Medical & Health Sciences (MSc)

MSc in Medical & Health Sciences

In line with the nation’s push for developed status, there will be increasing demand for candidates with postgraduate qualification to drive the country to the next level of development.

Postgraduate research opens up whole new pathways for students to grow and develop themselves as they are able study and specialise in their areas of interest. There will be opportunities for students to present their research findings in international conferences, where they will also meet other famous scientists or researchers.

The IMU Faculty attracts first-class teaching staff from Malaysia and abroad, fostering a broad range of active research programmes in its campuses in Bukit Jalil and Seremban.

Much of its success stems from the Faculty’s capacity to attract external research funds via its strong national and international connections. IMU staff have a strong record of major international contributions in their respective fields and are very experienced in supervising postgraduate students. Some of our alumni have also been successful in securing placements as research fellows in various institutions in Malaysia as well as Germany, Taiwan and so on.

At IMU, students will have access to the current literature including online databases to keep abreast with the latest development in research. Students will not only be exposed to the latest techniques and equipment but also be trained in using various tools, for instance software and algorithm in data analysis.

KEY FACTS

Degree

Master of Science (MSc) in Medical and Health Sciences

Commencement

Throughout the year

Total Duration

1 year (full-time)*
2 years (part-time)*

*Students must fulfill the criteria as approved by the Senate in order to graduate within the minimum duration.

Download Brochure

Tuition Fees

All IMU alumni who are self-funding their postgraduate studies and meet the eligibility criteria will be eligible for a 15% bursary.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

The areas of research expertise of the IMU faculty are as follows

Cancer / Oncology
Environmental Health
Toxicology / Molecular Biology / Biotechnology
Biochemistry
Microbiology
Clinical Research
Infectious Diseases
Psychology
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Chronic Diseases
Community Health
Building-Related Illnesses
Human and Medical Genetics

The selection of supervisor(s) will depend very much on the research area and be based on mutual agreement between both parties. The principal supervisor must be engaged within IMU whereas a co-supervisor can be from any established institution. All supervisors are subject to the credentialling guidelines of IMU.

Assessment

Both programmes are research-based and degrees will be awarded by IMU on successful completion of a thesis. Examination is by assessment of the thesis, and includes an oral examination of the contained research. For PhD, there is also provision for candidates to submit their theses in the form of published works resulting from their research projects during period of their candidature, subject to the evaluation by the Review Committee.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

A. ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

B. ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Applicants are required to have obtained:

A bachelor’s degree with minimum CGPA of 2.75 or equivalent, as accepted by the HEP Senate; or
A bachelor’s degree or equivalent with minimum CGPA of 2.50 and not meeting CGPA of 2.75, can be accepted subject to rigorous internal assessment; or
A bachelor’s degree or equivalent not meeting CGPA of 2.50, can be accepted subject to a minimum of 5 years working experience in relevant field.

Note:

Applicants with the appropriate experience will be given priority of selection.

For Malaysian Students
Not applicable

For International Students

IELTS : Band score 5.0; or
TOEFL (PBT) : Overall score of 410-413; or
TOEFL (iBT) : Overall score of 34; or
Cambridge English : Advanced (CAE) : Overall score of 160; or
Cambridge English : Proficiency (CPE) : Overall score of 180; or
Pearson Test of English (PTE) : Overall score of 36;

The following categories of students are exempted from the above requirements:

International students from countries in which English is the first language.
International students who graduated from any Malaysian or other institutions where the curriculum is delivered in English.

Note

Please refer to our Student Admissions Policy for more information.

APPLICATION & REGISTRATION FEES

	Malaysian Student (RM)	International Student (RM)
Application Fees	150	500
Registration Fee	1,100	3,400
Refundable Caution Deposit	2,000	2000
Student Association Fee per Semester	40	40

All IMU alumni who are self-funding their postgraduate studies and meet the eligibility criteria will be eligible for a 15% bursary.
Application fee is payable upon submission of application.
Registration fee and refundable caution deposit is payable upon acceptance of the offer letter issued by the IMU Admissions Office.
Students must adhere to the “Policy on Payment of Fees“.
For information on Student Visa Application fee, please check the “Visas & Immigration“

FEE STRUCTURE

MALAYSIAN STUDENT

	TOTAL (RM)
Tuition Fee per Semester	5,500
Examination Fee	2,000

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT

	TOTAL (RM)
Tuition Fee per Semester	10,750
Examination Fee	2,100

Total duration:
- 1 – 4 years (full-time)
- 2 – 6 years (part-time)
There are 2 semesters in a university year.

OUR TEAM

Faculty Members

Dato' Prof Sivalingam Nalliah

Professor

MBBS (MAL), MCGP, MRCOG, FRCOG, FAMM, Master of Education

Dato’ Prof Sivalingam Nalliah is currently Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Faculty of Medicine and Health, IMU. He is Fellow of the Royal College of O&G (UK). Has MCGP, Master in Education and has been involved in clinical research and quality assurance programmes in O&G. He was chair of the Confidential Inquiry into Maternal Deaths in Malaysia and was pivotal in editing /contributing to teaching manuals in Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy and Heart Disease in Pregnancy apart from production of the Annual Report of the CEMD and FIGO Awardee for Emergency Obstetrics in 2002. He has authored/edited several medical books and two non-medical books. His research interests are medical ethics, medical education, gynecology cancer and gestational diabetes. He has over 150 publications to his credit.

Prof Winnie Chee Siew Swee

Professor

BSc (Hons) Dietetics (Malaysia), MSc Food Science and Nutrition (Malaysia), PhD Food Science (Malaysia)

Prof Winnie Chee has been in academia for 30 years. Her research is focused on nutritional determinants of bone health in children and adults, Vitamin D and nutrition intervention for obesity, diabetes and renal. She has been recognised for her service to local and international nutrition and dietetics. She was appointed as Fellow of Malaysian Dietitians’ Association and Nutrition Society of Malaysia. She has also received the Wimpfheimer- Guggenheim International Lecture Award from the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, USA. She has served three terms and is the current President of the Malaysian Dietitians’ Association (MDA).

Prof Leong Chee Onn

Professor

BSc (Hons) (UPM), PhD Pharmacy (Nottingham)

Prof Leong has conducted multi-year research focused on drug target discovery, novel molecules development through preclinical and clinical trials, and biomarkers development for diagnosis of refractory breast cancers. He has published extensively in high impact journals, including Nature Cell Biology, Cancer Cell, PNAS, Cancer Research and etc. He has received numerous international awards including the FMD Fellowship (USA), the Institute of Biomedical Science President’s Award (UK) and the Top Research Scientist Malaysia (TRSM). He was a Senior Research Fellow at the Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA and is presently a Fellow at the Royal Society of Biology, UK, and the Deputy Director of Research at the International Medical University, Malaysia.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What postgraduate programmes are offered by IMU?

The Postgraduate School of IMU offers the Master of Science (MSc) in the fields of Medical Sciences and Community Health and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Medical and Health Sciences.

What are the main features of the programmes?

Both programmes are research-based and the degrees will be awarded by the IMU on the successful completion of a thesis. Examination is by assessment of the thesis, the research on which it is based and a viva voce.

What are the semester contents?

Semester contents are available in the programme brochure [Download Brochure]

What is the duration of each course on full-time basis?

MSc

Minimum of 1 year (2 semesters)
Maximum of 4 years (8 semesters)

PhD

Minimum of 2 years (4 semesters)
Maximum of 6 years (12 semesters)

What is the duration of each course on part-time basis?

MSc

Minimum of 2 year (4 semesters)
Maximum of 6 years (12 semesters)

PhD

Minimum of 4 years (8 semesters)
Maximum of 8 years (16 semesters)

How are supervisors selected?

Who will award the Degree?

The degrees will be awarded by the successful completion of a thesis. Examination is by assessment of the thesis and includes an oral examination concerning the thesis and the research on which it is based. The evaluation comprises examination of the thesis and a viva voce.

What are the areas of research available at the IMU?

The areas of expertise of the IMU faculty are as follows: IMU academic staff members who supervise the research candidates have wellestablished reputations nationally and internationally in their areas of expertise. These senior faculty take part in international conferences and are in touch with key researchers form other countries.

Environmental Health
Human and Medical Genetics
Biochemistry
Cancer/Oncology
Molecular Biology/Biotechnology
Pharmaceutical Science
Chronic Diseases
Community Health
Building-Related Illnesses
Microbiology
Clinical Research
Infectious Diseases
Psychology (Clinical Psychology, Educational Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Health Psychology, Sports Psychology, Industrial/Organisational Psychology, Criminal Psychology)

IMU academic staff members who supervise the research candidates have well-established reputations nationally and internationally in their areas of expertise. These senior faculty take part in international conferences and are in touch with key researchers form other countries.

Minimum Entry Requirement

Admission as a candidate for the degree of MSc.Applicants are required to have obtained:
- A bachelor’s degree with minimum CGPA of 2.75 or equivalent, as accepted by the HEP Senate; or
- A bachelor’s degree or equivalent with minimum CGPA of 2.50 and not meeting CGPA of 2.75, can be accepted subject to rigorous internal assessment; or
- A bachelor’s degree or equivalent not meeting CGPA of 2.50, can be accepted subject to a minimum of 5 years working experience in relevant field.
Admission as a candidate for the degree of PhD.
- A masters degree accepted by the HEP Senate; or
- Other qualifications equivalent to a masters degree that are accepted by the HEP Senate.Note:
  i. There shall be no direct entry from bachelor’s degree level to a doctoral degree level.
  ii. Candidates registered for Master’s Degree programmes with at least CGPA 3.67 at bachelor’s degree level may apply to convert their candidancy to the doctoral degree programmes subjected to:
  a) having shown competency and capability in conducting research at Doctoral Degree level.
  b) approval by the HEP Senate.

English Language Requirements

All students are normally required to provide written evidence of their ability in the English Language in order to study in IMU. The standard English Proficiency requirements are usually overall band score of IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 550 (PBT) or 79 (IBT) or MUET band 4.

When do I apply?

Throughout the year

What are admission procedures?

Applications for admission are accepted continuously throughout the year.
An interview with the faculty is required and is part of the evaluation process.
The completed application and all supporting materials (transcripts, research proposal) must be on file before the application can be processed and evaluated.
Successful applicants are notified of their acceptance by letter.

READ STORIES OF THE PROGRAMME

MSc in Medical & Health Sciences (by Research) – IMU News

From a Foundation in Science to a Masters at IMU 12 Feb 2020
Muhamad Faizzuddin Razali shares his IMU journey.
Conference Travel Grant Enhances IMU Postgraduate Student’s Learning Experience 28 Aug 2019
IMU Postgraduate Student's experience attending the 2019 Controlled Release Society Annual Meeting & Exposition in Spain.
IMU’s School of Pharmacy Research Team Won Silver Medal at ITEX 2019 13 May 2019
A collaborative research with Malaysian Palm Oil Board won a silver medal under the category of ‘Medical and Health’ at ITEX 2019.

ENQUIRIES? CONTACT US

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APPLY NOW

Interested in applying for this programme?

You will be required to submit a research proposal to [email protected]imu.edu.my. Once your research proposal has been reviewed, our Admissions personnel will contact you.

If your proposal is accepted, you can proceed with submitting an application via our online application system. Kindly prepare the following documents prior accessing the system:

Verified copies of your academic qualifications
Evidence of English language proficiency
A copy of your MyKad or the identification page of your passport

These supporting documents needs to be attached electronically to your application. Please note that all of our programmes require payment of a non-refundable application fee after the application has been submitted. Application will only be processed once the payment for application fee has been made.

We wish you all the best with your application, and hope we will be welcoming you into the programme soon!

Start the application process!

MSc Studentships

The School works closely with IRDI as a vital part of the School’s programme involves research in this research-intensive university.

Check available research projects

WHY STUDY MEDICAL & HEALTH SCIENCES AT IMU

An Established Private Healthcare University

IMU is Malaysia’s first and most established private medical and healthcare university with over 28 years of dedicated focus in healthcare education. IMU achieved the SETARA-2017 Tier 6 status (Outstanding) under the Mature University category.

Renowned and Highly Experience Faculty

Students will be supervised by staff who are experts in their field with well-established reputations nationally and internationally. The academic community of IMU pursues and achieves excellence in a wide range of research activities. Many of them present their findings in international conferences to keep up to date with the latest development in specialised areas. They also publish their findings in international peer-reviewed journals.

Research Funding

Our researchers have successfully obtained external funding through government grants such as the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), Exploratory Research Grant Scheme (ERGS) and ScienceFund. In addition, internal grants worth more than RM1,000,000 per year are invested to support research at IMU.

Research Facilities

The IMU has good infrastructure and facilities to support research. There are eight Research Laboratories and eight tissue culture laboratories for medical research with a total floor space of 26,000 sq ft. The University also has an animal storage facility with expanded space (about 770 sq ft) and state-of-the-art caging and maintenance of experimental animals. Adequate funding support for research facilities is provided.

Research Partnerships

Students will benefit from the University’s research collaborations with various local and foreign institutions in areas such as cancer, bioactive molecules, nutrition and environmental health. Close links have also been established with local hospitals, especially Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar in clinical research.

Assoc Prof Dr Tan Eng Lai

“The IMU MSc and PhD in Medical and Health Sciences programmes offer students the opportunities to be trained in a wide span of research areas ranging from cancer and stem cell biology, bioactive molecules and drug development to clinical and community-based health research. Students are privileged to be coached by supervisors who are highly experienced in their respective fields and who hold impressive track record in research and international recognitions. Our aims are to produce graduates who are able to lead innovative research in their respective areas of expertise and who adhere to ethical and professional codes of conduct. We also prepare our graduates to be lifelong learners and role models for the advancement of science in their communities.”

ASSOC PROF DR TAN ENG LAI
Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies
BSc (Murd. Aust) M.Biotech (UM), PhD (UM)

Read about School of Postgraduate Studies and the Academic Members