Admission for Graduate Studies

To enrol in a graduate program at Canadian University Dubai you will need to meet the general requirements for admission and provide a certificate of English language proficiency. Other additional admission requirements are specific to your chosen program of study.

Graduate Admissions Policy

Admission to a specific program of study implies admission to Canadian University Dubai; however, admission to a particular program does not imply automatic admission to any other program of study. For students who do not meet all of the requirements at the time of application, admission is conditional to those requirements, or their established equivalent, being met within the prescribed time periods and subject to the conditions outlined below.

General Admission requirements for Master’s level programs:

  1. Completion of a recognized bachelor’s degree in a discipline appropriate for the master’s degree. A Higher Diploma is not equivalent to a bachelor’s degree and does not qualify an applicant for admission to a Master’s programs.
  2. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.0 scale, or its established equivalent, in the applicant’s bachelor’s degree program.
  3. Provide a valid English Language Proficiency Certificate with a minimum score of IELTS Academic (Band 6.0), TOEFL iBT (79), TOEFL ITP (550) or one of the standardized English language tests that is internationally recognized and approved by the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research, UAE.
  4.  
  5. IELTS Academic TOEFL iBT TOEFL ITP
    6.0 79 550

Note: Students who have completed undergraduate education in an English-medium institution might be allowed admission into a graduate program without demonstrating a TOEFL score of 550 (or equivalent). This exemption can be applicable only to those students who undertook all their schooling (K-12) plus a bachelor’s degree in English in a reference English-speaking country (e.g., UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand).

Note: Home Edition TOEFL & IELTS (Academic UKVI/ Online) examinations are not accepted as an English language proficiency qualification for admission into CUD

Conditional Admission Requirements for Master’s level programs:

  • May conditionally admit students with a recognized bachelor’s degree and valid English Language Proficiency Certificate with a minimum score of IELTS Academic (Band 5.5), TOEFL iBT (71), TOEFL ITP (530) or one of the standardized English language tests that is internationally recognized and approved by the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research, UAE.
  •  
  • IELTS Academic TOEFL iBT TOEFL ITP
    5.5 71 530

Note: Home Edition TOEFL & IELTS (Academic UKVI/ Online) examinations are not accepted as an English language proficiency qualification for admission into CUD

Students must meet the following requirements during the period of conditional admission or be subject to dismissal:

    1. must achieve an Academic IELTS (Band 6.0) or equivalent, by the end of the student's first semester of study.
    2. may take a maximum of six credit hours in the first semester of study, not including intensive English courses.
    3. must achieve a minimum CGPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its established equivalent, in the first six credit hours of credit-bearing courses studied for the graduate program.
  •  
  • May conditionally admit students to a Master Program with a recognized Bachelor’s degree and a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or its established equivalent. Such a student must take a maximum of nine credit hours of courses studied for the graduate program during the period of conditional admission and must achieve a minimum CGPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its established equivalent, in these nine credits of courses studied for the graduate program or be subject to dismissal.
  •  
  • May conditionally admit students to a Master Program with a recognized Bachelor’s degree and a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale or its established equivalent to a maximum of nine graduate-level credit hours as remedial preparation for the graduate program. These remedial courses are not for credit within the degree program. The student must achieve a minimum CGPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its established equivalent, in these nine credits of remedial courses in order to progress to the graduate program or be subject to dismissal.

Note: For the Master of Science in Design Innovation for Circular Economy (MScDICE) program, the minimum required cumulative grade point average (CGPA) for admission is 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. This program does not offer remedial courses, and all admitted students must meet the minimum CGPA requirement at the time of admission.

Master`s Level Programs:

(*) For admission in the Master of Business Administration (MBA) acceptable qualifications include any bachelor’s background

Applicants without a related bachelor’s degree may be required to complete remedial courses (3 credits each) to qualify for regular admission. The remedial courses are not considered as part of the MBA program. The faculty of Business will decide about the remedial courses for a student to register based on the applicant's bachelor’s degree.

Remedial Courses for Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Course Code

Course Title

Prerequisite

MBA

510

Management and Marketing Foundations

None

MBA

511

Foundations of Quantitative Analysis

None

MBA

512

Accounting and Finance Foundations

None

MBA

 513 Foundations of Economics None

For more information: please click here for program details

(*) For admission in the Master in IT Management (MITM), acceptable qualifications include, but are not limited to, the following specializations:

  • Engineering
  • IT
  • Business-related bachelors will be considered

Applicants without a related bachelor’s degree may be required to complete remedial courses (3 credits each) to qualify for regular admission. The remedial courses are not considered as part of the MITM program. The faculty of SEAST will decide about the remedial courses for a student to register based on the applicant's bachelor’s degree.

Remedial Courses for Master in IT Management (MITM)

Course Code

Course Title

Prerequisite

MIT

514

Fundamentals of Data Analytics Techniques

None

MBA

510

Management and Marketing Foundations

None

MBA

511

Foundations of Quantitative Analysis

None

MBA

 512 Accounting and Finance Foundations None
MBA 513 Foundations of Economics None

For more information: please click here for program details

(*) For admission in the Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (MScAI), acceptable qualifications include, but are not limited to, the following specializations:

  • Bachelor of Computer Science or its equivalent.
  • Bachelor of Engineering or its equivalent.
  • Bachelor of Information Technology or its equivalent.
  • Bachelor of Mathematics or its equivalent.

Applicants without a related bachelor’s degree may be required to complete up to three remedial courses (3 credits each) to qualify for regular admission. The remedial courses are not considered as part of the MScAI program. The school of engineering (SEAST) will decide about the remedial courses for a student to register based on the CGPA and/or program-related knowledge in the applicant's bachelor’s degree.

Remedial Courses for Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (MScAI)

Course Code

Course Title

Prerequisite

MAI

501

Programming for AI

None

MAI

502

Introduction to AI

None

MAI

503

Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science

None

For more information: please click here for program details

(*) For admission in the Master of Public Health (MPH), acceptable qualifications include, but are not limited to, the following specializations:

  • Public Health
  • Environmental Health, Environmental Management, or Environmental Sciences
  • Health Management, Health Administration, or Health Sciences
  • Biology, Chemistry, Microbiology, or Pharmacy
  • Occupational Health and Safety
  • Nursing

If an applicant who does not hold a bachelor’s degree in any of the specializations listed in the MPH program-specific admission requirements, above then the applicant must register and pass all of the following three remedial courses, each of which (3 credits each), to qualify for the regular admission to the MPH program in addition to all other applicable admission requirements. The remedial courses are not considered as part of the MPH program. The Department of Public Health will decide about the remedial courses for a student to register based on the applicant's bachelor’s degree.

Remedial Courses for Master of Public Health (MPH)

Course Code

Course Title

Prerequisite

MPH

500

Principles of Public Health

None

MPH

501

Fundamentals of Environmental Health

None

MPH

502

Fundamentals of Healthcare Management

None

For more information please click here for program details

(*) For admission to the Master of Science in Design Innovation for Circular Economy (MScDICE), acceptable qualifications in a relevant discipline must include:

  • Architecture
  • Civil Engineering
  • Environmental Design
  • Fashion Design
  • Industrial Design
  • Interior Design
  • Landscape Design
  • Product Design
  • Service Design
  • Sustainable Design
  • Urban Planning

Master of Science in Design Innovation for Circular Economy (MScDICE)

As part of the admission process, applicants are required to submit a portfolio showcasing their previous work. The portfolio should demonstrate the applicant’s skills, with a particular emphasis on sustainability and system thinking. It may include academic projects, professional work, research contributions, or independent explorations that reflect the applicant’s design approach.

For applicants who do not have a traditional portfolio of projects, an alternative submission is accepted. Instead, candidates may provide a comprehensive report outlining their academic and professional achievements relevant to the program. This report should highlight experiences in sustainability, innovation or related disciplines and demonstrate their ability to engage with the challenges and opportunities of the circular economy.

For more information: please click here for program details

Students who have studied at Colleges/Universities Outside of the UAE

  • All Certificates and transcripts must be attested by the Ministry of Education in the country where the issuing institution is based.
  • Following that, the student also needs to have the certificates and transcripts attested by the UAE embassy or consulate in that same country.
  • If the student is not able to have the attestation completed by the UAE embassy or consulate in that same country, they may also be able to obtain the same attestation or equalization from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Consulate of the particular country they studied in.
  • The student will also be required to obtain Certificate of Recognition through Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR)

Additional Program Admission Requirements: Interview Committee

Offers of admission are adjudicated by the interview committee consisting of faculty members from different program specialties, and a representative of the Office of the Registrar, as a result of the following process:

  1. Once the deadline for submission of applications has passed, a first screening by the committee establishes lists of applicants for further consideration for either admission or conditional admission.
  2. Selected applicants complete an interview.
  3. Offers of admission are made on the basis of the interview’s outcome.

The Interview committee appoints a faculty to conduct the interview. It lasts approximately 30 minutes and follows a standard protocol captured by the Masters Interview Form. Its aim is to determine the applicant’s:

  1. Proficiency in English language and communication skills.
  2. Career advancement.
  3. Managerial and professional experience.
  4. Academic background.
  5. Motivation and engagement.
  6. Rationale for the choice of major.
  7. Prospect for successful completion of the program.

The interview culminates with a committee recommendation for full acceptance, conditional acceptance without/with Remedial Preparation Programs, or rejection.

Remedial Preparation Program (RPP)

Each course of these remedial preparation program (RPP) is equivalent to 3 graduate-level credit hours. The student must achieve a minimum grade of B to be ready for their graduate courses.

Falsified Admission Documents

Students found to have submitted falsified documents will be dismissed from the University.