Study options
What can I study?
You may enrol in almost any of the units (subjects) offered at Monash Malaysia if you have the required academic background and have satisfied the pre-requisites of the units.
Our courses are accredited by the professional bodies in Malaysia and Australia, for example, our psychology units are recognised by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC). Our accounting units are accredited by the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) and including professional associations in Australia.
Our schools
We encourage you to undertake multidisciplinary studies by selecting units across different study areas that fit your academic progression at your home university. A wide selection of units offered by seven of our outstanding schools is available for your selection. For example, if you are studying the Bachelor of Science, you may wish to select units in journalism or if you are a Bachelor of Arts student, you may be interested to understand business analytics. Similarly, an Engineering student may want to learn about the cultural and social intricacies within South East Asia. These opportunities are available at Monash Malaysia.
Areas of study and interesting units
At Monash, each campus has its unique strengths and localised unit offerings for example, the Monash Parkville campus is known for pharmacy studies. However, not all the units are offered at every campus, therefore students are advised to confirm with the campuses on the availability of the specific units which they are interested.
Popular areas of study at the Malaysia campus among our exchange and study abroad students are within the fields of Business, Arts and Social Sciences as well as Science. We encourage you to consider the localised units within these key areas as they will offer you the opportunity to understand the various issues and perspectives particular to the Asian region.
Malaysian cultural and language programs
Complete your study abroad experience by sampling the extensive variety of local food, witnessing local architecture in our historical towns and learning the basics of the local language, Bahasa Malaysia. The Intercultural Enrichment Program is a non-credit earning four-week course conducted outside your academic program which introduces you to the multi-facets of Malaysia. Classes and field trips are conducted for a greater experience.
Impress your friends with your basic communication skills in the local language, Bahasa Malaysia, when you complete the non-credit earning Malay Language course held on-campus. The course runs for a full semester and you may sign up during orientation. Please refer to more details on General Studies (Communicative Malay 2) as the unit may not be offered every semester.
Academic considerations
If you are applying to study second or third year units, you must demonstrate that you have successfully completed the prerequisites as detailed in the Monash handbook.
There may be units that are unavailable to you as an exchange or study abroad student. For example:
- Most 4th year and honours units are not available
- Postgraduate units are generally available only to postgraduate students (those who have already completed a bachelor degree)
School | Additional requirements |
Arts and Social Sciences | None |
Business |
|
Engineering | None |
Information Technology | None |
Medicine and Health Sciences |
If you are applying for psychology units, you should note that:
You should attach evidence that you meet the requirements mentioned above to your application. |
Science |
|
Student handbooks and unit descriptions
The Monash handbook is an important reference when selecting the units you wish to take at Monash. Detailed information for each unit is provided which includes:
- unit code
- faculty
- credit points
- study hours
- semester(s) offered
- campus(es) where the units are taught
- any prerequisites
- a description of what you’ll study
- assessment requirements.
The Monash Course Finder is a useful online database of every degree offered at Monash and a great tool for searching keyword terms to navigate individual unit details. Please note that the fee and application information in the Monash Course Finder do not apply to exchange and study abroad students.
Please contact the Monash Abroad office for detailed unit guides for assessment by your home institution.
The specifics about study at Monash
Your study load
As an exchange or study abroad student under the Malaysian Student Pass rules, you must be enrolled full-time throughout your stay. A normal full-time load at Monash is 24 credit points (four units/subjects) but 18 credit points (three units/subjects) is permitted. You cannot enrol in more than 24 credit points per semester.
How many hours will I be doing?
The hours you will spend in class and in self-directed study may vary depending on the type of class you are taking (check the unit handbook entry for specific details):
Type of class | Contact hours per week |
Non-lab units |
|
Laboratory units |
|
The Monash grading scale
All faculties and schools at all Monash campuses use a common grading scale for undergraduate and postgraduate coursework units. When you complete your studies at Monash, you will receive an official Monash transcript that will display the grades you have earned in each unit.
Grade | Percentage score | GPA value |
High distinction (HD) | 80 – 100% | 4 |
Distinction (D) | 70 – 79% | 3 |
Credit (C) | 60 – 69% | 2 |
Pass (P) | 50 – 59% | 1 |
Fail (N) | 50% | 0.3 |
The Monash grading policy gives you more detailed information about grade conversions, although your home university might convert grades using a different measure.
Monash terminology
Monash may use different terminologies from your home institutions. Understanding these terms will help you complete your study plan. For example “course” in your country may refer to a single unit but “course” at Monash refers to a degree or program (for example, the Bachelor of Arts course).
Read our complete list of Monash terminology.