KUALA LUMPUR: Six engineering programmes offered by private higher education institutions (IPTS), including collaborations with public universities, have lost accreditation from the Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC), the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) disclosed.
The affected programmes are Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Electrical and Electronics, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Computer and Communication Systems, Bachelor of Chemical Engineering, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Civil Engineering, Bachelor of Honours in Electronics and Computing and Bachelor of Honours in Mechanical Engineering.
"The decision to discontinue these programmes stems primarily from low student enrollment at the respective IPTS. Graduates from these programmes can still register with BEM as graduate engineers," it told BH.
The EAC, alongside stakeholders including the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) and the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), oversees the accreditation of engineering degrees in Malaysia, ensuring adherence to international standards and practices.
Malaysia's engineering degrees recognised by the EAC are also acknowledged in 24 countries under the Washington Accord (WA), facilitating Malaysian engineers' professional practice abroad, contingent on local licensing requirements.
Currently, BEM recognises engineering programmes at 53 higher education institutions nationwide, encompassing 17 public universities and 36 IPTS.
UTM leads with 39 recognised programmes, followed by Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) with 21, and Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) with 17.
Additionally, there are 92 Bachelor of Technology Engineering programmes recognised by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Council (ETAC), with Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) offering the highest number at 15 programmes.