It was not so long ago that UNESCO had ranked Malaysia as the 11th most preferred study destination in the world owing to its low cost of living, affordable program fees and relatively simple visa process. Increasing number of students from across the world have chosen Malaysia as their preferred destination for higher education. And especially, if your intent is to pursue MBA in Malaysia, then you may have just made the best career decision.
This small country offers a really diverse educational environment for those who wish to venture here to fulfil their MBA pursuits. The country houses B schools accredited by EQUIS, AACSB, and AMBA. An awesome combination of low tuition fees and even lower cost of living coupled with world class education is what Malaysia has to offer to its many MBA aspirants.
In the last few years, more than 5,000 international students from almost 100 countries have come to Malaysia for higher studies including MBA in Malaysia. Many top rated Global Universities including University of Nottingham, United Kingdom (UK) have set up their high-end B schools in Malaysia so that students can get the best MBA course in Malaysia. Business schools in Malaysia provide career focused education which is relevant to the modern business and is highly in demand.
Types of MBA in Malaysia
Much of the best MBA in Malaysia is offered by the large number of its private and public universities. The types of MBA offered by these universities include full-time, part-time and executive MBA courses. The part-time MBA and executive MBA Malaysia are courses are very amongst working professionals. An accelerated MBA course is also available, so that applicants can choose a type that best matches their schedule and meets their needs.
The curriculum of the MBA program in Malaysia include in-depth discussions and insights of real-world business case studies, financial accounting, marketing, economics, management accounting, and more. Sounds pretty awesome, right? It gets even better from here on.
MBA in Malaysia – Fees
If you compare MBA tuition fees with rest of the world like USA, UK, Australia and Singapore, it is the cheapest MBA in Malaysia. The table below will give you a rough comparison in tuition fees between Malaysia and the rest of the countries.
| Country | Entire Course fee (Approx in US Dollars) |
| Malaysia | $3,500 – $17,000 |
| USA | $ 15,000 – $30,000 |
| UK | $10,000 |
| Australia | $ 20,000 |
| Singapore | $ 15,000 – 30,000 |
Some of the best universities
Malaysia is known for housing some of the top ranking universities in the world and it keeps adding some new names every year. Universiti Malaya ranked 114th at the 2018 QS World University Rankings, followed by Universiti Putra Malaysia at 229th , Universiti Teknologi Malaysia at 253, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia at 230, and Universiti Sains Malaysia at 264, out of a total of almost 1,000 institutions. If you enroll in MBA in any of these universities, you would be studying in one of the top 300 universities in the world.
Malaysia also has branches of several top ranking universities of the world like the University of Nottingham, University of Reading in Malaysia, and the Heriot-Watt University.
Accredited by AMBA and AACSB and placed in the University of Malay’s main campus at Kuala Lumpur, the MBA course of the University of Malaya is both extensive and innovative in many respect.
Similarly, The International Business School (IBS), which was initially set up in 1997 as a graduate management school offering management and economic courses has now evolved into a center of excellence at Universiti Teknologi (University of Technology) offering excellent master in business administration education.
Putra Business School of the University of Putra is one of the most sought after destinations for all those who want to study MBA in Malaysia. It was the first business school which was accredited by the AACSB. Their underlying philosophy is to help benefit the society and they do that by keeping human values at the forefront.
Snapshot of universities
Given below is a table with the top MBA universities in Malaysia:
| University | Course | Duration | MBA requirements | Intake | MBA in Malaysia Fees (in RM) |
| Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) | MBA | Full Time
(1.5 – 2.5 years) |
– Applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree in related field as approved by the Senate of University.
– High school certificate – IELTS: 6.5 |
28 January 2019, 30 September 2019 | RM 9,000 per semester |
| MBA (Entrepreneurship) | Full Time (1.5 – 2.5 years) | – Applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree 2.5 in related field as approved by the Senate of University.
– High school certificate – IELTS: 6.5 |
28 January 2019, 30 September 2019 | RM 9,000 per semester | |
| Swinburne University of Technology (Sarawak Campus) | MBA
(International) |
Full Time (2 years) | – Bachelor’s degree 2.5
– Experience 5 years – High school certificate – IELTS: 6.5 |
4 March 2019, 27 May 2019, 19 August 2019, 4 November 2019 | RM24,496.00 per year |
| Limkokwing University of Creative Technology | MBA (Human Resources) | Full Time (2 years) | – Bachelor’s degree 2.5
– Experience 5 years – High school certificate – IELTS: 7 |
8 April 2019, 30 August 2019 | RM19,999.50 per year |
| Taylor’s University | MBA (Coursework) | Full Time (1 year) | – Bachelor’s degree 2.5
– Experience 5 years – High school certificate – IELTS: 6.5 |
6 May 2019, 3 September 2019 | RM72,033 |
| Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences | MBA | Full Time (18 months) | – Bachelor’s degree 2.5
– Experience 5 years – High school certificate – IELTS: 6 |
February 2019, July 2019, October 2019 | RM 35,000 |
| UCSI | MBA (Blue Ocean Strategy) | Full Time (1.5 years) | – Bachelor’s degree 2.5
– Experience 5 years – High school certificate – IELTS: 6 |
Expected May, September 2019 | RM 60,000 |
| MBA (Oil & Gas Management) | Full Time (Minimum 1 Year) | – Bachelor’s degree 2.5
– Experience 5 years – High school certificate – IELTS: 6 |
May, September 2019 | RM35,000.00 per year | |
| Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) | MBA (Structure C – By Coursework and Project) | Full Time (1.5 to 3 years) | – Bachelor’s degree 2.5
– Experience 2 years – High school certificate – IELTS: 6 |
May 2019 (Application deadline for Intl. students is March 2019) | RM 34,350 |
| BERJAYA University College of Hospitality | MBA | Full Time: 1 year | – Bachelor’s degree 2.5
– Experience 5years – High school certificate – IELTS: 6 |
January, May and September | RM 35,280 |
| HELP University | MBA | Full time 3 to 5 years | – Bachelor’s degree 2.5
– Experience 5years – High school certificate – IELTS: 6 |
Jan to Dec | RM 14,020 |
| SEGI | MBA (International Business) | Full time 3 to 5 years | – Bachelor’s degree 2.5
– Experience 5years – High school certificate – IELTS: 6.5 |
Jan t0 Dec | RM 14,020 |
| INTI | MBA (Global Business, Coventry University, UK.) | Full time 3 to 5 years | – Bachelor’s degree 2.5
– Experience 5years – High school certificate – IELTS: 6.5 |
Jan to Dec | RM 14,020 |
| APU | MBA (Euro-Asia Business) | Full time (12 months) | – Bachelor’s degree with minimum CGPA of 2.75 or equivalent as acceptable by the Senate/ CGPA of above 2.5 with 5 years of work experience.
– |
08 Apr 2019
05 Aug 2019 25 Nov 2019 |
RM 36,800 |
Types of MBA offered in Malaysia
The universities offer a wide range of specializations to its students which include:
- Finance
- Marketing
- International Business
- Information Technology
- Human Resources
- Consulting and strategic management
- Property management
- Arts management, and much more
MBA Scholarship
One of the most crucial roadblocks a student often faces when deciding their higher education in a foreign country is funding. I have already mentioned that MBA in Malaysia cost much less compared to other countries. The Malaysian universities also offer very good options in scholarships and funding for those brilliant minds who want to study MBA in Malaysia. these scholarships are typically granted on the basis of merit – which may include academic records, professional experience and any other significant achievements. Teaching assistantships are also offered by some universities.
The Malaysian government also offers several scholarships to students coming to study MBA in Malaysia. If the applicant has a good academic record, he/she will be eligible for these scholarships. All they have to do is apply for these scholarships during MBA admission. One popular such scholarship is the Malaysia International Scholarship (MIS). Private scholarships are also offered by some universities.
Career Prospects of MBA in Malaysia
Malaysia has improved tremendously in sectors such as telemedicine, telecommunications, eCommerce, digital broadcasting, online information services etc. As a result there is huge demand for people with specializations in the related sectors. The Malaysian government also has launched several schemes in order to make Malaysia a global power-house.
Students who graduate with an MBA in Malaysia therefore, have a wide range of career options open for them. Depending on their specializations, the following are some of them:
– Management Consultant
– Marketing Manager
-Financial Consultant/Advisor
– Investment Banker
– Operations Manager
– Business Analyst
– Project Manager
– Head of Digital Marketing etc.
An MBA in Malaysia is the most informed career choice you can make. So, what are you waiting for? Take the plunge today and come out with flying colours.
Study2malaysia.com also known as Malaysian Universities information center (MUIC) was set up with the sole intention of providing valuable information to those students and aspirants who want to pursue their higher education in Malaysia. We are one of the leading and specialized teams who have been associated with assisting students from across the world to move to Malaysia for higher education for more than a decade now. We have, till now, successfully sent around 5000 students (including medical students) to Malaysia, most of who are now successfully placed in different professional careers.