Abu Dhabi University continues pursuit of international accreditation

As the United Arab Emirates progressively transitions into a diversified knowledge-based economy that instills a culture of entrepreneurship and promotes innovation, the country’s wise leadership is focused more than ever on the investment in the development of internationally competitive human capital. Perhaps the most fundamental aspect of this process is ensuring that graduates from the nation’s universities are equipped with globally benchmarked degrees. With more than 6,715 students on a quest to obtain their higher education degrees from Abu Dhabi University’s undergraduate and postgraduate programs, the University has increased its efforts to achieve international accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

Provost of Abu Dhabi University, Dr. Richard Gibb explains that in spite of its importance, many parents and students have yet to understand fully the value of an internationally accredited degree, and the University is working on spreading awareness emphasizing the credibility that comes with international accreditation. “It’s very simple, if we were to consider that an educational degree is a currency of some sort, then international academic accreditation enhances the value and ensures the quality of that currency. Nowadays, more and more parents are realizing that an internationally accredited degree is an investment in the future of their sons and daughters. However, unlike other investments, a higher educational degree stays with you for a lifetime.  Employers worldwide recognize internationally accredited degrees are of more value”, explained Dr. Gibb.

He added: “The UAE’s government is set on achieving top ranks in global competitiveness indices, and has already transformed the economy into an international hub for the aviation, retail, hospitality and engineering industries. Similarly, the nation is now looking into evolving into a hub for higher education that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship and ADU is playing its part to contribute to that process. Last year, the University succeeded in obtaining international academic accreditation for three of its engineering programs from the world-renowned Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET, while the College of Business Administration earned international accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business –AACSB for all its bachelors, masters and doctorate programs. The University was also granted candidacy status for 5 years from WASC and is set to receive another visit from the Commission in December, and although candidacy status is not a guarantee of accreditation, it has been a driving impetus for us to meet all of WASC’s remaining requirements. Especially since ADU is the first institution in the Middle East and in fact one of only a handful of non-US institutions to be considered by WASC”

On his part, Dr. Jacob Chacko, Dean of ADU’s College of Business Administration stressed that in the UAE’s multicultural society, an internationally accredited degree is a highly valued asset. “Looking at Abu Dhabi University’s student body as an example, you’ll find students who hail from more than 66 nationalities across the globe, and a large percentage of them need to have a recognized and internationally credible degree. As is the case with currencies, although a nationally accredited degree would be highly valuable within the borders of its country, that degree losses some of its value the minute you step outside.  In today’s mobile and global society, your higher education degree should be portable so that the degree is recognized wherever you may decide to look for employment. In addition, should there be a need, the credit hours taken at AACSB accredited business program is transferable to business programs around the world. For business administration programs, the challenge is keeping up with the constantly changing international trends, and being AACSB accredited means that the curriculum and faculty are current and up to date in their disciplines. There is an estimate of 20,000 business schools around the world, yet only 5% have been able to achieve international accreditation from the 100-year-old prestigious AACSB”, said Dr. Chacko.