On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of United Arab Emirates, this thesis aims to study the role of the UAE media in national development. Development communication as a discipline deals with the basic question of how communication (mass media and information and communication technologies ICT's) can help bring about rapid social change and economic progress. Since its independence in 1971, the UAE, like many countries, has sought the help of mass media to disseminate development ideas to its citizens in line with the vision of its founder, His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Over the last decade, the media have undergone a revolution in structure and performance. Today, Dubai is considered as one of the most important media centers in the world. The thesis aims to provide a historical overview and description of the current status of UAE media. The main research question deals with the extent to which both traditional and new UAE media serve the development objectives of the nation. The research methods include both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Content analysis, interviews, and surveys will be used. One of the objectives of the research is to propose a list of recommendations on how the media can serve the development needs of the UAE in the future. The thesis will use the normative media theory to determine the UAE media system and will investigate how the UAE economic and political leadership have used the media over the last five decades to deliver its developmental messages to the UAE society. Finally, the thesis will explore how UAE citizens receive the development media message.