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WMU About WMU |
True twinning is an innovative education concept that widens the scope of education opportunity and access for international students to study aboard by allowing them to complete the first half of their foreign degree program at a local college, such as Sunway College in Malaysia. They then proceed to complete the remaining half of their studies at a foreign university such as Western Michigan University in the United States. The Twinning Program of Western Michigan University at Sunway College began in 1987, and over one thousand seven hundred students have participated in this program. Students in Malaysia study about twenty months at Sunway, then complete the second twenty months of their coursework at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA. A full time Resident Director from Western Michigan University is on-site at Sunway College to oversee the program and to offer assistance to the students enrolled in the program. The characteristics of the Western Michigan University True-Twinning Program are described below.
A true-twinning program can also be used as a transfer program if students do not wish to have the benefits of twinning with Western Michigan University. They may transfer their credits to other outstanding American University (admission not guaranteed). Because Western Michigan University is widely recognized, most universities will accept transfer students from the Western Michigan University Program at Sunway College.
Western Michigan University Western Michigan University is America’s 60th largest (out of more than 3,000 universities and college). Founded in 1903, it achieved university status in 1957. It is rated among 200 top National Universities of the United States. Western Michigan University is a comprehensive university funded by the State of Michigan. It offers degrees in more than 175 subject fields. The U.S North Central Association Colleges & Schools accredit all of the University’s degrees. Special external accreditation boards also accredit many of its degrees. The degrees that are accredited by special boards are:
Other degree programs are not accredited by special boards because there are no external organizations that provide accreditation in those areas of study. They are also of excellent quality even though there is no external accreditation agency. This is true for all universities in the United States. Western Michigan University is recognized in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Recently its engineering programs were rated among the top fifth in America, and its business programs are among the ten largest in the United States. Western Michigan University enrolls more than 26,000 students on its main campus (physically about the same size as Bandar Sunway). Over 1, 800 are international students who came from more than 90 countries. Students from Malaysia make up the largest group. In fact, Western Michigan University is Malaysia’s favorite American University, according to MACEE. The University has an exciting teaching faculty, provides outstanding computing facilities, an excellent library, an 800 are campus with on campus residence halls (hostel) for 5,000 students, stores, restaurants, banks, health clinic, pharmacy, and recreational facilities, in the addition to well-designed classroom and laboratory facilities. The University is located in Kalamazoo – a safe and progressive metropolis of over a quarter million people. Halfway between Chicago and Detroit (about 2.5 hours travel either way), the city is located in the scenic Great Lakes area. There are excellent recreational opportunities with boating, fishing, golfing, and other outdoor activities together with a wide variety of cultural activities including museums and theaters. Michigan is home to people of many cultural backgrounds. For instance, Michigan has the largest Arabic-speaking Islamic population in the United States. RECOGNITION: Western Michigan University has been consistently recognized for its academic programs of study both at the undergraduate and graduate level. Nearly 25 percent of its enrollment is in graduate programs, one of the highest percentages in Michigan. In 1987 the Carnegie Foundation for the advancement of Teaching designated Western Michigan University as the only Doctoral I institution in the state of Michigan. Nationally, WMU is one of only 47 institutions in Carnegie Doctoral I category. U.S. News Best College has ranked Western Michigan University in Tier 4 of the National Universities in the United States. U.S. News consistently ranks WMU among American’s best 200 National Universities. Western Michigan Universities is JPA-recognized in Malaysia. Its degree programs have been approved by Malaysia’s Ministry of Education. The University is also recognized by the Governments of Singapore and Indonesia. EDUCATIONS GOALS of Western Michigan University – to provide a structure and encouragement for students to:
Western Michigan University recognizes the need to provide educational opportunities for people of widely varying ages and backgrounds. SPECIFIC AND GENERAL EDUCATION: At Western Michigan university, students must become proficient in a specific academic discipline, as well as gain academic breadth through the general education program. To accomplish this students must select a major which consists of several courses with a common focus—such as marketing, accountancy, computer sciences, electrical engineering, etc. students then fulfill the balance of their academic requirements by taking courses outside of their major. These courses will include selections from humanities, fine arts, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics, western and non-western cultures, health, and wellbeing. MORE THAN TEXTBOOKS: At Western, education is more than study from textbooks. Students have opportunities outside of classes to apply what they have learned so they can develop personal skills and knowledge through involvement and proble4m solving. Students may have opportunities to work with professors in research projects, become active in student government, or in one or more student organizations. There are student organizations to fit the interests of most students. A few include Western Student Association, Residence Hall Association, Finance Club, International Programming Club, Malaysian Student Association, and Muslim Student Association. COSTS ARE COMPARABLE: The cost of attending Western Michigan University compares very favorably with the cost of overseas education elsewhere in the United States or with costs in other countries. Western Michigan University offers classes throughout the 12 months calendar year, so an international student can reduce the overall time and incidental expenses of overseas education by attending WMU throughout the year. Therefore a Sunway College student who transfer to Western Michigan University with 60 credit hours of courses can complete a bachelor’s degree in Kalamazoo in just over 1.5 years of continuous study (2 years for Engineering students). Entry requirements The entry requirements to the Western Michigan University Program at Sunway College are established by Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo: SPM Grade I Students with other equivalent qualifications will be considered for entry into the program on a case-by-case basic. PROBATIONARY ENTRY; If a potential student does not qualify for admission as stated above, it is possible to be admitted o a probationary status called Permission To Take Classes (PTC). Under this classification a student may be admitted into the Program for two semesters during which the student must take a minimum of 18 credit hours of coursework. If the student earns a CGPA of 2.0 of higher, then the student will be allowed to continue I the Western Michigan University Program at Sunway College. It may necessary to have a personal interview with the Resident Director to be accepted "PTC." ADVANCED CREDIT: Students with STPM or A-Level Principals may be awarded credits depending on the grades achieved (General Paper, Home Studies and Religious Studies Excluded). These advanced transfer credits will reduce their workload in the first year and may provide exemption for some required courses. Students who have attended other American Degree Programs, or other colleges or universities, or selected Certificate and Diploma courses may also receive advanced credits for selected subjects in which a grade of C or better has been earned. Results are sent over to Western Michigan University-Kalamazoo for official evaluation.
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