Choosing the Right Type of Business Course to Study at a Top University in Malaysia

How to Choose the Best Business Course to Study in Malaysia at Top Ranked Universities

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After STPM, A-Levels, Foundation, SAM, AUSMAT or other Pre-University Programme there are many different business degree programmes at top private universities and colleges in Malaysia for you to choose from and sometimes it can be confusing. Students in Malaysia who are not sure of what to study after their Pre-University course  can contact EduSpiral Consultant Services to help guide you to choose the right business course and university in Malaysia

After secondary school in Malaysia, many students are not exposed to the many different types of business courses therefore it can be confusing to choose the right business course to study in Malaysia. It is important to talk to knowledgeable and experienced advisors to guide you in choosing the right business course.

Choosing what to study and where to study is a weighty, often life-changing decision. Studying is after all, an investment in your future. You’re also investing your time and money. So when it comes to picking the right business course for you, it pays to do your homework.

Here at EduSpiral Consultant Services, we do our research on the job demand for the careers in Malaysia, Salary Reports, and universities so that we can advise our students based on facts and evidence. Students need to talk to the right education counselors so that you get the right information to help you in making this life-changing decision.

For more information contact 01111408838

Please fill up the Form below and I will WhatsApp you and provide you with sound advise on how to choose the best private university or college in Malaysia to study at. If you do not give your mobile number or full name as in IC, your query will not be answered. Our knowledgeable & experienced counsellor will send you a message on WhatsApp & provide assistance from there.

Top 10 Business Courses to Study in Malaysia

After STPM, A-Levels, Foundation, SAM, AUSMAT or other Pre-University Programme there are many different business degree programmes at top private universities and colleges in Malaysia for you to choose from and sometimes it can be confusing.

Students in Malaysia who are not sure of what to study after their Pre-University course  can contact EduSpiral Consultant Services to help guide you to choose the right business course and university in Malaysia

An experienced Education Advisor would be invaluable in assisting you to choose the right business course. Here at EduSpiral Consultant Services, we do our research on the job demand for the careers in Malaysia, Salary Reports, and universities so that we can advise our students based on facts and evidence.

The first step in deciding which business degree is right for you is familiarising yourself with the different types of business degrees and understanding what each one means. I  have grouped all the courses that are popular and have job demand in Malaysia into 10 main areas of study.

Some courses have higher job demand and salary than others. You have to choose based on your list of criteria of what’s important to you. This list of top ten courses in Malaysia makes it easier for students to narrow down to which area that you are interested in and would best suit you.

1. Business Administration
2. Accounting
3. Accounting & Finance
4. Finance & Investment
5. Actuarial Science
6. Marketing Management or Digital Marketing
7. eBusiness or eCommerce
8. International Business
9. Human Resource Management
10. Logistics Management or Supply Chain Management

How to Choose the Best Type of Business Course to Study in Malaysia?

Choosing what to study and where to study is a weighty, often life-changing decision. Studying is after all, an investment in your future. You’re also investing your time and money. So when it comes to picking the right business course for you, it pays to do your homework. As seen above, there are many business courses that you can study at the universities in Malaysia.

Finding a business course that suits you is a process and takes time to research. This process is about evaluating your prospective university and course from all possible angles, which might include checking out its reputation & ranking, the quality of the course content, experience of the lecturers, the costs, whether there are internships or opportunities to study abroad and, of course, the ease of gaining employment after graduating.

Business courses are these days quite remarkable for their sheer diversity, helped by the huge extent to which business schools have collaborated with other fields of study such as IT, languages and law to create multidisciplinary or combination programmes.

Many students assume that the course content is the same for a particular course at all universities. For

example, Accounting or Business Administration. Students need to look past the titles and dig down into the course content to find out exactly what it’s all about. Students need to have a really good understanding of the content, the teaching methodology, the learning environment that encompasses that degree programme.

Business is a hugely diverse profession and, while some will choose a course because they want to work as an accountant, others might have a wish to set up their own music or food business and use the business degree as a way to take control of their destiny. Therefore, you have to understand yourself and what your career goals are. Then, you will be able to choose the right business course that best suits you.

Restaurants, law firms, media companies, agricultural producers, schools and colleges, engineering firms, hospitals, shops and retail, scientific researchers and labs: all of them need people to manage, balance the books, market their work and develop the firm. An accounting graduate will keep track of the profit and loss for the company while a management graduate will manage the whole company. Marketing graduates will try to increase sales for the company, a human resource management graduate will keep track of the employees’ benefits, salary, contracts and general welfare.

Finding the right course can seem daunting, with so many choices on offer at the private universities in Malaysia and some with combinations such as business with law, business with psychology, banking & finance, finance & investment,  etc.

You can get a sense of the range of courses on offer by browsing through the subjects of the business courses offered by the universities in Malaysia. Of course, words on a page cannot give you a sense of what the university might be like and whether it is a place you would want to study in. Therefore, it is a good idea to organise a visit to the open day if you can.

Pay attention to whether or not there is an internship element on the business course as this will be particularly useful if your dream is to set up your own business. A good business course should also give you some sense of how to be a self-starter and how you might begin building your own company.

Your degree is one of the most important factors in determining the starting point of your career path.

When deciding which business degree to pursue, therefore, it is very important to take into account your current educational position and to measure the potential rewards of each type of degree against the time and monetary sacrifices you are willing to make.

Choosing a course to study after SPM, UEC, STPM, O-Levels or A-Levels is a process in finding out who you are and what you are good at. An experienced Education Advisor would be invaluable in assisting you to choose the right course.

Choosing a top private university in Malaysia to study after SPM, O-Levels, UEC, Pre-U, A-Levels or STPM takes time, it is a process in finding out which one best fits you. You need to talk to the right counselors who are knowledgeable and experienced to help you to choose the best course to study in Malaysia. Once you’ve identified your career goals and your academic strong points, and then shortlisted your universities and programmes, the next and most important step is the due diligence.

Choosing the Best Business Course to Study in Malaysia

After I finished my SPM, I felt confused about my further study. Eduspiral, was so patient to answer all my questions and took us around for a campus tour.
Hui Ying, Diploma in Accounting at Asia Pacific University

It is important to choose the right course to study – you don’t want to waste your time and money on a course you don’t want to do (or end up dropping out of). To help you decide which course is right for you, make a list of business courses that are of interest to you.

Experienced education counselors are able to analyse your interests, personality and exam results to help you make a list of possible business courses for consideration. Looking at your results in SPM, UEC or O-Levels could help you to decide which course you would be good at. If you have enjoyed maths at school you can consider Actuarial Science, Finance & Investment or Accounting courses. These courses are related to calculations. If you are more into statistics then consider Marketing as one of the areas in marketing studies is Market Research. Students interested in psychology and human behaviour can go for Human Resource Management or Business with Psychology.  Talking to an experienced education advisor would help you to navigate through this confusing time of choosing the best business course that fits you.

Having narrowed down to these courses, for students after SPM or O-Levels, you can go for the Foundation in Arts or Foundation in Business for 1 year before really choosing which type of business course to study for your degree.

Many students after SPM make the mistake of just listening to advise without verifying whether the information given is true or not. In addition, just because you have heard or seen a lot of advertisements by a particular university, doesn’t mean that it is the best in that course.

You should also ask yourself if you would still be interested in that subject for a further three or four years – enough to motivate yourself to work and research independently? Remember, you are going to work in this career for the next 50 years after graduation, therefore, you should have a high interest in the course.

The course that you choose should also have a job demand for you after you graduate. Choosing a course that you are passionate about without job demand and you may end up being jobless. Look for statistics and research to support whether there is a job demand for your future career in Malaysia. Here at EduSpiral Consultant Services, we do our research on the job demand for the careers in Malaysia, Salary Reports, and universities so that we can advise our students based on facts and evidence.

Education Pathway to a Business Degree Course in Malaysia

Students after SPM or O-Levels would need to go through some sort of a Pre-University programme before entering into the business degree course in Malaysia. Therefore, you still have about 1 to 1.5 years in your Pre-University programme to really figure out what to study for your degree.

There are basically 2 pathways after SPM or O-Levels. You can either go for a Diploma course or Pre-University Course in Malaysia. “Pre” means before, therefore, “Pre-University” means the course that you take before entering into a university bachelors degree programme.

The common courses under Pre-University are STPM, A-Levels, SAM, Foundation, AUSMAT, etc.

Students after SPM or O-Levels who are not sure what to study at degree level can go for the Pre-University course in Malaysia like A-Levels, AUSMAT or Foundation and then proceed on to the degree in Malaysia.

Students after SPM or O-Levels with at least 5 credits including the relevant subjects may enter the Foundation in Business  or Foundation in Arts for 1 year before continuing on to the business degree programme. Students who are sure of studying in Malaysia should just go for the Foundation programme as it is faster, easier and helps to enhance your English language & communication skills.

Alternatively, students with at least 3 credits in SPM or O-Levels may enter the Diploma in Business Administration, Diploma in Accounting, Diploma in Human Resource Management, etc and then transfer their diploma credits into Year 2 of the related degree course. PTPN Loan is offered for the Diploma and Degree programmes.

Choosing the right Pre-University course that fits you would mean that you have to ask yourself which methods of assessment best suit you? Exams, coursework, practicals, group projects and presentations could all be in the mix in differing quantities. Every Pre-University course will include a % breakdown of assessment. You need to understand yourself and capabilities in order to decide which Pre-University course would best suit you.

Students who are sure of what they want to study after SPM or O-Levels can enter the Diploma or Foundation in Business Administration. The Diploma pathway in Malaysia for students after SPM is 2 or 2.5 years and then enter into Year 2 of the Degree programme.
The Foundation in Business will prepare you to face the rigours of an undergraduate business programme. Those who are not sure of which degree then it is best to go for the Foundation in Arts or Foundation in Science.

If you are not sure what to study, do ask a trained counselor and always make decisions based on evidence and facts. The decisions that you make now, can change your life forever. You can contact us for a free career test to help you understand yourself better so that you are able to make the right decision.

Top Criteria to Consider When Choosing the Best Private University in Malaysia to Study a Business Course

Here’s a list of common criteria in choosing a top private university in Malaysia to study marketing:

Recognition & Reputation of the Courses in Malaysia

• Is the particular business Foundation, Diploma or Degree course popular at that university?
• What is the reputation or ranking of the private university in Malaysia? Global ranking by QS World University Rankings or locally by MQA in the SETARA 2013
• Are the business Foundation, Diploma or Degree courses recognised and approved by the Ministry of Education Malaysia?
• Are the business Foundation, Diploma or Degree courses accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Audit (MQA)?
• Are the business Diploma or Degree courses accredited and recognised by relevant professional bodies in Malaysia?
• Awards won by the university, staff or students for the particular course of interest. The number of awards won would be a guide on how good the university is for the course.

Academic Quality of the Business Courses at the University in Malaysia

• Subjects offered in the business Foundation, Diploma or Degree (Are they relevant, up-to-date, and help you to achieve your career goals)
• Entry requirements for the Foundation, Diploma & Degree courses at the university in Malaysia (Foreign branch campuses in Malaysia have higher entry requirements)
• What is the Class size for the course (Small class size for personal attention)
• Faculty contact/classes taught by full-time qualified & experienced faculty
• Quality of lecturers. What are their qualifications? How many years of experience in teaching?
• Ask your friends who have studied there or currently studying there for their opinion on the teaching quality, environment and facilities.
• Type of programme (local degree, 3+0 UK or Australian degree, 4+0 American degree, degree transfer programme, etc)
• What are the Entry Requirements for the business Foundation, Diploma & Degree courses at the university (Foreign Branch campuses in Malaysia have higher entry requirements for their courses)
• Does the university have a strong internship or Co-Op programme?
• Do they have enough students to start a class?
•  How many students do they have studying that course at that university?
•  What is the duration of the course? When are the intake dates?

Facilities at the University to Support the Business Course in Malaysia

• Location of the university. Is it in the city, suburbs or country side? Some students prefer a city life while other students prefer a quieter university environment away from the city.
• Size of the university.
• Transportation. Is the university accessible to you? What are the public transportation available? If you drive, is there ample parking?
• Campus resources (labs, library or resource centre, wifi, computer access, sports facilities, etc.)
• Facilities for your course of interest. Labs, computers, software, etc.

Cost for your Business Foundation, Diploma or Degree Studies in Malaysia

• How much money do I have to pay for the course and cost of living? Ask your parents. Note that you will need to have enough to pay the tuition fees as well as your cost of living. (Costs for university studies in Malaysia would include tuition, hostel, food, transportation, entertainment, etc.)
• What are the Financial assistance available at the university? (Scholarships, PTPN Loan, EPF withdrawal, MARA Loan, etc)
• Is the PTPTN loan available for the course at the university?
• How much are the tuition fees? Does it include the exam and other fees?
• How much is on-campus accommodation?
• How much is off-campus accommodation? (Off-campus apartments, houses, condominiums) Note that it might be cheaper to find off campus accommodation on your own with friends. Is the accommodations near eateries, banks, entertainment, public transportation, safe & secure, etc.?

Student Environment and Activities at the University

• What is the student culture at the university? (English-speaking environment, ambitious, serious about studies, lifestyle or party university, etc) The language spoken mostly at the college by the students may also matter if you don’t know Mandarin or BM or English. If most of the students speak Mandarin at that university then it will not help you to improve your English. Having a good command of the English language helps you to get good jobs and promotions.
• Size of the university or college in Malaysia. Some students prefer a large campus with sports facilities and other resources while other students like small colleges with family-like environment.
• Make up of the student body (diversity, international students, gender, etc.) Universities with a good proportion of international students will help you to improve your English language skills since you would need to communicate with them in English. In addition, you will learn about their culture, behavior and discover new ideas. These skills will be useful to you when you work overseas or in a multi-national company.
• What are the Extra-curricular activities available? (Student organisations, clubs, sports, etc.)
• Is the university campus is a safe area? Safety within the campus and outside.
• Public vs. Private (STPM is tougher and choice of course & university is determined by the government)