Curtin University Malaysia is the Malaysian campus of

Curtin University Curtin University (previously Curtin University of Technology and Western Australian Institute of Technology) is an Australian public university, public research university based in Bentley, Western Australia, Bentley, Perth, Western Australia. ...

, a

public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

based in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is the university's largest campus outside of Australia with a total area of comprising academic and residential blocks. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs in various fields of

commerce Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

, computational sciences,

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

and

health sciences The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to health sciences: Health sciences – those sciences that focus on health, or health care, as core parts of their subject matter. Health sciences relate to multiple a ...

. It also offers foundational courses and a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

(PhD) among other higher degree by research programs. It is named after

John Curtin John Curtin (8 January 1885 – 5 July 1945) was an Australian politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Australia from 1941 until his death in 1945. He held office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), having been most ...

, a prominent Prime Minister of Australia during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

from 1941 to 1945. Curtin University, which has its main campus based in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, is the largest university in the state of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

with 58,607 students globally in 2022. Students have options to transfer or study abroad to other Curtin campuses in

Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie-Boulder (or just Kalgoorlie) is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder as the surroundi ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

and

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

as the same units are studied across its campuses. In additional, students from other universities and Curtin campuses can also apply to study abroad at Curtin Malaysia. As of 2022, the campus enrolled 1,937 students. Under the "One Curtin" model, the campus is operated directly under Curtin University and degrees conferred by Curtin University to Curtin Malaysia students are equivalent to Curtin proper. The university follows the same academic calendar as Curtin Australia and uses the same curriculum, study materials and examinations. The university campus is accredited by the

Malaysian Qualifications Agency The Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA; ) is a statutory body in Malaysia set up under the Malaysian Qualifications Act 2007 to accredit academic programs provided by educational institutions providing post secondary or higher education and ...

(MQA) and tuition rates are significantly lower than of international students studying in its main campus in Perth. The university also conducts research at its Malaysian campus. In Australia, the university is known for having high employer satisfaction rates. According to the 2022 Employer Satisfaction Survey published by the Australian Government's QILT, the university received the highest overall employer satisfaction (89.7%) among all universities in Australia. The university also ranks within the top 200 universities according to the

Quacquarelli Symonds Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) is a higher education analyst and a for-profit services provider headquartered in London with offices in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. History The company was founded by Nunzio Quacquarelli in 1990 to provide informati ...

and

U.S. News ''U.S. News & World Report'' (''USNWR'', ''US NEWS'') is an American media company publishing news, consumer advice, rankings, and analysis. The company was launched in 1948 as the merger of domestic-focused weekly newspaper ''U.S. News'' and ...

university ranking publications, while ranking somewhat lower on others.

History

Curtin University is the modern descendent of the

Perth Technical School Central Institute of Technology was a Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institution based in Perth, Western Australia until 2016, at which point it became a part of North Metropolitan TAFE. It was the equal oldest post-secondary educationa ...

, established in 1900, which later became the Western Australia Institute of Technology in 1966. The institution received university status in 1986 to form the Curtin University of Technology, named after paramount

Prime Minister of Australia

. In 2010, it removed the suffix from its name and became simply Curtin University. As of 2022, it is the largest university in the state of Western Australia with 58,607 students enrolled across its domestic and overseas campuses. The Sarawak State Government invited Curtin University to establish an international campus in Sarawak, with both signing a Memorandum of Understanding in 1998. Professor Kevin McKenna became the inaugural Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive (President) of the newly-formed institution. Curtin Malaysia's operations in Miri commenced in February 1999, with initial study programs in various fields of engineering and commerce, with the campus fully opening by 2002. On 11th May 2006, a ground breaking ceremony was held at the university for Phase 2 of its campus development and the Proposed Curtin Lake-View Eco-City. This expansion, masterplanned by Teo A. Khing Design Consultants (TAK) and supported by the Sarawak Government, Imasa Dinasti Sdn Bhd and the TAK Group of Companies, was part of a broader Greater Curtin Sarawak Development. Phase 2 of Curtin University Malaysia included the construction of new academic buildings and student facilities. The university campus has students from more than 50 countries and teaching staff from more than 15 countries. Besides being the first

offshore campus An international branch campus (IBC) is a form of international higher education whereby one or more partnering institutions establishes a physical presence in a foreign location for the purpose of expanding global outreach and student exchange. G ...

of Curtin University, it is also the first offshore campus by any overseas university set up in

East Malaysia East Malaysia (), or the Borneo States, also known as Malaysian Borneo, is the part of Malaysia on and near the island of Borneo, the world's third-largest island. East Malaysia comprises the states of Sabah, Sarawak, and the Federal Territory ...

Schools and departments

The courses offered by the Malaysia campus follows the identical structure and curriculum content as those offered at the main Bentley campus in

. During their course of studies, students have the discretion to study abroad or transfer to other Curtin campuses in Perth, Kalgoorlie, Singapore, Dubai and Mauritius to gain further international exposure and widen their perspectives. Curtin Malaysia also offers a range of university pathway programs alongside its undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Courses at Curtin Malaysia are currently provided by the following Curtin schools: * Faculty of Business * Faculty of Engineering and Science * Faculty of Humanities and Health Sciences * School of Pre-U and Continuing Education The Curtin Malaysia Student Council is the main student body managing social events and clubs on the campus.

Academic profile

Curtin University is a

Western Australian Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

university and perception of the university may differ across the different countries where it has campuses. In the 2024 ''Aggregate Ranking of Top Universities'', which measures aggregate performance across the QS, THE and ARWU rankings, the university attained a position of #191 (11th nationally). ; Ranking publications In the 2025 ''

World University Rankings College and university rankings order higher education institutions based on various criteria, with factors differing depending on the specific ranking system. These rankings can be conducted at the national or international level, assessing inst ...

(published 2024), the university attained a position of #174. In the ''Times Higher Education'' World University Rankings 2025 (published 2024), the university attained a position of #251-300. In the 2024 ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'', the university attained a position of #201-300. In the 2024–2025 ''U.S. News & World Report'' Best Global Universities, the university attained a position of #164. In the ''CWTS Leiden Ranking'' 2024, the university attained a position of #280.

Notable people

Mutang Tagal Datuk Mutang Tagal (5 October 1954 – 10 May 2024) was a Malaysian lawyer, businessman, and politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Bukit Mas in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia from April 1982 to October 1990. He left active politi ...

- Malaysian politician, lawyer and businessman who has served as 20th

President of the Dewan Negara The president of the Senate (; Jawi: ) is the presiding officer or speaker of the Dewan Negara, the upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia. The president of the Senate is created under Article 56 of the Constitution of Malaysia. The office ...

and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

* The Pro Vice-Chancellor and President of Curtin Malaysia is currently Professor Simon Leunig.

Footnotes

References

External links

*
Curtin University (Australian Campus)History of Curtin University in MalaysiaOpening of the Sarawak Campus (Gallery)
* {{Authority control

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Miri, Malaysia Universities and colleges in Sarawak Engineering universities and colleges in Malaysia Educational institutions established in 1999 1999 establishments in Malaysia Australia–Malaysia relations Private universities and colleges in Malaysia