DARP hosts postgraduate study workshop

On 18 August 2021, the Department of Alumni Relations and Placement (DARP) organised its first-ever virtual “Post Graduate Study Workshop” via Microsoft Teams. It was moderated by DARP Senior Assistant Manager Lee Wan Poh.

Invited to be the main speaker for the workshop was Institute of Postgraduate Studies & Research of Kampar Campus Deputy Director-cum-Faculty of Business and Finance (FBF) Head of Centre for MBA Studies Dr Chong Yee Lee. She presented “The path in taking postgraduate degree- Share my experience”.

Dr Chong sharing why she chose to take a postgraduate degree

Dr Chong began her sharing session by congratulating the participants. She said, “Congratulations on completing your bachelor’s degree. You may have already started to work just like me.  I am looking for an opportunity to enhance my career options further; a job promotion or a chance to go to a different area.” She then shared the experience of her postgraduate journey.

Sharing about the benefits of obtaining a master’s degree, she said, “Obtaining a master’s degree is a great way to enhance your CV as well as your job career. When a company wants to hire a potential candidate, they will first look at your academic background. So you must at least have a bachelor’s degree. It would be better if you have a master’s degree because they would look through your CV first. Then, they will look at your working experience. Of course, the way you write your CV is also very important; what are they looking for is maturity. You must have mature thinking. You must have the efficacy and you must know how to handle different jobs.” 

Dr Chong then explained the different types of master’s degrees and PhD degrees. She said, “Different structures give you different types of skills. That could help you in your academic and your future career. Every stage of education level provides different teaching and learning efficacy. In master’s and PhD degrees, it is not only about absorbing but also evaluating, appraising and creating new ideas. So master’s and PhD degrees focus more on the application; you apply the theoretical knowledge. If you are working then you can see whether it applies to your work. You learn more from the postgraduate degree. It enhances your personal development and your confidence level.”

Sharing on the importance of networking, she said, “Networking makes you feel happier and more cherished. Your networking members are important to you because they may help you in developing your career in the future.”

She then concluded her sharing session and said, “If you want to pursue a PhD degree, a master’s degree is able to help you to continue to that level and we also allow for transfer. Meaning you can register for a master’s degree and if you perform well and meet the minimum requirement, you can transfer to a doctorate.”

The workshop then continued with the panellists’ session where they were invited to share their expertise and knowledge and answer the questions raised by the participants. The invited panellists were FBF Dean Assoc Prof Dr Au Yong Hui Nee, Faculty of Arts and Social Science Deputy Dean for R&D and Postgraduate Programmes Dr Foong Soon Seng, Head of Programme for Master of Philosophy (Social Science) Dr Pragash Muthu Rajan, Department of Languages and Linguistics Dr Gerard Sagaya Raj A Rajoo, Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology Department of Electronic Engineering lecturer Ong Yew Fai and Division of Programme Promotion Malaysian Student Recruitment Assistant Manager Norlaila binti Ismail. 


 

Some of the panellists answering questions from the participants
Clockwise from top left: Dr Au Yong, Dr Foong, Norlaila and Dr Pragash

A group photo session with Dr Chong (top row, middle), panellists and participants



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