Asian DL doctorates: Al-Madinah International University in Malaysia

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Cyber, Sep 18, 2011.

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  1. Cyber

    Cyber New Member

    About a week or so ago, Asia e-University was discussed here. Al-Madinah International University is another Malaysian option for earning doctorates through distance learning. In addition to several master degrees, Al-Madinah International University offers research-only PhDs in Economics, Accounting, Business Management, Information & Communications Technology, Islamic Banking & Finance, etc. for less than $8k (less than $5k for 2yr full-time study), with study duration that ranges between 2 to 5 years (full-time/part-time). Accredited by the Malaysian government, and With learning centers in several countries including a location in London, UK, Al-Madinah International University may be an affordable alternative for those looking for a cheap doctorate.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 18, 2011
  2. hal123

    hal123 New Member

    Do you have additional info about the University? about the program?
     
  3. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Unlike Asia e-University, Al-Madinah International University is not a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.
     
  4. okydd

    okydd New Member

    What is the professional verdict on Al-Madinah International? Is it a stay away, a wait and see, or an okay to enroll.
     
  5. Cyber

    Cyber New Member

    Al-Madinah(MEDIU) and Asia eUniversity(AEU) are fine schools, but from my findings, Open University Malaysia (OUM) is a better alternative, for now. Although MEDIU (which by the way offers hard-to-find PhD in Accounting and one in Economics) and AEU are newer and hold institutional accreditation by the Malaysian government/Ministry of Education, only AEU's PhD in Business Administration is officially authorized or holds programmatic accreditation right now (the process of accrediting the rest of their doctoral program starts after graduation of an initial batch of students from each program) by the government.

    What I like about MEDIU's PhD in Information and Communications Technology, however, is that a bachelor's degree with some in-field or ICT-related work experience (sorry-I didn't check other programs) is good for admission into the program (remember one can complete this PhD in 2yrs, full time for around $5k).

    On the other hand, regarding what makes OUM standout, is that all graduate programs are currently accredited by the Malaysian government. Another reason why OUM is preferred, for now, is the fact that the school was formed by all Malaysian public universities (none of the public schools offer DL programs, by design) and is currently supported by professors from those public universities (read OUM's story here). OUM is known widely in the region and more prestigious, atleast for now, as it is modeled after The Open University - UK's distance learning university or "UK's largest university for part-time higher education," as they call it.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 19, 2011
  6. okydd

    okydd New Member

    Are there anymore opinions from the heavyweights on DI? Al-Madinah's doctorates are fairly inexpensive. If this school is valid and accredited then it warrants our promotion, equal promoters.
     
  7. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I emailed them twice for information, to two different contact points. No response. To me that's a major failure.
     
  8. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    To my knowledge, we've not had one of our members go through any of these programs and so it's very hard to say anything definitive. The schools themselves seem to be OK, but if I was going to earn a research-based, dissertation-only PhD from a large non-US university I'd probably still choose UNISA because it's still cheaper than these Malaysian schools.
     
  9. Cyber

    Cyber New Member

    True, but the these Asian alternatives have more flexible entry requirements (maybe because they are new) than UNISA. For example, I am interested in UNISA's PhD in Information Systems, but they require in-field undergrad and research-based graduate degree in computer science or information systems (that is, BS and MS in CS or IS) before I qualify for admission into the program. That means degrees like IT management/MIS, Information Technology, Business Intelligence/Knowledge Management, BIS, etc., even if courses that were taken in these programs match or align with those offered in computer science or information systems programs, do not meet their requirements (I read this in one of the brochures/catalogs on their site).

    On the other hand, these Asian schools accept any degree in a closely related field, as long as your research will concentrate in an area closely matched with your master degree. They also accept course-only master degrees (degrees without statistics and/or research methods), whereas, UNISA require research master's (in SA, Asia and other common wealth countries, the MSc or MPhil are usually research master's - we know that is not always the case in the U.S.A).

    My point is that UNISA is superior. However, for folks who need a PhD quickly, the Asian alternatives provide a way out. I'm still checking out Al-Madinah and Open University of Malaysia; I may end up applying before the next start date, which is January/February. We'll see.
     
  10. Cyber

    Cyber New Member

    Which school did you email? Asia eUniversity or Al-Madinah? I emailed Asia eUnivesity and never received a reply. Their name is a turn-off anyway, so no qualms.
     
  11. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I emailed Al-Madinah University. I'd be interested to hear whether anyone's had luck with Open University Malaysia also.
     
  12. UnixGuy

    UnixGuy New Member

    Sorry if this is slightly off topic, but what do you think of UK's Research-only PhDs in comparison with UNISA and Malaysian Unis ? I a long-term plan of getting a PhD from a UK university, I'd like some inputs.
     
  13. Cyber

    Cyber New Member

    A doctoral degree from UK, a developed or advanced country, is always going to be superior than one from Malaysia and South Africa, as well as other developing countries. So if getting a research-only PhD from a UK school is your plan, please proceed with it - you won't go wrong. We discuss Malaysian, South African, Indian, and other doctoral programs from such countries because they are cheaper alternatives to doctoral programs in advanced countries like UK, Australia, U.S.A, etc. Goodluck!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 24, 2011
  14. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I largely agree. Your likely to get better name recognition or less likely to get negative reactions (I once had someone say to me, "I didn't know they had universities in South Africa.") Two small warnings though. The first is the general cost. As Cyber said, the UK degree will be much more expensive. Secondly, the UK schools will not always agree up front that you'll never have to come to campus. Even one trip (airfare, accomodations, etc.) can make a substantial difference in the total cost. Other than those factors I like the fact that there are some great schools in the UK, some with very unique programs.
     
  15. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I had an English friend who was asked by an American, "Do you have Christmas in England?" Just because there are some incredibly ignorant people out there doesn't mean it's a blanket bad idea to do a program through a university that's just as good and costs one tenth as much.
     
  16. Jonathan Whatley

    Jonathan Whatley Well-Known Member

    Well, not necessarily. I think there's a great reputational case for, say, the highest-ranked South African schools over the lowest-ranked British ones, or the highest-ranked Indian schools over the lowest-ranked American ones.
     
  17. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    That may be true for people who are well informed but I believe that there is enough racism/xenophobia towards the third world that it is not even close to being universally true.
     
  18. Cyber

    Cyber New Member

    I spoke in general terms. The reality is that if you reside and work in the U.S.A., for example, a degree from an american school will have more utility as well as accepted in america than one from a developing country. Ofcourse, if ranking is the discussion, then the nuances of each program/school may not necessarily support my position. I guess I didn't take into account the possibility that UnixGuy may end up attending the lowest ranked UK school.
     
  19. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    By the way, Cyber, "always" is a dangerous word. Even if one thinks the present utility of a doctorate from a school in Malaysia may be limited, that doesn't mean that this might differ greatly in the future. In what direction will attitudes toward international distance learning have changed in ten years? Twenty? Consider that ten years ago distance learning at all was poorly received by many people, but that generally that's changed enormously.

    So what about a degree from a university in Malaysia? For one, international distance learning is pretty well positioned to become more popular even for insular-minded Americans, considering that many people in the U.S. are breaking their backs under student loan debt. For another, Malaysia in particular is developing rapidly, with policy makers there setting the goal of it becoming economically developed on par with OECD. Don't laugh, they have the successful example of Singapore right next door, and their tallest skyscrapers are already taller than those in the U.S.

    Don't get me wrong, I realize that older Americans will always think that the world stops at the border. But this is another area where progress will happen, even if it's just one retirement (or funeral) at a time.
     
  20. Cyber

    Cyber New Member

    If PhDs earned from american online schools haven't completely passed the "smell test" with many americans yet, imagine one from a "third world." If companies like Google, Amazon, etc. explicitly say they won't hire folks with DL degrees from american schools, imagine applying for a job with a resume that list degrees earned online from Malaysia and SA.
     

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