Curtin Malaysia increases its postgraduate options

With the world becoming progressively advanced and technology-savvy, a university degree is just the starting point in one’s quest for lifelong learning. Whether you have just completed undergraduate studies or have been employed for some time, a postgraduate qualification will give you the edge in advancing your career or increasing your potential in the job market.

New graduates and professionals who want to stay ahead with postgraduate qualifications can consider the range of Curtin postgraduate programmes at Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia), Curtin University’s largest international campus and global hub in Asia located right here in Malaysia. They include both coursework and research degrees, as well as graduate certificate and diploma courses leading to master’s degrees.

Curtin Malaysia has widened its range of postgraduate offerings in collaboration with its parent campus in Australia to give potential postgraduate students more options. Here is the full range of programmes:

GRADUATE CERTIFICATES AND GRADUATE DIPLOMAS

Curtin’s graduate certificate courses are career oriented and designed to develop skills in a specialised area that may or may not be directly related to that of your undergraduate degree.

The graduate diplomas, meanwhile, are specialised, vocationally-oriented awards meant to introduce graduates from disciplines outside of their chosen higher degree to postgraduate studies. Entry is normally based on completion of a bachelor’s degree, although this can be in an unrelated field if you have work experience in the field of study.

Current graduate certificate and graduate diploma programmes comprise:

• Graduate Certificate in Public Health – A multidisciplinary course designed to provide specialist training in public health for graduate students, enabling you to apply discipline-specific knowledge and current technologies to public health.

• Graduate Diploma in Public Health – A course designed to broaden your knowledge, competence and skills in public health practice across educational, organisational, socio-economic, environmental and political domains to improve population health.

• Graduate Certificate in Project Management – This course allows you to examine project management and its processes, including history, definitions, attributes, body of knowledge, objectives and success.

• Graduate Diploma in Project Management – This course builds on the curriculum of the graduate certificate to include topics in project quality, risk and procurement management and managerial effectiveness.

MASTERS BY COURSEWORK DEGREES

A faculty at Curtin Malaysia may accept you into a master’s degree provided that you hold appropriate qualifications. Curtin Malaysia has faculties of humanities, business, and engineering and science. Mature-age students who do not have formal entry qualifications may also qualify for admission, and Credit for Recognised Learning (CRL) is often awarded as a result of other relevant studies. Some of the degrees also have a work experience component.

The Master’s degrees by coursework include:

• Master of Policy Sciences – This course will provide you a foundation in the core areas of policy analysis and management in the public sector, including policy formulation, implementation and evaluation. Designed largely with the Malaysian public sector in mind, this course is the first of its kind in Malaysia and available in both face-to-face and online study mode.

• Master of Science in Project Management – This course provides the opportunity to gain the understanding, knowledge and skills necessary for performing various project management roles, including managing a project from inception to completion and the successful attainment of the project’s objectives. It adopts a generic approach to project management applicable to projects in a variety of fields and industries.

• Master of International Business – This course enables you to gain the knowledge and expertise needed to advance in the field of international business and management. It entails both independent study and team projects across a range of relevant, internationally focused subjects. During the course, you will have the opportunity to undertake a cross-disciplinary stream or specialisation.

• Master of Public Health – This course is designed to give you a thorough grounding in the major areas of public health, teaching you a range of conceptual knowledge and practical skills to support public health action across educational, organisational, socio-economic, environmental and political domains to improve population health. In the second year, you will have the opportunity to carry out related

POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH DEGREES

• Master of Science in Sustainable Aquaculture – This programme provides you with an opportunity to engage with world leading research, with access to outstanding aquaculture facilities that will give you the tools to make the most of the global career opportunities in this field. It explores the principles of aquaculture and the key factors influencing the viability of aquatic animal farming and food production systems. You will also explore the commercial business of sustainable aquaculture and learn the skills necessary to establish and manage aquaculture enterprises and development projects.

• Master of Philosophy Degrees (MPhil) – A MPhil degree is awarded for a thesis or a combination of a thesis and coursework in which the coursework component does not exceed one third of the degree or master’s programme. The award indicates that the thesis, in the opinion of the examiners, constitutes a substantial original contribution to the knowledge or understanding of a field of study and demonstrates the capacity of the candidate to conceive, design and carry to completion independent research.

A candidate may enrol in a degree or masters programme either full-time or part-time. The masters fields of study in the various faculties are Media, Culture & Creative Arts; Accounting, Economics and Finance, Management, Marketing, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Geology.

• Doctoral Degrees (PhD) – A PhD is awarded for a thesis or a combination of a thesis and coursework in which the coursework component does not exceed one third of the doctoral degree programme. The award indicates that the thesis constitutes a substantial original contribution to the knowledge or understanding of a field of study. The doctoral candidate should uncover new knowledge either by the discovery of new facts, the formation of theories, or the innovative re-interpretation of known data and established ideas.

A candidate may enrol in a doctoral degree either full-time or part-time. Enrolment in the degree is usually for a minimum of two years and a maximum of four years of equivalent full-time study. Doctoral fields of study at Curtin Malaysia comprise (but are not limited to) Engineering & Science, Environmental Science, Business and Humanities.

Postgraduate studies at Curtin Malaysia are jointly coordinated by its faculties and the Curtin Malaysia Graduate School, which was established in 2015 to advance and promote postgraduate education through both taught and research programmes. To fulfil its mission, the Graduate School works in close collaboration with the faculties and the Curtin Malaysia Research Institute (Curtin Malaysia’s research arm), as well as its postgraduate students.

The Curtin Malaysia Graduate School and Curtin Malaysia’s Office of Research and Development provides attractive PhD research scholarships for qualified candidates under the Curtin Malaysia Postgraduate Research Scheme (CMPRS), including tuition fee waivers and monthly stipends, in addition to other benefits such as subsidies for consumables and attending conferences.

Information on postgraduate studies at Curtin Malaysia can be found at courses.curtin.edu.my/courses-and-study/postgrad/. For information on the Curtin Malaysia Graduate School and Curtin Malaysia Postgraduate Research Scholarships (CMPRS), visit gradschool.curtin.edu.my/higher-degree-by-research/future-students/.

Postgraduate candidates have a wide range of coursework and research degrees to choose from.