CAA arranged a virtual meeting on Wednesday 19th May 2021 with selected higher education institutions to discuss the reform of graduate studies with the attendance of His Excellency Hussain Al Hammadi, the Minister of Education; Dr. Mohammad Al Mualla, Undersecretary for Higher Education Academic Affairs; Prof. Dr. Mohamed Yousif Baniyas, Director of CAA; representatives from 12 Higher Education Institutions in UAE; and representatives from CAA.

The reforming of graduate studies is of crucial importance in achieving higher education goals that are aligned with the national agenda. The main objectives of reforming graduate studies are to enhance the quality of graduate programs, increase research outcome, improve the international ranking profile of institutions in UAE, and meeting international expectations and best practices.

Therefore, the reforming process is aiming to cover the following aspects: admission requirements, faculty qualifications, thesis components, emphasizing research and scholarly activities, regulating the establishment of new graduate programs, and future directions.

During the discussion, many thoughts, ideas, and concerns have been raised by the attendants to address the challenges and propose best practices in reforming graduate studies for achieving higher quality in graduate studies meeting international expectations.