Master of Business Administration

Admission Criteria

Full Admission

To qualify for Full Admission, applicants are required to meet the following:

The applicant must have a recognized Bachelor’s degree earned in a discipline appropriate for the prospective graduate degree, with a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or its established equivalent, from an accredited institution by the Ministry of Education-Higher Education Affairs in the UAE (or its equivalent).
A degree earned outside of the UAE that is equivalent to the bachelor degree in the program applied for must be approved by the Ministry of Education-Higher Education Affairs before it can be accepted at CUA.
A bachelor’s degree awarded in a different discipline can be accepted for the MBA program only, but the applicants are required to complete the Preparatory Program at CUA (Remedial Program).
A minimum score of 1400 on the English language portion of the EmSAT examination, or its equivalent on other national or internationally-recognized tests that are approved by the CAA, such as TOEFL score of 550 (PBT), 213 (CBT), 79 (IBT), or 6.0 IELTS Academic.

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Conditional Admission

Conditional Admission 1:

Students with a recognized Bachelor’s degree and an EmSAT English score of 1250 or its equivalent on another standardized test approved by the CAA, such as TOEFL score of 530 (197 CBT, 71 iBT), or 5.5 IELTS academic.
Such a student must meet the following requirements during the period of conditional admission or be subject to dismissal:
1. Must achieve an EmSAT English score of 1400 or equivalent, by the end of the student’s first semester of study;
2. May take a maximum of six credit hours in the first semester of study (two terms), not including intensive English courses.
3. Must achieve a minimum CGPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its established equivalent, in the first six credit hours of credit-bearing courses studied for the MBA program.

Conditional Admission 2:

A recognized Bachelor’s degree and a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or its established equivalent.
Such a student must take a maximum of nine credit hours of courses studied for the MBA program during the period of conditional admission and must achieve a minimum CGPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its established equivalent, in these nine credits of courses studied for the MBA program or be subject to dismissal.

Conditional Admission 3:

A recognized Bachelor’s degree and a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale or its established equivalent. Such a student must take maximum of nine graduate-level credit hours as remedial preparation for the MBA program.
These remedial courses are not counted within the credit hours in the MBA program.
The student must achieve a minimum CGPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its established equivalent, in these nine credits of remedial courses in order to progress to the MBA program or be subject to dismissal.

Note: A bachelor’s degree awarded in a different discipline can be accepted but the applicants are required to complete the Remedial Program at CUA.

English Proficiency Requirements

English Proficiency Requirements	Minimum Required Score
Requirements
EmSAT	1400
TOEFL Paper Based	550
TOEFL (IBT) Internet-Based	79
IELTS Academic	6.0

*One of the Following English Proficiency is required

*TOEFL-Home Edition and IELTS indicators are not acceptable

Documents Required

When applying for admission to CUA, the applicant must submit the following documents which will become part of the Student File:

Each applicant must complete a CUA application form. This form must be submitted by the deadline dates announced by CUA and must be accompanied by a non-refundable admission fee.
The applicant must certify that all information submitted on the application is complete and accurate at the time of submission and confirm their understanding that misrepresentation of any information or failure to provide necessary documents may result in denial or rejection of their admission to the university.
An official copy of a four-year bachelor degree and transcript (or its equivalent) recognized by the Ministry of Education-Higher Education Affairs in one of the fields offered by CUA properly authenticated in accordance with the regulations and procedures specified by the Ministry of Education in the UAE.
Letter of equivalency from the Ministry of Education in UAE for degrees obtained from other countries must be provided.
Certificate of a Standardized Test of Eligibility in English (EmSAT, TOEFL, IELTS Academic) or equivalent as approved by the Ministry of Education-Higher Education Affairs. (Certificates of TOEFL or IELTS are valid for only two years, and EmSAT is valid for 18 months).
Copy of a valid passport.
Copy of UAE Identity card.
Copy of a valid UAE residence visa.
Copy of family book for UAE nationals.
National Service Completion certificate (for UAE National).
Four recent passport-sized photographs.
Interview form.

NOTE: All documents presented by the applicant for admission purposes become the property of CUA and will not be returned.

Exemption from English Language Proficiency

Students who have completed undergraduate education in an English-medium institution might be allowed admission into the MBA program without demonstrating TOEFL score of 550 (or equivalent). This exemption can be applicable only to those students who undertook all their schooling (K-12) plus a Bachelor’s degree in English in a reference English speaking country (e.g. UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand).