DUBAI // Students from the Arab world will be awarded scholarships to the newly established Mohammed bin Rashid School of Communication.
The school, an addition to the American University of Dubai, aims to educate journalists with an outstanding command of Arabic to bridge a supply gap undermining the Arab media sector.
The scholarships, which will be funded by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will cover tuition fees and housing costs for expatriate students.
The school’s curriculum was produced in collaboration with professors from the University of Southern California, one of the world’s most prestigious research universities, and will offer students world-class and specialised graduate courses in journalism, new media, radio, television and cinema.
Classes will be taught in Arabic and English, although only students on the Arabic language track will be eligible for the scholarship. Students will undergo internship training, allowing them to take maximum advantage of the school’s proximity to Dubai Media City, a regional media hub and free-zone for several international news agencies, including BBC World, CNN and Reuters.
“The American University in Dubai has been working relentlessly, alongside media specialists in the US and some exceptional universities in California, on developing the curriculum,” said Alias Bou Saab, the executive vice president of AUD.
Ali Jaber, who was a correspondent for the The New York Times and The Times between 1989 and 1994 and covered the wars in Lebanon and Iraq, has been appointed the school’s dean.
Classes will start in September and the deadline for applications to the scholarship programme is Aug 25. For more information regarding the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Communication and the requirements for the programme and scholarship, prospective applicants should call 04 399 9000, or visit
Tala al Ramahi