Sponsorship for MEng Electronic Systems Programme

(Seventh from left) Dr Bernard Saw Lip Huat and Dr Yew Ming Chian (middle) with the first batch of scholarship recipients

Fifteen engineers were given the opportunity to pursue Master of Engineering (MEng) in Electronic Systems (ES) with a full scholarship in UTAR.

UTAR is the first university in Klang Valley and the second in Malaysia to conduct this master degree programme. The programme is the brainchild of USAINS Holding Sdn Bhd and American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), in collaboration with UTAR and it is supported by Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF).

The HRDF is an organisation under the Human Resources Ministry. It was given a mandate by the Malaysian government to catalyse the development of the competent local workforce that will contribute to Malaysia’s vision of becoming a high-income economy. Since its inception, HRDF has evolved in its role from managing a sizeable fund to becoming a one-stop-centre for providing novel human resource development solutions to the critical mass of Malaysian small medium enterprises.

“HRDF organises a lot of programme and sponsorship. I would like to thank them for this rare opportunity as it is not easy for anyone to pursue their further studies, let alone having it fully-sponsored,” said one of the scholarship recipients Muhammad Taufiq bin Hood.

Despite being a fully funded programme, candidates are not bound to any bonds upon achieving their master degree. The 18-month programme aims to expand the talent pool of postgraduates for electrical and electronic industry (E&E), allowing companies to take up more high-end responsibilities involving design and development as well as research and development (R&D).

“For this first semester, we had taken the Project Management subject which I believe is truly applicable to my work. There are also new subjects that I am not familiar with but are required  these days especially in my current industry. I see this master programme as a stepping stone in improving my performance at work,” Taufiq added.

Taufiq (most right) in his class with Dr Bernard

“Many E&E engineers are working only in the production sector. In order to step into the R&D sphere, they will need more reliability and exposure towards research. This will help to create more opportunity to pursue R&D in the area of E&E, especially in Malaysia,” said Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science Head of MEng (Electronic Systems) and MEng(Electrical) Programme Dr Shee Yu Gang.

Other than that, employers and the industry alike will draw benefits from the programme as it encourages industry-based projects by bringing in substantial company issues and problems to be studied and solved with the assistance of supervisors and teaching staff.

The programme is also made to be receptive towards the candidates’ career as it is offered on a part-time basis. They are only required to attend the classes during off-office hours and weekends. In fact, by taking this master degree programme candidates are one step closer to pursue a PhD in the future.

Another scholarship recipient, Kuan Ya Chin joined the programme although she was not from the E&E background. She said she learned a lot from subjects such as Electromagnetic Compatibility and Project management, which were vital for her career. She said, “The main reason I joined this programme is because I am confident with UTAR and I wish to advance myself to the next level.”

Kuan and her group presenting their project assignment

UTAR also provides adequate assistance in making the master degree programme a meaningful one. “I love the UTAR library portal. I was able to retrieve a lot of research papers for the assignments. UTAR also made it very convenient for me to study here with the available parking space, access to facilities and wonderful teaching staff,” praised Kuan. “Most of my lecturers are industry-experienced and they are better at giving ideas and suggestions for my work,” added Taufiq.

“For the next intake in May 2018, we are targeting 25 students to join the programme and currently we are still accepting applications. Those who hold E&E degree or equivalent, currently employed by a private company and also a Malaysian, are welcome to apply for this programme,” said Dr Shee.

Anyone who is interested may contact Dr Shee Yu Gang (sheeyg@utar.edu.my) or register through online form (https://goo.gl/forms/27pjar1UH4TKCc192).