VIRTUAL TOUR
2015
1 JulUCSI Management Studies programme head wins award.
KUALA LUMPUR: A management studies qualification provides the skills needed to assume management positions in a wide range of organisations. This career potential makes it one of the most in-demand qualifications around the world. Subsequently, it is a popular qualification offered by universities.
However, not all management studies qualifications are created equal. Offered by its Faculty of Business and Information Science, UCSI’s BA (Hons) Business Administration and Diploma in Management programmes are distinguished by the University’s international focus and award-winning lecturers.
This two-pronged approach is advantageous to students looking for success on the global level, according to Nurul Ashiqin Binti Shamsuri, the Head of Programme for Management Studies. She should know – she was recently honoured at an international forum held in Switzerland, this year.
She clinched the ‘Relations of the Future’ award during the C4F Davos Award. The awards are part of the prestigious World Communication Forum 2015 held in Davos, Switzerland.
The achievement received by Nurul Ashiqin recognises experts in reputation management, crisis communication and corporate social responsibility – important skills needed in management.
In Davos, her expertise in the field of communication was acknowledged when she was selected as the moderator for the forum on ‘Communication Leadership & Leadership: How Can Comms Help Your Company Be #1’.
This was no mean feat as the speakers for that session included Colin Byrne, the CEO of UK’s leading public relations and communications company – Weber Shandwick for UK & Europe. Byrne was also the press aid for UK’s past prime ministers, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
The question now is; how does a university' and lecturer’s international outlook give students the advantage they need to stand out in terms of management studies?
Nurul Ashiqin answered simply, “When you know what is out there, you dream bigger. And you work harder.”
These are traits that will take a graduate – and the companies they work for – further and higher.
“I tell my students that I am just a small town girl from Temerloh but I dreamt of being an international speaker. And I worked hard to make it come true,” she explained.
Nurul Ashiqin is confident about the advantages of an international outlook, because she has had great success through it herself.
Upon graduating with a law degree from Malaysia’s Mara University of Technology, she gained her international business experience in countries such as Greece, China, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. She was then offered to pursue her Masters in International Business Law in Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam – one of two publicly funded universities in Amsterdam. She also had the opportunity to attend the prestigious Summer School on Intellectual Property by the World Intellectual Property Organisation.
Based on her experience, she is confident that UCSI’s praxis® approach that focuses on the application of theory to practice is the right direction for her students’ success. Under the praxis® approach, the university has set up its Co-Operative Placement (Co-Op) programme which connects students with leading corporations for their internship.
With more than 2,300 global corporate partners under its Co-Op programme, UCSI has the largest industrial placement programme in Malaysia.
This close industry-academia partnership is something that Nurul Ashiqin strongly believes in.
“This helps us be alert on the demands of the job market and keep our programmes up-to-date and highly relevant,” she said.
In line with this, the Faculty of Business and Information Science has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Malaysian Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (MAICSA). This sees UCSI’s Diploma in Management holders receiving maximum exemptions (six out of eight) for the MAICSA Professional Diploma in Corporate Administration (PDCA) programme.
By passing the last two subjects while studying, learners will graduate with two qualifications – UCSI’s Diploma in Management and MAICSA’s PDCA.
Adding to the prestige of UCSI’s management studies programmes is the university’s standing. It has achieved Tier-5 in the national Rating System for Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia (Setara) for 2013.
Conducted by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), the Setara 2013 exercise rates universities and university colleges based on the quality of their teaching and learning for undergraduate study. At Tier-5, there are no universities in the country with a higher rating and UCSI is at the same tier as well-established universities such as University Malaysia and University Science Malaysia.
UCSI is also among the top 300 in the QS Asian University Ranking 2015.
At the end of the day, a university does more than disseminate knowledge. It is a place where dreams are born and characters built. And lecturers do more than teach; they inspire.
This is why despite travelling around the world, Nurul Ashiqin’s favourite pastime remains the same – she enjoys having lunch with her students.
“They tell me about their day, studies and challenges. This way, I don’t just hear the students. I listen.”
And if her students express their intention to make the leap onto the global playing field, she will use her international experience and network to give them a boost.
Like her, they will achieve international success.
To know how you too can get an international head start in management studies, visit UCSI University’s website at www.ucsiuniversity.edu.my or contact us at 03-91018882 / www.ucsiuniversity.edu.my/onlineenquiry.
