| < Prev |
|---|
Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) is a regular newsmaker: its students have won everything from robotics competitions to car modifications for less fuel consumption and other prestigious awards in the areas of research and innovation.
“Our university has participated in the International Exposition of Research and Invention of Institutions of Higher Learning (PECIPTA) for the past few years. Each time, our students would bring back a number of gold, silver and bronze medals. At expos like this, we normally won’t come back empty-handed,” says Associate Professor Dr Mohd Hariffin Boosroh, who is Head of Postgraduate Studies.
The professor attributes UNITEN’s success to its industry-driven syllabus and close collaboration with corporations such as Dell and Oracle. This in addition to support from its holding company, Tenaga Nasional Berhad.
“Because of the kind of product and research we do are market driven and much sough –after. There is huge commercial value to it,” adds Mohd Hariffin.
The university’s reputation is well known, and making breakthroughs in its field is nothing new. The strong postgraduate programmes are, after all, part of the university’s aspirations to be a leading research university.
UNITEN was initially set up to meet human capital demand in the areas that are most needed in the country. Hence the university was strategically positioned as a centre of excellence in three core areas: engineering, business and information technology. The quality programmes extend to the Master’s and PhD level, where 15 specialized courses such as Information & Communication Technology. Industrial Science and Engineering Management are offered.
Furthermore, UNITEN caters to both fresh graduates and mature executives. “Our Master’s programmes have different tracks or structures”, explains Dr Mohd Hariffin.
“There are tracks more suitable for fresh grads, for the example Masters by Research. There are also Master’s Programmes that focus on methodology or coursework. These are most suitable for working adults.”
Another unique programmes is the master’s in Engineering Management. This highly specialized course is aimed at engineers and other professionals from a technical background who would like to enhance their management skills while brushing up on the latest technical knowledge. Other Master’s and PhD programmes offer opportunity at the forefront of technology. Some of the more interesting scopes that the university is making breakthroughs in is computer security, networking, graphic and multimedia, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and text recognition software.
The programmes are offered on a full-time and part-time basis. A full-time Master’s programme can be completed in a minimum of one year. Part-time students can take up to a maximum of four years to complete while PhD students can take two years to seven years. “Some students who are really good can also transfer their master’s programme to a PhD,” adds Prof. Dr Mohd Hariffin.
Upon graduation, the Masters and PhD holders often find employment easily, shares Prof Dr Mohd Hariffin.
INITEN in certainly moving rapidly towards becoming a regional centre for educational excellence.
