Why do postgraduate study?

THROW a stone, and you might hit a working adult who has a bachelor’s degree of a certain course.
So, it would seem that the only way to get ahead of the game in this rat race is to either work hard in the industry, or pursue a postgraduate diploma, Master’s degree or even a PhD.
So, why would someone move out of their way and pursue such courses?
Asia e University (AeU) School of Information and Communication Technology Dean Assoc Prof Dr Roshayu Mohamad told theSun that students who take up such courses are aiming to climb up the management ladder in their companies.
“Our programme in this school involves managing ICT (Information Communication and Technology) ... (and) their intention to move up into a management role by improving their ICT skills,” she said.
Roshayu added that those taking up courses in her school may be working adults who are graduates with human resource, business or even law background, but are willing to further their studies in the field of IT management.
“They want to understand how IT works as well as its implementation of IT equipment and the system which can benefit their projects,” she said.
Roshayu noted that these students would usually have to balance their time between their regular working hours as well as study the subjects in their courses.
“They would have to juggle between time with their family, work as well as their studies... it takes discipline and time management, as well as making sacrifices,” she added.
Meanwhile, AeU School of Graduate Studies Dean Prof Dr Siow Heng Loke concurs with Roshayu’s view of graduates taking up postgraduate studies to move forward in their career.
However, he noted that those who are taking the doctoral programme would usually carry out research, which would culminate into a thesis. “Most of these students are mature working adults, aged 35 years and above.
“If they want to do their PhD, it is one of two reasons – either it is to enhance their career path, or they are doing it out of passion – but generally, they blend both reasons together,” he told theSun.
When asked if there is a trend for people to undertake these postgraduate and doctoral courses, Siow noted that it was based on the industries that they are in.
“For example, there are some countries like Vietnam and Cambodia that require its lecturers to have a PhD to teach in the universities. Here, lecturers need to have a Masters or a PhD, according to the requirements of the universities,” he added.
He noted that companies would encourage their employees to have these qualifications to get research done for the organisations.
Siow also added that there are retirees who are undertaking the doctoral programme.
“These people, especially retirees, do not want to sit at home... they want to take the course as part of their self-actualisation process,” he said.
AeU is a unique collaborative multinational university established under the auspices of the 34 Asia Cooperation Dialogue Countries (ACD). All academic programmes are internationally benchmarked, approved by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education and accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency.