Is an industry-focused degree right for you?

Sponsored by United Arab Emirates University  

 An industry-focused degree helps you develop the relevant skills and knowledge needed to work in a particular field or industry. Industry-focused degrees are often tied to specific careers, such as medicine, veterinary science, engineering, education and law.  

These programmes are frequently developed through collaboration with employers to prepare students to create solutions to modern challenges faced in that field. There is therefore a focus on practical learning, with students often working directly with businesses to solve real-world problems.  

For example, each of the United Arab Emirates University’s academic programmes have been developed in partnership with employers. UAEU works with its partners in industry to provide research solutions to challenges faced both regionally and globally.  

What are the benefits of an industry-focused degree? 

There are many reasons why studying an industry-focused degree will increase your employability and make you attractive to graduate employers.  

Here are just a few reasons an industry-focused degree might be right for you: 

Build relationships with employers  

By working directly with employers throughout your degree, you will develop strong relationships with employers which may help you get a graduate job.  

These connections will also help you learn more about different roles in your chosen industry as you’ll be able to ask professionals working in that industry. This unique insight will make you better prepared for job interviews and will give you a more thorough overview of what the role entails.  

UAEU’s employer connections and industry-led approach to its programmes have helped its alumni hold key positions in industry, commerce and government throughout the Middle East. 

Gain valuable skills needed in industry 

An industry focused degree will allow you to put theory into practice and gain relevant practical skills which will be needed in your career. These may be soft skills, such as teamwork, effective communication and critical thinking; or hard skills, which are directly related to your chosen career. 

For example, in the UAEU’s nutritional science degree, students will learn the skills, knowledge and professional values for a career in nutrition, understanding the scientific basis of human nutrition, nutritional requirements, nutritional epidemiology and research methods. They will also demonstrate this knowledge practically, implementing nutritional assessments and nutrient analysis.  

This combination of practical and theoretical learning will give students all the knowledge needed for a career in nutritional science. 

By creating the course content with input from employers, universities can ensure that they are teaching the skills currently needed in that industry, particularly if it is a fast-changing industry. 

Get industry work experience 

In an industry-focused degree, students will usually be encouraged to gain work experience though an internship or a placement. It may even be a compulsory part of your programme.    

For example, at UAEU, computer engineering students are required to take an internship in their final semester which counts towards 12 credits. This allows students to integrate theory with real-world situations.  

During the internship students will work under the supervision of a qualified professional in industry or government. Each student is also assigned an academic advisor to ensure that an appropriate level of support from and contact with the university is given to the student during the training period. Students will give a presentation at the end of their internship about the details of their work experience.