Development of Graduate Education in Malaysia:
Prospects for Internationalization
By Dr. Ahmad Mahdzan Ayob and Dr. Noran Fauziah Yaakub
Universiti Utara Malaysia
5.0 Structure of Graduate Schools
The idea of having a separate entity to handle graduate education is
of recent origin, much later than the emergence of graduate education
itself. Initially, the various Faculties (academic units within the universities)
were taking care of their own graduate programs. In those days the number
of graduate students was small. In the early Eighties, as the programs
expanded, it became necessary for the universities to create a specialized
unit within the Chancellery (Vice Chancellor's office), to coordinate
all tasks pertaining to graduate programs. For example, at the UKM, the
graduate school was only set up ten years after its first M.Litt. exited
the university in 1973. In that year (1983), 225 students enrolled in
the graduate School.
Heading these Graduate Schools are the Deans, who are senior members
of the teaching staff (either professors or associate professors). They
are responsible directly to the Vice Chancellor. The administration of
these entities is governed by Statute, a legal instrument endorsed by
the University Senate and approved by the University Council, the highest
policy-making body of the university6.
The management of graduate studies is entrusted to the Board of Graduate
Studies at the UPM and most other universities in Malaysia, with the
Dean serving as the Executive Secretary to the Board. The Board scrutinizes
all papers brought to its attention, such as those seeking approval
for new admissions, reports of board of examiners, approval for new
academic programs, etc.
In almost all universities, the graduate school does not have its own
teaching staff, nor conducts any course for graduate students. All courses
are conducted by the Faculties of the relevant disciplines. For example,
at the UPM, all graduate courses for the Master of Science in Economics
are conducted by the Faculty of Economics and Management, including
scheduling graduate classes. Students attend their classes in their
own Faculty buildings. Although physical location is unimportant, the
Graduate School offices of UPM and UKM are located in their main administrative
buildings, which house the Chancellery, and the Registry.
However, the UUM in Northern Peninsular Malaysia, has adopted another unique
model. Here, the graduate school recruits a few teaching staff members who
are permanently attached to this school. Currently there are five, besides
the Dean and two Deputy Deans. At the same time, the UUM graduate school
also prescribes four compulsory core courses for all doctoral students,
namely, Research Methodology, Philosophy of Knowledge and Epistemology,
IT in Research and a Management Seminar. Every semester, the
Graduate School Office will assign teaching duties to professors it has
identified. But not all of these professors are from the Graduate School
itself, as it does not have the full complement of teaching personnel to
handle all graduate school courses. For the system to work well, it is necessary
for the Graduate School Dean to liaise with the Deans of the School offering
the courses. Otherwise, the same professor may be teaching more courses
than he can handle-as his school may have already assigned him to teach
two or three undergraduate courses. Some lecturers with Ph.D. degrees may
even "refuse" to teach graduate school courses, since they have more on
their hands than they can handle, in the way of oversized undergraduate
classes.
Page 4 of 10
6 After 'corporatization' of
universities in Malaysia in 1997, the Council was replaced by a smaller
Board of Directors, with heavy representation from the private sector-future
employers of university graduates. |
Papers by Ahmad Mahdzan (PhD) and Noran Fauziah (PhD)
Mangroves And Ecotourism: Ecological
Or Economical?
Bullying among Malaysian Elementary School
Children
Procrastination Among Students in Institutes
of Higher Learning: Challenges for K-Economy
Preferences For Outdoor Recreation: The Case
Of Pulau Payar Visitors
Development of Graduate Education in Malaysia:
Prospects for Internationalization
Higher Education and Socioeconomic Development
in Malaysia: A Human Resource Development Perspective
Business Of Higher Education In Malaysia: Development
And Prospects In The New Millennium
Papers by Farah Mahdzan
(BBA in MIS, Ohio U., 2001)
Descriptive
Study of Phonological Differences between Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia
Asian Americans: An Analysis
of Negative Stereotypical Characters in Popular Media
CSD: The Diner Survey Analysis
(Marketing Paper)
|
