The Bachelor of Science (with Honours) in Biomedicine was given full accreditation by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency, following their audits carried out on 1st and 2nd June 2021.

This programme was first offered by the Department of Biological Sciences in the March 2018 semester with an intake size of only 4 students. It has now grown in popularity, with a total of 117 students. This programme has the greatest number of students among three other programmes offered by the Department, namely BSc (Hons) Medical Biotechnology and BSc (Hons) Biology with Psychology.

Initially, the auditors were curious as to how teaching and learning activities were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic when students were not allowed to access the University facilities. They were then delighted and satisfied with the range of teaching methods used, and the swiftness of the faculty members in adapting to online teaching and assessment methods. Students reported that they felt that they had more interaction opportunities with the lecturers as classes moved completely online. This was in contrast with previous practices that limited most interactions to appointment-based visits. Sunway University was also very proactive in allowing students who required hands-on training to access the laboratory facilities while observing strict safety and health protocols during the Movement Control Order (lockdown) of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The auditors were also very satisfied with the reported positive learning experiences shared by the students, as well as the encouraging and motivating work environment as described by the departmental staff.

With regards to employability, auditors were impressed that graduates from the inaugural cohort were already employed in biomedical laboratory facilities with one at Sunway Medical Centre, and another at a private hospital in the Maldives. These are highly relevant jobs to their degree programme and a clear testament of the alignment of the learning outcomes of this programme to the needs of the employment market.

The Department of Biological Sciences continues to engage external advisors from the industry and academic sectors to continually improve the programme offering to meet the demands and stay relevant with the advancement of biomedical sciences. This accreditation by the MQA provides a stamp of approval that the programme trains and produces market-ready graduates with superior teaching and learning methods, while following systematic and dynamic quality assurance guiding principles.

Dr Kavita Reginald
School of Medical and Life Sciences
Email: @email