Program Overview
Do you find the management of human resources interesting? If so, studying human resource management in Malaysia could be your best option. The focus of human resources is on an organisation’s workers. When studying human resource management in Malaysia, you will delve deeply into everything that goes around hiring, retaining, and terminating employees. An organisation is made up of several components, and managing it effectively requires overseeing the employees.
In small and medium-sized businesses, one person is usually tasked to handle all operations related to human resources management. On the contrary, larger organisations have dedicated departments for each facet of the company. Regardless of an organisation’s size, managing its human resources is critical for its success.
If you’re a manager tasked with handling human resource management in Malaysia, you should be familiar with the theories and practices to recruit, select, train, and compensate employees. Most individuals will manage people at some time in their careers, but perhaps not in a position specifically related to human resources.
Businesses can outsource human resources-related tasks to third-party businesses to save up on costs. Alternatively, the HR department may be minimal or nonexistent in smaller companies, forcing managers in other divisions to handle all their HR-related respective needs. However, studying human resource management in Malaysia gives individuals an added advantage compared to others in the company since they are better aware of managing employees across the company.
In addition, you will have the abilities necessary to be successful in business management jobs if you have a degree in human resource management in Malaysia. You’ll study the most recent management theories and research, develop a critical understanding of how people are structured in various types of businesses, and discover how to comprehend and manage people successfully. Workers are a company’s most significant asset, which is why “human capital” is a term widely used. A job in human resource management in Malaysia often involves looking out for and retaining employees.
human resource management in Malaysia generally concerns a company’s workers’ administration and organisation. Due to the numerous activities that go into employee personal development, it is frequently referred to by experts as people management or talent management. Hence, studying human resource management in Malaysia is a wise decision if you want to work with people directly rather than just working on a computer all day after graduation.
This guide addresses many of your frequently asked HRM-related questions and describes what getting a degree in this area is like.
Why Study This Program
Your Expertise Will Be Highly Valued
According to experts, the demand for human resource management in Malaysia is expected to rise. More human resources managers will be needed to monitor and manage programs as new businesses emerge and organisations grow. Also, human resources managers must ensure that businesses abide by the complicated and ever-changing employment regulations about healthcare, wages, retirement plans, equal employment opportunity, occupational safety and health, and pay. The requirement to manage a large workforce and the rising popularity of upgrading old systems with better human capital management platforms are expected to drive market expansion.
Moreover, significant expansion is predicted in every industry, including government, healthcare, financial services, automotive, manufacturing, and energy. In other words, all businesses, regardless of size, need human resource management in Malaysia.
Be Ready for the Workplace of the Future
The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic provided an answer to what it would take to effect a change in an organisation that is set in its ways. Flexible scheduling, virtual meetings, and employee autonomy—things we once believed were unthinkable—became realities. Many organisations have long been using change management to adapt to the opportunities offered by technology and prepare for the future of work. Organisations are changing so swiftly that it’s hard to tell how they operated 10 years ago. Businesses are eliminating both their workforce and their hierarchy. They are getting more agile and smaller.
HR managers need higher data skills to analyse massive data and turn it into knowledge that can be used for making informed decisions. Analytics in HR is lowering expenses, enhancing strategic workforce planning, and discovering latent employee skills. You may enhance your data abilities with the courses provided in Malaysia, allowing you to make choices based on solid facts.
To Facilitate Recruitment Satisfaction, Learning and Development
The critical responsibility of overseeing learning and development within a company falls on the human resources department. Its scope includes reskilling and up-skilling the workforce in all behaviours and skill sets and assessing the existing learning level gaps.
To better identify the abilities that can benefit business success, those involved in human resource management in Malaysia must also engage closely with the various departments, functions, geographical areas, and leadership teams. An extension of this scope is the talent development sector, which focuses on nurturing recognised high-potential personnel. Leadership development, now its field, has developed from this discipline. Here, the emphasis is on designing and implementing the interventions required for leaders.
Opportunities for Growth
Want to go up the corporate ladder? Then this is the ideal profession for you. You can begin as an HR intern, advance to HR administrator, and finally, reach the position of chief HR officer. Each level on the ladder offers new abilities and enjoyable difficulties. One doesn’t have to switch jobs to gain from employment growth in this industry. Studying human resource management in Malaysia is necessary for every business in every sector. The HR department is given additional responsibilities as the firm grows.
This allows you to concentrate on one specific topic or many because so many areas fall under the purview of human resource management in Malaysia. Finding your favourite tasks can help you identify your area of specialisation and develop your talents there. Alternatively, you may acquire crucial abilities in several fields and progress towards becoming an HR Manager, HR Director, or higher positions you never thought you would acquire.
To Influence Company Culture Favourably
For most workers, workplace culture decides whether a location is pleasant. Nonetheless, experts in human resource management in Malaysia know productive and lucrative work environments are more likely to exist. It’s essentially just basic calculation. Employees will likely be more anxious, disengaged, and untrustworthy in a toxic work environment. Poor employee performance follows, raising the risk of accidents, absenteeism, mistakes, turnover, and expenses. People management may benefit from HR, and it does so without placing demands or additional stress on workers.
When human resource management in Malaysia is effective, it is hardly noticeable since everyone is driven, content, and finds joy in their job. HR professionals who want to specialise in workplace culture can pursue a targeted postgraduate degree with an appropriate bachelor’s degree. The courses for a human resource degree enable students to create a person-centred approach to workplace inclusion, culture, and mental wellness. If you desire to continue your studies, this degree also makes it possible to get a master’s degree.
Why Study In Malaysia
High Standard of Education
One of the most well-regarded educational systems is found in Malaysia. Several institutions have come out on top in a global ranking of the best universities. Universities have produced some of the most outstanding professionals in the nation and region, particularly in human resource management in Malaysia.
Career Diversity
Taking a course in human resource management in Malaysia opens possibilities both inside and outside the field. Thanks to the study disciplines, you will be ready for various career paths and professional positions in human resources. In business, developing abilities in client interactions and people management is essential. Malaysia has shown the rest of the world that it is a true example of all races and ethnic groups coexisting peacefully in a multicultural setting.
Affordable Course Fees
The fee required to study human resource management in Malaysia is comparatively less than that required in many other countries, such as the USA, the UK, Australia, and Canada, to name just a few. With human resource management degree expenses shooting up worldwide, Malaysia comes across as a reliable option to receive a high-quality education at an affordable cost.
Globally Recognised Degrees
Human resource management degrees from Malaysian universities enjoy global recognition. Studying human resource management in Malaysia allows students to pursue the program in Malaysia and then move anywhere globally. Several students continue their master’s and specialisation in Malaysia or transfer to other countries to pursue different pathways.
International Education Standard
The standard of human resource management programs in Malaysia meets international standards. This ensures exceptional education for students who enrol in this course. The course curriculum is rigorously developed, keeping in line with international benchmarks to ensure students learn the latest developments in human resource management.
Excellent Campus Facilities and Infrastructure
Malaysia offers excellent campus facilities, modern infrastructure, and innovative teaching aids for studying human resource management in Malaysia. The schools in Malaysia offer a great learning atmosphere. Several leading universities have developed in-house labs and testing facilities dedicated to helping students learn with hands-on experience, operate with state-of-the-art machinery, and stay up to date with the latest innovations.
Career Prospects
The human resources (HR) division is essential to how a business hires and retains employees. Almost every organisation, from startups to major tech companies like Apple, need an HR department to discover applicants for unfilled positions, manage employee benefits, and foster corporate culture. The usual career path of human resource management in Malaysia starts with schooling in a relevant discipline, such as a human resource management degree, as HR departments cover a variety of professions.
Individuals focusing on human resource management in Malaysia must be great communicators and conflict-solvers. Human resources specialists welcome new hires and assist in resolving problems that employees run across at work. Managers supervise the work of other human resources specialists and ensure that it complies with business requirements.
The majority of human resources-related occupations are office-based. Employers anticipate that human resources personnel will be familiar with and obedient to corporate policies. Those who want to work in human resources require good interpersonal skills, empathy, and the capacity for critical thought.
The professional path in human resource management in Malaysia does not take a lifetime of commitment to succeed. The thing with human resources management is that there are no barriers to entry. Specialising in the field, however, is a whole different matter. Many employees migrate from one department to another to work in the human resources division. However, this is generally seen in small and occasionally medium-sized businesses. Bigger businesses often have a hiring procedure for adding new staff.
HR Assistant
A bachelor’s degree is typically required for the entry-level HR assistant or HR officer position, albeit it is not always an HR-related subject. The role of the HR assistant is to assist with different HR processes. This might involve managing benefits plans, termination, and other outsourced activities and completing administrative documentation for recruits.
HR Consultant
Human resources consultants may specialise in one or more areas, such as workplace harassment, labour laws, employee recruitment, retention, pay, and benefits, employee incentives, and reward programmes.
HR Coordinator
An HR coordinator assists their superiors by managing various responsibilities, including payroll, employee requests, record-keeping, background checks, new hire onboarding, and healthcare plan enrollments. Also, they carry out a variety of clerical tasks, including photocopying, emailing candidates, and keeping track of personnel information. A bachelor’s degree or comparable experience is preferable but not usually necessary for this role.
Recruiter
Companies frequently engage recruiters to discover competent workers since they operate in various sectors. Finding the best applicants requires research, screener interviews, and research on the recruiter’s part. Recruiters may work for a significant organisation that searches for fresh talent all year or for a recruitment agency that conducts searches on behalf of several businesses.
HR Manager
These specialists oversee all HR regulations and plans inside a firm. HR administrators keep track of employee perks like health insurance, maternity leave, and paid time off regularly. Moreover, they constantly ensure that HR practices adhere to industry standards.
Training Manager
Establishing training and educational programmes for an organisation’s personnel is within the purview of the training manager. They oversee a group of volunteer teachers from the organisation and staff of training coordinators.
Employee Relations Manager
Conflict resolution within a business is within the purview of employee relations management. To guarantee adherence to relevant rules and regulations surrounding behaviour in the workplace, this includes handling employee concerns, managing disputes amongst workers, conducting departure interviews and helping managers create employee relationships.
Labour Relations Manager
If you enjoy contract negotiations and achieving the best possible deal for the workers, being a labour relations manager is the career for you. These managers mediate disputes between the parties on behalf of a labour organisation that stands up for the workers.
Payroll Specialist
Payroll specialists are in charge of processing payroll following the company’s payroll schedule and salary administration regulations and handling employee deductions.
International HR Manager
If you enjoy travelling, speaking one or more foreign languages, and connecting with people from many cultural backgrounds, you might want to consider working as an international human resources manager.
Program Duration
The duration to study human resource management in Malaysia is three years for the bachelor’s program. English is the medium of instruction followed in schools across all major international private universities.
The first year will have a number of common subjects between different specialisations. As students progress to years two and three, their modules and subjects will become more specialised as per their field of choice.
Students can sometimes switch from one specialization to another, but it will require approval from the University faculty and the relevant authorities in Malaysia.
Students who want to opt for program transfers to another University will usually need to prepare the transfer paperwork and start processing from their second year onwards to ensure all the paperwork and approvals are in place so the program transfer can be done.
Entry Requirements
The Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) sets the entry requirements and guidelines for university admissions in Malaysia, which all universities must adhere to. All prospective international students must meet the minimum entry requirements, as the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) takes these standards into account during the application acceptance and processing phases.
The admission requirements to study human resource management in Malaysia for international students may vary from one university to another. However, the basic entry requirements are the same for most universities.
Usually, there are two pathways to entering a degree program in Malaysia:
- First, students can join a foundation program after completing their secondary schooling, O levels, or equivalent qualifications. After completing the foundation in the business program, they can continue to the bachelor’s degree as per their choice.
- Second, students who have completed their higher secondary school or A levels or equivalent will be able to join the bachelor’s degree programme directly into year one.
If a student fails to meet the entry requirements for a bachelor’s degree programme, the faculty may offer different pathways into the degree programme, for example, through a foundation or a diploma programme.
Universities may raise the entry requirements to ensure incoming students are academically prepared for the rigours of their programmes. So, prospective international students should consult with an admission advisor to determine the precise entry criteria for their chosen programme and their preferred university.
General Entry Requirements For Bachelor’s Degree
- A Levels: 2 Passes in A-Level with a Pass in English and Mathematics at SPM/ O-Level/ IGCSE or its equivalent.
- Foundation: Passed the relevant Foundation programme (minimum CGPA of 2.0)
English Language
International students who wish to study human resource management in Malaysia will need to also provide proof of their English language proficiency with IELTS or TOEFL exams. Students who have studied the British or American curriculum are generally exempted from the English proficiency requirements since the medium of instruction for that curriculum is in English by default.
Students who have studied other curriculums where the medium of instruction is also English will usually need to provide a supporting letter from the school stating that the instruction language for their schooling has been English. With that letter, English language requirements are proven to have been completed.
Fees & Cost
Students sometimes only look at the tuition fee during the comparison. However, depending on how forthright and clearly the fee guidelines from the university are, the extra fees can be a hefty amount that could be a surprise. So students are advised to correctly add all the fees and decide which university fits their budget requirements to study human resource management in Malaysia.
Various factors will contribute to the overall cost structure, such as:
- Tuition fees
- Accommodation fees
- Admission fee
- Registration and Visa fees and
- Other one-time fees.
These fees vary from university to university and can depend on varying factors. The quality, infrastructure, facilities and teacher-to-student ratio will also determine how much a university charges.
You must find the right balance between quality and cost to get the best education possible. The average cost to study human resource management in Malaysia is between RM30,000 to RM40,000 per year, depending on the University.
For reference, that’s around USD $7,500 to $10,000 per year for a 3-year human resource management degree program at the current exchange rate.
Accommodation
Accommodation cost is going to be another recurring fee for international students. Generally, students have two options: they can either stay at the on-campus accommodation provided by the university or at private accommodation. The prices will differ according to which university and area you choose.
Generally, campus accommodations at major universities start at around US$150 per month and can go up to $400 per month. The pricing for on-campus accommodation is determined by the size of the room, whether a student will be sharing the room or will be staying alone, or if the student is taking a master room which generally comes with an attached bathroom or decides to stay at a sharing room with shared bathroom.
Some universities also offer cooking facilities and on-campus accommodation, which are shared facilities which will also be factored into the accommodation costs. Utility costs are generally an add-on fee.
While choosing the university, you can check with your admissions advisor on the options available for accommodation and how much they will cost so that you have an idea of how much of a monthly budget you will require as a student.
Admission Procedure
Researching, applying and managing overseas admissions is a tedious, time-consuming and often confusing process. Incorrect application submissions can lead to lengthy processing, delayed approvals, or rejections. You can visit education, exhibitions and fairs to collect information. However, that is not enough. You can only collect cursory information at these places. However, your admission processing will usually take much longer. During that time, you will need consistent and dedicated support to ensure your application is in the right experienced hands.
This is where we help.
Edmates helps international students from around the world with complete admissions processing. Our integrated one-stop centre helps international students with everything. We help you find future-driven programs that match your abilities and interests in leading universities.
We handle the entire process from the beginning until you have joined the university. Our international support system will manage everything for you, absolutely free.
Each student is assigned with a dedicated admission advisor who will manage the complete admission process and also guide the student throughout the admissions process. The advisor will also liaise with the university admissions department to ensure clear communications and faster processing.
You can speak with your assigned advisor anytime by booking a free call online through the website. You will also receive regular updates regarding your application via emails, SMS and WhatsApp.
To learn about each step of the admission process, you can read our complete guide to start applying for your higher education the right way.