CURRENTLY, many professionals in Quality Engineering (QE) i.e. ranging from engineer to manager; are looking for a platform to upgrade and enhance their knowledge and career development in QE. With the current limited platform, the only available avenues for advancement is via the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI) and Certified Quality Manager Certificate by the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturer (FMM). However, these are skewed more towards attaining professional certification / membership rather than enhancing academic content.
Hence, Universiti Kuala Lumpur’s Master of Quality Engineering and Management (MQEM) programme, which comes as a holistic career development platform. It is designed to offer a blend of academic content and QE professional certification. This programme opens up to attaining certification from various professional certification bodies such as CQI and Lean Center of Excellence (MLCoE). The mix of academics and industrial expertise is integrated into the teaching and learning process, making it a unique Master’s programme.
The MQEM offers a comprehensive, internationally-recognised Master’s degree in Quality Engineering. It is aimed at producing professionals with leadership skills who are knowledgeable and competent in the QE discipline and technopreneurial activities. Graduates of the MQEM will be equipped with advanced theoretical knowledge and understanding of the applications of QE, particularly in Total Quality Management (TQM). They will also receive the option of attaining the internationally recognised CQI membership or Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB) certification from MLCoE.
It is expected of the MQEM graduate who will be competent to serve as a QE professional and manager in the workforce. This course is designed at attracting both local and foreign applicants. MQEM will admit engineering graduates and those with relevant technical knowledge and working experience from the manufacturing and service industries.
With the MQEM, “students” can expect to enhance their knowledge and understanding across all aspects of advance manufacturing, inspection and quality improvement methodology (which they may not be quite familiar with), and even specialise further in this discipline.
This programme is new and there are no other institutes among public or private universities in Malaysia offering a similar programme type. The MQEM is the first in Malaysia that will offer CQI membership and award a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB) to its graduates, both which ultimately add value to a graduate’s resume considering the international recognition.
Graduates can expect employment as executives and managers in the following industries and areas of employment - as Lead Auditor; Quality Management Representative (QMR); Process Improvement Expert; Lean Manager; Meteorology and Calibration Expert; Testing and Inspection Expert; Quality Manager; Business Excellence Manager; Project Manager; and Researcher / Academician, among others.
Furthermore, with the comprehensive and constructive course/module established and the MQEM certification attained, graduates can also choose to build careers across a wide range of non-manufacturing industries that include the electrical and electronics, oil and gas, automotives, metal stamping, healthcare, logistics, information technologies, utilities, business administration etc. Looking at the industry’s demand for quality engineering application and deployment, this new Master’s programme, the MQEM, will provide the individual with a competitive edge in enhancing his/her career.
The article is written by UniKL’s Quality Engineering Section lecturer, Ts Fairul Anwar Abu Bakar.
