MBA in Malaysia: About Masters of Business Administration

(Master of Business Administration) MBA in Malaysia offers a career-transforming, life-changing learning experience for learners. It seeks to develop analytics savvy new generation of managers and leaders with the skills to respond to the rapid, often unpredictable business environment through its rigorous curriculum. Learners can expect to be anchored in the fundamentals of general management including the latest trends, theories, and best practices in business from accounting to data analytics to strategy; taught by faculty members who are experienced in these disciplines in a diverse learning environment.

The scope of MBA from Malaysia studies also includes current developments and debates on business and management topics at both the theoretical and applied levels. Graduate students will be encouraged to conduct theoretical exercises on these topics and their relevance to actual practice, in particular their applicability to small and medium-sized enterprises and industries worldwide. Industrial practitioners and corporate consultants will be featured as speakers during the programme. As a graduate programme, the MBA study promotes life-long learning among learners to prepare them for international employment opportunities, future career development, and further research and study anywhere in the world.

In recent times, various other versions of MBA have been introduced to adhere to the industry needs. Some of them include:

• Online MBA

• Distance Learning MBA

• Executive MBA

The MBA course curriculum is a combination of some core subjects like Marketing, Economics, Accounting and Operations, and Elective courses to give management aspirants a chance to follow their own personal or professional interests.  

Internationally Recognized MBA in Malaysia

With top universities like MIT-USA, Monash in Australia, and Nottingham in the UK expanding their branches in Malaysia, MBA abroad aspirants and local students are reaping the benefits of obtaining a foreign degree from a top B-School in Malaysia itself.

The Benefits of the MBA Programme in Malaysia:

On successful completion of this programme, you will be able to :

• Gain necessary knowledge and understanding about contemporary business and management theory, research, and professional practice locally and globally.
• Demonstrate intellectual and practical skills and knowledge within the business and management strategic environment.
• Demonstrate innovative problem-solving skills that are capable of tackling global business management issues.
• Understand behavioural science and marketing analytics' skills on tools and business intelligence applications allows to track user preferences and offer or direct that user to targeted content which is used to drive potential customers to specific products or advertisements leading to wider and larger market capture for sales.
• Demonstrate the ability to learn independently and to take responsibility for continuing professional development.
• Demonstrate the ability to devise and apply research and investigative methods within major business research paradigms.
• Understand and critically analyze the contemporary business and management environment.
• Effectively communicate towards different audiences and circumstances via a variety of communication tools and methods.
• Demonstrate personal effectiveness through effective self management within the professional environment.

Eligibility Criteria for admission to Master of Business Administration, MBA in Malaysia

• A Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university with a CGPA of 2.50, preferably with adequate industry experience; those with a CGPA of less than 2.50 but with 5 years’ relevant working experience are also admissible.
• Non-degree holders (Malaysian) with at least a Diploma or STPM may obtain MQA Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) approval for programme admission.
• International applicants are required to fulfil a minimum score of 6.0 for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or the equivalent.

1. IELTS minimum Band 6.0
2. TOEFL  (Internet-based) minimum 60
3. Cambridge English Qualification and Test minimum score of 169
4. Pearson Test of English minimum score 59
5. MUET minimum Band 4

Please note that under Ministry of Higher Education regulations, only students who have achieved the minimum requirement in the English Language proficiency assessment as indicated above will be allowed to continue their studies in the main study programme. Students who do not have the required English Language achievement may apply for a student visa on a conditional basis and are allowed to enrol in an English Language Certification programme at APU upon arrival in Malaysia and, subsequently, appear for the IELTS/TOEFL/PTE/MUET assessment.

Students who are unable to obtain the required level of English Competency during the maximum 12 months’ period, will not be allowed to pursue their studies in the main programme and will have to return to their home country.

Students from English speaking countries and those with qualifications taught in English (previous Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree taught in English) are exempted from English requirements to study MBA in Malaysia. Applications for exemption must be accompanied by supporting documents.

Career Opportunities after MBA in Malaysia

Malaysia is a land of opportunities. It is a newly industrialized nation with great infrastructures and advanced technology. Malaysia has aggressively advanced in fields of telecommunications, online information services, telemedicine, e-commerce, digital broadcasting among other booming sectors. The Malaysian government has also been putting emphasis on Research and Development and Commercialization.

The economy of Malaysia is counted as the third-largest in Southeast Asia and the 28th largest in the world. The manufacturing, banking, and financial sectors have the largest presence in the country.

Ample opportunities are available for MBA degree in Malaysia and anywhere in Asia due to the massive economic growth especially in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. The Malaysian government has launched a series of schemes to make Malaysia a global powerhouse. The level of competition for jobs is known to be tough in Malaysia. A student pursuing an MBA abroad from Malaysia generally aims to venture anywhere in Asia.

According to a report by the World Bank in June 2013, Malaysia was ranked as the 6th best place in the world to do business due to its easy and business-friendly environment. Some major companies in Malaysia recruiting MBA graduates are Dell, Intel, Unilever, Malaysia Airlines, and many more. Candidates coming to Malaysia with the aim to have high ROI placement after completing an MBA abroad from the B school in Malaysia get suitable career opportunities in Malaysia and in other countries of Asia.

MBA classes in Malaysia generally start in September of every year. Admission portals are open throughout the year normally and admissions are done on a rolling basis.

Modules & Project for MBA in Malaysia

This programme comprises 7 coursework modules and a major project (including a Research Methodology module). The modules take into consideration issues of management skills, marketing, managing strategy, change management, and leadership. In addition, internationalisation and global perspectives are considered and focus is given to project management in order to enhance the programme.

5 reasons why Malaysia is the best place to study for your MBA

• Save A LOT on tuition fees
• World's best universities
• Low cost of living
• MBA specialisations
• Now is the best time to study in Malaysia

Top 10 MBA Specializations: Choices and options

Pursuing an MBA can be a little confusing with several specialisations being offered by the B-schools. Here are some of the top MBA specialisations which are in high demand these days. Read on to find out about them and make a wise decision that suits your career aspirations

When as an MBA aspirant, you plan to take admission in an MBA course; there are so many options that it leaves you confused. Be it in the field of human resource management, marketing management or finance, there is a huge scope in every field that makes decision-making even more tough. On the one hand you wish to pursue a specialization that offers a handsome salary, while on the other you consider the scope of jobs in a particular domain before pursuing the specialization. Indeed, this process is not as easy as it seems.

So to reduce your anxiety associated with choosing an apt specialization, we bring for you a list of top 10 MBA specializations, offered by the top MBA colleges in Malaysia. The aim of a two-year typical MBA programme is to make the MBA Aspirant proficient in all the subjects of management but an expert in one particular specialization. So, here we bring for you an introduction of the Top 10 MBA specializations that will help you decide which specialization is the best for your career growth.

Need for MBA Specialization

Choosing a specialization is mandatory because when the recruiters participate in the campus hiring drive, they shortlist the candidates on the basis of their specialised skills and not just the general management skills. Considering the ratio of placements, students majorly gets placed in sales and marketing profiles followed by jobs in the finance domain.  

Why Choose MBA Specialization?

In Malaysia, people prefer pursuing MBA course than any other course because MBA offers the following advantages:

These benefits render India as one of the top 10 destinations to pursue MBA specialization. Furthermore, students and working professionals prefer pursuing MBA specialization due to multiple reasons. Some of these reasons that motivate them are:

1. MBA in Finance

2. MBA in Marketing

3. MBA in Human Resource Management (HRM)

MBA in International Business (IB)

5. MBA in Operation Management

MBA in Information Technology (IT)

MBA in Supply Chain Management

MBA in Agri-Business Management

MBA in Health Care Management

How much does MBA cost in Malaysia?

To give you a general idea, here is the MBA fee range in Malaysia based on the type of institution:

• Public university: RM 18,000 – RM 35,000
• Private university: RM 26,000 – RM 80,000

You will find that universities charge differently for their MBA courses, depending on what type of institutions they are. Other factors such as the kinds of courses offered, the modules or the prestige of the programme also influence the price of the MBA.

In the end, it all depends on what you want to study, and which university and course fit you best. You can use this website to browse through the various MBA courses available in Malaysia and find out the exact tuition fees for each of them. Keep in mind that there may be additional costs for your course, including course materials and access to institution facilities.

There are also branches of several high-ranking foreign universities in Malaysia. These institutions are a great option if you are keen on getting an MBA degree from an advanced nation like the UK, as you can accomplish that in Malaysia by studying at the branch campuses of these universities.

This way, you can earn your foreign degree with the same prestige, at a lesser price! Just how much is the difference in costs?

* The tuition fees in the table above are for the entire duration of the course.

Plus, courses usually come with the same syllabi as the ones offered at the home institutions, so you would be going through the same content. In other words, you won’t be missing out!