Malaysia's Engineering Subjects Among Top 50 in the World

11 Subjects Rank in Top 50 and 52 in Top 100 as Malaysia Continues to Redesign its Higher Education System to Deliver Holistic Graduates and Strengthen its Position as A Global Education Hub

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Malaysia, which is ranked the 12^th most preferred education destination in the world (UNESCO 2014), continues to improve its global rankings and strengthens its position as an international education hub of quality.

"Specialisation is key for sustainable growth, especially for younger institutions. Our universities are focusing on niche areas and building on their strengths. In this year's QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017, 11 subjects across 4 universities are ranked within the world's top 50, an improvement from just 3 subjects in the top 50 last year and 2 subjects in 2015. University of Malaya (UM) leads the way with 5 subjects in the world's top 50, achieving a remarkable 23^rd in Electronic and Electrical Engineering, 26^th in Developmental Studies, 33^rd in mechanical engineering and 38^th in chemical engineering. Both Taylor's University and the National Science University (Universiti Sains Malaysia) rank 29^th and 32^nd respectively for hospitality and leisure management. The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) is 46^th in the world for theology, divinity, and religious studies. Also, from 26 subjects in the world's top 100, we have doubled that figure to 52 subjects in the world's top 100," said Idris Jusoh, the Honourable Minister of Higher Education, Malaysia, who is in Riyadh for the 7th International Exhibition and Conference of Higher Education (IECHE 2017). The Honourable Minister will be presenting the Keynote Address at the Conference on Thursday.

"As a country, Malaysia demonstrates strength and leadership in Islamic Banking and Finance. Both INCEIF and the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) contribute about 11% of all the world's research and publications on Islamic Banking - placing them at no.1 according to various academic research databases (SCOPUS and ISI)," Idris added.

Malaysia has a network of 480 institutions offering over 6,000 programmes at pre-university, undergraduate and postgraduate levels. There are nine international branch campuses of leading British, Australian and Chinese universities in Malaysia with three ranking in world's top 100 - Monash, Southampton and Nottingham. Studying at these universities in Malaysia translates into a 30% savings on tuition fee when compared to its main campus.

Many colleges in Malaysia offer twinning programmes and some leading universities offer joint degree programmes with reputable foreign partner universities. Such programmes allow students to study in two campuses across two countries and graduate with dual certification from both institutions or a certification from the foreign partner university.

"Our efforts in redesigning higher education in Malaysia focuses on creating holistic graduates - graduates with knowledge, practical, entrepreneurial, information management, problem-solving, communication and social skills, social responsibility, and strong ethics and values. Instead of being just 'recipients of knowledge', we want our graduates to be 'co-curators of knowledge'; instead of producing mere job seekers, we want our graduates to be job creators.

"One of the critical challenges in the global higher education landscape is the cost of education which places a student in debt just upon graduation. Whilst an education is an investment, it should not be over bearing. This is another area that places Malaysia at an advantage - we provide quality education yet with lower tuition fees, lower cost of living and this adds to a greater student experience. Kuala Lumpur has, for the third time, been voted as the Most Affordable City in the World for Students in the QS Best Student Cities Survey 2016," Idris said.

There are over 16,000 students from MENA region studying in Malaysia. Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) is participating in the IECHE 2017 Exhibition along with 20 universities from Malaysia. Students and parents are encouraged to visit the exhibition to explore higher education opportunities with Education Malaysia. The exhibition runs from 12^th to 14^th April at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Centre.

For information on studying in Malaysia, refer to www.educationmalaysia.gov.my or email to enquiry@emgs.com.my