Babson College To Expand Internationally To Dubai, U.A.E. | Babson College
WELLESLEY, Mass., June 21, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S.-based Babson College, the recognized world leader in entrepreneurship education, is expanding to Dubai, U.A.E., to offer graduate and executive education programs for working professionals across the region.
The Babson MBA ? Dubai, delivered in a blended online and face-to-face format, will launch in January 2019. Babson's MBA has been ranked No. 1 in entrepreneurship for 25 consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report, and its blended format is ranked top 10 worldwide by Financial Times.
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Babson Executive Education will be working with organizations in the region to develop custom programs in addition to offering specialized open enrollment programs as part of the Academy at DIFC. The first open enrollment program ? Approaches to Innovation in the U.A.E. ? will launch this fall. Additional programs, including one on family entrepreneurship, will be announced this summer.
"At Babson, we believe that the success of entrepreneurs is critical to economic growth and sustainability around the world," said Babson College President Kerry Healey. "By bringing Babson's recognized leadership in entrepreneurship education to Dubai, we will support the U.A.E.'s long-term economic development goals, make Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® accessible to more people and places, and educate global leaders who will create great economic and social value everywhere."
Babson's in-person programs will be held at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading financial hub for the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. DIFC, which spans 272 acres (110 hectares), is an internationally recognized business district with an independent regulator, independent judicial system with a common law framework, and a global financial exchange. DIFC houses hundreds of leading financial and nonfinancial institutions, including some of the world's largest banks and corporations, emerging FinTech startups, professional service providers, wealth management firms, retailers, and more. Among the leading institutions found in the DIFC are A.T. Kearney Middle East LLC, Accenture Middle East B.V., Cigna Insurance Management Services (DIFC) Limited, Goldman Sachs International, HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association, and McKinsey & Company LME Limited. Babson will be housed in The Academy at DIFC, the district's educational hub built to support a knowledge-based economy, attract the region's brightest graduates, and provide access to Dubai's innovative business community.
Babson holds accreditation from: EQUIS, a global organization of business schools and corporations that awards institutions for overall quality and a high degree of internationalization; AACSB International, an internationally recognized specialized accreditation for business programs that ensures quality and continuous improvement; and NEASC, a commission recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a reliable authority on the quality of education.
The College's expansion into Dubai will extend its reach and impact around the world, adding to its existing hubs in Wellesley and Boston, Massachusetts, San Francisco, California, and Miami, Florida.
The Babson MBA ? Dubai
Combining online classes and virtual collaboration with face-to-face sessions at the DIFC, the Babson MBA ? Dubai will offer a powerful yet flexible learning experience to prepare entrepreneurs of all kinds in the region to fuel future innovation.
The program has been designed specifically for locally and regionally based working professionals, including but not limited to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) owners, the next generation of family business leaders, and those working within corporations, who are looking to advance their entrepreneurial capacity while making the most of their time, learning, and investment. The program is unique in design, with a core curriculum focused on: Entrepreneurship and Opportunity; International Macroeconomics and Business Environment Analysis; and Global Connections Through Technology. Specific to Dubai will be special topics offered in Family Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Finance, M&A for Entrepreneurs, and more.
Babson and Entrepreneurship in Dubai
According to the latest Babson-sponsored Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), 88 percent of people in the U.A.E. see entrepreneurs as having a high status in their society, and 65 percent are confident in their ability to start a business. This percentage drops, however, when it comes to actually pursuing entrepreneurship, as only 35 percent see good entrepreneurial opportunity around them, and 61 percent would not start a business out of fear of failure.
Additionally, according to KPMG's recent GCC Family Business Survey, 30 percent of family business leaders from the six GCC countries (U.A.E., Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia) are seeking opportunities to become more innovative, and 38 percent want to diversify into new products and services. Declining profitability is of considerable concern to 40 percent of these respondents.
These findings demonstrate a clear need for Babson?a global institution known for its transformative entrepreneurship education, and one built on a mission that was and is, now more than ever, focused on strengthening entrepreneurial families across generations.
Dubai is the center of the Babson community in the Middle East, home to Babson's largest alumni and parent population in the region and a growing destination for Babson graduates after completing their degrees. The MENASA (Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia) region maintains a powerful network of nearly 800 Babson alumni, many of whom are active in the Babson Middle East Alumni Club.
In March 2016, Babson held its second annual Babson Connect: Worldwide Entrepreneurship Summit in Dubai. Attendees enjoyed three days of engaging discussions and impactful presentations around emerging trends in entrepreneurship and business in the region.
About Babson College
Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds®. The top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.
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