Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

Institution Overview

Background

Vision

To become an exemplary university of internationally acknowledged stature and a scholarly institution of choice for both students and academics through the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research and scholarship.

Mission

To generate, disseminate and apply knowledge strategically and innovatively to enhance the quality of the nation's culture and prosperity of its people.

Born in the 20^th century and growing in the 21^st, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) continues to be committed to being contemporary and forward looking as a progressive institution of higher learning. Relatively young as a university, UNIMAS has already made its mark in many areas of research and academia since its establishment in 1992.

UNIMAS was the first university to be initiated as part of Wawasan 2020, a national vision where Malaysia will achieve the status of a fully-industrialised and developed nation. As Malaysia’s eighth and Sarawak’s first public university, we started with a modest intake of 118 students in two faculties – now, UNIMAS has 13,521 undergraduate and 1,417 postgraduate students spread across eight faculties.

Located in Sarawak in the island of Borneo, UNIMAS is ideally placed to fully benefit from the many opportunities for research literally in its backyard, with challenges of geography and geology as well as the diversity of biology and ethnicity. Through its ultra-modern campus, UNIMAS is making strong progress towards becoming a significant centre of higher learning and research in the academic world.

The aspirations of UNIMAS are to be comparable and competitive in a world where knowledge has become increasingly internationalized. The need for the university to position itself to meet both national and international developments with confidence means that UNIMAS will continue to offer courses that are market-driven and innovatively delivered. The standard of excellence in research will be maintained and the application of significant research findings will be fundamental in the economic and social relevance of the university’s academic endeavours and objectives.

Academic Strengh

UNIMAS is a university committed to being contemporary in character and forward looking in developing its education system. The university employs innovative approaches to the teaching-learning process, and offers academic programmes which cater to the demands of the market. UNIMAS students are trained to be proficient in their respective disciplines through the core courses. A curriculum based on the concept of total development of the individual moulds students to be all-rounded individuals. UNIMAS graduates are able to cope not only in the existing workplace of today, but also in the newly emerging work environments of the future.

Research Niche

Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation
Emerging Tropical Infectious Diseases
ICT Development and ICT for Development
Renewable and Green Energy
Industrial Design

Programme Outline

In marching towards the realization of its Vision and Mission, UNIMAS offers various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes under its respective areas.

Undergraduate Programmes

Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts

Fine Arts
Design Technology
Cinematography
Music
Arts Management
Drama and Theatre

Faculty of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development

Human Resource Development
Cognitive Science
Counselling

Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology

Information Systems
Network Computing
Software Engineering
Computational Science
Multimedia Computing

Faculty of Economics and Business

International Economics
Industrial Economics
Marketing
Finance
Accounting
Business Economics
Corporate Management
Service Economics

Faculty of Engineering

Civil Engineering
Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing Systems
Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering
Electronics and Computer Engineering
Chemical Engineering

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Medicine
Nursing

Faculty of Resource Science and Technology

Resource Biotechnology
Resource Chemistry
Aquatic Resource Science and Management
Plant Resource Science and Management
Animal Resource Science and Management

Faculty of Social Sciences

International Studies
Industrial Relations and Labour Studies
Social Work Studies
Communication Studies
Development Planning and Management
Politics and Government Studies
Anthropology and Sociology

Postgraduate Programmes

Postgraduate Degrees by Coursework (Masters)

Corporate Master of Business Administration (CMBA)
Master of Advanced Information Technology
Master of Environmental Management/Master of Environmental Science
Master of Science in Human Resource Development (HRD)
Master of Engineering
Master of Science (Learning Sciences)

Postgraduate Degrees by Research (Doctor of Philosophy and Masters)

UNIMAS offers master and PhD degrees by research in a broad range of areas in all faculties and institutes. Currently over 150 different areas of studies are undertaken by students in these programmes.

Facilities & Resources

Facilities at UNIMAS are cutting-edge, blending in with its beautiful and yet unique campus. To cater to its research needs, UNIMAS has established several institutes and Centres of Excellence which embody UNIMAS’s commitment to world class research.

Institute

Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation (IBEC)
Institute of Health and Community Medicine (IHCM)
Institute of Social Informatics & Technology Innovation (ISITI)

Centres of Excellence

Rural Informatics (CoERI)
Malaria Research (CMR)
Water Research (CWR)
Image Analysis and Spatial Technology (CIAST)
Renewable Energy (CoERE)
Semantic Technology and Augmented Reality (CoSTAR)
Sago Research (CoSAR)
Disability Studies (CoEDS)

Students Facilities

The university’s policy is to provide students with comfortable, clean, and safe accommodation. Modelled after an apartment complex, the colleges are built to cater to the students’ needs. There are several apartment blocks for each college with each apartment unit accommodating 8 students. The apartment units are sufficiently furnished and students are responsible for its cleanliness. Each apartment block is equipped with communal facilities such as a common living hall, pantry, computer room, gymnasium, public telephones, washing machine, electric kettle, iron, and privatised laundry service. A privately-run cafeteria is available in each college.

Sports and Recreational Facilities

The University is constantly upgrading its sport and recreational facilities to cater to the leisure activities of the campus community. Currently, there is a football field, tennis courts and multipurpose hall; and fields for archery, softball, basketball, sepak takraw, and a netball field. There is a sports complex which houses a gymnasium and squash courts. We also have our very own bowling alley.

Healthcare Facilities

UNIMAS seeks to provide high quality healthcare services that are efficient and caring for its students. An outpatient clinic is available on campus to cater for the students’ health and medical care.

Recognition and Achievements

UNIMAS is an ISO-certified institution recognised locally and internationally. Its research projects are focused on public health, medical biotechnology, information technology, tropical biodiversity, renewable energy, environmental conservation, industrial design, international economics and the socio-political implications of economic development programmes.

Successful products of research include a candidate vaccine for dengue developed by UNIMAS Institute of Health and Community Medicine, in collaboration with the international company, Bavarian Nordic, and a process to convert sago starch to lactic acid for the production of environmentally friendly plastic from the Faculty of Resource Science and Technology. In ICT, the focus is more on rural communication and image analysis which won UNIMAS a Multimedia Super Corridor status. UNIMAS has also won awards such as Technology Premier Award from the government, and the Bridging the Digital Divide category of AFCT’s eAsia Award. UNIMAS was also presented with the Industry Innovators Award for System Development and Application by the US-based Society of Satellite Professionals International for its work in setting up a telecenter to provide the remote community of Bario with communication, education, e-commerce, health and government services.

In addition, services to the government, industry and the community, the propagation of the Malay language, maintaining a high standard of English language proficiency and providing opportunities to study a third language, as well as the encouragement of sporting and cultural activities, ensure enrichment not only of the mind but also of body and soul of UNIMAS graduates.