Record number of 735 Curtin Malaysia students graduating today

Miri – 27 April 2019 – 735 students from the Faculty of Business, Faculty of Humanities and Faculty of Engineering and Science of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) are graduating at two graduation ceremonies being held at the university today.

They represent Curtin Malaysia’s largest graduate cohort ever and a fitting milestone as the university’s marks its 20th anniversary this year.

In addition to the graduation ceremonies, the festivities include an anniversary event for staff, an anniversary dinner with state and university leaders and local stakeholders, and an awards dinner for its outstanding students and industry sponsors, this week.

The graduation ceremonies today will involve a combined ceremony for the Faculty of Business and Faculty of Humanities at 10 am, and another for the Faculty of Engineering and Science at 2 pm. Both are being held in the 1,500-capacity event hall at the university’s Recreation and Event Centre.

The graduates, meanwhile, will comprise 310 undergraduate and postgraduate students from the Faculty of Business, 39 from the Faculty of Humanities, 380 from the Faculty of Engineering and Science, and six from Curtin’s main campus in Perth who have chosen to graduate at the Curtin Malaysia graduation ceremonies.

305 undergraduate students from the Faculty of Business are receiving Bachelor of Business Administration degrees, and Bachelor of Commerce degrees with single and double majors. Meanwhile, two postgraduate students will receive Master of Philosophy degrees in management and three will receive Doctor of Philosophy degrees in business.

18 students from the Faculty of Humanities will receive Bachelor of Arts degrees in mass communication while 21 students will receive Master of Science degrees in project management.

358 students from the Faculty of Engineering and Science will graduate with Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degrees in chemical, civil and construction, electrical power, electronic and communication, environmental, mechanical and petroleum engineering. Meanwhile, 32 students will graduate with Bachelor of Science degrees in applied geology, and nine with Bachelor of Technology degrees in computer systems and networking.

Graduating with them will be six postgraduate students graduating with Master of Engineering Science degrees in electrical engineering, and 10 with Master of Philosophy degrees in petroleum, civil, electronic and computer, mechanical and chemical engineering, and three with Doctor of Philosophy degrees in engineering.

While the majority of the graduates are Malaysian, there is a significant number of international graduates from Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, China, Egypt, Ghana India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, the United States, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

This year’s graduation ceremonies are also seeing one of the highest numbers of postgraduate graduates ever, 48 in total.

Attending the ceremonies are the graduates’ family members and a long list of dignitaries, including His Excellency Andrew Goledzinowski, the Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia; Curtin University Chancellor Dr. Andrew Crane; Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry; and Curtin Malaysia’s Pro-Chancellor Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr. George Chan Hong Nam.

Also attending are Curtin University Council members Vanessa Guthrie and Sue Wilson from Perth and their counterparts in the Curtin Malaysia Council, Deputy Vice-Chancellor International Professor Seth Kunin, Chair of the Curtin Malaysia Board of Directors Datu Ose Murang, Chair of the Curtin Malaysia Management Board Datuk Lee Kim Shin, and Pro Vice-Chancellor, President and Chief Executive Professor Jim Mienczakowski.

Over the past 20 years, Curtin Malaysia has produced over 7,000 graduates, including 47 PhD graduates. Its first graduation ceremony was for its first cohort of foundation students in its founding year in 1999. Its first degree graduation was in 2002, which saw its pioneering batch of commerce students graduating. In 2003, it graduated its pioneering cohort of engineering students.

The number of graduates has been growing steadily since, and last year, Curtin Malaysia saw the graduation of its second-largest graduate cohort of 682 students.

In her message of congratulations in the lead up to their graduation, Vice-Chancellor Professor Terry said the graduates were all graduating with a deep understanding of their disciplines, an appreciation of the expectations of their chosen professions, and the skills that will position them for success in the modern workplace.

They should therefore use their qualifications wisely, both in their chosen professions and to ensure the future economic and social prosperity of their countries and regions, she said. She also expressed hopes that they will stay connected with the university as members of its worldwide network of over 215,000 alumni.

Following the graduation ceremonies will be the 2019 Curtin Malaysia Awards Ceremony at a leading hotel this evening where high-achieving students of Curtin Malaysia will be presented university and industry-sponsored awards for academic excellence, outstanding extracurricular activities and community service. The award sponsors comprise 23 companies and individuals.

Curtin Malaysia is Curtin University’s largest international campus and global hub in Asia, established as a joint venture between Curtin University and the Sarawak state government in 1999. With a campus spread over 1,200 acres, it is the largest Australian international campus in the world.

Curtin University, meanwhile, is an increasingly global university with campuses in Perth, regional Western Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai and Mauritius, and partnerships with over 130 institutions around the globe.

It is recognised as being in the top one per cent of universities worldwide in the 2018 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and 250th out of over 30,000 universities worldwide in the 2019 QS World University Ranking.

Curtin Malaysia offers a global experience that comes hand-in-hand with international study, being in an exotic location that offers a myriad of opportunities for adventure and cultural immersion, and a truly international student community drawn from over 50 countries.

Of the more than 4,000 students studying at the campus, close to a quarter come from countries other than Malaysia. This cultural diversity adds a rich and valuable dimension to its campus atmosphere, preparing all graduates to live and work effectively in an increasingly global labour market.

Furthermore, Curtin Malaysia’s strong links with industry, business and the broader community enhance the students’ learning process and present wide opportunities for work-integrated learning, collaborative research and industry engagement.

Curtin Malaysia offers the same world-ranked and internationally-accredited courses as its Australian parent, and undergraduate students have the option to transfer to Perth at any time to complete their degrees and add another dimension to their international experience.

The courses include undergraduate and postgraduate courses in engineering, science, business and humanities, as well foundation programmes that feed directly into its undergraduate programmes.

Many of the courses are in subject areas where Curtin is highly ranked globally, such as in the QS World University Rankings by Subject where it has 8 subjects ranked in the top 100 and 16 ranked in the top 200 worldwide.

The courses are accredited by professional bodies nationally and internationally, including Engineers Australia and the Engineering Accreditation Council of Malaysia for the engineering courses, and the elite Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and other international bodies for its business offerings.

A record number of graduates set to graduate from Curtin Malaysia today.

Largest graduate cohort ever a fitting milestone as Curtin Malaysia marks its 20th anniversary.

This year’s graduates are from Malaysia and at least 25 other countries.

Curtin Malaysia has produced over 7,000 graduates over the past 20 years.