UTAR Department of Alumni Relations and Placement (DARP) organised the Postgraduate Study Abroad Workshop on 25 July 2023 at UTAR Heritage Hall Building. The workshop was open to UTAR students.

The workshop aimed to provide valuable insights to UTAR students about the benefits and opportunities of pursuing postgraduate studies abroad; cultural and academic adjustments of studying in a foreign country; and scholarships and universities available to the students.

IDP Malaysia Senior Office Manager Oon Hooi Ting and Education Counsellor Haseena Kutty were invited to the workshop to offer their guidance and consultation to the students who wished to further their studies in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US, the UK, and Ireland.

Academic speakers were also invited to share their personal and professional experiences with the students. UTAR Institute of Postgraduate Studies and Research Deputy Director (Kampar Campus) Dr Chong Yee Lee was among the academic speakers who shared her thoughts about postgraduate study. “I started my Master of Business Administration (MBA) after five years I completed my bachelor’s degree. I hopped from one job to another during my younger days, which ranged from heavy industry, advertising, and to academic. Hence, postgraduate study is an excellent method to experience different lines of jobs. Undertaking postgraduate study is less about getting a job, it is more about getting the right job,” Dr Chong shared. She also enlightened the students on the details of undertaking postgraduate programmes.

Faculty of Science (FSc) academic Dr Tey Lai Hock was the second speaker to share his study and working experience in the United Kingdom. He said that the fees to enrol in higher education institutions in the UK these days are getting higher, especially for science stream students. “Non-science students and science students will need to pay about GBP15,000 and GBP18,000 respectively per year to study in the UK. However, it will be about GBP18,000 to more than GBP20,000 per year if the students enrol in prestigious institutions like the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge,” commented Dr Tey about the overseas universities’ increased rate of fees. Due to the rising fees, Dr Tey advised the students to seek consultation from professionals such as IDP Malaysia before furthering their studies in foreign lands.

Before concluding the workshop, UTAR Division of Programme Promotion (DPP) staff Tham Yeong Shyue and Department of Scholarships and Financial Aid (DSFA) staff Muhamad Izuwan bin Jamaluddin informed the students about the postgraduate programmes, loans and scholarships available in UTAR.