Getting on track
design of our curriculum,” she said.
Asked whether Development Studies is less popular in Asian countries as compared to the west, Noor Azina referred to the details the QS subject ranking system for Development Studies.
“The results provide some indication that research in development studies has not gained the attention it deserves in universities in Asia. Only a small number of universities in Asia offer the programme. The lack of market demand for development studies programmes and the perceived unattractive and limited career prospects for graduates in this discipline among the Asian community in general is perhaps one factor,” Noor Azina commented.
“The trend, however, is beginning to change with the looming problems associated with development ONE way to get into Development Studies is for prospective students to enroll in the Bachelor of Economics programme at University of Malaya and opt for the Development Studies track. The entry requirement for local students is a STPM qualification or its equivalent; or a Diploma from Universiti Teknologi MARA or Polytechnic under the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (MOHE) or any other equivalent qualification recognised by the Malaysian Government and ap- proved by the University Senate; or MOHE Matriculation Programme and UM Asasi Sains Programme. The candidate should also obtain MUET Band 3 and above.
“The Bachelor of Economics programme is designed to provide solid grounding in theory and economic knowledge and improve critical and analytical skills of students. The programme has a track system providing option for students to specialise in one of four areas, namely, Economics, Development Studies, Administrative Studies & Politics and Applied Statistics, if they fulfil a minimum of nine courses (27 credits) from a particular track during their course of study. Students are required to complete a total of 126 credit hours in order to graduate,” said Department of Development Studies head Associate Professor Dr VGR Chandran Govindaraju.
Students who obtained good grades for Alumni
Dietitian Wong Hui Jie graduated from UM’s Master of Development Studies programme in 2014. Before that, she obtained a Bachelor of Health Science (Honours) in Dietetics.
“During my master’s programme, I did research on poverty and malnutrition. Childhood malnutrition is strongly rooted in poverty. However, the relationship between poverty and childhood malnutrition is rather complex. An increase in household income may not be sufficient to reduce childhood malnutrition if children are deprived of food security, education, access to water, sanitation and health services. The aim of my study was to identify the characteristics of malnourished children below age of five and to determine the risk factors of childhood malnutrition in a state in Malaysia,” she shared.
Being part of the masters programme has been beneficial to Wong. “It helps me to develop higher-level thinking and reasoning skills that can be applied across many areas of work.”
For Mohd Syahir Che Sulaiman, who is assistant vice-president of Strategic Business at Sime Darby Property, enrolling in the Masters programme was akin to an MBA for an economist as it provided experiential learning opportunities with multidisciplinary perspective, covering both theoretical and practical aspects of knowledge on today’s development challenges.
“Its analytical framework enables me to be more critical and innovative in my job, which include the formulation of business strategy, development plan and feasibility appraisal. Its wide spectrum of knowledge allows me to embed the elements of sustainability in my job, and fits well with the philosophy of my company in developing their bachelor’s degree (CGPA of 3 and above) can apply for the Master in Development Studies. “Even students majoring in other streams can apply to the programme. As a whole, a bachelor’s degree with a minimum CGPA of 3.0 or equivalent and sufficient knowledge of development studies or relevant fields are required. Relevant working experience is an advantage. Upon successful completion of the master’s degree, students can consider the PhD programme, which is solely by research.”
Chandran said the faculty as a whole contributes to the field of development studies, as do staff members from other departments.
In the Department of Development Studies, research by the staff members are predominantly in the following fields: industrial development, innovation and development, social development, societal well-being, education and development, cooperative development, entrepreneurship and development, social enterprise, inclusive development and social class and stratification.
The faculty has two scholarly journals,
(http://ijie.um.edu. sustainable townships through the creation of economically and socially vibrant communities,” he said.
Mohd Syahir graduated from UM’s Master of Development Studies programme this year, with a dissertation entitled Housing Demand in the Greater Kuala Lumpur: Determinants, Affordability and Ownership. The research aimed to seek a better understanding of the dynamics of property demand in the Greater KL area and its implications on cost and ownership.
Having graduated from the Development Studies Master’s programme in 2014, Sarpaneswaran Subramaniam remains as a researcher at the department in order to pursue an academic career. His research entitled Household Food & Non-Food Consumption Expenditure: A Case Study in Selangor — a requirement for his Masters — kicked off a keen interest in the field of study.
“Analysing the household food and non-food consumption expenditure patterns are important given that it may provide important policy implications. As a whole, the study provides insights to policy makers on the differences in per capita consumption expenditure and its determinants specifically with regards to gender, ethnicity, profession, educational level, stratum and age,” he said.
Sarpaneswaran said research positions which engage both academic and applied research of development issues in the global context and policy positions require graduates to coordinate, advice and accomplish plans for international development corporations like the United Nations and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Given that, I would like to initiate my career in the academic platform as a researcher. Meanwhile, with the sufficient amount of training and knowledge, I would engage in providing consultations and training to development corporations.”