University of Southern Queensland MBA Programme Gets Approval By Ministry Of Higher Education

The choice of specialisations is the main reason for USQ MBA’s popularity amongst Malaysian working adults. USQ started with its MBA an enrollment of just 25 students and the population has grown to more than 650 students today. More than 250 have graduated with the USQ MBA since it was introduced, making it the most popular and fastest growing MBA in the country.

“The MBA usually encompass the basic modules needed for general business administration. Having specialisations is for you to know more about a certain area of business or for you to master the business of the industry you’re currently working in,” said Lee Kok Cheng, chief operating officer of SEG International Bhd.

The USQ MBA programme offers 5 areas of specialisation, giving most working adults a wide range to choose from. The specialisations are in Finance, Human Resource Management, General Management, Marketing and Information Systems.  Candidates may also opt for direct study for specialisations in E-Business, Project Management, Leadership, Accounting, Personal Financial Planning, Law and International Business.

The MBA is the world’s most popular postgraduate degree and seen by most as the passport to a successful career in almost all industries. It is also seen as a stepping stone from non-management to management.

According to Richard Chong who graduated with the MBA from the University, the USQ programme was a double bonus for his as it enhances his paper qualification as well as his managerial skills.

Admitting that he was worried of the time constraints when he committed himself to the programme, he was glad he did it and took on a paper at a time to complete it.

“It was a challenging process to get through the subjects. But I took them one by one in order to maintain my current job performance while studying,” said Chong when asked of the experience and flexibility of the programme. “In fact, while studying I was able to apply critical thinking to my job that allowed me to function more effectively at work.”

Another USQ MBA graduate, Malissa Nagalinggam, took up the programme specialising in International Business. “There is an increase demand in this country for people with the knowledge of the international environment within which Malaysia and foreign businesses operate. There is a need of skills necessary for effective interaction to overcome language proficiency, international sensitivity and multinational knowledge.”

“The learning experience was more than just added knowledge to help me in my career. I enjoyed meeting and sharing experiences with people from a diverse background of culture. The facilitators are good and college was very supportive.”

Most of the business schools worldwide today offer part time MBA programmes. Aside from the option of allowing you to remain at work while you study, it is also a cheaper option compared to on-campus study as it cuts on costs of traveling, board and so on.

“MBA students get the most value from their programme if they work and study at the same time and are able to apply what they learn straight away into their work.”

The USQ MBA at SEGi offers flexibility for working adults to juggle their career, personal life and studies. Students have a choice of part-time studies with face-to-face tutorials or independent study.

“Our college located in Subang Jaya offers this programme which makes it convenient for students. The traveling hours are cut short as our campus is located within residential area. Students need not travel in to the city for classes,” said Lee.

Minimum entry requirements in to the MBA programme is a degree with work experience. Acceptance into the programme is by the University’s discretion.

Assessment of the programme is part assignment and part examination based on the requirements of each module.

The Good University Guides 2006 for Australian universities rated the postgraduate programme at the University of Southern Queensland 5-star rating for entry flexibility, success in getting a job, graduate starting salary and positive graduate outcomes. The university also won the Commonwealth Open

Learning 2004 award. Its postgraduate programmes are also highly rated for graduate starting salary and educational experience.

To find out more about the University of Southern Queensland MBA programme, call SEGi College Subang Jaya (03-86001888), email askme@segi.edu.my or log on to www.segi.edu.my . You may also enquire about the programme with our enquiry centres located in Petaling Jaya (03-78757118) and Penang (04-2628127).