How to Choose the Best Private University or IPTS for Engineering to Study in Malaysia
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A university is like a coach. It equips you with knowledge, trains you and provides you with the necessary skills to win. If one chooses a lousy coach, then the knowledge and skills would be lousy as well. If one chooses the cheapest coach, then don’t expect to learn much. Top engineering schools in Malaysia would have the years of experience in teaching the course, qualified & experienced lecturers, top facilities, student support services, English-speaking student environment, multi-cultural student body, excellent internship programme and accreditation from both MQA and Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM). These are just some of the factors in choosing the best private university to study for your engineering course. Read on to find out more on making the right choice.
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Excellent Guide on Helping Students to Choose the Best Private University in Malaysia for Engineering
Melvern, Engineering at UCSI University
Choosing the right university for your engineering studies is an important decision for students to make as it will prepare you for better or worse for your eventual career. The right university would have the resources available to properly equip you. The best universities and colleges in Malaysia have excellent facilities, years of experience running the programme, strong student support services, and experienced lecturers.
Don’t choose a university just because someone told you that it is good. Ask why is it good? Don’t choose because a university is “famous” because it has put out a lot of advertisements. Many Uncles and Aunties will give you their opinions. It is important to check out what they have said is true or not. Also, don’t go to a university because your girlfriend or boyfriend or friends are going there. The university will play an important part in building your knowledge, skills and character to face the challenges of the working world. If you are weak, then you would not be able to perform well enough to earn a high salary.
Chong Keat, Electrical & Electronic Engineering at Heriot-Watt University Malaysia
A few things to do before you start choosing your university, first, look at your budget. If your budget is tight and you cannot afford, then your best option is to go for STPM and then try your luck for Public University. This article is written specifically for students who are interest to enter into a private university in Malaysia for their engineering studies. The cost for studying engineering at a private university for 4 years could range from RM70,000 to RM200,000. It would still be cheaper than studying overseas.
Now that you know that you can afford to study at a private university, the next step is to find out which area of engineering that you are planning to study. This is because not all universities offer all engineering disciplines and certain universities are best for certain disciplines. To find out which engineering course that would suit you, you can read my article on Choosing the Best Engineering Course to Study in Malaysia.
Students after SPM or O-Levels do not need to really narrow down which engineering field yet as they have 1 year in the Foundation in Engineering or Foundation in Science course to decide. During your foundation studies, you can talk to the lecturers to find out more in detail about each engineering field. In addition, the subjects that you take would give you insight into each field. By the end of the foundation course, hopefully you will have a better idea on which engineering field that you would like to major in.
Make a list of universities popular for the course
After identifying which engineering field that you would like to major in, you can make a list of private universities offering that course. From that list, you can check out the tuition fees. If the fees are not within your budget, you can cross them off your list.
Accreditation
From the list of universities that you have made, check to make sure that their engineering courses are accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) and the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM). BEM accredited engineering courses are 4 years in duration. With the BEM accredited engineering course, you can apply to become a Professional Engineer to achieve Ir. status.
Reputation of the university for that engineering field
Ask around to find out if the university is reputable for that engineering field. Looking at the awards won from competitions is another indication of the quality and standard achieved by the university in that field.
Read the Brochures
Look through the universities’ brochures and see the subjects offered. Many students assume that the subjects offered for engineering are the same for all universities. They are not. Look at the subjects offered and see if they meet your academic and career goals.
Visit the Universities
When choosing a university for your engineering course, it is also important for students to visit the campus and check out the facilities and feel the culture of the students to see if it fits you. The environment should be one where students speak mostly in English so that you can improve your English and communication skills.
Research has shown that graduates with a good command of the English language get 25% higher salaries in Malaysia with faster promotions. In addition, if you want to have the opportunity to work in Multi-National Companies (MNC) or work overseas, a strong command of the English language will be one of the key factors.
Talk to the lecturers
Furthermore, talk to the lecturers and find out from the counsellors there if the courses have been accredited by MQA and other external bodies like the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM). Ask them in detail about the courses, the internship programme, employability statistics of the graduates, and other student support services.
In addition, find out what engineering software does the university provide for the students. Software programmes can be very expensive. The fees at top universities could be expensive because of their high investment in facilities and software.
Find out their qualifications and years of experience in teaching the course. Top universities should have lecturers with PhD qualifications as well as full time. Be careful if the university has mostly part time lecturers.
Campus Tour
During the campus tour, look at the engineering labs and facilities. Ask the guide what they are and what they are used for. In addition, if the facilities are old or inadequate, you would not be getting the best learning experience even though the fees might be cheap.
Find out about the facilities and resources offered at the university such as the engineering labs, computer labs, computers, science labs, sports facilities, student centre, job placement centre, etc. Note – You should expect to get what you pay for.
Ask the campus guide about the safety measures taken at the university for the students. Look to see if the campus is in a safe location.
Other matters
Other factors not related to engineering that could be important factors affecting your decision are accommodation, sports facilities, public transportation, and location. Is the university and its accommodation near eateries, banks, entertainment, public transportation, etc.?
Some students like medium sized campuses where you get a community feel while others like large university campuses where they get to meet lots of people and have access to more facilities like a bigger library, student centre, computer labs etc. In large universities you might feel lost but there will be more facilities like a football field, gym, swimming pool, basketball courts, etc. You just need to understand your personality and then choose the type of university that fits you.
Talk to an experienced and knowledgeable counsellor
Take time to find and talk to experienced and knowledgeable education counsellors. It takes time & effort to research and gain information from talking to the right people. It’s a process of trying to figure out yourself, your interests, passion and what you are good at so that you can choose what’s best for you.
Students in Malaysia need to talk to the right education counsellors so that you get the right information to help you in making this life-changing decision.
At EduSpiral Consultant Services, I have worked in the private higher education industry in Malaysia for more than 15 years advising students with facts and evidence on how to choose the right course after SPM. You should carefully think about what are the options available to you. To choose the best course that fits you, students may fill up our EduSpiral Career Assessment form for evaluation.
The EduSpiral Career Assessment form is a simple form designed by us that gathers information from students after SPM, O-Levels, UEC, STPM or A-Levels in order to assess their aptitude helping us to determine the most suitable course and career progression.