The IIM Ahmedabad One-Year MBA in Dubai offers a rigorous curriculum designed to equip professionals with the skills and knowledge required to excel in today's dynamic global business environment. The programme seamlessly integrates core management principles with a diverse range of specialised electives, ensuring a holistic learning experience that fosters strategic thinking, innovation, and adaptability.

The programme equips participants with the skills to navigate global business challenges while aligning with the UAE’s vision for innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth. With a strong focus on leadership and real-world problem-solving, it prepares future business leaders to drive meaningful change across the evolving business landscape of the MENA region and beyond.

Programme Structure

The programme follows a six-segment course structure, each segment seamlessly joined to the next. The segments are:

Induction

Spread over two and a half days, it gives the students a chance to get familiar with the infrastructure and co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, while tuning into the programme content and the IIMA method of learning. It also helps the students to understand the self while making the transition to the programme and the future.

Building Blocks

The core segment gives the students a rigorous grounding in the fundamentals of management. It crystallises and enhances their basic conceptual and analytical skills, pre-disposing them for managerial effectiveness.

Building Business Acumen:

This segment enhances cross-functional understanding and commercial awareness, helping participants connect strategic goals with day-to-day business operations through real-world cases and practical insights.

Building Leadership Skills

This segment focuses on developing a deep understanding of the macro-economic environment and its influence on global business dynamics. It helps participants build the analytical and strategic thinking capabilities required to lead effectively in a rapidly evolving international economy.

Preparing for Strategic Decision Making

Focused on high-impact decisions, this segment equips participants with tools to assess risk, analyse complex scenarios, and craft effective strategies for long-term success.

Preparing for Top Management

As the programme unfolds, the focus shifts to a top management perspective, which is the differentiating element of this programme. This segment further develops the students’ skills, enabling them to better understand and envision the dynamics within complex management problems. It also prepares them for visionary leadership, being global change agents, and playing a role at the top.

Electives

The programme offers unparalleled flexibility, allowing participants to customise their learning journey with a wide range of electives across finance, strategy, marketing, supply chain, and emerging business sectors. This dynamic curriculum not only enables the participants to align their learning with career goals but also encourages exploration of new industries and deepens expertise in key areas of interest.

As part of the electives phase, students may undertake an Individual Research Project (IRP) under the guidance of a faculty advisor. This project culminates in a high-quality written output, such as:

• A case study with in-depth analysis
• An industry note
• A paper on "Bridging the Divide" (focusing on a socio-economic divide affecting the world)
• A comprehensive business plan for an entrepreneurial venture

Capstone

A finale as an encapsulation of the learning experience, this segment provides an opportunity to integrate learning from the entire programme, reflect on one’s own experience as an executive, and understand what it means to work in large, multidisciplinary teams facing tough deadlines.

List of Courses

Sixteen core courses spread over 235 sessions lay the building block and crystallise the conceptual and analytical knowledge of the students for managerial effectiveness. Another six courses, spread over 90 sessions, prepare the students for top management in leadership and change agent roles. Additionally, 150 sessions of elective courses allow students to explore specific areas of interest more deeply.

Electives

Elective courses in the IIM Ahmedabad One-Year MBA programme in Dubai offer participants the flexibility to customise their learning experience. Offered in Terms 4 and 5, students choose from an extensive portfolio of electives. These courses enable students to deepen expertise in key areas, explore new industries, and align their studies with career aspirations. Electives span across core functional areas, including:

• Finance and Accounting
• Human Resource Management
• Information Systems
• Marketing
• Operations and Decision Sciences
• Organisational Behaviour
• Strategy