Professor Meziane Lasfer

'This is part of a worldwide trend to bring education closer to students rather than the other way around,' explains Professor of Finance, Meziane Lasfer PhD.

'We are based in the City of London and have more students specializing in finance that any other European business school, so joining up with the DIFC was a big opportunity for us. All courses will be in the English language and up to the same global standard that we teach in London.'

Officials explain that the Cass Business School has developed its offshore part-time MBA from four years of experience in Shanghai China, with four days a month in the class room and a highly sophisticated online education portal for home study.

'This Internet based system allows students to continue studying from a PC wherever they happen to be and we have tailored a chat room facility. There is also the ability to listen to lectures online while reading the background notes, and we find this a popular option.'

This dynamic approach to MBA learning and the finance specialization are likely to appeal to young professionals building a career in the burgeoning DIFC where 335 firms are now registered for business. Around 10,000 people already work within the DIFC and the plan is to employ 50,000 within the free zone by 2010.

With access to huge research archives and drawing on the preeminence of London as the world's leading financial centre, the prestige of one of the world's top 15 business schools is bound to prove attractive to ambitious students.

'We appreciate that there is a skills gap in this region in the financial sector, and there is a notable absence of the big names in the business school world. By offering Islamic Finance as an MBA specialization we hope this will also mark us out as keeping up with the times.

'I do always try to base my course on things that are happening now in the real world and not on academic theory. It is a matter of studying the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, or in the Middle East perhaps AME Info.

'For example, we have a Hedge Fund Professor and other professors who actually run hedge funds. We also stay in touch with our alumni and stay connected to the financial community, and in Dubai we are delighted to have the DIFC as a business partner.'

'This is the Dubai of the future and we are very happy to be a part of it,' says Professor Lasfer who will be a regular visitor to the campus, along with his colleagues, which is now approaching completion in a smart education building adjacent to the main complex.