Hi Izyan,

Unfortunately, this is not possible. It is compulsory to complete an MBBS (degree in Medicine) for 5 years and 2 years of housemanship before anyone can become a licensed Medical Officer. The only way to be a doctor now is to do an MBBS. There is no age limit to this so you are still eligible to apply for it as long as you meet the entry requirements.

Hope this answers your question. Feel free to ask if you have further queries :)

Hi Sathis,

Having a high interest in Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics can bring you a long way. Although Engineering would be an ideal choice for these 3 subjects, you do have other options you can pursue:

1) Bachelor of Science in Applied Chemistry - Applied chemistry concentrates on how chemistry is used in the modern society, with a focus on areas such as nanotechnology, drugs, new materials, computer-designed molecules, bio-transformations and cell factories. UM and UTP are the universities that offer this course. The job demand for this course is still high as the area focused are in medical, research, pharmaceutical and etc

2) Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics - Applied physics is the application of the science of physics to helping human beings and solving their problems. Applied physicists use physics or conduct physics research to develop new technologies or solve engineering problems. USM, USIM and UTP are the few universities that offer this course. The job demand is high in the construction industry, research & development industry, engineering industry and etc.

3) Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management - It is the study of the physical, chemical and biological processes that take place on the Earth, as well as the social, political and cultural processes which impact the planet. The universities that offer this course are UTAR,USM, Herriot-Watt and etc. Job demand for this course is relevantly higher in overseas compared to Malaysia and the industries you can focus on would be the research & development industry, engineering industry and etc

However, we will recommend taking Engineering as the skills learnt are suitable for any job sector. Engineering is a professional degree that brings you prestige,financial security and a chance to improve the world by solving problems.

Hope this clarifies your query :)

Answer 1

Arts and Communication are available.

Hi Hia,

You can check the list of scholarships here to see if you fulfill the criteria: https://afterschool.my/scholarship
Software engineering is a good choice as engineering careers are always in demand especially in the IT sector. Here's a brief guide on being a software engineer: https://afterschool.my/career/software-engineer

Feel free to ask if you have any more queries :) All the best in your studies.

Hi Jayce Tan, 

Food Science is the study of the physical, biological and chemical make up of food. This is considered to be the science behind food processing. You will be venturing on how food is made but that is not all, this sector is very huge and it can branch out to Food Technology and Food Engineering. 

Food Technology is the development of new food and quality improvement of existing food. This sub-sector will include food processing, packaging, storage and etc. Food technologist are largely working on food preservation. 

Food Engineering is health control and safety of food production by designing and operating food processing plants. Food Engineers also involve themselves in waste management and the genetic modification of foods. They generally work for food manufacturing companies, but they can also work in the pharmaceutical and health care industries. 

These 3 sectors are very inter-related, if you were to take any of these 3 courses, you will still be employed by a similar sector.  Do not worry about the specification of the course as these course are very related to the research and development of the food industry. 

Kindly refer to this site for more info. https://afterschool.my/food-science

 Hope this clarifies your query. :) 

Hi Roshinipriya,

The common entry requirements in most universities for engineering course is to obtain minimum 5 credits (C) in the following subjects: Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mathematics, Additional Mathematics and Physics/Chemistry. It also depends on which engineering course you want to enrol in. Generally, engineering courses would require physics and add maths as the core subjects but if you want to study chemical engineering, you will also need to obtain credits in chemistry as well.

 It is much better to obtain 6 Credits in all the subjects mentioned above as the requirements for each university may vary. For example, University Teknologi Petronas (UTP), the prestigious 5-star SETARA rating university for engineering requires 6 Credits. However, Asia Pacific University (APU) provides engineering degrees accredited by the Washington Accord and requires a minimum requirement of 5 Credits.

Hope this clarifies your query. 

Hi Faris,

Firstly, congratulations on your results! :)

This is many student's dilemma so don't worry about it. We're here to help you out. You can start by asking yourself what you want to do in the future and what are your interests. It also helps to know the job demand and salary scale.

Medicine is a very popular course among students. We have a glut of Medical Officers (doctors) but not enough specialists. So if you really want to make it big in the medical industry, we suggest you to specialise in a particular field of medicine such as dermatology, anaesthesia, ENT, orthopaedics, oncology, etc. But it is not easy to achieve this. Here is your pathway after SPM if you want to be a specialist:
SPM --> Pre-u (STPM / Matrics / Asasi / A-Levels / Foundation / Diploma, etc.) (min 1 year) --> MBBS (5 years) --> Housemanship (2 years) --> Compulsory service (1 year) --> Certified Medical Officer --> Postgraduate majoring in specific studies (4-5 years) --> Specialist.
As you can see, the route to become a specialist is no joke. It is takes at least 13 years after SPM but your pay will be good and there is demand.

Now let us explain about engineering. Engineering will always be in demand because we constantly need engineers to build, fix and maintain structures, softwares, mechanics, etc. Almost everything you see is a results of an engineer. This job has emerged as one of the top paying jobs in Jobstreet and the Critical Occupations List in 2017 as written in The Star. If you don't fancy the long study duration and grueling midnight shift of a doctor, then we suggest you to choose engineering.

Perhaps you might want to read up on the best and worst careers in Malaysia here: https://afterschool.my/career-builder/best-worst-careers-malaysia-2017

UPU will close in 4 days. We hope you make a wise choice. All the best! :)

Hi Hasmaan,

First of all, many students are also facing the same issue and it's normal to be confused at this stage. So allow us to guide you to make a decision on this.

1) The subjects you like are the perfect combination for a degree in Chemical Engineering. May we add that engineering courses will always be high in demand so an engineering course is one of the safest courses you can choose to be sure you obtain a job in the future. Electrical Engineering would be good too. View the best and worst careers in Malaysia here: https://afterschool.my/career-builder/best-worst-careers-malaysia-2017

2) The field of aviation branches out to many paths such as aviation management, piloting, aircraft maintenance and aerospace engineering. If you want to work in the aviation field and engineering as well, aerospace engineering would be suitable for you.

3) We don't advice you to opt for piloting because once you get your license, you can only be a Pilot, nothing else. It is not a diploma or degree where you can apply for others jobs if let's say you did not receive a job offer to be a Pilot. The fees are also rather expensive (RM300,000). But if you do get a job, you will get a very high salary. We are not discouraging you from doing what you like but we're just laying out the risks you'll be taking if you study Piloting.

Hope this helps.

Hi Zafri,

Civil Engineering is a good choice as engineering careers will always be high in demand. You're on the right track to a stable career. The study of Civil Engineering in Malaysia involves the design, construction and management of a project such as highways, tunnels, dams and major buildings. You might want to check out the course description and entry requirements for a course in Civil Engineering here: https://afterschool.my/civil-engineering

Civil Engineering is only available in degree level. To get there, you will need to complete a pre-university programme first. Your options are STPM, A-Levels, Matriculation, Foundation, IB, ADTP, etc. A pre-u programme should not take you more than 2 years to complete, after which you will be able to enrol for a degree in Civil Engineering. Core subjects for any engineering course must include Physics and Mathematics. We suggest you to opt for a Foundation in Engineering in the top private engineering university in Malaysia, UTP or UM under the public university category. UTP's foundation programme only takes 1 year to complete and they also offer a Bachelor in Civil Engineering. If you'd like us to help you with your application, please click here https://afterschool.my/universiti-teknologi-petronas/foundation-in-engineering fill up your details on the right side of the page and we will contact you shortly

Do check the rankings of universities in Malaysia based on engineering programmes here: https://afterschool.my/find-university-in-malaysia/university-of-malaya-um-is-the-22nd-best-university-in-the-world-for-engineering-and-technology-in-qs-world-university-rankings-by-subject-2018

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask if you have further queries :)

Hi Muhammad Zafri,

Civil Engineering Degree is a professional engineering degree that deals with design, construction and maintenance of the environment, works such as roads, bridges, sewerage system, railways and etc. The course will require a good knowledge on Physics, Chemistry and Additional Mathematics.

University Teknologi Petronas (UTP) is a 6 setara rating university and they provide quality education for engineering courses. UTP is also a government linked university which allows you to apply for PTPTN for foundation courses. Since you a SPM leaver, you can take a Pre U (Foundation in Engineering) course first and then proceed for a Civil Engineering Degree. You can apply for Civil Engineering by clicking here https://afterschool.my/universiti-teknologi-petronas/foundation-in-engineering and filling up your details in the blue box on the right of the page.

Hope this clarifies your query. :)