Making the right choice
cHOOSING a university is one of the more difficult choices to make in life. Most people who need a university education are unaware of what makes a good university. This is unfortunate, since a good university could mean the difference between only getting a degree and being trained to be a leader.
Fortunately, it is possible to find out which university has a good standing by looking at which university is trusted by the government, the private sector and students. Take, for example, Multimedia University (MMU).
While the Malaysian Government does not explicitly endorse any university, its recognition of programmes is plain for all to see.
The Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) is the body under the Ministry of Higher Education that oversees the quality of programmes being offered by Malaysian institutions of higher learning.
Currently, MMU is offering 108 programmes that are accredited by the MQA. This accreditation means that MMU graduates would be able to find jobs not only in the private sector, but also in the Malaysian Government as well as in international organisations.
The Government has also recognised MMU’s standing and achievements. Last year, MMU was awarded the prestigious Industrial Excellence Award (IEA) by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
And, while not an award, the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) named MMU in its announcement in the ranking of its Sistem Penarafan Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Malaysia (Rating System for Malaysian Higher Education) 2011 (SETARA ’11).
MMU is officially a Tier 5 “Excellent” university; no other Malaysian university or institution occupies a higher rank.
Then there is also the grant by the government body, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), which oversees the development of communications and multimedia in Malaysia.
Named the MCMC Grant for Innovative and Creative Contents and Applications (MaGICCA), the RM1mil grant is to be channelled to selected undergraduate and postgraduate MMU students to develop content with high potential for commercialisation.
Of course, recognition by the private sector is just as important, if not more, for MMU. Foremost among private sector recognition is the ranking by topuniversities.com, which lists MMU as one of the Top 200 universities in Asia. Certainly, MMU is the highest ranked Malaysian private university.
Companies, especially international corporations, are eager to partner with MMU.
One example is Huawei, the telecommunications giant from China, which has appointed MMU as one of its Huawei University Training Labs.
Through this arrangement, Huawei donated laboratory equipment and training to MMU so that students could be trained using industrialquality equipment that would be invaluable in giving realworld experience.
Professional bodies have openly expressed their confidence in MMU. One is CPA Australia. The professional body signed a cooperation agreement to offer MMU students accelerated entry into the CPA Program.
This is the first time such an agreement has been sealed outside Australia, and only the second one between CPA and a university. Specifically, the CPA Program will be offered within MMU’s Master of Accountancy degree.
Additionally, MMU’s Bachelor of Accounting students who meet certain requirements would also be entitled to commence their CPA Program studies earlier, giving them a headstart to professional certification.
Another professional body to recognise MMU is the Legal Profession Qualifying Board (QB). The QB recently awarded MMU an exemption for the Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) exam.
This means that graduates of MMU’s Bachelor of Law are now exempt from having to sit for the difficult examination, which for many years has seen a passing rate of less than 50%.
Then there is another group, with at least 34,378 members and growing, which endorses MMU. This is MMU’s Alumni.
For many years, MMU graduates have enjoyed high employability, with a substantial number being offered employment even before they sit for their final exams.
MMU graduates are warmly welcomed by employers looking for human capital who have good communications skills, who require less training, who are used to picking up new things fast and who are determined to be the best that they could be.
Candidates are invited to apply to MMU for the March intake in the fields of Engineering, Information Technology, Business and Management, Accounting and BioInformatics.
For more information, contact 013613 3144 (Vincent), 013610 3132 (Cody) or 013630 6455 (Azlan).