By Mahadhir bin Monihuldin
GOMBAK, 14 January 2018: Students of the Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (KIRKHS) have been highly advised to pursue a double degree programme while they are still in their studies.
The Dean of the Kulliyyah, Prof. Dr. Mohammad Abdul Quayum gave this advice that comes in part with a new plan for KIRKHS to make its curriculum more comprehensive and interdisciplinary so that graduates from the Kulliyyah would have better employment prospects.
œIn IIUM, the percentage of graduates who get employed is around 73 percent. We want to increase that percentage to 80 percent by the end of 2018 and 90% by 2020, Professor Quayum said.
œEncouraging students to pursue double degrees will definitely address the issue of employability.
He firmly believed that if students received a broad based education and complete their studies with two degrees, they will be better equipped and ready for a wider range of jobs which added their chances of getting employed.
Prof. Quayum added, œIf you look at the curriculum in Australia and Singapore, double degrees have become an in-thing, especially in the humanities where people are not just pursuing a single degree. They are pursuing two degrees, maybe a combination of communication and history so that they are exposed to multiple areas.
To make the double degree programme more student friendly, KIRKHS undergraduate students now have the luxury of picking their elective courses from any department under the Kulliyyah or even courses from other Kulliyyah, as compared to before when the choices for elective subjects were relatively limited.
œThat’s why the most important change has come in because now electives have become more like free electives, he said.
This in turn has made it much easier for students to take up a minor, followed by a double degree programme right after that.
œWhat you can decide now is to do your major in Communication but perhaps do a minor in English. Because you have done your minor in English you can easily come back for your second degree if you decide take up another 10 to 15 courses. And just like that youll be able to get your second degree in English. Thats where the flexibility has come in. ***