Re-accreditation of the BQS (Hons) degree at IIUM by the Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia

Salam and dear all,

1. I would like to congratulate the Department of Quantity Surveying, International Islamic University Malaysia for the successful re-accreditation of their BQS (Hons) degree program by the Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia (pending written confirmation by the Board).
2. The re-accreditation exercise, involving submission of various documents on the program (program structure, course outlines and other academic and administrative matters, staff, students, teaching and learning facilities, etc) reached its apex when three representatives from the Board visited IIUM on 18th May 2010. During the visit the representatives were given a briefing about the department, the faculty and IIUM, the BQS (Hons) program, etc; and they visited / viewed the various teaching and learning facilities; interviewed students, talked to staff; and inspected students' works, etc.
3. The re-accreditation is for the period up to 2012.
4. The BQS (Hons) program was first accredited in 2004.
5. Quantity Surveying, as a profession, is governed by an Act of Parliament, i.e. Registration of Quantity Surveyors Act 1967, Act 487 (Revised 1992). For more on the Act and on the BQSM visit http://www.bqsm.gov.my.

Wassalam.

Paying for your graduate studies at IIUM

Salam and dear all,

Tuition fee for graduate studies at IIUM is considered to be affordable. Go to http://www.iiu.edu.my/finance/fee_struc.php?nav=2 for detailed fee structure for graduate studies at IIUM. In addition to tuition and other university fees, potential students must also be able to afford living and other expenses (food, accommodation, books, traveling, clothing, communications, medical, insurance, entertainment, etc and to those already married, expenses for their dependents).

A prospective student (Malaysian) may look at the following options on how to fund for his/her graduate studies at IIUM.

1. Self- funding, i.e. through personal savings or funded by parents/close relatives.
2. Those in employment may look at the various options such as the in-service training scheme for graduate studies offered by the Public Services Department for civil servants; lecturers' scheme for university/polytechnic lecturers; companies' in-service training schemes that may include financial assistance and study loans; etc.
3. Those in employment may consider withdrawing money for the purpose of financing their graduate studies from their EPF Account 2 (for details go to http://www.kwsp.gov.my). In addition, they could also claim for income tax relief and purchase of book tax relief (http://www.hasil.gov.my/lhdnv3e/individuIndex.jsp?process=21000&menu=13&expandable=1).
4. Study loan under the government's Higher Education Student Loan Scheme (PTPTN at http://www.ptptn.gov.my/web/guest/pinjaman/onlineapps).
5. Study loans offered by banks and other financial institutions.
6. Organizations such as MARA, Bank Negara, Petronas, Pusat Pungutan Zakat and other corporations and organizations etc do offer scholarships/grant for graduate studies. These are normally advertised in the major newspapers.
7. In addition to the above, a student may be employed by IIUM or his/her supervisor as a part-time research assistant, part-time teaching assistant, etc.
8. A student may continue to work full-time and pursue his/her studies on a part-time basis.

For details on admission go to http://www.iiu.edu.my/admission/admission.shtml?id=prepg.

Wassalam.

QSs are not happy with the RICS?

Salam and dear all,

An article in the Building, dated 14^th May 2010 and written by Roxane McMeeken, suggested that QSs within the RICS are not happy with the body. Those interested to know more about this story please go to

http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=29&storycode=3163333&c=1&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+QuantitySurveyingNewsFromBuilding+%28BLDG+|+Quantity+Surveying+%29

Wassalam.

Topics for research for graduate studies in QS (by research) at IIUM

Salam and dear all,

In my previous postings (26^th April 2010), I wrote about graduate studies in QS at masters and PhD. In a graduate studies by research at IIUM the style of the award is: masters - MSc (Built Environment); and PhD - PhD (Built Environment).The core component of these programmes is research and usually a graduate student will come up with his/her own topic. Below is a list of potential topics (or areas of research; in the broadest sense).

Quantity Surveying

• Measurement and Documentation
• Tendering/Bidding Strategies
• Construction Contracts Administration (public; private)
• Construction Law, ADR
• Value Engineering & Management
• Construction Business
• Construction Marketing
• Istisna'
• Takaful in construction
• Wakala (agency) in contracts
• Productivity (costing, estimating)
• Maintenance, LCC
• Cost planning, cost control
• QS practice

Construction Procurement

• Procurement Process
• Procurement System
• Procurement Strategies
• Innovative project delivery (Partnering, PPP, Privatization, PFI)
• Shari'ah Compliant
• Construction Industry Development
• Construction Finance
• Joint ventures

Others

• Quality
• Project management
• Construction management
• IT in construction
• Contracting

Potential students may contact me at khairuddin@iiu.edu.my for initial discussions. For information on graduate studies at IIUM and online application please go to IIUM's postgraduate website at http://www.iiu.edu.my/pgstudy/programmes.php.

Wassalam.