The Stern School of Business at NYU Abu Dhabi (Stern at NYUAD), a collaboration between the NYU Stern School of Business (NYU Stern) and NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), announced its official inauguration. The milestone moment was marked with a formal ceremony and a VIP tour of its state-of-the-art facilities on NYUAD’s campus.
The ceremony was attended by HE Shamma bint Sohail Al Mazrui, Minister of Community Empowerment; HE Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, NYU Trustee and Managing Director and Group CEO of Mubadala Investment Company; Rima Al Mokarrab, NYU Trustee and Chair of Tamkeen; HE Yousef Al Otaiba, Minister of State and UAE Ambassador to the US; HE Ahmed Tamim Al Kuttab, Chairman of the Department of Government Enablement; HE Martina Strong, US Ambassador to the UAE; Linda G. Mills, President of New York University (NYU); John Tate, CEO of Tamkeen; Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar; Ala'a Eraiqat, CEO of Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank; Professor Fabio Piano, Interim Vice Chancellor of NYUAD; Arlie Petters, Provost of NYU Abu Dhabi; J.P. Eggers, Dean of NYU Stern; Robert Salomon, Dean of Stern at NYUAD, and Fatima Abdalla, Senior Vice Provost for Strategy and Planning at NYUAD.
“The launch of the Stern School of Business at NYU Abu Dhabi is a testament to the dynamic and longstanding partnership between NYU and Abu Dhabi, underscoring a mutual commitment to cultivating innovators and leaders of tomorrow. This groundbreaking new school contributes to Abu Dhabi as a hub for business and innovation. Together, we are creating an environment where world-class talent, cutting-edge research, and industry collaboration converge.”
Stern at NYUAD’s inaugural program offering a one-year full-time MBA welcomes a cohort of 54 highly accomplished candidates with a competitive average GPA of 3.6. The cohort represents 25 countries, with the largest groups from the UAE and the United States, along with strong representation from India, China, and Pakistan, bringing a diverse and global perspective to the classroom.
On average, the candidates have five years of professional experience. 100% of the cohort have strong work experience, with the majority of them having worked in top-tier international companies and public sector organizations, including Aldar, Bain & Company, Intel, KPMG, JP Morgan, and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
Stern at NYUAD boasts an exceptional faculty, holding PhDs from some of the world’s leading business schools, including NYU, MIT, London Business School, HEC Paris, Harvard Business School, Wharton, and INSEAD. It has recruited 11 prominent full-time faculty from some of the world's most ambitious academic and professional institutions who will teach and conduct research in Abu Dhabi.
With 54 credits, Stern at NYUAD’s inaugural MBA program matches the rigor of two-year MBA programs while allowing students to complete their degree in just one year, in response to both student and market demands. Designed for early-career professionals, the program equips graduates to capitalize on the region’s dynamic growth across private and public sectors.
The program includes modules in Abu Dhabi and New York City, providing students with international exposure and drawing on industry expertise from prominent UAE and global business leaders.
A key feature of the program is its hands-on experiential projects with top-tier corporate partners, including Microsoft, Hub 71, ADGM, and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, providing students with practical, real-world business experience.
“Collaborating with NYU Abu Dhabi to design and deliver a first-of-its-kind MBA in the MENA region that creates opportunities for both students and employers is exactly the kind of innovation we get truly excited about at Stern,” said J.P. Eggers, Dean of the NYU Stern School of Business. “Built on our high standards of teaching and research excellence, this unique MBA offers students a dynamic, immersive, accelerated educational experience in two of the most exciting cities in the world.”
At the helm of the program as Dean is Robert Salomon, an award-winning scholar and educator with over 25 years of experience in globalization and global strategy. Salomon, a faculty member at Stern since 2005, where he served as Vice Dean for Executive Programs, is the author of the highly regarded Global Vision: How Companies Can Overcome the Pitfalls of Globalization.
For more information about the MBA program, visit stern.nyuad.nyu.edu/.
