Top Courses to Study in Malaysia

Top Courses to Study in Malaysia: While Malaysia isn’t yet on the radar of many as far as studying abroad is concerned; there are enough signs that it may soon be among the emerging destinations for students planning to study abroad. The optimism emanates from the fact that currently eight of its universities grace the QS World University Rankings 2024. Also, since most private universities in the country offer twinning or 2+1 degrees, students can get foreign degree qualifications from universities in the UK and Australia, among others, at a much lower cost. Add to that, low tuition fees to study in Malaysia and the fact that cost of living in Malaysia is considerably lower than in countries like the UK, USA and Australia (which tops the list compiled by FAIRFX), and you immediately have a winner in your hands. Chemical Engineering, Business and Accountancy, Chemistry are some of the top courses in Malaysia.

This Story also Contains

1. Top Universities to Study in Malaysia: QS World University Rankings 2024
2. Top Courses in Malaysia
3. 1. Chemical Engineering
4. 2. Business and Accountancy
5. 3. Electrical and Electronic Engineering
6. 4. Architecture/Built Environment
7. 5. Chemistry
8. 6. Computer Science
9. 7. Cloud Computing
10. 8. Cyber Security
11. 9. Financial Engineering
12. 10. International Business Management (IBM)

To stretch the point why one should study in Malaysia a little further, the political environment of the country is also quite stable and conducive for higher studies. So, the question isn’t whether you should study in Malaysia, as much it is what courses or what are the top courses to study in Malaysia.

Top Universities to Study in Malaysia: QS World University Rankings 2024

Here we have picked five courses which are among the top courses to study in Malaysia. Read on and you might realize why they made the cut.

Top Courses in Malaysia

1. Chemical Engineering
2. Business and Accountancy
3. Electrical and Electronic Engineering
4. Architecture/Built Environment
5. Chemistry
6. Computer Science
7. Cloud Computing
8. Cyber Security
9. Financial Engineering
10. International Business Management (IBM)

1. Chemical Engineering

Engineering seems to be the core strength of universities in Malaysia, as a number of engineering disciplines including, chemical engineering, civil & structural engineering, and electrical & electronic engineering offered by universities in the country managed to crack the top 100 QS World University Rankings 2016: By Subject. Chemical engineering in particular deserves special attention, because there was more than one university where it managed to crack the top 100, even cracking the top 50 in one instance (USM’s Chemical Engineering was ranked 46^th), making it among the safest and top courses to study in Malaysia. UM is your second best option for chemical engineering as it was placed 51-100 in the list. Some of the popular career opportunities for a chemical engineer include jobs in the field of design, operation, construction and technical marketing.

Best places to pursue Chemical Engineering in Malaysia

2. Business and Accountancy

Considering that business management is among the most-in-demand courses and how finance and accounting have managed to hold their own, it shouldn’t be such a surprise that Business and Accountancy finds a mention in our list of top courses to study in Malaysia. In fact, Universiti Malaya (UM) has been ranked 101-150 for accounting and finance, while Malaysia (USM) is ranked 89 for Management Studies which indicate that Malaysia is a decent place to get a degree in one of the many specializations Business and Accountancy offers -Masters of Accounting, Masters of Finance, Master of Management and MBA.

Best places to pursue Business and Accountancy in Malaysia

3. Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Easily making it to the list of top courses to study in Malaysia is Electrical and Electronic engineering, which is well represented by UM and UTM where it was ranked 37 and 51-100 respectively in the QS list. The QS ranking gives universal recognition to your degree, and if you take into account how valued an engineering degree is across all the major economies, you are assured of a safe career. Also, the top universities in Malaysia offer tools that you are meant to aid in research and teaching.

Universities offering Electrical and Electronic Engineering

4. Architecture/Built Environment

If you want to pursue a career in Architecture, you must check out Malaysia for your degree program because the country offers a number of programs that stand out for their uniqueness; importantly many of these programs, especially if you enroll in a top university in the country, are accredited by the Malaysian Qualifying Agency (MQA) which assures of a certain standard. UTM, ranked 51-100 by QS for Architecture/Built Environment, should be a good place to begin your journey towards becoming a renowned architect. Other universities where you can take up Architecture/Built Environment studies are Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Malaya, both renowned universities in the country. Keeping in mind how important international relations have become of late, universities like Universiti Malaya have also incorporated international engagement in its teaching. All these have helped the course cement its position as one of the top courses to study in Malaysia.

Best places to pursue Architecture/Built Environment in Malaysia

5. Chemistry

One of the evergreen courses, you simply can’t get wrong with chemistry, especially if you are pursuing a degree from one of the top universities, viz., Universiti Malaya (UM) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) which are ranked 151-200 and 251-300 for the subject as per QS Ranking 2015/2016. What makes chemistry one of the top courses to study in Malaysia is most of the universities offer a diversity of chemistry programs –which reflect the changing needs of present times –to choose from, whether it is in the field of research or teaching. Also, the top universities frequently have some of the best faculties you the think of imparting you quality education and guidance.

Best places to pursue Chemistry in Malaysia

It must be noted that students have to provide scores of IELTS or TOEFL as proof of English language proficiency for admission to these programs in most universities.

6. Computer Science

The popularity of computer science is only expected to grow in the coming years due to uplifting innovations in the field. From artificial intelligence to robotics, computer science as a curriculum is very dynamic and evolving in nature. To study industry relevant computer science programs, Malaysian universities are one of the best places. Prospective students who want to go to Malaysia as well as pick a high value course may choose computer science as their option. In addition to studying the dynamic curriculum, graduates of computer science may find job opportunities in Malaysia itself with the presence of a number of companies like IBM, Concentrix, DXC, etc.

7. Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is one of the technologies that has revolutionised the field of IT, computer science and related fields. Introduction of cloud computing technology has enabled seamless workflows, easy networking and sharing of documents without burdening the memory. Malaysia offers exclusive masters courses in Cloud computing in the best of its universities. Admits will get learn cutting edge cloud computing techniques, principles invlolved in the subject along with practical part of it through the state-of-the-art infrastructure provided by the universities. They will have cross-industry exposure as well. With high demand job market in Malaysia, Cloud computing is also said to be a recession-proof job.

8. Cyber Security

The need for Cyber Security professionals has escalated in the recent years with the advancement of IT and Internet services. Companies at all levesl, private and public enterprises are threatened by data theft through this open source of internet. Cyber Security is a branch of information technology that deals with protecting data, keeping security breaches at bay as well as data privacy of any organisation. So, many countries in the world are tying up with their universities to design a holistic curriculum that prepares expert cyber security professionals. Malaysia is one of the countries to study highly industry oriented Cyber security courses that attract top employers across the world. The average salary of a Cyber security professional in Malaysia is RM 67,300 per year. It is available in almost all the top universities in Malaysia.

9. Financial Engineering

Offered as a Bachelor of Financial Engineering (Hons) at Multimedia University (MMU) Cyberjaya , Financial engineering is one of the courses with high demand in the Malaysian job market as well as in other countries. It deals with fundamentals of financial research and development framework as well as multimedia and ICT literacy required in today's financial jobs. It essentially correlates financial industry and latest technology trends.

10. International Business Management (IBM)

As one of the popular MBA specialisations, International Business Management course is available in Malaysian universities as well. Both bachelor and master formats are available. University of Nottingham Malaysia is one of the universities that offers IBM at both UG and PG levels of study. Asia Pacific University offers BA (Hons) in International Business Management of 3 year duration. University of Nottingham has inter-campus transfer programs for MA (Hons) International Business Management.

Also read:

Top engineering specializations in the world

Best MBA specializations in the world