Affordability, accreditation and high standards among reasons students choose Curtin Sarawak

Miri – 26 February 2011 – As Curtin University’s first and largest international campus established in 1999 and located in Miri, Malaysia, Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) offers students an exciting opportunity to pursue an Australian tertiary education at a fraction of the cost of studying and living in Australia.

“The relatively lower cost of studying and living in Malaysia and particularly in Miri, coupled with the fact that our degree programmes are identical to those offered at Curtin’s main campus in Perth, are a huge draw for students in the region,” remarked Professor Ian Kerr, Curtin Sarawak’s pro vice-chancellor and chief executive.

He said Curtin Sarawak has seen a healthy growth in student numbers over the last few years, and currently with about 3,000 students from over 40 different countries, it offers a unique international and cross-cultural learning environment.

In addition, degrees from Curtin are awarded under the Australian Qualifications Framework, a single nationwide system designed to ensure qualifications are recognised and accepted throughout the world.

Professor Kerr added that studying at Curtin Sarawak not only ensures graduates a world-class degree and the practical experience required to further their careers, but through the accreditation of its programmes, immediate recognition by government and professional bodies as well.

Accredited programmes at Curtin Sarawak include its Bachelor degree programmes in Civil and Construction Engineering, Computer System Engineering, Electrical Power Engineering, Electronic and Communication Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Systems and Networking, and Chemical Engineering – all of which are accredited by the Board of Engineers Malaysia and Engineers Australia.

Its Chemical Engineering programme is accredited by the Institute of Chemical Engineers, United Kingdom (IChemE) and its Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) programme by the Australian Computer Society (ACS).

The dean of Curtin Sarawak’s School of Engineering and Science, Professor Yudi Samyudia, said accreditation of engineering qualifications by professional bodies is crucial in countries such as Malaysia where it is a prerequisite for graduates seeking work as engineers.

He said the accreditation status of Curtin Sarawak’s engineering programmes have helped attract highly-qualified academic staff to the university, including PhD degree holders from leading universities such as Oxford University, Imperial College London, University of Queensland and Australian National University. It also gives Curtin Sarawak’s students the opportunity to benchmark their performance with other universities throughout the world.

Business qualifications accredited by professional bodies, meanwhile, include the Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Commerce programmes, as well as its Master of Accounting programme, which are accredited by CPA Australia and the Malaysia Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Shamsul Kamariah Abdullah, dean of the School of Business, said other attractions for potential students are the school’s teaching and learning environment, the reputation of its academics, and its application of up-to-date teaching and learning methodologies and technologies.

As further testimony to the high quality of its programmes, Curtin Sarawak was granted self-accreditation status by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) last year. Professor Kerr attributes this to the excellence of Curtin Sarawak’s teaching and learning, research output, staff calibre, and the quality of its graduates and their employability.

According to Professor Kerr, Curtin Sarawak’s lecturers are frequently recognised for their teaching excellence, often at international level. They keep up with the latest developments in subject areas and integrate the newest advancements in educational technology into their classes.

“Self-accreditation is really the accreditation of an institution’s internal quality mechanisms, with all the processes and procedures for quality assurance. At Curtin Sarawak, we are very committed to quality improvement and enhancement and have been very successful in the process of educating students within the framework of Curtin’s quality management system over the last eleven years,” said Professor Kerr.

Soon after being granted self-accreditation status, Curtin Sarawak was among 18 higher education institutions that received a Tier Five or ‘excellent’ rating in the 2009 MQA Rating System for Malaysian Higher Education Institutions (SETARA ‘09).

Professor Kerr said the rating was testimony to the exceptional teaching and learning at Curtin Sarawak and reaffirmed Curtin Sarawak’s reputation as a leading higher education institution in Malaysia.

“To be ranked amongst the top institutions in the country means we have been successful in ensuring the highest quality and excellence in our teaching and learning, academic programmes, research output, staff calibre, and the quality of our graduates and their employability,” he said.

For more information on Curtin Sarawak, visit its website at www.curtin.edu.my, call +60 85 443939 or e-mail enquiries@curtin.edu.my.