United Arab Emirates U. to Offer Doctoral Degrees

Starting this fall, United Arab Emirates University will become the first homegrown university in the Persian Gulf nation to offer Ph.D. programs, according to The National, an English-language newspaper in the Emirates.

Until now, the only option for Emirati doctoral students was to enroll in programs overseas, but this fall administrators at the 33-year-old government-owned university expect about 20 students to enroll.

Doctoral programs will be offered, on the American model, in the same areas the university already offers at the undergraduate level, including the humanities and social sciences, although the environment and health will be emphasized. Administrators say the move is part of the university’s effort to become a leading international research institution.

“This will increase opportunities for both men and women Emiratis to study here, but it will be particularly welcome to some of the women who, because of family reasons, are not able to travel overseas,” said Wyatt (Rory) Hume, the university’s provost, referring to the custom in the Emirates under which a woman cannot legally travel abroad without the permission of a male relative.

Mr. Hume, a former provost of the University of California system, was brought to the Emirates with a mandate to make big changes at UAE University.

In addition to raising undergraduate admissions standards and setting a goal of placing the university among the world’s top 100 ranked institutions, Mr. Hume will oversee the creation of eight research institutes at the university. Mr. Hume said he expected some departments would hire more faculty members with strong research backgrounds. —Andrew Mills