Part 4: Choosing the Best Study Route
When you have decided on your choice of career, the next important step is to find out what education qualifications you need and how you plan to gain these qualifications.
To begin, here are some questions which will help you consider the education pathway that would be most suited for you and your needs.
Do you want to pursue an academic based programme or would you prefer a vocational based programme which requires more hands-on work? Your answer may lie somewhere in between the two choices but having an idea of what type of programme you prefer will help point you to courses that are more fitting to your nature. In addition, you should scrutinise the coursework and curriculum of a particular course as different institutions could offer very different course methodologies and curricula.
Choosing a Course
Another guide is to consider your background and subjects you have studied so far. The list below provides a general guide to areas of study grouped according to your education background (art/science/technical stream). That being said, it is often possible for students from one stream to switch to an area of study of a different stream provided he/she meets the admission requirements of the institution.
For Arts Stream Candidates |
For Science stream Candidates |
For both Arts and Science Stream Candidates |
Eligible to study these areas of discipline |
Eligible to study these areas of discipline: |
Eligible to study these areas of discipline: |
It is important that you understand your academic ability and choose the level of your study according to your academic ability and the career you want to pursue.
Study Options after SPM
If you have just completed your secondary schooling with an SPM qualification, you may be thinking of furthering your education. Before you decide on which institution to apply to, first consider all the study options available to you in Malaysia:
Pre-university programmes
- Form 6 STPM
- Matriculation college under the Ministry of Education Malaysia
- Matriculation programmes offered by public universities
- UK 'A' Level, and Australian and Canadian pre-university programmes
- Pre-university and university foundation programmes offered by private higher educational institutions
Tertiary level qualifications
- Certificate or diploma programmes at private colleges
- Diploma programmes at private universities
- Certificate or diploma programmes at community colleges or polytechnics
- Skill qualifications at skill training institutions (offered by government agencies as well as private institutions)
- Industry apprenticeship schemes
- Certificate or diploma programmes offered by an external examination body at private higher educational institutions
- Bachelor's degree programmes at Malaysia Teacher Training Institutes
Study Options after STPM/Matriculation/UEC
If you have completed your STPM or an equivalent pre-university programme, you can pursue:
- A diploma level programme
- A semi professional qualification programme
- Year 1 of a bachelor degree programme
- A professional qualification such as ACCA, CIMA, etc.
Besides considering your career interests, skills and personality, choosing the best education pathway for yourself also depends on whether you have the necessary entry requirements, your financial ability, and the availability of study opportunities for a particular course you would like to pursue.
To find out more about what and where to study in Malaysia, search our institution list and course list on this website.
