THERE are some 563 million degree holders globally. In Malaysia alone, there are over 5.6 million graduates.
The world has rapidly evolved into a competitive marketplace where so many people possess a bachelor’s degree, said UCSI University deputy vice-chancellor (Research and Postgraduate) Distinguished Prof Dr Phang Siew Moi, thus necessitating a postgraduate credential.
Advising degree holders to continue their lifelong learning journey, she said pursuing a postgraduate degree has never been more important.
She, however, stressed the importance of choosing a university that prioritises impact research, innovation and excellence.
“Who you will learn from, and work with, matter. You want your studies and research to be consequential and learning from thought leaders will help immensely,” she said, adding that the varsity’s postgraduates also benefit from high-impact dialogues and lectures featuring the world’s leading thinkers, corporate leaders and public figures like former Unesco director-general Irina Bokova, former Thai deputy prime minister Emeritus Prof Dr Yongyuth Yuthavong, Science Diplomacy Centre president Prof Dr Paul Berkman and International South-South Centre on Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Emeritus Chairman Datuk Dr Lee Yee Cheong.
Agreeing with Prof Phang, Lo Pei San, who is pursuing her doctorate at UCSI’s Graduate Business School, said working alongside the best people motivates her to do better.
The 25-year-old digital marketer said she is determined to learn from academics who are at the forefront of their disciplines. And she is delighted to be mentored by two of them.
“My supervisors are very responsive and I’ve learned so much when it comes to research and peer review.
“They’ve also expanded my network and I’ve been able to work with reputable researchers from leading universities in Britain,” the PhD candidate whose research is focused on livestream marketing said.
Lo, who won the Emerald Review Writing Competition in 2021, was referring to Prof Dr Garry Tan Wei Han and Distinguished Prof Dr Ooi Keng Boon, who serve as her research supervisor and co-supervisor, respectively.
Both professors are ranked in the world’s top 2% of scientists by Stanford University.
They also feature in the world’s top 10 for research productivity in mobile commerce applications by Clarivate Analytics Web of Science.
Lo, the varsity said in a press release, is fast becoming a prolific researcher in her own right.
Her research on livestream marketing has yielded insights that have been accepted by top-ranked business publications, namely, the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, the Journal of Computer Information Systems and the Journal of Business Research.
