Heriot-Watt Dubai MBA modules — what each one actually asks for

The Edinburgh Business School MBA at Heriot-Watt Dubai is the most-enrolled MBA program in the UAE branch-campus segment. The structure has been remarkably stable for over a decade — nine compulsory core courses plus electives, leading to a dissertation. The assessment pattern is also stable: 100% coursework on most courses, no exams in most cases since the post-pandemic shift, Harvard citation throughout, Canvas submission with Turnitin integration.

This is our editors’ working notes on what each compulsory module actually requires. Useful whether you’re sitting down to write the assessment yourself or sending it to the studio.

The nine compulsory courses

Heriot-Watt EBS MBA students take all nine courses below before progressing to the dissertation. The order varies depending on enrolment intake.

1. Organisational Behaviour

The “soft” core course, and the one most often underestimated. The assessment is typically a 3,000–4,000 word essay applying organisational behaviour theory to a real organisation. Frameworks expected: motivation theories (Maslow, Herzberg, McClelland, Deci & Ryan), leadership models (Hersey-Blanchard, Goleman, transformational/transactional), group dynamics (Tuckman, Belbin), and at least one organisational culture model (Schein, Hofstede, Cameron-Quinn). Marks are deducted hard for using only one framework — the marker expects integration across at least three.

2. Strategic Planning / Strategic Management

The flagship of the program by reputation. Assessment is typically a 4,000-word strategic analysis of a chosen organisation. Frameworks required: PESTEL, Porter’s Five Forces, value chain analysis, generic strategies, the resource-based view, and ideally something from the dynamic-capabilities or blue-ocean literature. The mistake students make is treating each framework as a checkbox. The marker is looking for integrated analysis: how do the macro factors (PESTEL) translate into industry forces (Porter), and how do those interact with internal resources (RBV) to produce a defensible strategic position?

3. Economics

Both micro and macro. The assessment is typically a problem-set-style document with applied economic analysis of UAE or GCC market conditions. Knowing the difference between price elasticity and cross-price elasticity, between fiscal and monetary policy, between Keynesian and monetarist responses to inflation — basic but often loosely handled by MBA students who haven’t done economics undergrad. Citation density is lower here than in OB or Strategy, but data sourcing (CBUAE, World Bank, IMF) matters.

4. Financial Reporting / Financial Accounting

Heriot-Watt’s accounting module is more rigorous than its peers. Students unfamiliar with IFRS struggle. The assessment usually combines a calculation component (ratio analysis on a real set of financial statements) and an interpretive essay (what do the ratios tell us about the company). Format conventions: tables for ratios, IFRS terminology (no use of US GAAP terms unless the case is a US company), Harvard citation for source material.

5. Marketing

Less theoretical than OB or Strategy; more practical. The brief is usually a marketing audit or marketing plan for a chosen organisation or product. Frameworks expected: 7Ps (services marketing extension), STP segmentation, BCG matrix or GE-McKinsey matrix for portfolio analysis, and a digital component is now mandatory (RACE, See-Think-Do-Care, attribution).

6. Project Management

This is where execution discipline matters. The assessment is typically a project plan or post-project analysis, often using PMBOK or PRINCE2 conventions. Heriot-Watt accepts either methodology — pick one and be consistent. Network diagrams (PERT/CPM) usually feature. Risk register and stakeholder analysis are non-negotiable components.

7. Negotiation

Distinct from the rest in that the assessment is often a reflective journal of personal negotiation experience plus a theoretical reflection. Frameworks expected: Harvard’s interest-based negotiation (Fisher & Ury), BATNA / ZOPA, the Thomas-Kilmann conflict modes, and ideally something on cross-cultural negotiation. Word count is lower than other modules (typically 2,500–3,500), so don’t pad.

8. People Management / HRM

Bridges OB and strategic management. The assessment typically asks for a strategic-HRM analysis using either AMO theory, the resource-based view applied to HR, or one of the HR-system models (Bath, Harvard HRM). UAE-specific elements (Emiratisation policy, the Federal Decree-Law on Labour Relations) are expected to appear if your case is a UAE organisation.

9. Decision-Making

The most numerate of the core courses. Decision trees, expected-value calculations, sensitivity analysis. The assessment is usually a quantitative case study with calculations plus interpretation. Excel work is expected even if the deliverable is a Word document. Show your model.

The dissertation

The MBA dissertation at Heriot-Watt Dubai is 12,000–15,000 words, written over 6 months. The proposal is approved by the supervisor before drafting begins. The dissertation runs through Turnitin similarity and AI Writing on submission. Typical structure: introduction, literature review, methodology, findings, discussion, conclusion. Both qualitative and quantitative dissertations are accepted; mixed methods are increasingly common.

What costs marks at Heriot-Watt Dubai specifically

In our experience working on Heriot-Watt EBS briefs, the three most common avoidable mark losses are:

1. Harvard citation sub-variant confusion. Heriot-Watt uses a specific Harvard variant. Mixing Wollongong-style Harvard with the Heriot-Watt house style gets flagged. Use the Heriot-Watt PDF guide.

2. Insufficient framework integration. Listing five frameworks and treating each as separate sections doesn’t pass. The marker wants synthesis.

3. UAE context missing where it should be present. If your case is an Emirates Group strategy analysis, your PESTEL should reference UAE-specific factors (Vision 2031, golden visa policy, federal tax law) not generic global ones.

When we write Heriot-Watt Dubai briefs

We have specialist writers across each of the nine modules above, with EBS MBA experience themselves. The editor matches the writer to the specific course at briefing time. Free Turnitin similarity and AI Writing report attached to every delivery — both critical for Heriot-Watt’s integrity workflow.

For dissertation projects, we work chapter by chapter with sign-off at each stage and supervisor-feedback integration built into the cycle.