Honours Degree with Double Majors with Psychology Available at SEGi
Double major is a highly sought after qualification

(Left to Right) Dr. De Wayne Frazier, Dr. Alan Walker, Lee Kok Cheng and Edwin Tan. (Left to Right) Dr. De Wayne Frazier, Dr. Alan Walker and Lee Kok Cheng.

24th July 2007 - The demand for psychologists in Malaysia, as in many other developing countries, has increased in the last few years. The government’s push for human capital development has led to the realisation that human potential can only be maximised by understanding and empowering its people. In the US, the Bureau of Labour Statistics has put demand for psychology graduates to increase through 2014. The expansion of healthcare, increasing emphasis on psychology in schools and public demand for clinical services will drive growth across the field. Psychology, the study of the mind and human behaviour, opens up a range of career options. A psychology degree is most directly relevant to psychology research and mental healthcare jobs, but the qualification can also serve as a stepping stone into the business world. Education in human behaviour is relevant to careers such as marketing research, corporate training, human resources, and management. Despite the wide career options available, many Malaysian parents encourage students to pursue traditional disciplines such as business, management and information technology. The Bachelor of Science honours degree from Upper Iowa University (UIU), USA may be the solution for both parent and students, as it offers students the opportunity to pursue double majors in Psychology, plus another ‘safer’ major in business management, information technology, communications or marketing. The double majors honours 4+0 twinning degree is offered in partnership with SEGi Group of Colleges. The students will not only be able to major in two disciplines but are able to complete the degree in Malaysia. This will translate into substantial savings, as they are spared the relatively higher tuition fees and other costs associated with overseas education, but without sacrificing on quality.

The arrangement between SEGi Group of Colleges and Upper Iowa University is further strengthened with the recent visit by UIU’s President, Dr. Alan G. Walker to SEGi’s campuses in Malaysia. The visit marked a significant phase in the partnership with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement which enabled SEGi to conduct 4+0 Bachelor of Science degree courses with double majors.

The MOA was signed with Lee Kok Cheng, Chief Operating Officer of SEG International Bhd, witnessed by UIU’s newly appointed Senior Vice President for International Programmes, Dr. De Wayne Frazier, and SEGi College Subang Jaya’s Principal, Dr. Lisa Tan.

According to Dr. Lisa Tan, the MOU signing with UIU is a significant step in American Degree Programmes in Malaysia. “As one of the few private institutions in Malaysia currently offering 4+0 ADP, the new agreement to offer double degree programme will be in high demand by our students. We have come to an age where single degrees are commonplace, making a double major a highly sought after qualification.”

When asked of his impression of SEG’s new flagship campus at Kota Damansara, President Walker mentioned that he was “very impressed with the structure of the new campus. It is a vast and beautiful campus.” “I am sure it is a great learning environment for the students. I am also pleased with the standards of academic teaching among faculty members at SEGi College,” praised Walker.

Founded in 1857, Upper Iowa University is the largest private university in Iowa and has its main campus in Fayette, Northeast Iowa. The University offers relevant, quality degree programs to almost 6,000 students at its residential campus, at learning centres in the US and foreign countries.

“Currently in Fayette Upper Iowa University has about 700 students studying and we are gradually expanding. We have about 30 Asian students studying there and the numbers are expected to increase within these few years especially with the establishment of smart partnerships like what we have with SEGi,” said Walker. 

“We are undeniably a smaller university as compared to other universities in the US but despite the size, rest assured that we have an extensive academic outreach.”

UIU have recently implemented USD8 million worth of upgrades internally in the main campus. Within the three years also, the campus bore witness to the introduction of new programmes in the field of Marketing, Masters in Education, Nursing Degrees and Information Technology programmes.

Walker explained that the academic standard and performance of SEGi College ADP as compared to taking the courses in the main campus in Fayette, Iowa is at par as the course outline and structure is the same as the one practiced in UIU.

“It is important that we create the same environment and experience here as that of Fayette. These include the coursework, outlines and even some of the exams are straight from UIU. In terms of environment, students studying in an environment which is almost the same as what they may experience in Fayette,” Walker elaborated.

“All the lecturers who teach our programmes must have the university’s approval prior to teaching in any approved off-campus centres,” he added.

Walker further commented that like SEGi College, UIU also put a lot of weight on developing the soft skills of its students. Instead of offering a separate course or training programme to develop the essential aptitudes, UIU incorporate the development of personal traits into their academic coursework.

When discussed about the future of the SEGi-UIU collaboration, Walker said, “We are very keen on expanding with SEGi. We have already made plans to implement a few new things and perhaps the most exciting for us is the future of the placement of an American Faculty here in SEGi. As the first step, we are carrying out an exchange programme, whereby one of the lecturers here from SEGi will be sent to UIU for a year and vice versa.”

“We hope to be able to also implement a few other things such as student exchange. There is definitely much room for growth. We look forward to extending our programmes to all SEGi campuses including Sarawak and Penang,” he further explained.

“This year marks our 150th anniversary in UIU, and in 10 years’ time we hope to be able to expand to India and Vietnam among others in our efforts in continuing to become a large, global University,” concluded Walker as he proceeded to a signing ceremony escorted by Lee and Frazier.

For more information about SEGi College ADP programmes, please refer to www.segi.edu.my or call SEGi College, Malaysia (03-6145 1777), Subang Jaya (03-86001888), Kuala Lumpur (03-20702078), Petaling Jaya (03-78757118), Penang (04-2633888), Sarawak (082-252566), email to askme@segi.edu.my. You may also visit www.uiu.edu, for more information regarding Upper Iowa University for more general university information.