A New STEM University Comes to Dubai

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology Dubai (HU Dubai), an extension of a leading, independent science and technology-focused university in the USA, has officially inaugurated its new campus at Dubai Knowledge Park in Dubai.

Our expansion here underlines our commitment not just to academic excellence, but to making world-class STEM education more accessible, catering specifically to the needs of the region's students and professionals. By launching in Dubai, we aim to bridge educational gaps and enable a culture of continuous learning and innovation, contributing significantly to the local and global talent pool in critical STEM fields. Dr. Eric Darr, President and Chief Executive Officer of Harrisburg University

The opening ceremony in Dubai led by His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, in presence of key senior stakeholders from the University’s leadership, its UAE Senior Advisory Board, TECOM Group and the leaders of HU’s global, regional and local institutional partners in government, academia, industrial technologies, and the private sector.

Harrisburg University, based in the state capital city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, stands as a leading institution in science and technology, offering degrees that prepare learners for success in the evolving STEM fields. This new address in Dubai is its first campus in the MENA region and marks a significant milestone in the UAE’s higher education landscape.

HU-Dubai is one of 4 campuses HU has in the world (Harrisburg, Philadelphia with shared labs with Penn State, Panama for the Latin America campus and HU-Dubai), but HU-Dubai is the global hub for HU. In its latest campus, the university provides two years masters degrees which are approved by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) to operate in Dubai.

There are four graduate program offerings including: data analytics, computer information science, information systems engineering and management, and IT project management.The school wants to offer undergraduate programs and housing in a five year plan.

The campus is located inside a building that was built for higher education. They will be sharing the space alongside two schools from the United Kingdom.

We have outreach plans locally in Dubai, nationally, across the UAE, sub-regionally across the Arabian Gulf and GCC, regionally in the Middle East & North Africa region with a strong focus on the Arab World, but also a strong focus on Asia and the Pacific, Africa, and well beyond, such as in Europe. Doaa Taha, the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Outreach & Partnerships, as well as the Program Leader for Data Analytics & Artificial Intelligence, at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology

The university’s first circle of partnerships in Dubai are with the entities they deal with on a daily basis such as the Dubai Government, with KHDA and TECOM for instance, for optimizing and growing operations.

“We of course are looking at academic partnerships (such as with MBZ University for Artificial Intelligence or with UAE University) and institutional partnerships, but also private sector industry partnerships, as we are known for our hands-on experiential learning and HU is known for its prowess in Professional Development and Training,” Taha explained further.

HU has received, for their cybersecurity programs, the US Government National Security Agency designation as a center of excellence in cybersecurity and they are developing the first fully interoperable multi-platform cyber range, which is a real-time simulation platform for cyber-security exercises that they are developing with a consortium of partners.

The university is also involved in an ADNOC Master contract in partnership with ESCO, a leading UAE oil field services company & ADNOC contractor, to deploy proprietary technology training. Nonetheless, they are also engaged in a portfolio of technology partnerships for geospatial technology, and that is because HU has the United States Government FAA – Federal Aviation Administration Drone Pilot Training Certification so they are engaging in partnerships with UAE entities in this space.

Among other partnerships include the world leader in advanced manufacturing to deploy in the UAE a couple of centers of excellence for training. They are also looking to deploy our Virtual Reality capabilities, including in applications relevant to space technology, and are developing the dialogue and partnership with the Mohammed Bin Rashed Space Center.

Regionally, we are negotiating cooperation agreements with other universities, including feeder agreements into our graduate Master of Science flagship technology programs in Analytics, Cybersecurity, Project Management, Computer Science, and ISEM – Information Systems and Engineering Management. We have strong partnerships with the global tech industry in the US and these will be extended into the region. Doaa Taha, the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Outreach & Partnerships, as well as the Program Leader for Data Analytics & Artificial Intelligence, at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology

March 2024