Hi guys,
I'm a bit confused about where to go for Engineering course. I've just finished my Pre-University called SAM (South Australian Matriculation) in Taylor's College.

The 2 universities mentioned in the title, in my opinion, are the best choices for me due to various external factors such as transport, accommodations and pricing. But I don't have any seniors whom I can refer to.

So I want to ask, are the standards of both universities different?


[In my knowledge]
1. I know that University of Nottingham provide UK degree whereas Monash University provide Australian degree.
2. I also know that in Nottingham, it takes 4 years to reach Masters whereas in Monash, it takes 6 years to reach.

(I do need some corrections if there is any. )

[From what I heard and saw]
1. Monash University standard is higher than in University of Nottingham.
2. Monash University provide more difficult coursework compared to University of Nottingham.
3. Degree in UK (Nottingham) gets better professional recognition than degree in Australia. (from a forum post Honours vs Non-Honours )
4. In The Star newspaper published on 30/1/2013, D-SETARA results were released and it shows that Monash University has a better tier than University of Nottingham in Engineering. (Source from NST)


#4 made me worry the most because it's graded by the MQA representatives.

So any comparisons and comments about that?

This post has been edited by knightzhenry: Jan 30 2013, 02:47 PM

1. Monash University standard is higher than in University of Nottingham. debatable

2. Monash University provide more difficult coursework compared to University of Nottingham.
subjective. I bet people from Monash said that. Some say Nottingham, due to early specialisation, 1st yr stuff is done in Monash's 2nd year.

3. Degree in UK (Nottingham) gets better professional recognition than degree in Australia. (from a forum post Honours vs Non-Honours ) debatable

4. In The Star newspaper published on 30/1/2013, D-SETARA results were released and it shows that Monash University has a better tier than University of Nottingham in Engineering. (Source from NST)
The rating is only a guide, not to be taken seriously. What matters more is the recognition by the Malaysia Board of Engineers. Both are equally recognized.


Both are reputable unis.
The more important consideration are the location and study environment, which do you prefer?

If you say location wise or personal preference and convenience, I would say Monash University.

Well, thank you and thank goodness about #4. And yes, both universities are recognized by the Board of Engineers Malaysia. I'm just afraid that the ratings would jeopardize the quality of education in the universities.

So the education quality of both universities for Engineering are debatable I guess?
and also, I heard from some sources that the number of years to completing Masters in Nottingham is shorter than Monash, is that true?

the masters in nottingham is not a real research masters.... all 4 year courses in the UK has a 'master' degree to it. if you want to get registered by BOE malaysia you have to do 4 years.. same like Australia.. just that the title would be a bachelor's degree..

So the duration of the degree is the same but the title from both UK (Nottingham) and Australia (Monash) would be different?

yes. different. but it is viewed as the same. in the malaysian context it doesn't really matter.

Recent intakes have indicated that more students prefer Nottingham than Monash as far as business courses are concerned.

One of the reasons could be recent exam results showed that some subjects have failure rate of up to 40%.

Some prefer quality but when too many fail, new students prefer alternative places where chances of passing are perceived to be easier. Resitting any paper is not cheap. It can be all dollars and cents.

Hmmm okay. So how about the research thing? I found out that there is a design or research project that is needed in the 4th year to graduate as 'Masters' degree.

If there is, then if we were to complete the research project for that course in Nottingham, we would get the UK 'Masters' degree title?

And let's say in Monash, after doing the same thing for the 5th and 6th year, you can get the Australian 'Masters' degree title?


(Sorry , suddenly jumped to degree comparison but supposed to focus on quality of education, but since tehtmc mentioned that both unis are reputable, the quality would not be different I suppose. )

So you're saying in Business course, many would prefer Nottingham as an access to pass easier whereas Monash would have a higher failure rate because of the education quality of the university?

It may just be a one off thing.

yes you would get an MEng title. But it is not equivalent to a 1.5-2 years post graduate Masters program. You don't do the same thing in Monash. Once you graduate from your degree you can opt do an honours year. If you get first class or so you can jump right into PhD or continue Masters.

So the difference there would be,

Australian (Monash) degree : Completion after 4 years -> titled as "Degree" holder.
UK (Nottingham) degree : Completion after 4 years -> titled as "MEng" holder.

Is that right?

For Post-Graduate, both degrees would undertake 1.5 to 2 years of post-grad course to obtain PhD or Masters?

Yes you are right. However in terms on employment in Malaysia, both are viewed as equal. Some even just do 3 years in engineering in UK (and you graduate with a BEng degree) because they are not bothered with getting registered with BEM. Post graduate is another story though.

There could be a simpler explanation for that, for business courses at least. If I'm not mistaken, Nottingham Malaysia's entry requirements are typically BBB for A-levels or an ATAR of 86 for SAM. Meanwhile Monash Sunway's entry requirements are CDD for A-levels or an ATAR of 70 for SAM.

This is a huge difference and I would assume that the students marginally meeting the entry requirements for Monash would account for the majority of these subject failures. But it is true, failure rates are high although the papers may not be the hardest ever written. I would not know how Nottingham compares based on depth or difficulty though.

lol i hv friends who failed alvls (3Us) and took a foundation course in nottingham then proceeded to degree. talk about quality

May I know which campus did you do your Sam in? I'm also a Sam student from taylors college.. Currently registered to monash for business already

The minimum requirements in the university websites are just that....even some very good schools are not following theirs.

Just found out Imperial College is not following its high requirement of at least a*aaa/a*a*a in engineering for foreign students.

Depending on which engineering field. Biomedical engineering could be easier.

Thanks,it is true. Some eng courses are as low as aab for BEng in IC.

Notice no more Eng Jan/Feb entry for Nott malaysia although accounting is still available.

So no matter what, doing 4 years for both degrees would be accounted as equal level in terms of employment in Malaysia? I mean, no terms and conditions for that matter right?

Hmmm.. Just Googled some facts and got confused with this.
Some people who stopped at BEng degree, would they have the same title as the Australian 'Bachelor' holders then? and would that actually confuse the employers if they faced this situation?

Well, Nottingham Malaysia, from what I heard, has a higher standard of education since it's based on UK education. Is it true that it's requirement for courses like Business is high because of that?
Maybe the failure rate in Monash would be the drawback on why the requirement in Monash for Business course is quite low?

Woah , well done to your friends~

Taylor's College. Hmmm.. Yeah, most of my friends are registered in Monash Business course already. Maybe you could meet my friends there.

Yeah, the intake for Eng is on September now to accommodate other students after A-Levels. Heard from one of the lecturers during The Star Edu Fair.

I remember driving to Nottingham Msia is like driving miles and miles away. It's so deep inside.

Practically, Monash might be a better choice unless you are staying somewhere near Semenyih.