The Stern School of Business at NYU Abu Dhabi has welcomed an exceptional 47 students from 20 countries to form its MBA Class of 2026.
The second cohort of Stern’s full-time, one-year MBA program brings together candidates with strong academic credentials and diverse professional backgrounds. Students come from a wide range of industries, including financial services, consulting, technology, and engineering, with many having launched their own ventures or worked at leading global firms. The class also stands out for its near-equal gender representation — a distinction that remains rare among top global business schools.
The program’s inaugural cohort set a high benchmark, enrolling 54 accomplished candidates representing 25 countries, with an average GPA of 3.57. The largest groups hailed from the UAE and the United States, alongside strong representation from India, China, and Pakistan. On average, students entered the program with five years of professional experience. Nearly all brought substantial work experience from top-tier multinational corporations and public sector institutions, including ADNOC, Ernst & Young, Accenture, Sobha, Morgan Stanley, and Samsung.
Stern at NYUAD is supported by a distinguished faculty holding doctoral degrees from some of the world’s leading institutions, including NYU, MIT, London Business School, HEC Paris, Harvard Business School, Wharton, and INSEAD. The school currently has 14 full-time faculty members based in Abu Dhabi who are actively engaged in teaching and research.
Comprising 54 credits, the one-year MBA delivers the academic rigor of a traditional two-year program in an accelerated format, responding to evolving student and market demands. Designed primarily for early-career professionals, the program equips graduates to capitalize on the region’s rapid economic growth across both private and public sectors.
The curriculum includes academic modules in both Abu Dhabi and New York City, offering international exposure and access to industry leaders from the UAE and around the world. A defining feature of the program is its experiential learning component, which partners students with leading organizations such as Microsoft, Hub71, Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, providing hands-on, real-world business experience.
The program is led by Dean Robert Salomon, an award-winning scholar with more than 25 years of expertise in globalization and global strategy. A faculty member at Stern since 2005 and former Vice Dean for Executive Programs, Salomon is also the author of the acclaimed book Global Vision: How Companies Can Overcome the Pitfalls of Globalization.
New York University Stern School of Business is the highest globally ranked business school offering a full-time MBA in the UAE and the broader MENA region. Graduates of Stern at NYUAD earn a fully accredited MBA degree jointly conferred by NYU Stern and NYU Abu Dhabi, granting access to a global alumni network spanning more than 130 countries.