Applications are now open for a new one-year MBA program at the Indian Institute of Management’s Dubai campus, with the first cohort beginning classes in September
India’s most prestigious business school is going international — and it’s not starting small.
This September, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad will open a new campus in Dubai, its first-ever international outpost. The launch marks a bold leap into the global market for IIMA, long regarded as the crown jewel of Indian management education. The aim: to bring IIMA’s trademark academic rigor and real-world relevance to the Middle East and North Africa — and beyond.
“The Dubai campus represents a bold commitment to serving global learners with the same rigor and quality that IIMA is known for in India,” Professor Aditya Christopher Moses, chairperson of the new campus, tells Poets&Quants.
“We see this as an opportunity not just to export Indian management education, but to localize it — to bring IIMA’s research, case pedagogy, and faculty to bear on region-specific challenges.”
Ahmedabad: The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) announced that it has signed an MoU with the United Arab Emirates government for setting up its first overseas campus in Dubai. The MoU was signed in the presence of IIMA director Bharat Bhaskar and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry. Credit: IIMAhmedabad
WHY DUBAI — AND WHY NOW
Located in Dubai International Academic City, the new campus will launch with a suite of open-enrollment and customized executive education programs aimed at mid- and senior-level professionals across the Gulf region. The school will also launch a new one-year MBA/PGPX program for professionals. Courses will cover everything from leadership and strategy to public policy and systems thinking. Applications are open now, with the first cohorts arriving in September.
For IIMA, Dubai is a strategic first move — and the start of a broader global play.
“Dubai is at the intersection of global trade, innovation, and policy,” says Moses. “It is a gateway to the Middle East, Africa, and even Central Asia — all regions that are undergoing significant economic transformation. We want to be a part of that story.”
That story will be written in partnership with UAE-based BRS Ventures, which is providing the infrastructure and operational support. IIMA is in charge of everything else — academic design, faculty, delivery, and quality assurance — all run directly by the institute.
IIMA Professor Aditya Christopher Moses, chairperson of the new campus: “We want to earn our place in the region and co-create value with learners and partners here. Over time, that could mean new program formats, research collaborations, or degree programs — but it all starts with delivering high-quality learning outcomes from day one”
THE IIMA WAY, IN A NEW MARKET
The move also reflects a changing tide in international education. “For years, internationalization in higher ed meant students from emerging markets going to the West,” says Moses. “Now it’s about high-quality institutions going to where the learners are.”
From the first day of classes, the new campus will reflect the IIMA identity — built on the school’s signature case method pedagogy and backed by research-driven teaching. Courses will be taught by IIMA faculty, with additional involvement from regional experts and global collaborators.
“We’re bringing our signature case method approach to the region, with teaching rooted in research and real-world application,” Moses says. “This includes drawing on IIMA’s deep strength in public systems and policy, an area that’s incredibly relevant in the Gulf today.”
The new campus will focus initially on non-degree executive education, with offerings for companies, governments, and NGOs. Over time, Moses says, IIMA could introduce diploma and degree programs — depending on regional needs and regulatory approvals.
A GLOBAL VISION FROM THE GLOBAL SOUTH
But this isn’t just about adding a pin to the map, Moses says. It’s about rewriting the script.
“Historically, schools from the West have led the expansion of business education into new markets,” says Moses. “We believe Indian institutions like IIMA can play a different — but equally valuable — role. This is about peer-to-peer knowledge exchange. We bring expertise in public systems, in family business, in inclusive finance — all areas that align with regional priorities.”
Interest has already spread beyond the UAE. IIMA expects the inaugural cohort to include participants from across the Gulf, East Africa, and South Asia.
‘JUST THE FIRST STEP’
Moses is quick to note that executive education is just the starting point. The Dubai campus, he says, is a platform for bigger ambitions — new formats, cross-border research, and possibly full-fledged degree programs.
“This is just the first step,” he says. “We want to earn our place in the region and co-create value with learners and partners here. Over time, that could mean new program formats, research collaborations, or degree programs — but it all starts with delivering high-quality learning outcomes from day one.”
At a time when many top schools are pulling back on global expansions, IIMA is going the other way — and leaning into place-based learning.
“Leadership is local. It’s contextual,” Moses says. “To really contribute, we need to be present — physically, intellectually, and culturally.”
Applications are now open. More information is available at the IIMA Dubai Campus webpage.
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