MBA in Asia, is Malaysia a good choice?


cathTCI

Hello,

After a PhD in biology and several years (4) of work experience in business related to the environment i want to start a MBA. I plan to work and live in Malaysia therefore my choice for an MBA there. However I'm afraid that the MBAs offered there will be too local with a very low international crowd.

Does anybody have some experience regarding the MBA in Malaysia?

I'm mostly interested to study in Kuala Lumpur at one of the three institutions below
- Universiti Malaya - University of Malaya
- Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) - IBS
- UCSI University Malaysia

Any idea of their respective alumni network?

Thank you for your help!

Hello,

After a PhD in biology and several years (4) of work experience in business related to the environment i want to start a MBA. I plan to work and live in Malaysia therefore my choice for an MBA there. However I'm afraid that the MBAs offered there will be too local with a very low international crowd.

Does anybody have some experience regarding the MBA in Malaysia?

I'm mostly interested to study in Kuala Lumpur at one of the three institutions below
- Universiti Malaya - University of Malaya
- Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) - IBS
- UCSI University Malaysia

Any idea of their respective alumni network?

Thank you for your help!
quote
weaamb1

hi, I'm interested in Malaysia too
I just started looking for info
please if u got any useful info about studding in malaysia help me !!
thx

hi, I'm interested in Malaysia too
I just started looking for info
please if u got any useful info about studding in malaysia help me !!
thx
quote
fardeen

Hello guys,

Did you hear anything about this matter??

Thank you

Hello guys,

Did you hear anything about this matter??

Thank you
quote
rubbery

malaysia is a shit useless place to do an mba in
...
trust me, i'm malaysian and i would rather not do an mba than to do one in malaysia - it's a waste of time, and none of the good companies would ever hire you. I've yet to hear of Goldman or McKinsey hiring anybody with a malaysian MBA.

malaysia is a shit useless place to do an mba in
...
trust me, i'm malaysian and i would rather not do an mba than to do one in malaysia - it's a waste of time, and none of the good companies would ever hire you. I've yet to hear of Goldman or McKinsey hiring anybody with a malaysian MBA.

quote
JibNa

I have spend my hard time in Malaysia University (UTM) trust me don't ever study in Malaysia. The quality of Universties in Malaysia is worst! See which Malaysia's minister send their kids to study in Malaysia school ?..the answer is NONE! only poor Malaysian who can't effort oversea study only selectively enrol in just to fufill the social requirement.

I have spend my hard time in Malaysia University (UTM) trust me don't ever study in Malaysia. The quality of Universties in Malaysia is worst! See which Malaysia's minister send their kids to study in Malaysia school ?..the answer is NONE! only poor Malaysian who can't effort oversea study only selectively enrol in just to fufill the social requirement.
quote
Fayaz

Guys,
I would say it depends on where you study. I am also studying MBA in Malaysia. I am enjoying my studies with Raffles education Group awarded by Nottingham Trent University, UK. Most of the people make mistakes of pursuing an MBA sooner after they graduate. For them it is another piece of paper with out knowing where abouts of Business and the market.

Guys,
I would say it depends on where you study. I am also studying MBA in Malaysia. I am enjoying my studies with Raffles education Group awarded by Nottingham Trent University, UK. Most of the people make mistakes of pursuing an MBA sooner after they graduate. For them it is another piece of paper with out knowing where abouts of Business and the market.
quote
fishball

It doesn't matter where you study in Malaysia. Until you're able to show that your post-MBA opportunities equal or better the other schools in the region, doing an MBA isn't a good choice.

I'm simply, disgusted by the Malaysian standard of education, including the MBA programs. None of them really need the GMAT nor any proper application. Don't even talk about accreditation, are any of the programs in Malaysia accredited?

Malaysia is just another third world country that questionable universities from the UK and other "developed" countries use to churn profits from - by getting suckers to attend some crap MBA program.

Oh, by the way, Nottingham Trent University is only "targeting" accreditation by EQUIS and AACSB

http://www.ntu.ac.uk/nbs/about/industry_links/professional_accreditation/index.html

Enjoying your studies are very different from knowing whether you'll be able to actually improve your career AFTER your MBA. Hell, I enjoy drinking, but it doesn't mean that I'm a connoiseur of fine wines and liqour after all that drinking.

It's not that many people make a mistake of pursuing an MBA soon after they graduate, it's that many people make the mistake of pursing a CRAP MBA soon after they graduate, instead of going to a reputable institution of learning.

It doesn't matter where you study in Malaysia. Until you're able to show that your post-MBA opportunities equal or better the other schools in the region, doing an MBA isn't a good choice.

I'm simply, disgusted by the Malaysian standard of education, including the MBA programs. None of them really need the GMAT nor any proper application. Don't even talk about accreditation, are any of the programs in Malaysia accredited?

Malaysia is just another third world country that questionable universities from the UK and other "developed" countries use to churn profits from - by getting suckers to attend some crap MBA program.

Oh, by the way, Nottingham Trent University is only "targeting" accreditation by EQUIS and AACSB

http://www.ntu.ac.uk/nbs/about/industry_links/professional_accreditation/index.html

Enjoying your studies are very different from knowing whether you'll be able to actually improve your career AFTER your MBA. Hell, I enjoy drinking, but it doesn't mean that I'm a connoiseur of fine wines and liqour after all that drinking.

It's not that many people make a mistake of pursuing an MBA soon after they graduate, it's that many people make the mistake of pursing a CRAP MBA soon after they graduate, instead of going to a reputable institution of learning.

quote
leong

The accrediting body, for all tertiary qualifications, in Malaysia is MQA (Malaysian Qualifications Agency) http://www.mqa.gov.my/ which replaced the NAB (National Accreditation Board) in 2007 under the Malaysian Qualifications Agency Act 2007. Prior to that, NAB (or LAN Lembaga Akreditasi Negara) was modeled along the lines of the Accreditation Boards in the USA.

NAB was quite a reasonable body and generally granted automatic recognition to qualifications/ degrees which are accredited in English-speaking western countries which Malaysia had historically been closely associated with, notably U.K, Australia, U.S.A., N.Z., Canada. However NAB may not have been so strict on the enforcement on dubious qualifications from unaccredited universities, e.g. Western Pacific University, International Irish University, St. George University, etc., etc., etc. There were also competing authorities under the Ministry of Higher Education and the Public Services Department.

With the establishment of MQA, it became the sole body responsible for accreditation of tertiary qualifications in Malaysia. Whereas NAB was looking almost exclusively at private universities and institutes of higher learning, and, generally, closed one eye in regards to public universities, MQA has come down equally hard on public as well as private universities. It is said that MQA is, at times, perhaps getting overzealous in trying to carry out a "world-class" accreditation exercise, perhaps all-too-wary of some of the criticisms that had been leveled against its predecessor, NAB. Indeed, some of the U.K. MBA's that were tacitly "recognized" by NAB could not fulfill the strict requirements of MQA and are, therefore, not (or, no longer) recognized by Malaysia.


... which brings us to the equal importance of the attitude of the student. A friend of mine, who is the Personnel Manager of a large and very successful local company told me that he is not particularly worried about the origin of the applicant's BBA, DipComp, BIT, MBA, MSc in IT or whatever, be it from MU (KL), USM (Penang), Oxford Brookes (U.K.), Curtin (Australia), or even Timbuktu U!!! The 20 minute interview that the applicant goes through says a lot about the candidate. If he survives that, then he will be given a 1 to 3 months probation where he will have all the opportunity to prove his real worth. My friend says that his company have said byebye to quite a lot of highly-(paper)-qualified recruits from impressive-sounding universities but who cannot even prove their basic worth in the jobs they applied for.

To generalize about the standard of education in any country is silly and frivolous. There was this middle-aged teacher who only had an SPM (Form 5) and a TTC (Teacher's Training Certificate) before going on a scholarship to an accredited university (which obviously took in account his "experiential learning") in the U.S.A. It amazed a lot a people when he came back with a PhD in education from this accredited American university, after having been away for only 5 years! What was more amazing was that his broken English was just as lousy when he came back as Dr. XYZ as when he was just a simple and humble teacher 5 years earlier. Should we generalize about the worth of American qualifications based on this @#%^* example? Maybe not!

Malaysia has some fine universities, both private and public. Not everybody in this world is born with a silver spoon and has megabucks to spend on expensive western universities; it is up to the prospective students to carefully assess and compare the programs offered by the various universities within and outside Malaysia and decide on the 'value-for-money' worth of the programs he is considering.

The accrediting body, for all tertiary qualifications, in Malaysia is MQA (Malaysian Qualifications Agency) http://www.mqa.gov.my/ which replaced the NAB (National Accreditation Board) in 2007 under the Malaysian Qualifications Agency Act 2007. Prior to that, NAB (or LAN Lembaga Akreditasi Negara) was modeled along the lines of the Accreditation Boards in the USA.

NAB was quite a reasonable body and generally granted automatic recognition to qualifications/ degrees which are accredited in English-speaking western countries which Malaysia had historically been closely associated with, notably U.K, Australia, U.S.A., N.Z., Canada. However NAB may not have been so strict on the enforcement on dubious qualifications from unaccredited universities, e.g. Western Pacific University, International Irish University, St. George University, etc., etc., etc. There were also competing authorities under the Ministry of Higher Education and the Public Services Department.

With the establishment of MQA, it became the sole body responsible for accreditation of tertiary qualifications in Malaysia. Whereas NAB was looking almost exclusively at private universities and institutes of higher learning, and, generally, closed one eye in regards to public universities, MQA has come down equally hard on public as well as private universities. It is said that MQA is, at times, perhaps getting overzealous in trying to carry out a "world-class" accreditation exercise, perhaps all-too-wary of some of the criticisms that had been leveled against its predecessor, NAB. Indeed, some of the U.K. MBA's that were tacitly "recognized" by NAB could not fulfill the strict requirements of MQA and are, therefore, not (or, no longer) recognized by Malaysia.


... which brings us to the equal importance of the attitude of the student. A friend of mine, who is the Personnel Manager of a large and very successful local company told me that he is not particularly worried about the origin of the applicant's BBA, DipComp, BIT, MBA, MSc in IT or whatever, be it from MU (KL), USM (Penang), Oxford Brookes (U.K.), Curtin (Australia), or even Timbuktu U!!! The 20 minute interview that the applicant goes through says a lot about the candidate. If he survives that, then he will be given a 1 to 3 months probation where he will have all the opportunity to prove his real worth. My friend says that his company have said byebye to quite a lot of highly-(paper)-qualified recruits from impressive-sounding universities but who cannot even prove their basic worth in the jobs they applied for.

To generalize about the standard of education in any country is silly and frivolous. There was this middle-aged teacher who only had an SPM (Form 5) and a TTC (Teacher's Training Certificate) before going on a scholarship to an accredited university (which obviously took in account his "experiential learning") in the U.S.A. It amazed a lot a people when he came back with a PhD in education from this accredited American university, after having been away for only 5 years! What was more amazing was that his broken English was just as lousy when he came back as Dr. XYZ as when he was just a simple and humble teacher 5 years earlier. Should we generalize about the worth of American qualifications based on this @#%^* example? Maybe not!

Malaysia has some fine universities, both private and public. Not everybody in this world is born with a silver spoon and has megabucks to spend on expensive western universities; it is up to the prospective students to carefully assess and compare the programs offered by the various universities within and outside Malaysia and decide on the 'value-for-money' worth of the programs he is considering.

quote
fishball

Oh, which MBA program in Malaysia is reputable and worth attending?

Oh, which MBA program in Malaysia is reputable and worth attending?

quote
fishball


... which brings us to the equal importance of the attitude of the student. A friend of mine, who is the Personnel Manager of a large and very successful local company told me that he is not particularly worried about the origin of the applicant's BBA, DipComp, BIT, MBA, MSc in IT or whatever, be it from MU (KL), USM (Penang), Oxford Brookes (U.K.), Curtin (Australia), or even Timbuktu U!!! The 20 minute interview that the applicant goes through says a lot about the candidate. If he survives that, then he will be given a 1 to 3 months probation where he will have all the opportunity to prove his real worth. My friend says that his company have said byebye to quite a lot of highly-(paper)-qualified recruits from impressive-sounding universities but who cannot even prove their basic worth in the jobs they applied for.


What do you mean by "impressive-sounding" universities? Would Harvard/Yale/Princeton be on that list? Or are we looking more at Melbourne/Monash? Or do you just mean that the name sounds impressive?

I think something that needs to be taken into consideration is the position that is being filled. If you're filling a non-technical sales position (and at times, even a technical position) - the degree doesn't matter at all. A successful sales person isn't influenced/defined by his/her degree.

But try hiring for a technical position, for example, engineer. I think, more often than not, an engineer from MIT would be more experience, knowledgeable and even perform better than an engineer from a local Malaysian institution.


To generalize about the standard of education in any country is silly and frivolous. There was this middle-aged teacher who only had an SPM (Form 5) and a TTC (Teacher's Training Certificate) before going on a scholarship to an accredited university (which obviously took in account his "experiential learning") in the U.S.A. It amazed a lot a people when he came back with a PhD in education from this accredited American university, after having been away for only 5 years! What was more amazing was that his broken English was just as lousy when he came back as Dr. XYZ as when he was just a simple and humble teacher 5 years earlier. Should we generalize about the worth of American qualifications based on this @#%^* example? Maybe not!


You've taken an example to the extreme. He could have been an outlier, where as we're saying that Malaysian universities CONSISTENTLY produce under qualified graduates. Not only that, but across the board, Malaysian universities have been proven to be sub-standard when compared other countries - such as Singapore. Of course, if your yardstick is countries like .. Timbuktu etc, then I guess, you could be right in saying, comparatively to universities in Timbuktu, Malaysian universities are much better.

I don't know, am I wrong to compare Malaysian universities to Singaporean universities? I might be, because the average Malaysian university might be so much better than the average Singaporean university - after all, Malaysia has universities ranked on the THES isn't it?


Malaysia has some fine universities, both private and public. Not everybody in this world is born with a silver spoon and has megabucks to spend on expensive western universities; it is up to the prospective students to carefully assess and compare the programs offered by the various universities within and outside Malaysia and decide on the 'value-for-money' worth of the programs he is considering.


Malaysia does NOT have any "fine" public universities, and for the private universities, I wouldn't really say that they are "fine". They might produce perhaps, a minimum standard, but "fine" would be reserved for much better schools. Perhaps in the context, of NUS. Or maybe Tsinghua. Or maybe Tokyo University. Or maybe Hong Kong University.... oh wait, those aren't western schools either are they? Maybe we should also check if they require "megabucks" to attend.

There are foreign universities in Malaysia - Nottingham, etc, of them, I have only heard of Monash University. The rest, are perhaps, doubtful.

So yes, I guess, I would still conclude that the education in Malaysia... sucks.

<blockquote>
... which brings us to the equal importance of the attitude of the student. A friend of mine, who is the Personnel Manager of a large and very successful local company told me that he is not particularly worried about the origin of the applicant's BBA, DipComp, BIT, MBA, MSc in IT or whatever, be it from MU (KL), USM (Penang), Oxford Brookes (U.K.), Curtin (Australia), or even Timbuktu U!!! The 20 minute interview that the applicant goes through says a lot about the candidate. If he survives that, then he will be given a 1 to 3 months probation where he will have all the opportunity to prove his real worth. My friend says that his company have said byebye to quite a lot of highly-(paper)-qualified recruits from impressive-sounding universities but who cannot even prove their basic worth in the jobs they applied for. </blockquote>

What do you mean by "impressive-sounding" universities? Would Harvard/Yale/Princeton be on that list? Or are we looking more at Melbourne/Monash? Or do you just mean that the name sounds impressive?

I think something that needs to be taken into consideration is the position that is being filled. If you're filling a non-technical sales position (and at times, even a technical position) - the degree doesn't matter at all. A successful sales person isn't influenced/defined by his/her degree.

But try hiring for a technical position, for example, engineer. I think, more often than not, an engineer from MIT would be more experience, knowledgeable and even perform better than an engineer from a local Malaysian institution.

<blockquote>
To generalize about the standard of education in any country is silly and frivolous. There was this middle-aged teacher who only had an SPM (Form 5) and a TTC (Teacher's Training Certificate) before going on a scholarship to an accredited university (which obviously took in account his "experiential learning") in the U.S.A. It amazed a lot a people when he came back with a PhD in education from this accredited American university, after having been away for only 5 years! What was more amazing was that his broken English was just as lousy when he came back as Dr. XYZ as when he was just a simple and humble teacher 5 years earlier. Should we generalize about the worth of American qualifications based on this @#%^* example? Maybe not! </blockquote>

You've taken an example to the extreme. He could have been an outlier, where as we're saying that Malaysian universities CONSISTENTLY produce under qualified graduates. Not only that, but across the board, Malaysian universities have been proven to be sub-standard when compared other countries - such as Singapore. Of course, if your yardstick is countries like .. Timbuktu etc, then I guess, you could be right in saying, comparatively to universities in Timbuktu, Malaysian universities are much better.

I don't know, am I wrong to compare Malaysian universities to Singaporean universities? I might be, because the average Malaysian university might be so much better than the average Singaporean university - after all, Malaysia has universities ranked on the THES isn't it?

<blockquote>
Malaysia has some fine universities, both private and public. Not everybody in this world is born with a silver spoon and has megabucks to spend on expensive western universities; it is up to the prospective students to carefully assess and compare the programs offered by the various universities within and outside Malaysia and decide on the 'value-for-money' worth of the programs he is considering.
</blockquote>

Malaysia does NOT have any "fine" public universities, and for the private universities, I wouldn't really say that they are "fine". They might produce perhaps, a minimum standard, but "fine" would be reserved for much better schools. Perhaps in the context, of NUS. Or maybe Tsinghua. Or maybe Tokyo University. Or maybe Hong Kong University.... oh wait, those aren't western schools either are they? Maybe we should also check if they require "megabucks" to attend.

There are foreign universities in Malaysia - Nottingham, etc, of them, I have only heard of Monash University. The rest, are perhaps, doubtful.

So yes, I guess, I would still conclude that the education in Malaysia... sucks.

quote
muzri

There are 2 uni i would recommend, 1st is IIUM - International Islamic University Malaysia, and 2nd is University Malaya (accredited by AMBA.)

There are 2 uni i would recommend, 1st is IIUM - International Islamic University Malaysia, and 2nd is University Malaya (accredited by AMBA.)
quote
ralph

I agree with Malaya - and I'd say that it's really the only option for reputable programs in Malaysia.

IIUM I've never heard of. Can you fill us in? Why do you recommend that one?

There are 2 uni i would recommend, 1st is IIUM - International Islamic University Malaysia, and 2nd is University Malaya (accredited by AMBA.)

I agree with Malaya - and I'd say that it's really the only option for reputable programs in Malaysia.

IIUM I've never heard of. Can you fill us in? Why do you recommend that one?

<blockquote>There are 2 uni i would recommend, 1st is IIUM - International Islamic University Malaysia, and 2nd is University Malaya (accredited by AMBA.)</blockquote>
quote
Malia

They have their own Graduate School called IIUMGSM (somehow reminds me of Roman numerals...).

"The School?s objective is to prepare business leaders imbued with Islamic ethical values. "

http://www.iium.edu.my/gsm/about-us/iiumgsm

The school seems to be strong in Islamic Finance: http://www.find-mba.com/article/551/islamic-finance-finding-a-place-in-western-business-schools

They have their own Graduate School called IIUMGSM (somehow reminds me of Roman numerals...).

"The School?s objective is to prepare business leaders imbued with Islamic ethical values. "

http://www.iium.edu.my/gsm/about-us/iiumgsm

The school seems to be strong in Islamic Finance: http://www.find-mba.com/article/551/islamic-finance-finding-a-place-in-western-business-schools
quote
chow

The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus offers a reputable MBA programme.

Details (fees, entry requirements, duration, location, etc) about their MBA programme can be found here: http://www.campusmalaysia.com/courses/mba/mba

The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus offers a reputable MBA programme.

Details (fees, entry requirements, duration, location, etc) about their MBA programme can be found here: http://www.campusmalaysia.com/courses/mba/mba
quote
Duncan

That is a great price for an AMBA-accredited MBA -- 11,000 pounds rather than 19,500 in Nottingham.

That is a great price for an AMBA-accredited MBA -- 11,000 pounds rather than 19,500 in Nottingham.
quote
adi123

iam from Pakistan and iam looking for a MBA program in malaysia which also gets me a good job there.The options I have found out are:

1)Nottingham mba 60000 rm
2)monash mib 55000
3) wollongong mib 41000
4)wollongong mba 45000
5) malaya university mim and mba?
which one should i go for to get the best return on investment and a decent package after graduation in malaysia and future oppurtunities to go to other developed countries.
Also please guide me the cost of living for a year in malaysia.I have 2 years expeience and bachelor in business from one of the best universities in Pakistan.

iam from Pakistan and iam looking for a MBA program in malaysia which also gets me a good job there.The options I have found out are:

1)Nottingham mba 60000 rm
2)monash mib 55000
3) wollongong mib 41000
4)wollongong mba 45000
5) malaya university mim and mba?
which one should i go for to get the best return on investment and a decent package after graduation in malaysia and future oppurtunities to go to other developed countries.
Also please guide me the cost of living for a year in malaysia.I have 2 years expeience and bachelor in business from one of the best universities in Pakistan.
quote
badux

If I were you I would just focus on the accredited MBA programs in the country. The Nottingham one is not bad but the local MBA programs that are accredited include

- University of Malaya (AMBA)
- Universiti Putra Malaysia (AACSB)

Those will provide the best leverage, especially if you're coming from outside of the country. Good luck!

If I were you I would just focus on the accredited MBA programs in the country. The Nottingham one is not bad but the local MBA programs that are accredited include

- University of Malaya (AMBA)
- Universiti Putra Malaysia (AACSB)

Those will provide the best leverage, especially if you're coming from outside of the country. Good luck!
quote
adi123

what about master in international business wollongong

what about master in international business wollongong
quote
ezra

It's not accredited by AMBA, AACSB, or EQUIS, so I would be very careful with this program. I agree with most of the discussion in this thread - stick with the local universities that have international accreditation (Malaya or Putra), or go with an international university that's accredited (Nottingham). The others are probably not going to be worth it in the long run.

It's not accredited by AMBA, AACSB, or EQUIS, so I would be very careful with this program. I agree with most of the discussion in this thread - stick with the local universities that have international accreditation (Malaya or Putra), or go with an international university that's accredited (Nottingham). The others are probably not going to be worth it in the long run.
quote
saroo

malaysia is good choice but dont travel in malaysia airline take srilankan or singapore airlines as they are good connected to malaysia

malaysia is good choice but dont travel in malaysia airline take srilankan or singapore airlines as they are good connected to malaysia
quote

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