Education Guide Emphasis on cutting-edge research
AS one of the country’s leading educational institutions, University of Malaya (UM) is ranked number 87 in the 2019 QS World University Ranking.
It has a long list of international collaborations in areas ranging from medicine and engineering to social sciences and humanities, with countries such as Australia, France, China and the United Kingdom.
It provides students with opportunities to enrich themselves via knowledge exchange or student exchange.
In terms of field of studies, UM is ranked No.1 in Malaysia for on-demand courses and jobs, such as life sciences and medicine, arts and humanities, engineering and technology as well as social sciences and management.
UM is also ranked first for academic reputation, employer reputation, and inbound and outbound student exchange by QS Asian University Rankings.
As the oldest university in Malaysia, UM graduates are highly valued by employers, and affiliation with the UM name is much sought after.
UM is one of the largest providers of postgraduate studies in the country, with over 10,000 students, including more than 2,300 international students. The diverse student community includes a growing population of international students from over 70 countries including Japan and China, and professionals who study while working.
UM offers a comprehensive range of postgraduate degrees, with more than 156 master’s and PhD programmes offered through its 19 faculties, centres and institutes.
For the 2017 convocation, 2,440 students received their postgraduate degrees – among them, 645 graduates were at the doctoral level.
UM is a research intensive university with 12 faculties, four institutes, two academies and three centres offering courses at the pre-university, undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
All the programmes offered are accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency, and many of the programmes are also internationally accredited.
UM ensures a vibrant research environment on campus with seminars and conferences frequently organised at all levels.
UM academics are involved in a multitude of research projects, which support students in postgraduate research.
Research in UM is clustered into eight strategic fields:
Advanced fundamental research, advanced engineering and technology, biotechnology and bioproduct, health and translational medicine, humanities and ethics, ICT and computational science, social and behavioural science as well as sustainability science.
The UM library has a total collection of over three million items in various formats. This includes more than 80 electronic databases with about 35,000 e-journals and nearly a million electronic theses.
All faculties are equipped with computing facilities.
The Institute of Graduate Studies (IGS), the graduate centre for UM, is a one-stop centre for postgraduate processes.
The institute manages matters relating to application, admission, registration, candidature, examination and convocation.
In addition, the IGS also conducts upskill programmes and manages the Student Research Training Unit.
These programmes aim to provide students assistance on their thesis preparation, editing and publications.
To ensure the UM programmes remain competitive and meet the market’s needs, programme review and re-evaluation have been executed. Several new programmes have been introduced in line with current developments and needs.
The university is gearing towards becoming a major global player in research, innovation, publication and teaching, by implementing initiatives and formulating strategies to expand its research agenda.
The Research & Innovation Management Complex was built with the intention of providing a centralised research management facility for researchers within and outside the campus.
Units managing research, innovation and commercialisation are placed under one roof to provide the best management facility to advance research and innovation.
UM plans to have more research activities, collaborations, partnerships and engagements with other universities and industries locally and abroad.
■ To apply to any postgraduate programme, visit http://ips.um.edu.my/ or join its Facebook page at InstituteOfGraduateStudies