Milestones and achievements
THROUGH the years of constant growth, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman ( UTAR)’ s Faculty of Business and Finance ( FBF) has produced a cadre of business professionals, with the very first group graduating in 2008.
Starting with only 512 students, FBF has become the biggest faculty in UTAR, comprising seven undergraduate programmes and three postgraduate programmes.
The May 2016 trimester also saw the implementation of three double- degree undergraduate programmes. Currently, there are more than 6,200 students enrolled in FBF’s undergraduate programmes.
At UTAR, students are nurtured and trained to make opportunities out of challenges, echoing its mission – tenacity in overcoming challenges.
Besides providing a range of undergraduate programmes, UTAR offers postgraduate programmes such as the Master of Philosophy, Master of Business Administration ( Corporate Management) and Doctor of Philosophy to give knowledge seekers the right resources for a continuous learning experience.
For example, UTAR’s Master of Business Administration ( MBA) programme has been positively received by many fresh graduates and industry candidates as the insights offered have enabled them to acquire specific skill sets to become effective corporate managers.
With its rigorous, interactive and practical learning opportunities, MBA candidates are ingrained with the capability to develop holistic views and an in- depth understanding of social, cultural and ethical issues.
UTAR FBF’s programmes are actively being developed, incorporated with soft skills competency and implemented with strategic plans.
“Those strategic plans are aimed at enhancing and maintaining the high standards of the programmes, developing and implementing research strategies, and intensifying collaboration with local and international industry and professional bodies,” says FNF dean Dr Au Yong Hui Nee.
FBF programmes are recognised and accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency ( MQA) and the Education Ministry.
In addition, FBF’s strong collaboration with industry
partners such as Public Bank Berhad, Dell, OCBC Bank and Phisontech enables students to obtain hands- on industrial experience.
“Our programmes are planned and set to meet the global benchmark for competency, ethics and professional practice standards in accounting, business administration and financial planning services,” says Dr Au Yong.
The successful approach of FBF programmes can be seen in the achievements of staff and students. For example, the
conference paper Smartphone Credit Card: The Future of Mobile Payment System? was awarded the 2015 Highly Commended Award by Journal of Service
Management of Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
A team of UTAR students was ranked in the top 18 among 215 participants in the ESPRIEX ( Entrepreneurial Spirit Exchange) Business Model Competition Asean 2016 while a UTAR FBF alumna won fourth place in the Bloomberg Aptitude Test.
In addition, FBF has been organising the International Conference on Business, Accounting, Finance and Economics ( BAFE) since 2013.
UTAR encourages students to participate in extracurricular activities, community projects, and student exchange and study programmes, such as the UTAR Explore the World Programme, to expose them to cross- cultural learning and enrich their student life.
In conjunction with the October student intake, UTAR is inviting school- leavers, their friends and families to the UTAR Guided Campus Tour led by UTAR ambassadors.
The Guided Campus Tour will be held on Sept 24 and Oct 8 from 10.30am to 4.30pm at UTAR Kampar in Perak and UTAR Sungai Long in Bandar Sungai Long.
UTAR also has extended counselling hours at the Sungai Long and Kampar campuses daily from 9am to 5pm ( excluding public holidays).