Boost your skill developments, and your salary, job and network opportunities by choosing a MBA course

Develop your skills and boost your salary, job and network opportunities by choosing an MBA (Master of Business Administration) course. Take that up a notch by studying for your MBA in Malaysia, a rapidly growing country with one of the best education systems in Southeast Asia.

Many of Malaysia’s highly qualified universities offer MBA programmes either on a full-time or part-time basis. Other options such as executive and accelerated MBA courses are also available, so you can choose a type that best matches your schedule and meets your needs. During your studies, you will hold in-depth discussions of real-world case studies, take classes in financial accounting, management accounting, marketing, economics and more. Sounds pretty great, right? It gets even better.

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

Save A LOT on tuition fees

You can take your MBA at a fraction of the cost of MBA programmes in the USA, UK, Australia and Singapore. From major cities like Kuala Lumpur to smaller cities like Johor Bahru and Penang, there are universities that are sure to fit your budget. Overall, the tuition fees of MBA courses in Malaysia are considerably more affordable compared to other countries.

Country	Entire course fee
Malaysia	US$ 3,500 – 16,500
USA	US$ 15,000 – 30,000
UK	US$ 9,000
Australia	US$ 20,000
Singapore	US$ 15,000 – 30,000

However, the student-friendly course fees in Malaysia do not mean that the quality of your learning experience and MBA degree will lack in any way. The government takes the standards by which educational institutions operate very seriously, with the enforcement of The Malaysian Qualifications Agency Act, 2007. This Act ensures that Malaysian universities are constantly monitored so that students are provided with a quality education that is up-to-date, relevant to the industry, and recognised internationally.

World’s best universities

Malaysia is home to some of the world’s distinguished universities. In the 2018 QS World University Rankings, Universiti Malaya ranked at number 114, Universiti Putra Malaysia at 229, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia at 230, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia at 253 and Universiti Sains Malaysia at 264, out of almost 1,000 institutions. If you take your MBA in any of the mentioned universities, you would be studying in one of the top 300 universities across the globe!

There are also Malaysian branches of several high-ranking universities such as the University of Nottingham, Heriot-Watt University and University of Reading in Malaysia. These institutions are a great option if you are keen on getting a 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! For example, the MBA course offered by the University of Nottingham in UK is GBP 24,975 (USD 32,917), but you can get the same degree in the University of Nottingham Malaysia for only MYR 66,700 (USD 16,105). 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!

Additionally, there are intakes throughout the year. Intake times vary widely by location, though most MBA programmes offer multiple start times. You can use EasyUni to find the intake dates for the universities you are interested in.

Low cost of living

With economical prices for food, clothing and housing, Malaysia is an excellent choice for studying for an MBA. In fact, Malaysia’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur, remains one of the most inexpensive cities in the world, coming in at second for affordability in the 2018 QS ranking for Best Student Cities. In the same list, Kuala Lumpur scored 37th place out of 101 cities for the Student View category, which was determined by a worldwide student survey. The city’s high ranking indicates students’ positive experiences living in one of Asia’s most exciting and vibrant metropolises.

As a general estimate, you only need USD 5,000 for a whole year, without having to compromise your quality of life, according to Education Malaysia Global Services. Here comes the fun part – with so little money spent on tuition fees and living expenses, what can you do with all that extra money you potentially saved for yourself? Use it for your downtime, of course! Malaysia is home to many beautiful places that you can travel to, where you can just chill out and take in the sights. Foodies, especially, will have the time of their lives trying out all of the nation’s delicacies. Go on a food hunt and eat ikan bakar (charcoal-grilled fish), roti canai (Indian flat bread) and curry laksa (spicy curried noodle soup) – all of which you will find featured in Lonely Planet’s ‘Ultimate Eatlist 2018’. If nightlife is important to you, you’re in luck because Kuala Lumpur never sleeps. Hit the clubs, bars or hipster cafés and live it up with the locals. Malaysians speak English as a second language, so you don’t have to worry about conversations going wrong.

MBA specialisations

While there are general MBAs offered, those wanting to study for an MBA in Malaysia can also specialise in a specific topic, making them standout candidates for employment. This is also advocated by Luc Craen, the managing director of EU Business School, who states that the specialisation trend will continue even beyond 2018.  In his own words, “people need to be more specialized in certain aspects” in other to meet the ever-changing needs and requirements of companies. Among the courses offered are MBAs in information technology (IT), marketing, finance, human resources and international business – with MBA graduates in IT being the most in-demand talent sought after by recruiters in 2018, based on data collected by the Graduate Management Admission Council for their annual Corporate Recruiters Survey Report.

Now is the best time to study in Malaysia

Let’s look at the signs, shall we? Sign 1: The economic growth of the nation is stable, with World Bank country director Mara K. Warwick even commenting that “Malaysia is a success story”, with the nation moving towards a high income economy under the leadership of a brand new government. Sign 2: More and more students are choosing Malaysia as their education home. According to the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education, the number of international students in tertiary education increased exponentially from 81,000 in 2013 to 136,293 in 2017. As the community of international students expand, so do opportunities to network! Sign 3: the government is determined to raise Malaysia’s prominence as a global education hub, so a lot of effort is going into it which in-coming students can benefit from.

One of the government’s moves is to improve management of international students by having the Student Pass issued for the entire duration of the programme, so students no longer need to renew it annually (phew!). Besides that, students are allowed to work part-time during semester breaks or any holiday that stretches beyond 7 days, to gain some employment experience and earn extra pocket money. Following graduation, students are also able to stay and work in Malaysia. Although the official language of Malaysia is Malay, you will find that the language of instruction in most universities is English. For less proficient speakers of the language – no worries! Universities offer classes for students who wish to improve their English language skills while they study.

Eligibility for admission to an MBA program in Malaysia

Guidelines for admittance into an MBA program in Malaysia vary widely from institution to institution. Some require passing English language proficiency exams such as TOEFL and IELTS. Others have a minimum age requirement. Usually, you would have to hold an undergraduate Bachelor’s degree in a subject area that is relevant to the MBA course you are applying for. However, if you do not have a degree, you may still be eligible to apply if you can show the university that you have enough professional, working experience.

Cost of studying MBA in Malaysia

You can use this website to find MBA courses and see specific details such as their tuition fees. There may be additional costs for your course, including course materials and access to institution facilities. As you plan out your expenses, keep in mind that there will be visa and medical insurance related fees as well.