[Engineering] Unrecognized Degrees by BEM

[ncw]

this is what i read from lowyat..so,i post here jz to want to discuss with you all..what u all thk about tis?BEM recognition very important??


QUOTE
[I]Sunday July 18, 2010
Degree not recognised

MY SON completed the Bachelor of Engineering programme with an established university in the Klang Valley and obtained an honours degree.

He recently applied for a job at a reputable engineering firm and was on the verge of being accepted, when he was informed that his degree was not recognised by the Board of Engineers, Malaysia.

We called up the board and it confirmed that it only recognises the four-year degree programme and not the three-year one.

This important fact was obviously not told to us during the time of my son

[henry_yew]

It's a very important issue here that we're talking about, and it is true that the Board of Engineers Malaysia do not recognise three-year engineering degrees anymore.

However, that is not the end of the world for students pursuing such degrees. I am made to understand that you must register with the BEM immediately before you start working as a fresh engineer, otherwise you are liable to a fine.

The thing about BEM is that while it may not recognise three-year engineering degrees (hence you can't register automatically as an engineer with the BEM), they will allow you to register provided that you pass a certain test that the board provides for fresh graduates from universities where their degrees are not recognised. It's a hassle but this is what you need to pay for getting an unrecognised degree.

It is one thing the degree to be recognised by the government, and another to be recognised by the BEM. If a degree is recognised by the government, it means that you can work in both the private and public sectors. However, if it is not recognised by the BEM, then you can't even start practising (unless you sit for the BEM test).

If you ask me, I personally think that the accreditation given by the BEM is biased and the assessment process to achieve the accreditation is not really done professionally. I recently had an interview session with the Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC) and the panel of interviewers were lecturers from rival universities. Do you really expect Malaysians to be very professional in their work? I really had my doubts, and the way the interviewers asked questions seemed that they weren't interested in the strengths of the university, but rather its weaknesses.

My lecturers agree with me that the EAC should comprise of engineers from the industry or retired lecturers who are full-time assessors without any affiliation to any university whatsoever. We need to ensure that neutrality is maintained so that nobody questions the system. The truth is that even students question the system itself.

I said earlier on that the assessment system here is quite biased, and especially in favour of our public universities. I say so because when a programme is recognised by the Board or by the government, it should reflect the quality of the graduates, and in such cases, other countries should have no problem accepting our degrees should we choose to further our studies (postgraduate studies, for example). When a foreign university of good world reputation specifically mentions the name of a local university here under the "Unacceptable Degrees" section, then there is always a reason to question the assessment of the Board and the government.

I have the intention of pursuing postgraduate studies in Texas Tech University, and this university has released a list of acceptable and unacceptable credentials: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/gradschool/docs/admissions/Acceptable_Credentials.pdf

It's something for you to think about. Where do we stand exactly?

[ncw]

It's a very important issue here that we're talking about, and it is true that the Board of Engineers Malaysia do not recognise three-year engineering degrees anymore.

However, that is not the end of the world for students pursuing such degrees. I am made to understand that you must register with the BEM immediately before you start working as a fresh engineer, otherwise you are liable to a fine.

The thing about BEM is that while it may not recognise three-year engineering degrees (hence you can't register automatically as an engineer with the BEM), they will allow you to register provided that you pass a certain test that the board provides for fresh graduates from universities where their degrees are not recognised. It's a hassle but this is what you need to pay for getting an unrecognised degree.

It is one thing the degree to be recognised by the government, and another to be recognised by the BEM. If a degree is recognised by the government, it means that you can work in both the private and public sectors. However, if it is not recognised by the BEM, then you can't even start practising (unless you sit for the BEM test).

If you ask me, I personally think that the accreditation given by the BEM is biased and the assessment process to achieve the accreditation is not really done professionally. I recently had an interview session with the Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC) and the panel of interviewers were lecturers from rival universities. Do you really expect Malaysians to be very professional in their work? I really had my doubts, and the way the interviewers asked questions seemed that they weren't interested in the strengths of the university, but rather its weaknesses.

My lecturers agree with me that the EAC should comprise of engineers from the industry or retired lecturers who are full-time assessors without any affiliation to any university whatsoever. We need to ensure that neutrality is maintained so that nobody questions the system. The truth is that even students question the system itself.

I said earlier on that the assessment system here is quite biased, and especially in favour of our public universities. I say so because when a programme is recognised by the Board or by the government, it should reflect the quality of the graduates, and in such cases, other countries should have no problem accepting our degrees should we choose to further our studies (postgraduate studies, for example). When a foreign university of good world reputation specifically mentions the name of a local university here under the "Unacceptable Degrees" section, then there is always a reason to question the assessment of the Board and the government.

I have the intention of pursuing postgraduate studies in Texas Tech University, and this university has released a list of acceptable and unacceptable credentials: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/gradschool/docs/admissions/Acceptable_Credentials.pdf

It's something for you to think about. Where do we stand exactly?

ya,thanks~i think i will choose the 1 which recognized by BEM~
erm,i gt a silly question here..do u think company will not rily willing to hired a gal for chemical engineering??:)

[Nicholasng925]

ya,thanks~i think i will choose the 1 which recognized by BEM~
erm,i gt a silly question here..do u think company will not rily willing to hired a gal for chemical engineering??:)

Why not? In fact lots of girls are studying Chemical Engineering now, and my sister is now pursuing Bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering in UTM. :)

[ncw]

erm,i wonder y i check on9,found out tat if is awarded by UK university,it will follow recognition of UK..so if ABC UNIversity engineering program is recognized by uk,mean BEM recognized too...izzit correct??

[Sillyboy]

The fault lies with both parties. It is inappropriate for the institution to withheld such important information but at the same time, the applicant should have done his or her own checking to prevent any thing of this sort!

[ncw]

The fault lies with both parties. It is inappropriate for the institution to withheld such important information but at the same time, the applicant should have done his or her own checking to prevent any thing of this sort!


yea,tat y check on9 would be better than jz listen wat Marketing deparment of university said..:wink

[henry_yew]

erm,i wonder y i check on9,found out tat if is awarded by UK university,it will follow recognition of UK..so if ABC UNIversity engineering program is recognized by uk,mean BEM recognized too...izzit correct??

Not necessarily. If the university is recognised by the Board of Engineers UK, it doesn't imply that the Board of Engineers Malaysia would recognise it automatically.

Hence, if you study in a university which is recognised by the Board of Engineers UK but not by the Board of Engineers Malaysia, you can practise in the UK but not in Malaysia, unless you sit for the BEM test.

[ncw]

Not necessarily. If the university is recognised by the Board of Engineers UK, it doesn't imply that the Board of Engineers Malaysia would recognise it automatically.

Hence, if you study in a university which is recognised by the Board of Engineers UK but not by the Board of Engineers Malaysia, you can practise in the UK but not in Malaysia, unless you sit for the BEM test.


ok..understand~:)
practise?erm,i still can b an engineer if im nt register wif BEM,right?

[Sillyboy]

ok..understand~:)
practise?erm,i still can b an engineer if im nt register wif BEM,right?

No. You will be a person with an engineering degree that is all.

[henry_yew]

It's one thing to have an engineering degree, and it's another thing altogether to be an engineer. Getting an engineering degree doesn't automatically entitle you to be an engineer, until you register yourself as one with the Board of Engineers.

[ncw]

It's one thing to have an engineering degree, and it's another thing altogether to be an engineer. Getting an engineering degree doesn't automatically entitle you to be an engineer, until you register yourself as one with the Board of Engineers.


erm,ok..understand!thanks:)

[hannna]

On the BEM website it says that degrees from overseas universities will be based on accredition by the corresponding professional bodies e.g., UK degrees - The Engineering Council.

So the earlier statement about uk-accredited degrees being recognized could probably be half-true. :D

[henry_yew]

Erk... they've now got a new stance, eh? If that's the case, then it's good news for us actually.