According to the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh, close to 30% of Bangladeshis who study overseas come to Malaysia. Despite there being quite a number of universities and colleges in Bangladesh, there just aren’t enough to accomodate everyone- especially if the course is highly sought-after.

We spoke to a few Bangladeshi students to find out just what courses are the most popular in Bangladesh, and what exactly students want to study!

Accounting

Around the world, accounting is a lucrative subject to study as demand is high and it provides stability. The Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB), the national body of the professional Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh, boasts over 1,200 members as of last year, with more on the way. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB), on the other hand, had over 1,500 members at the beginning of the year.

Amira* is a good example of someone who is going after one of the most wanted courses in Bangladesh. “I wanted to be a fashion designer, but there are so many fashion designers in Bangladesh. So I decided to do accounting because I was the eldest daughter in my family and the job scope would be higher for accounting,” said the Accounting and Finance student.

Here are a bunch of colleges and universities offering accounting, along with some information on what it is!

Business administration

“I’m doing my PhD in economics and management,” tells Abdul Bashir, who says that there are many businessmen in the country- both in Bangladesh and Malaysia. Management and business might not be the same thing, but it’s similar in the sense that some subjects do overlap.

Even Sumaita Ahmed, who’s studying econometrics, seems to think that business administration is a highly sought-after subject, being someone who owns a business herself. “Back in Bangladesh, I have a footwear company. I founded [the business] during my A-levels in December 2016,” said the 20 year old businesswoman.

With many stories surfacing online about the many entrepreneurs who have made it big in Bangladesh, Bashir feels like it’s a true testament to the hardworking nature of Bengalis. “Bangladeshis can do anything. Just ask them to do it, and they will do it. We don’t give up at all. Bangladeshis work very hard.”

Many schools in Malaysia offer business administration courses. For our favourites, click here!

Engineering

When we asked Amira what courses were popular in Bangladesh, engineering was the first on her list. Bashir agreed with this statement, saying that it was the only way to find employment in Malaysia if one decided to stay in the country.

“In Malaysia, there is no opportunity for a student to work full-time. Many companies don’t want international students. I plan to work here, but they don’t want me. Even my lecturer had to leave! But software engineers, hardware engineers, they can stay.” said the 35-year-old who hopes that there would be more job opportunities in Malaysia for foreigners.

With so many different types of engineering, it’s no surprise that it’s so popular in Bangladesh. For universities and colleges that offer engineering in Malaysia, click here- and for the different streams of engineering like civil or electrical engineering, head here.

Despite certain careers being more popular than others (and our Asian parents wanting us to take the best courses possible), most if not all of our interviewees mentioned that they merely want their children to be successful and happy with what they’re doing.

Aww! Are you parents like that, or do they want you to do the courses that we’ve mentioned above? Think other professions should be on the list? Let us know, and if you're thinking of studying these subjects or any others, click here so that we can help you out!

*Name has been changed to protect privacy