Dr Morgan prepares students for the real world through problem-based learning.

They came, from as far as the USA and Kazakhstan, with one goal – to be among the very first in the world to obtain their Masters in Business Information Technology (MBT) under the expert tutelage of Dr. Terry Halpin and Dr. Tony Morgan, two foremost industry specialists, award-winners and educators. Professors Dr. Halpin and Dr. Morgan are from Australia and the UK respectively.  

From fresh university graduates to experienced professionals and young working adults, those looking for an edge over their peers in the highly-competitive global workforce in business and information technology have descended upon INTI University College (INTI-UC) in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, to enrol in the first-of-its-kind masters degree programme in the country.

Both professors, with over 70 years of experience between them in innovative software engineering, consultancy, research, publishing and academia, have worked with international companies and institutions such as Microsoft, Boeing, Unisys, BHP Pty Ltd, LogicBlox, the UK Department of Trade and Industry, the Australian Defence Department and the European Space Agency. Dr. Halpin, who is also a Distinguished Professor, has written over 160 technical publications and authored six books, and regularly chairs international conferences and workshops for Data Management (DAMA) International and the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP). It is safe to say their reputation precedes them.

Reta Miller is one of the programme’s two American students who have relocated to Malaysia to enrol in INTI-UC’s full time MBT programme “because of the instructors who were teaching.” 49-year old Miller who is originally from Oregon, had studied under both professors for her bachelor’s degree in computer science at Neumont University in Utah before they moved to Malaysia last year to set up the MBT programme at INTI-UC. “The quality of their teaching is second to none,” Miller enthused.

The introduction of the MBT and the hiring of these world renowned experts are among the many changes that have taken place at INTI since it became part of the Laureate International Universities network in 2008. The MBT programme is truly one of its kind that has piqued the interest of many individuals and corporations alike.

For the former US Army personnel with experience in military software engineering, she is excited to be a part of the very first batch of students of the MBT programme that kicked off in January 2010. Miller, who was part of the fourth intake of undergraduate students for the professors’ computer science programme at Neumont, believes there are untold advantages of being in the pioneering intake, as witnessed with her undergraduate programme’s first batch. “The first group is proving the programme, especially with Dr. Halpin and Dr. Morgan at the helm,” she says. “Everyone, from universities, industries and business networks, will be looking at you. The exposure you get as the very first group in a ground-breaking programme is truly priceless.”

“Imagine being able to understand the business person’s needs in layman terms and translating them effectively to the IT person in his language to develop systems and programmes that effectively fulfil the customer’s requirements.”  

Fellow coursemate, 24-year old David Chan from Kuala Lumpur, has high hopes for the lessons he will learn from the distinguished professors. “The combination of business and information technology offers something that is uncommon to the IT graduate and the business graduate due to its unique curriculum and the professors’ vast experience as industry experts,” he says. As a former employee of two major financial institutions in Kuala Lumpur with a degree in business and finance, the future masters degree holder in business information technology believes the MBT programme will produce an elite workforce that will become an invaluable asset to a company.  

Fenny Indah Saputra, a 21-year old graduate in informatics engineering, is the youngest student in the MBT programme. Familiar with the professors’ reputation prior to her enrolment in the programme, she is aware of the significance of their real-world experience despite her “fresh grad” status. “We are learning about the real problems faced in the industry and in the business world and how to solve them, not just gaining textbook-based knowledge,” she says. “I feel very special to be in the first intake of the programme and to be taught by industry experts themselves.”

Students are required to work on real industry problems and participate in industry projects in teams (IBM is an industry partner of the programme), as they would in the workplace. Dr. Morgan believes that the “problem-based learning” approach to the way he and Dr. Halpin conduct the programme firmly prepares their students for the real world. “It might be a little bit difficult for some of the students who are not used to this type of learning, but when they join the workforce, no one will give them a solution to a problem.” Using this approach, the professors also hope to eliminate or minimize the amount of time and money that companies spend in training their employees for the set of skills they would otherwise acquire through the course of the programme.  

The MBT programme at INTI-UC is a full time, one-year course, conducted over four semesters,with two intakes per year. The programme’s next enrolment is May 2010.

INTI-UC is a member of the INTI Education Group, which in turn is a part of Laureate International Universities – the world’s largest private education network with a presence in over 23 countries, with more than 43 accredited universities and 130 campuses, serving over 550,000 students globally.

For more information on INTI-UC and the MBT programme, call 1300-88-4684 or visit www.newinti.edu.my.