# American University in Dubai

The American University in Dubai (AUD) (Arabic: الجامعة الأمريكية في دبي) is a private for-profit university in Dubai, United Arab Emirates located in Dubai Media City. Founded in October 1995, AUD offers programs leading to bachelor's and master's degrees. Being the first private university in the UAE, it provides an American-style liberal education.
AUD is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the UAE Ministry of Education. 2022–2023 enrollment was around 1,800 students. AUD has a faculty of over 110.
AUD's campus is situated on grounds of approximately 1,300,000 sq ft (120,000 m$^2$), and encompasses three academic buildings, a student center, an administration building, residence halls, a cafeteria area, and an open air sports facilities.

## Academics

The university is organized into schools:
* School of Architecture, Art and Design
** Department of Architecture
** Department of Interior Design
** Department of Visual Communication
* School of Arts and Sciences
** Department of International Studies
** Department of Psychology
** Department of Biology
** Middle Eastern Studies
* School of Business Administration
** Department of Business and Economics
** Department of Finance and Accounting
** Department of Management
** Department of Marketing and Marketing Communications
* Mohammed bin Rashid School for Communication
* School of Education
* School of Engineering
** Department of Civil Engineering
** Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering
** Department of Mechanical Engineering
AUD also contains Masters Programs, including:
* Masters of Arts in Leadership and innovation in Contemporary Media (MALICM)
* Master of Education (M.Ed.)
* Master of Arts in International Affairs (MAIA)
* Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
* Executive Master of Business Administration (E.M.B.A.)
* Master of Science in Construction Management (MSCM)
* Master of Arts In Intellectual Property and Innovation Management (MA. IPIM)
* Master of Urban Design and Digital Environments (MUDDE)

### Accreditation

The American University in Dubai (AUD) is accredited to grant bachelor's and master's degrees by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), one of seven regional accrediting bodies in the United States. The American University in Dubai is officially licensed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the United Arab Emirates. The Ministry has accredited all the university's programs.
AUD is authorized to operate by the State of Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission (NPEC). AUD's undergraduate majors in Marketing Communications and Advertising have been accredited by the International Advertising Association (IAA) in New York.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC).

## Founding and history

Following the 1991 Gulf War, Elias Bou Saab and his team from the American Intercontinental University explored establishing an American-style university in the Persian Gulf due to a lack of quality private education.
Dubai was identified as an ideal location due to political stability and growing education sector. Bou Saab then established the American University in Dubai in 1995 with the support of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
AUD rapidly grew after starting with 165 students. In 2000, it moved to a new campus of 1,400,000 square feet with 687 students. The university was then officially licensed by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in 2000, highlighting big growth in the region's private higher education sector.
On the same year, AUD's largest academic department & school, Business Administration, was established. In 2001, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the American University in Dubai (AUD) and the Georgia Institute of Technology of Atlanta, GA to establish a School of Engineering.
Representatives from Georgia Tech, including six senior faculty and administrative officers, visited AUD to finalize the adaptation of curricula to the requirements of the UAE.