R & D ANNUAL REPORT 2015

By end of 2015, a total of 24 Master's and 10 PhD programmes were offered. Tables 1 & 2 below illustrate the number of Master's and PhD programmes offered by UTAR as of 31 December 2015, ranging from language, communication, business and finance, management, social science, information and communication technology, mathematics, science and engineering with 700 registered students, consisting of 503 Master's and 197 PhD students.

With an established reputation of offering quality yet affordable postgraduate programmes, UTAR experienced steady enrolment of students into various postgraduate programmes since the initial enrolment of 43 students in January 2006 intake into 5 Master's programmes. As of 31 December 2015, UTAR recorded a total cumulative enrolment of 1627 postgraduate students. Figures 3 and 4 provide comparative analysis on the enrolments from 2006 – 2015.

Figure 3 – Analysis of Enrolment of Postgraduate Students in 2006 - 2015

Figure 4 – Analysis of Enrolment According to Mode of Study in 2006 – 2015

As of 31 December 2015, 499 postgraduate students had graduated from various Master's and PhD programmes. Table 3 and Figure 5 provide the numbers and a comparison of students graduated from various postgraduate programmes.

To ensure quality of graduates from UTAR postgraduate programmes, as well as to benchmark the research work of its postgraduate students against international standards, UTAR has made it a policy that the external examiners for the examination of thesis/ dissertations of candidates in postgraduate programmes by research and postgraduate programmes by mixed mode must be appointed from among distinguished academics or researchers from overseas with recent publications in international refereed journals. Figures 6 and 7 illustrate the external examiners appointed for thesis and dissertation examination in year 2015.