Foundation students learn about undergraduate courses at Curtin Malaysia

Miri – 14 November 2017 – The Faculty of Engineering and Science of Curtin University, Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) recently held a ‘Selecting Your Major Day’ for its Foundation in Engineering and Science students to help them make the right choice of major when moving on to undergraduate studies in the new year.

Organised by the faculty’s Department of Foundation in Engineering and Science, the event was attended by 132 second semester foundation students.

Head of the Department Foad Motalebi said the main objective of the Selecting Your Major Day was to introduce the students to the range of engineering and science courses available should they decide to further their education beyond the foundation programme.

“Choosing the right major is a critical decision and the event gives them the critical information they need to make informed choices,” said Foad.

The event kicked off with a welcoming speech by Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Science, Associate Professor Vincent Lee, who also introduced the heads of each department in the faculty to the students.

Each department head then briefed the students on their respective areas and courses.

Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, Associate Professor Chua Han Bing introduced the Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) course which is accredited by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) United Kingdom, in addition to the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) and Engineers Australia (EA).

Course Coordinator of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Mahmood Anwar then briefed the students on the three branches of mechanical engineering: sea, air and land.

He was followed by Dr. Hisham Khaled Ben Mahmud, Head of the Department of Petroleum Engineering, who elaborated on the various stages of petroleum production from exploration to well intervention, and Head of the Department of Applied Geology, Dr. William Samuel Downey, who talked about employment prospects for geologists in the oil and gas industry

Meanwhile, senior lecturer of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Terence Tan Peng Lian, in his talk about the Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronic) and Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Systems and Networking) courses, advised the students to choose their degrees based on aspects that excite them the most.

Next was a session with senior lecturer Dr. Tang Fu Ee of the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering during which he introduced the Bachelor of Engineering (Civil and Construction) and associated courses such as the Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental).

The students were also introduced to the Bachelor of Applied Science (Construction Management), a new course under the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, by lecturer Ir. Meheron Selowara Joo.

According to Ir. Meheron, the four-year course is similar to a quantity surveyor degree course where students will learn to manage construction projects in terms of finance and administration.

Following this was a session with senior officer Naomi Ng Yian Ching of the Student Services Department who explained the procedures students need to follow when choosing their majors.

The Curtin engineering and science courses offered at Curtin Malaysia are recognised and accredited by professional bodies such as the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM), Engineers Australia (EA), Institution of Chemical Engineers UK, Australian Computer Society (ACS), Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Society of Exploration Geophysicists (USA), European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and Geological Society of Australia.

More information on the courses can be found at engsci.curtin.edu.my.

Foundation in Engineering and Science students and academic staff during Selecting Your Major Day.