Education in Malaysia

Postgraduate programmes[edit]
Postgraduate degrees such as the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) are becoming popular and are offered by both the public universities and the private colleges.
All public and most private universities in Malaysia offer Master of Science degrees either through coursework or research and Doctor of Philosophy degrees through research.
Polytechnics[edit]
Polytechnics in Malaysia provide courses for bachelor's degree, Advanced Diploma, Diploma and Special Skills Certificate.
The following is a list of the polytechnics in Malaysia in order of establishment:-

Official Name inMalay	Acronym	Foundation	Type	Location	Link
Politeknik Ungku Omar	PUO	1969	Premier Polytechnic (University Status)	Ipoh, Perak	[1]
Politeknik Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah	POLISAS	1976	Conventional Polytechnic	Kuantan,Pahang	[2]
Politeknik Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah	POLIMAS	1984	Conventional Polytechnic	Bandar Darul Aman, Kedah	[3]
Politeknik Kota Bharu	PKB	1985	Conventional Polytechnic	Ketereh,Kelantan	[4]
Politeknik Kuching Sarawak	PKS	1987	Conventional Polytechnic	Kuching,Sarawak	[5]
Politeknik Port Dickson	PPD	1990	Conventional Polytechnic	Si Rusa,Negeri Sembilan	[6]
Politeknik Kota Kinabalu	PKK	1996	Conventional Polytechnic	Kota Kinabalu,Sabah	[7]
Politeknik Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah	PSA	1997	Premier Polytechnic (University Status)	Shah Alam,Selangor	[8]
Politeknik Ibrahim Sultan	PIS	1998	Premier Polytechnic (University Status)	Pasir Gudang,Johor	[9]
Politeknik Seberang Perai	PSP	1998	Conventional Polytechnic	Permatang Pauh, Pulau Pinang	[10]
Politeknik Melaka	PMK	1999	Conventional Polytechnic	Malacca	[11]
Politeknik Kuala Terengganu	PKKT	1999	Conventional Polytechnic	Kuala Terengganu,Terengganu	[12]
Politeknik Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin	PSMZA	2001	Conventional Polytechnic	Dungun,Terengganu	[13]
Politeknik Merlimau	PMM	2002	Conventional Polytechnic	Merlimau,Malacca	[14]
Politeknik Sultan Azlan Shah	PSAS	2002	Conventional Polytechnic	Behrang,Perak	[15]
Politeknik Tuanku Sultanah Bahiyah	PTSB	2002	Conventional Polytechnic	Kulim, Kedah	[16]
Politeknik Sultan Idris Shah	PSIS	2003	Conventional Polytechnic	Sungai Air Tawar,Selangor	[17]
Politeknik Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin	PTSS	2003	Conventional Polytechnic	Ulu Pauh,Perlis	[18]
Politeknik Muadzam Shah	PMS	2003	Conventional Polytechnic	Muadzam Shah,Pahang	[19]
Politeknik Mukah Sarawak	PMU	2004	Conventional Polytechnic	Mukah,Sarawak	[20]
Politeknik Balik Pulau	PBU	2007	Conventional Polytechnic	Balik Pulau,Pulau Pinang	[21]
Politeknik Jeli	PJK	2007	Conventional Polytechnic	Jeli, Kelantan	[22]
Politeknik Nilai	PNS	2007	Conventional Polytechnic	Negeri Sembilan	[23]
Politeknik Banting	PBS	2007	Conventional Polytechnic	Kuala Langat,Selangor	[24]
Politeknik Mersing	PMJ	2008	Conventional Polytechnic	Mersing,Johor	[25]
Politeknik Hulu Terengganu	PHT	2008	Conventional Polytechnic	Kuala Berang,Terengganu	[26]
Politeknik Sandakan	PSS	2009	Conventional Polytechnic	Sandakan,Sabah	[27]
Politeknik METrO Kuala Lumpur	PMKL	2011	METrO Polytechnic	Setiawangsa,Kuala Lumpur	[28]
Politeknik METrO Kuantan	PMKU	2011	METrO Polytechnic	Kuantan,Pahang	[29]
Politeknik METrO Johor Bahru	PMJB	2011	METrO Polytechnic	Johor Bahru,Johor	[30]
Politeknik METrO Betong	TBD	2012	METrO Polytechnic	Kuching,Sarawak	TBD
Politeknik METrO Tasek Gelugur	TBD	2012	METrO Polytechnic	Butterworth,Pulau Pinang	TBD
Politeknik Pagoh	TBD	2013	Conventional Polytechnic	Muar, Johor	TBD

Other types of schools[edit]
See also: List of schools in Malaysia
Apart from national schools, there are other types of schools in Malaysia.
Islamic religious schools[edit]
A system of Islamic religious schools exists in Malaysia. Primary schools are called Sekolah Rendah Agama (SRA), while secondary schools are calledSekolah Menengah Agama (SMA).
Another type of schools available in Malaysia is the Islamic religious schools orsekolah agama rakyat (SAR). The schools teach Muslim students subjects related to Islam such as early Islamic history, Arabic language and Fiqh. It is not compulsory though some states such as Johor make it mandatory for all Muslim children aged six to twelve to attend the schools as a complement to the mandatory primary education. In the final year, students will sit an examination for graduation. Most SAR are funded by respective states and managed by states' religious authority.
Previously, former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammad suggested to the government that the SARs should be closed down and integrated into the national schools. However, his proposal was met with resistance and later, the matter was left to die quietly.
Such schools still exist in Malaysia, but are generally no longer the only part of a child's education in urban areas. Students in rural parts of the country do still attend these schools. Some of the academic results published by these schools are accepted by mainline universities by taking Malaysia High Certificate of Religious Study (Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia, abbreviated as STAM), and many of these students continue their education in locations such as Pakistan or Egypt. Some of their alumni include Nik Adli (son of PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz).
Some parents also opt to send their children for religious classes after secular classes. Sunday schools and after school classes at the mosque are various options available.
Chinese independent high schools[edit]
After receiving primary education in national-type primary schools, some students from SJK(C) may choose to study in a Chinese independent high school. Chinese independent high schools are funded mostly by the Malaysian Chinese public, with UCSCAM (United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia, also known as Dong Jiao Zong after its Chinese acronym) as the overall co-ordination body. Students in Chinese independent high schools study in three junior middle levels and three senior middle levels, similar to the secondary schools systems inmainland China and Taiwan; each level usually takes one year. Like the students in public secondary schools, students in Chinese independent high schools are put into several streams like Science or Art/Commerce in the senior middle levels. However, some schools recently provided unique streams like Electrical Engineering, Food and Beverage Studies or Arts Design. The medium of instruction in Chinese independent high schools is Mandarin and uses simplified Chinese characters in writing.
Students in Chinese independent high schools take standardised tests known as the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) at the end of Junior Middle 3 and Senior Middle 3. UEC has been run by UCSCAM since 1975. The UEC is available in three levels: Vocational Unified Exam (UEC-V), UEC Junior Middle Level (UEC-JML/JUEC) and Senior Middle Level (UEC-SML/SUEC). The syllabus and examinations for the UEC-V and UEC-JML are only available in the Chinese language. The UEC-SML has questions for mathematics, sciences (biology, chemistry and physics), bookkeeping, accounting and commerce in both Chinese and English.
UEC-SML is recognised as an entrance qualification in many tertiary educational institutions internationally, including those in Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mainland China and some European countries, as well as most private colleges in Malaysia, but not by the government of Malaysia for entry into public universities. As the government of Malaysia does not recognise the UEC, some Chinese independent high schools provide instructions in the public secondary school syllabus in addition to the independent school syllabus, thus enabling the students to sit for PT3, SPM, or even STPM.