TAR UC and SAS Offer Joint Certification for Data Science Programme

Higher education institutions have tirelessly worked towards bridging the gap between industry and academia through collaboration with key industry players. Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (‘TAR UC’) is no exception to this, as integration of industry-relevant aspects into academic programmes is essential in developing future workforce that is knowledgeable in adapting to the challenging industry standards of tomorrow.

In line with its consistent efforts to embed latest industry knowledge into its academic syllabus, TAR UC has added another notch on its belt by integrating SAS modules into the Bachelor of Computer Science (Hons) in Data Science under the TAR UC-SAS Joint Certificate Programme, focusing on the areas of Data Science and Machine Learning. This strategic integration ensues as a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between TAR UC and SAS was formally signed by Prof Ir Dr Lee Sze Wei, President of TAR UC and Sean O’Brien, Senior Vice President, Education, of SAS Institute Inc, on 21 May 2020.

Students undertaking the aforementioned programme (beginning from the Year 1 June 2020 intake batch) will be awarded with this joint certificate by SAS Institute Inc upon successful completion of their studies. After obtaining the joint certificate, they will also have the opportunity to pursue other globally recognised professional SAS certificates to further enhance their skillsets in the future.

SAS is a statistical software suite for data management, advanced analytics and business intelligence developed by SAS Institute Inc, an American-based developer and a highly trusted analytics powerhouse. Among the Top 100 companies on the 2019 Fortune 500 list, 91 are currently using SAS.

Ts Lim Mei Shyan, Dean of the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology (FOCS), added that in today’s digital economy, data literacy is gaining more importance and therefore data analytics skill is highly valued by employers.

It has become more apparent that data-driven business insights are critical to companies where data-informed decision-making is key to survival and success. This means that demand for workers skilled in data analytics will be increasing as well.

“Having the TAR UC-SAS Joint Certificate serves as an added value to strengthen our students’ credentials as they move on to tackle the challenges of tomorrow’s working world,” she highlighted.

“The unprecedented demand for data science jobs and for skilled analytics workers reflects the growing demand for analytics insights to help companies gain a competitive edge. Government and businesses from across sectors are recognizing the value of analytics for data-driven decision making, from improving operational efficiencies to managing risks, to improving the customer experience and more. We are glad to partner with TAR UC to equip students with the needed skills for the next generation,” said Cheam Tat Inn, Managing Director, SAS Malaysia.

The joint certification with SAS signifies TAR UC’s constant effort as a Premier Digital Tech University to develop and train more digital talents for Malaysia. Realising the importance of data analytics, TAR UC has set up a Big Data Analytics Lab with IBM to enable students to get involved in digital initiatives in support of small medium enterprises (SMEs) even before graduation, boosting the country’s economy while increasing students’ future job prospects at the same time.

The Bachelor of Computer Science (Hons) in Data Science is a three-year programme offered at TAR UC’s Kuala Lumpur Main Campus, Penang Branch Campus and Johor Branch Campus where students will have opportunities to work with the industry and carry out real-life projects on data science and computer science during the course of their studies.

To find out more about TAR UC’s Bachelor of Computer Science (Hons) in Data Science programme, please visit the nearest TAR UC campuses nationwide or log on to www.tarc.edu.my. Application for our September/October 2020 and January 2021 Intakes is currently ongoing and prospective students can submit their application online at www.tarc.edu.my.