IIUM Graduate School of Management

Menu

FAQ

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION &
MASTER OF MANAGEMENT

The application can be made through an online portal, kindly select Graduate School of Management as the Center of Studies, then select your programme level and intended intake.

GSM has three intakes per year, the intake would be in September, May and January. You may refer to our website and social media for the dateline of application for each intake. For International students, a complete application has to be submitted at least 2 months before the enrollment date for a smooth registration process. 

The frequency of class would be once a week for each subject or course registered. Full time students need to take at least 3 courses per semester and maximum 5 courses per semester, while for part time students, it would be minimum 1 course and maximum 3 courses per semester. Hence, if you are a full time student and you opt for 4 courses per semester, your class would be 4 times per week. Our classes would be at 6.30p.m.- 10.15 p.m. on weekdays and 9.00 a.m.-12.45 p.m. and 3.00 p.m. – 6.45 p.m. on weekends. 

Yes, you may send a request for deferment to our  official email address at gsm@iium.edu.my, providing the period of time is not more than one academic year.  

You can apply for the progression visa through EMGS or you can directly refer with visa unit IIUM for advice and guidance for this matter. Kindly refer to this website https://iium.edu.my/office/office-of-international-affairs or email them at visa_unit@iium.edu.my

If you are planning to bring your family to stay in Malaysia for a long period of time, it is advisable for you to apply for a dependent visa. Kindly contact Visa Unit IIUM for this matter, you may refer to this website https://www.iium.edu.my/office/office-of-international-affairs or email them at visa_unit@iium.edu.my

Unfortunately no, GSM IIUM does not have the authority to issue a letter for permission to work for the students. This aligns with the rules and regulations stated by the Visa Unit where international students are not allowed to work part-time while studying in IIUM. 

Kindly refer to this link for more information. https://educationmalaysia.gov.my/faq/#can-i-work-while-study

Yes, since our entry requirement stated that the students must have either TOEFL, IELTS or MUET certificates but if you neither have these certificates you will have to sit for an EPT test set by GSM under the University and there will be some additional charges on that. The format of the EPT test can be reviewed from this website https://centre.iium.edu.my/celpad/english-proficiency-test/. Additionally, student may also attached the Medium Of Instruction (MOI) certificates for our admission exemption evaluation. 

GSM did not directly offer scholarships for the students, but the students can apply to the scholarships that are offered under Centre for Postgraduates Studies CPS, IIUM but there are terms and conditions applied. You may directly refer to this website https://centre.iium.edu.my/cps/scholarship/ . Other than that, you may also apply for the scholarship offered by the Malaysia Ministry of Higher Education.

As for our MBA programme, there would be 2 elective courses and we advise the students to register the electives courses in Semester 3 and Semester 4 (2 elective courses per semester)  required the students to take all the core courses to avoid further problem such as independent study or graduation delay due to semester extension. While for Mmgt, there will be an option either to take one elective course or to do a research paper.

The maximum duration for master programmes is :

Full time : 3 years 

Part time : 5 years

Minimum credit hours : 9 credit hours 

Suggested credit hours : 12 credit hours 

Maximum credit hours : 16 credit hours

Minimum credit hours : 3 credit hours 

Suggested credit hours : 6 credit hours 

Maximum credit hours : 9 credit hours

No, but for MBA we do have Business Capstone 1 and Business Capstone 2 which require the student to do in depth business case analysis. On top of that, there would be coordinators from the industry to help the students in the class.

We will actively conduct programmes such as CEO Talk Series providing the student the opportunities to have networking sessions with the speakers invited for the programme. This event is particularly for the students to get additional knowledge sharing from the speakers, we will send invitations to the students through email.

This will depend on the semester but roughly it would be 30% to 60% international students in the class. 

Master programmes

Bachelor’s degree with a minimum CGPA of 2.50 and above from IIUM or any other institutions of higher learning approved by the Senate of the University and the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education

OR 

Any other certificate that is recognised as equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree (honours) or other professional qualification and experiences that are recognised by the senate of the University

OR 

Fulfil the necessary requirements and have obtained a certificate of APEL A issued by the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA)

Yes, we do have many successful alumni from GSM here are some of them : 

  1. DR. Zainul Ariffin Harun (Group Chief Revenue Officer, Censof Holdings Berhad )
  2. Madam Naaimah Binti Mat @ Ahmad Radzi ( Executive Director, Finance Division, IIUM Gombak )
  3. He Hamza Abdi Barre ( 21st Prime Minister, Federal Government of Somalia )
  4. Salma Ali Hassan ( Judge of the High Court, Zanzibar )
  5. Mohamed Abukar Zubeyr ( Permanent Secretary of OPM, Somalia )
  6. Dr Ismail Bin Abd Rahman (President of Qaiwan International University in Sulaymaniyah Kurdistan Regional Government -Iraq)

DOCTOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

The IIUM DBA is an executive doctoral degree designed for senior business managers, consultants, policy makers, and corporate leaders. Unlike a PhD, which focuses primarily on theoretical and academic research, the DBA emphasizes applied research, real-world consultancy, and solving complex work-based problems.

Yes, absolutely. You are eligible to apply even if your previous master’s degree is in a non-business discipline (e.g., Engineering, Computer Science, Education, or Humanities) provided you have relevant working experience and pass an internal assessment conducted by IIUM GSM.


You are exempt from taking an English test if:

  • You are an IIUM Alumni OR
  • You graduated from a university where English was the primary Medium of Instruction (MOI). However, you must submit an official Medium of Instruction (MOI) Letter issued by your previous university along with your application.

If you cannot provide an official MOI letter (or if your previous degree was not taught in English), you must submit a valid standard test score (IELTS Band 6.0, TOEFL 550 PBT / 79 iBT, or MUET Band 4.5). If you do not have any of the above certificates, you will be required to sit for the internal IIUM English Proficiency Test (EPT) organized by CELPAD.

The IIUM Doctor of Business Administration is a Mixed-Mode doctoral programme (combining coursework and independent research). The curriculum consists of 4 main components that must be completed in sequential order:

  1. Core Courses (6 courses / 18 credit hours)
  2. Research Methodology Courses (2 courses / 6 credit hours)
  3. Consultancy Management Course (10 credit hours)
  4. Thesis (40 credit hours)

As a mixed-mode degree, you must complete and pass all core coursework and research methodology modules before registering for the Consultancy Management module, followed by Thesis.

Classes are scheduled to accommodate working professionals:

Weekdays: 6:30 PM – 10:15 PM

Weekends: 9:00 AM – 12:45 PM & 3:00 PM – 6:45 PM

Full-time: 3 to 5 courses per semester

Part-time: Minimum 1 to maximum 3 courses per semester

Classes are offered in a hybrid mode:

60% Online

40% Physical (Offline)

A detailed schedule is provided at the beginning of each semester, allowing working professionals to plan their travel and personal commitments ahead of time

IIUM GSM operates on a tri-semester (3-trimester) system per academic year: January, May, September. For each trimester involving coursework, lectures are conducted over a 12-week period, followed by an evaluation period.

  • Full-time: Minimum 3 years (12 trimesters)
  • Part-time: Minimum 4 years (15 trimesters)

For DBA programme, the intake is only once a year in September.

  1. Visit the IIUM e-Admission Portal (eadmission.iium.edu.my).
  2. Register an account.
  3. Select Graduate School of Management as the Centre of Studies, select DBA.

During your coursework, you may refine your research interests, identify key industry problems, and develop your research proposal under academic guidance before officially registering for your consultancy and thesis phases.

During the Consultancy Management and Thesis writing phases, there are no scheduled classes to attend. Instead, you will work independently and meet regularly with your assigned supervisor.

  • Self-Selection: You have the flexibility to choose your own preferred supervisor based on your research domain or industry focus.
  • Approval Process: Your chosen supervisor must agree to the arrangement, and the selection is subject to final approval by the Academic Committee.
  • Flexibility: You may choose to retain the same supervisor for both Consultancy Management and Thesis, or select different supervisors for each, depending on your project requirements and supervisor expertise.

Browse full academic profiles, expertise, and research areas here: Link (Consultancy Supervisors), link (Thesis Supervisors)

Instead of traditional publication requirements, the programme utilizes the Consultancy Management Report, which carries an equivalent academic weight (10 credit hours). This applied portfolio demonstrates your ability to solve high-level, real-world business challenges and satisfies the practical contribution requirements of the DBA degree.

  • Local Students (Full-time & Part-time): Starting from RM 41,000.00*
  • International Students: Starting from RM 54,940.00*

*Note: Tuition fees exclude recurrent fees, graduation fees, accommodation, and applicable government taxes (SST).

Yes. IIUM GSM provides special tuition fee rebates and discounts for eligible categories:

  • 20% Discount for 1) IIUM Alumni, and 2) Senior Citizens (Applicants who are 56 years old or older at the time of admission)
  • 30% Discount for IIUM Staff

Multiple financial assistance schemes, internal university funds, and payment arrangements are available to help finance your DBA studies:

  1. University Financial Aid & Scholarships:
  • IIUM Zakat Fund: Eligible Muslim candidates facing financial hardship may apply for financial assistance from the IIUM Zakat Fund (managed by the IIUM Endowment Fund).
  • IIUM Scholarships: Outstanding full-time candidates may apply for university-administered postgraduate scholarships (such as the IIUM Postgraduate Ummatic Scholarship), subject to academic merit, availability, and specific university calls.
  1. Government Loans & EPF Withdrawal:
  • PTPTN Loan: You may apply for education financing through the Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN).
  • EPF/KWSP Withdrawal: Eligible Malaysian students can withdraw from their EPF Account 2 (Akaun Sejahtera) to finance postgraduate tuition fees.
  1. Flexible Semester Instalment Scheme:
  • You can opt to pay your tuition fees in instalments throughout the semester.
  • Important Condition: All outstanding tuition fees and charges for that specific semester must be fully settled before the end of that semester to avoid registration blocks or delayed academic results.

Contact IIUM Graduate School of Management directly:

 

  • Email: gsm@iium.edu.my
  • Hotline / WhatsApp: +60 16-611 6421
  • Official Website