Title: Knowledge convergence towards economic polarisation undergraduate students' postgraduate course choices in the UAE

Authors: Solomon Arulraj David

Addresses: The British University in Dubai, Block 11, DIAC, Dubai, UAE

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the ways knowledge converges towards the polarised economic activities. In particular, the paper aims to find the association between the local job market and the academic subjects students choose for their postgraduate studies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Quantitative data were gathered through a questionnaire from 160 students and qualitative data from 40 students from the UAE. The results suggest that tertiary students in the UAE, particularly the UAE nationals choose courses mostly that have good exchange value in the local and regional labour markets, whereas expats choose courses that have value in both local and global labour markets. Finally, the study recommends that economic diversification might expand and diversify the local job market. This may stimulate the tertiary institutions to offer various academic subjects to help students in the UAE to choose from a range of course choices and possibly help build a diverse knowledge base in the country.

Keywords: economic polarisation; knowledge convergence; postgraduate course choice; the UAE; undergraduate students.

DOI: 10.1504/IJKMS.2017.087075

International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies, 2017 Vol.8 No.3/4, pp.316 - 328

Received: 18 Nov 2016
Accepted: 26 Mar 2017

Published online: 05 Oct 2017 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article