Program Overview
The Bachelor of Arts in Creative Industries (BACI) is a four-year degree that blends the fundamentals of a business program with courses in media business, design, and communication to help students become the creative leaders of tomorrow. Adapted from the prestigious Creative Industries program at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), the CUD BACI program will empower you with high in-demand leadership, communication, digital literacy, and strategic thinking skills needed to be successful in a creative business context.
Typically, businesses in the Creative Industries are distinguished by the polarization between “suits” and “creatives” – between creative practitioners and those who manage and commercialize the creative process. At CUD, our goal is to bridge this divide through an academic program that provides opportunities that enable you to explore and understand the industry as both a creative process and a commercial activity.
Benefits
As part of this degree program, you will benefit from a unique set of experiential learning opportunities:
The Creative Zone
As a pioneering initiative in the Middle East, CUD has launched a new learning incubator designed to empower students by providing opportunities to develop innovative ideas and collaborate with industry partners to address real-world challenges in the creative industries. The Creative Zone will serve as the central hub for all programs at CUD, integrating academic knowledge with hands-on experiences while fostering entrepreneurial thinking. Through academic coursework and extracurricular activities, students will be able to incubate creative business ideas, bridging theory with practice in a dynamic, industry-focused environment.
Study at Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
The program offers high-achieving students a unique opportunity to broaden their academic horizons by facilitating a transfer to the Creative Industries program at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) during their second and third years. This pathway allows students to immerse themselves in TMU's acclaimed Creative Learning Zone, where they can experience Canada’s dynamic creative culture and business practices firsthand. This international exposure equips students with a global perspective and enhances their professional development in the creative industries.
Internships
As a student in the BACI program, you will engage in a 240-hour internship designed to provide firsthand experience within a creative enterprise environment. During this internship, you will gain valuable insights into the inner workings of the enterprise, including how creative work is supported through management practices, the role of technology in both creative and business operations, and more. CUD’s Career Centre will assist you in securing placements with relevant companies, ensuring alignment with your career goals. This internship, scheduled for the start of your fourth year, serves as crucial preparation for your capstone project in the final year. Most importantly, you will be able to develop key skills and build professional networks within leading creative enterprises, which could open doors to future employment opportunities post-graduation.
Creative Industries require entrepreneurial, adaptable, and innovative leaders with strong business acumen to collaborate with artists, producers, and creators, helping them connect their creative work with audiences and markets. Graduates of the BACI program will be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to secure employment and excel as leaders in this rapidly growing sector, both within the UAE and internationally. Career opportunities span a variety of roles, such as:
- Entrepreneur
- Product Developer
- Project Design Manager
- Brand Strategy & Design
- Artistic Director
- Business Manager in the creative industries: Music, Performance, Fashion, Live Entertainment etc.
- Advertising Specialist
- Marketing Specialist
- Social Media Manager
- Media Content Creator
- Creative Director
- Event Manager
- Venue Supervisor
- Marketing Specialist
- Public Relations Specialist
- TV Executive
- Photographer
- Videographer
- Copy Writing Specialist
- User Interface Designer
- Graphic Designer
- Design Manager (business side of design)
- Jobs in non-creative businesses (banks, insurance, others) that need creative people, creative content & creative problem-solving.
- Pursuing an academic career and further education (Masters, PhD, Doctorate).
Here are some examples of the roles and organizations that graduates of the Canadian Creative Industries program have entered:
- Account Executive, McCann Canada
- Analytics Insights Consultant, Telus Digital
- Sales Associate, Adidas
- Junior Graphic Designer, Stockland
- Junior Project Manager, Secret Location
- Coordinator, Live Entertainment & Event Marketing, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment
- Creative Media Influencer, Zumel & Co
- Creative Strategist, Stackadapt
- Further Education: Master’s in design studies, Harvard Graduate School of Design
Types of Roles: Product Development, Event Management, Advertising Design, Small Business Development, Brand Strategy & Design, Photography, Live Entertainment.
Organizations: Apple, Bell Media, Bruce Mau Design, McCann Canada, Rogers Media, Ubisoft.
The program was awarded initial accreditation by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA), Ministry of Education UAE, on September 1, 2019.
- Produce graduates capable of becoming future leaders in the creative business while understanding how emerging technologies are reshaping them.
- Form graduates capable of transforming creative employment and entrepreneurial opportunities into a successful career in fashion, media, entertainment, or design.
- Foster graduates’ managerial skills for personal and professional development in a globally dynamic environment.
- Develop leaders who master communication skills and use new information and communication technology methods to effectively reach diverse audiences.
Upon successful completion of the program, the student will be able to:
- PLO 1:Comprehend the cultural, economic, social, and political forces behind the commercialization of creativity at an industry level.
- PLO 2:Define the business and management concepts and practices applicable to Creative Industries.
- PLO 3:Explain the broader system of production, distribution, marketing, consumption, and regulation of the key creative industries.
- PLO 4:Contribute productively to the operation of the Creative Industries by applying a synchronized knowledge of the economic, legal, political, and technological environments in which they function.
- PLO 5:Demonstrate an entrepreneurial capacity to engage in independent learning and to transform creative ideas into commercial products and services through the application of business and management concepts and practices applicable to media and cultural production.
- PLO 6:Implement and manage projects requiring problem-solving, team building, negotiating, and collaborative work practices.
- PLO 7:Facilitate the work of artists, writers, designers, and media makers by applying an integrated knowledge of creative and production processes and that of funding and investment structures and by recognizing and responding to future challenges and opportunities in their sector.
- PLO 8:Conduct research relevant to cultural and industry issues, formulate appropriate research questions and conceptual frameworks, employ data collection techniques, and appropriate quantitative and qualitative tools and methodologies.
- PLO 9:Communicate effectively in oral and written formats, using a range of media that are widely used in creative enterprises.
- PLO 10:Use information communication technology skills and learn how emerging technologies are reshaping creative and business processes to assist creative enterprises in responding to technological change.
- PLO 11:Enhance capabilities to develop professional careers in creative industries by applying a critical knowledge of the aesthetic, new theoretical, and historical development of one or more creative sub-sectors to practical realities of production, promotion, distribution, and consumption.
The Bachelor of Arts in Creative Industries (BACI) program is offered at the CUD Campus as a full-time regular study mode program. The program is completed in 8 semesters (4 academic years), and the maximum duration of completion of the program is eight academic years.
The Bachelor of Arts in Creative Industries degree shall be awarded to a student upon completing the following requirements:
- Passed 126 credit hours.
- CGPA is not less than 2.0 on a scale of 4.0 points.
- Earned at least 50% of credits at CUD.
- Completed Internship and Project at CUD.

Professor Evangelos Moustakas
Dean of Creative Industries & Communication
Email: evangelos.moustakas@cud.ac.ae
Phone: +971 47096167
Office: HUB Office # 27
Program Structure
Requirements | Compulsory
Credit Hours |
Elective
Credit Hours |
Total
Credit Hours |
|||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
University Requirements (GE Courses) | 15 | 3 | 18 | |||
Program Core Requirements | 63 | 9 | 72 | |||
Modules Requirements (Students are Required to Select Two of the Following Modules) | ||||||
Module A: Interior Design | 15 | 30 | 3 | 6 | 18 | 36 |
Module B: Media Business | 15 | 3 | 18 | |||
Module C: Communication Studies | 15 | 3 | 18 | |||
Total | 108 | 18 | 126 |
Course Code | Course Title | Prerequisite | Credit Hours | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Compulsory Courses (15 Credits) | ||||
LNG | 171 | English I | None | 3 |
GED | 110 | Modern Art Appreciation | None | 3 |
GED | 132 | Science and Technology in Society | None | 3 |
GED | 198 | Islamic Culture | None | 3 |
MTH | 195 | Applied Statistics | None | 3 |
Elective Courses (03 Credits): Students are required to Select One Course from the following Pool | ||||
GED | 111 | Music Appreciation and Communication | None | 3 |
GED | 196 | Communication Skills in Arabic 1 | None | 3 |
GED | 205 | Psychology in Everyday Life | LNG 172 or LNG 182 | 3 |
GED | 199 | UAE Society | None | 3 |
ENT | 141 | Fundamentals of Innovation and Entrepreneurship 1 | None | 2 |
ENT | 142 | Fundamentals of Innovation and Entrepreneurship 2 | ENT 141 | 1 |
Course Code | Course Title | Prerequisite | Credit Hours | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Compulsory Courses (63 Credits) | ||||
ACC | 340 | Financial Management | BSM 200 | 3 |
BSM | 100 | The New Business: From Idea to Reality | None | 3 |
BSM | 200 | The Growing Business: Breaking Even | BSM 100 | 3 |
BSM | 300 | The Mature Business | BSM 200 | 3 |
CMN | 210 | Text, Image and Sound | None | 3 |
CMN | 279 | Introduction to Professional Communication | None | 3 |
CMN | 313 | Organizational problem Solving/ Report Writing | CMN 210 | 3 |
CMN | 448 | Introduction to Visual Communication | CMN 210 | 3 |
CRI | 100 | Creative Industries Overview | None | 3 |
CRI | 200 | IP Issues in the Digital Age | CRI 100 | 3 |
CRI | 300 | Digital Design Studio | CRI 200 | 3 |
CRI | 301 | The Creative Process | CRI 200 | 3 |
CRI | 400 | Entrepreneurship in Creative Industries | CRI 200 | 3 |
CRI | 402 | HR in Creative Industries | CRI 301, BSM 300 | 3 |
CRI | 403 | Creative Industries Research Methodology | CRI 301 | 3 |
CRI | 404 | Managing Creative Enterprises | CRI 400, CRI 402, CRI 403 | 3 |
CRI | 405 | Studies in Creative Collaboration | CRI 402 | 3 |
CRI | 406 | Global Licensing/Distribution Agreements | None | 3 |
CRI | 475 | Internship | Completion of 90 Cr. Hrs. & CGPA ≥ 2.0 | 3 |
EBU | 200 | e-Business Fundamentals | None | 3 |
PLX | 111 | Imagining the Creative City | None | 3 |
Elective Courses (09 Credits): Students are required to Select Three Courses from the following courses | ||||
CMN | 305 | Strategic Public Relation | None | 3 |
CRI | 340 | Global Entertainment Marketplace | None | 3 |
CRI | 430 | Canadian Media/Entertainment Industries | None | 3 |
FSN | 132 | History of Art 1 | None | 3 |
FSN | 203 | History of Design | None | 3 |
RTA | 101 | Introduction to Media Theory and Practice | None | 3 |
RTA | 427 | Business of Music 1 | None | 3 |
IDF | 200 | Introduction to the World of Design | None | 3 |
MKT | 330 | Digital Luxury | None | 3 |
There are three Modules for Bachelor of Arts in Creative Industries and students are required to select TWO of the Modules.
Module A: Interior Design [18 Credits]
Course Code | Course Title | Prerequisite | Credit Hours | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Compulsory Courses (15 Credits) | ||||
IDF | 309 | Sustainable Design | None | 3 |
IDF | 100 | Elements and Principles of Design | None | 3 |
IDF | 250 | Contemporary Art and Design | None | 3 |
IDF | 301 | Leaping Fences: New Directions in Design | IDF 100, IDF 200, IDF 250 | 3 |
CRI | 461 | Big Night Project | Completion of 90 Cr. Hr. | 3 |
Elective Courses (03 Credits): Students are required to Select One Course from the following courses | ||||
DES | 121 | Design Theory | None | 3 |
DES | 221 | History of Architecture and Design | None | 3 |
IDF | 300 | Strategic Thinking and the Deep Dive | IDF 100, IDF 200, IDF 250 | 4 |
Module B: Media Business [18 Credits]
Course Code | Course Title | Prerequisite | Credit Hours | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Compulsory Courses (15 Credits) | ||||
RTA | 315 | Business of Creative Media | None | 3 |
RTA | 402 | Social Media | None | 3 |
RTA | 408 | Business of Producing 1 | None | 3 |
RTA | 418 | Ethics in Media | None | 3 |
CRI | 461 | Big Night Project | Completion of 90 Cr. Hr. | 3 |
Elective Courses (03 Credits): Students are required to Select One Course from the following courses | ||||
CRI | 350 | Art and Business of Gaming | None | 3 |
CRI | 420 | Media Regulation and Communication Policy | None | 3 |
RTA | 404 | Advanced Media Management | None | 3 |
RTA | 415 | Legal Issues in Media | None | 3 |
RTA | 488 | International Media Storytelling | None | 3 |
Module C: Communication Studies [18 Credits]
Course Code | Course Title | Prerequisite | Credit Hours | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Compulsory Courses (15 Credits) | ||||
CMN | 211 | Language and Power | CMN 210 | 3 |
RTA | 402 | Social media | None | 3 |
CMN | 269 | Countercultural Communication | CMN 211 | 3 |
CMN | 470 | Risk and Crisis Communication | RTA 402 | 3 |
CRI | 461 | Big Night Project | Completion of 90 Cr. Hrs. | 3 |
Elective Courses (03 Credits): Students are required to select One Course from the following courses | ||||
CMN | 402 | Theorizing Communication | None | 3 |
CMN | 450 | Participatory Media Communication | None | 3 |
NNS | 325 | The Business of Journalism | None | 3 |
IDF | 300 | Strategic Thinking and the Deep Dive | IDF 100, IDF 200, IDF 250 | 4 |