When I began my academic journey, I chose to become a Sunwayian. Upon completing my master's degree, I can proudly say it was the right choice. My overall campus experience was fun and inspiring despite stressful academic challenges. Sunway University provides a safe and exciting space for students to learn and have fun with its state-of-the-art facilities. Parents need not worry about their children’s adaptation to university life. Experienced and proficient teaching professionals help students academically, while counselling services are available to ensure students’ mental wellness. Even healthcare services are provided to support students’ health-related needs. Moreover, many social and community amenities are located nearby and connected to the campus.  These are all reachable within 15 minutes via the “canopy walk”.

But Sunway University is far from being a one-dimensional institution, as it has much more to offer than its great campus. The academic programmes on offer are of a high standard, and my experience reflects that. The Master of Human Resource Management (MHRM) was the programme of my choice. This programme offers students a wide range of course modules that enable them to systematically understand the field of human resource management, well-equipping them with in-depth knowledge and understanding of contemporary theories, principles and tools related to human resources. More importantly, this programme is designed in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the world’s largest Chartered HR and development body. As a result, students can become HR practitioners with an internationally recognised level of professional competence. Besides that, this programme also allows students to develop and enhance various skills and qualities that are indispensable to effective leadership and management practice. MHRM graduates are able to unleash human resources' power in driving corporate success as they have the knowledge and leadership capacity necessary to tackle challenges and satisfy strategic demands.

The MHRM programme also empowers students with the competencies and capacity essential to thrive in a rapidly developing world on all fronts – economic, social, and technological. In particular, MHRM students study and reflect on fair and effective people management issues while considering employee engagement, commitment, motivation and performance. MHRM students all have a common goal - to improve employee welfare and working conditions. Moreover, students are motivated to value integrity and develop into ethical, trustworthy and qualified human resource professionals to help mobilise an effective workforce. During class lectures, group discussions and assignments, students reflect critically on theory and practice from an ethical and professional standpoint. This is to ensure that students are not only acquiring expertise but also have ethical and professional human resource standards instilled into them

I would like to gratefully mention Professor Kenneth Cafferkey, the MHRM Programme Leader and my research project supervisor. He inspires students to adopt an open mindset when dealing with challenges. In his class, students are always encouraged to explore problems and analyse the effectiveness of solutions from individual, organisational and societal perspectives. As a research supervisor, Professor Kenneth always makes his expectations clear and provides advice that enhances my confidence. His patience and continuous support have motivated me to strive through challenges.

Numerous skills I acquired from the MHRM programme have added to the competitive advantage of my career. Firstly, I gained the opportunity to upskill and practise time management skills. As the MHRM programme adopts a block structure (six weeks per block), full-time students are scheduled to complete two modules per block. I have learned to manage my time well to deal with both individual and group assignments while learning new knowledge of two modules simultaneously. Task prioritisation, planning and delegation have been the essential lessons that I have learned, particularly in group assignments. We must communicate challenges and promptly offer solutions to keep assignments on schedule. My communication and problem-solving skills have improved because of my teamwork experience.

I also feel it should be said that Sunway University values and recognises its students’ efforts via generous awards and scholarships to acknowledge their great performance. I was honoured to receive the Jeffrey Cheah Scholastic Award upon completing the MHRM programme. Overall, I had a pleasant and effortless time being a student here. I can sincerely say that my campus experience at Sunway University was critical in developing me into a well-rounded individual and a graduate with a significant competitive edge. 

Edited by
Arumugam Muthusamy
Sunway Business School
Email: @email