a positive signal – namely that graduates from their university are held in high regard by employers and that they stand a good chance of finding a  job after graduation themselves. The ‘employability agenda’ today is pivotal in the strategic priorities of universities as it has a direct impact on student recruitment, retention, and satisfaction.”

Middlesex University Dubai ensures its programmes are underpinned by innovative teaching, research and professional practice. Each programme has employability at its core – providing students with the core skills and practical knowledge required to succeed in the workplace. The University has strong connections with leading companies across the region, and students can benefit from networking and learning from industry professionals and working on real-life case studies.

The University also provides exceptional placement opportunities with leading companies including Canon Middle East, Bloomberg ME, Emirates Airlines, and Ernst & Young. Such internships and opportunities are further enhanced by the University’s Careers and Employability Service, which provides guidance on interviews, CV writing workshops, one-to-one support on job applications, access to vacancies, as well as programme specific Career Days. This significant exposure to industry, students are able to apply knowledge in a professional setting by working on real life projects, meeting high profile practitioners and building industry contacts along the way.

The research category enables higher education institutions to demonstrate their research assets such as research quality and productivity. Research output should be a recognisable aspect of the strategic priorities and growth-plan of the university, and should be visible in the institution’s everyday operational reality. Research outcomes contribute not only to society’s intellectual knowledge base, but also create wealth in the community in which the university is located and beyond.”

Middlesex University Dubai prides itself on the research of its faculty and students.

Research Committee

The Research Committee aims to develop and foster research that reflects faculty interests and aspirations, to support student research, to promote the growing research culture of the campus, and to establish innovative research projects with stakeholders. Responsibilities of committee members include monitoring and reviewing research-related policies and procedures, raising awareness of research opportunities, supporting colleagues to publish research findings, managing the weekly research seminar series, overseeing research ethics on campus, and championing departmental and university-wide MDX Research Conferences.

Research Seminar Series

The MDX Dubai Wednesday Research Seminar Series was launched in 2008, and has featured more than 200 presentations to date. The seminars provide a forum for researchers to share their work. Presenters include faculty from Middlesex University Dubai and other universities in the United Arab Emirates, as well as researchers from other global institutions.

Student Research

At Middlesex University Dubai, student research is one of the cornerstones of our academic community. We are immensely proud of our students’ research accomplishments. The Student Research Sub-Committee (SRC) was established with the goal of encouraging, supporting, and promoting student research. The SRC works to develop a strong, positive research culture within the student body. Many of our students have excelled at research including winning numerous national and international research awards, co-authoring academic journal articles, and presenting at academic conferences.

The learning environment category focuses on the physical and technological infrastructure that the university has created to support student learning. Today’s students have high expectations about the quality and variety of learning environments that they expect to find on campus. Institutions that provide high quality learning environments will benefit in terms of recruitment, retention, and student satisfaction.”

Located in Dubai Knowledge Park, students at Middlesex University Dubai are able to benefit from its key location. DKP is surrounded by leading business hubs including Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City. It was set up in 2003 for international institutions that promote learning – allowing its students to take part in a much wider student community.

The University spans across four blocks (Block 4, 16, 17, and 19) and is equipped with specialist labs, classrooms, and recreational spaces for students HUB19.

HUB19

HUB 19 offers a dance studio, gaming room, student lounge, and music studio, allowing students to relax, unwind, and get involved in extracurricular activities outside of the classroom.

MDX Studios

Designed for students studying the BA Honours Film programme, MDX Studios features industry standard editing suites, colour grading suites, editing and VFX suites, an ADR booth, 4k editing facilities, an integrated learning space, and a special screening room.

Labs

The University’s specialist labs include a Cisco Lab, Graphic Design Lab, Robotics Lab, and a Physical Lab. Each lab is equipped with expert equipment to further enhance the learning, development, and skills of students.

In conventional university ranking systems, specialist institutions tend to be under-rated (or excluded from ratings) in comparison with comprehensive institutions, despite the fact that they may be recognised as ‘world-class’ in their given field. This category gives institutions the opportunity to benefit from the delivery of high-quality academic programmes.”

Middlesex University Dubai is licensed by the KHDA whereby the University Quality Assurance International Board reviews all of its programmes to ensure the quality of programmes are equivalent to those taught in London. Middlesex University is reviewed by the UK’s Quality Assurance Agency as part of its mandate to ensure higher educational providers maintain academic standards and quality. The Dubai campus is an integral part of this review process.

Quality UK Education

The academic programmes taught at the Dubai campus have the exact same validation and monitoring system as those offered in London, with the same examinations taken simultaneously in both cities. Upon completion of their programme, students are awarded with a degree certificate from Middlesex University.

Professional Accreditation

The programmes are designed to meet the requirements of both employers and employees in a rapidly changing and competitive job market. Many of the University’s business programmes also provide exemptions from professional body examinations such as the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). It also provides graduate students memberships in professional bodies such as ACCA’S Acelerate and CIMA University Schemes. Various programmes are also recognised and accredited by leading professional bodies internationally, including professional accounting bodies and the CIPD (Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development), the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), and the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). Alongside such professional accreditation, the University works closely with leading organisations to provide students with the platform to engage with industry and work on live case studies whereby they can apply their academic knowledge into practice.

The UAE has placed happiness and wellbeing on its national agenda, as witnessed by the appointment of a Minister of State for Happiness and Wellbeing. This category serves as the impetus to officially recognising happiness across the Higher Education sector in Dubai. This indicator captures on how institutions are facilitating environments which nurture and encourage the personal wellbeing and professional development of students. Institutions should also facilitate processes and activities to support staff development and wellbeing.

Happiness and Wellbeing Committee

The Middlesex University Dubai Happiness and Wellness Committee aims to support, highlight, and enhance activities that encourage students to focus on their happiness and wellbeing, and that of their fellow students. Staff and faculty offer support throughout students’ studies, and are available to advise on coping with stress, overcoming procrastination, revision tips, managing headlines, and more.

The University’s Centre for Academic Success is a dedicated space where students can seek advice and academic support from specialist staff and counsellors. The staff deliver the Academic Enrichment Programme and coordinate the Student Learning Assistants. In addition, CAS provides confidential learning disability support, pre-essential English language booster workshops, as well as pre-sessional academic skills workshops.

Engagement between the university and the community is an important pillar in an institution’s operations, since it defines the way it is embedded in the society it serves. It has been globally recognised that there are two fundamental aspects to university-community engagement: (1) to address and implement inclusiveness policies and (2) to service the local community through initiatives such as sustainable development, self-management of health and wellbeing, and voluntary activities defining outreach actions. This category gives institutions the opportunity to demonstrate the degree of inclusiveness and social responsibility they have achieved.”

Institute of Sustainable Development

Middlesex University Dubai’s Institute of Sustainable Development fosters the advancement off sustainable development into the university, community and global practices. Through outreach, research and training, ISD is a thought leader in sustainability – advocating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. Activities of ISD include collaborative research with businesses, government and UN agencies, best practice consulting, training workshops, UN global impact youth ambassador training, promoting sustainable best practices, customised certificate programmes for specific industries, and industry round tables.

There is a need for higher education institutions to cultivate a global outlook to offer students the best possible preparation for life and careers in the 21st century. It is important for institutions to develop and articulate their own campus-based internationalisation strategy to meet the expectations of students who increasingly want international experiences while pursuing their university studies. Universities able to provide students with opportunities to complete their academic programmes in multiple, global settings, will be attractive destinations for tomorrow’s students.”

Over 3,400 students from more than 100 nationalities choose to study at Middlesex University Dubai. We welcome students from places as far and wide as Brazil, Russia, the UK, South Korea, India, Tanzania, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and Japan. The importance of our diverse and multicultural student cohort is paramount, and something that many students cite when referring to the reasons why they chose to study at the University. Students are able to acknowledge and respect viewpoints from students who they may not have necessarily met had they studied in another institution.

Middlesex University is a truly global university, with four campuses operating in London, Dubai, Malta, and Mauritius. Students studying at the Dubai campus have an opportunity to transfer to one of the overseas campus in their second year of undergraduate study, allowing them to further their global experience.

Traditionally, universities built their reputations around research output by faculty. Today’s students expect faculty to contribute to their learning through effective, quality teaching. Universities that can demonstrate teaching excellence will attract students and have a competitive advantage in the higher education sector.”

From researchers to specialist practitioners and award winning professionals, the teaching staff at Middlesex University Dubai are among the best in their fields, informed by world-leading research and industry expertise. Many of the University’s faculty have appeared as keynote and guest speakers at research conferences all over the world, and received international recognition for their research.

The University’s innovative teaching approach challenges students to put their academic knowledge into practice via internal and external activities including real-life case studies, university-wide and professional competitions, field-trips, and industry participation.