BEE4642

(Engineers & Society)

Chapter 2: Engineering
Accreditation
 CONTENTS

– Introduction to Accreditation Body (MQA,

EAC)

– Why need accreditation?

Introduction to Accreditation
Body ( MQA, EAC, ETAC )
Malaysian Qualifications Agency
(MQA)
• Initial: National Accreditation Board (LAN) and
the Quality Assurance Division, Ministry of
Higher Education (QAD) was approved by the
Government on 21 December 2005.
• 1 November 2007 : MQA was established
• Main role: to implement the Malaysian
Qualifications Framework (MQF) as a basis for
quality assurance of higher education and as the
reference point for the criteria and standards for
national qualifications
 Function of MQA
• To implement MQF as a reference point for Malaysian
qualifications;
• To develop standards and credits and all other relevant
instruments as national references for the conferment of
awards with the cooperation of stakeholders;
• To quality assure higher education institutions and
programmes;
• To accredit courses that fulfil the set criteria and
standards;
• To facilitate the recognition and articulation of
qualifications; and
• To maintain the Malaysian Qualifications Register (MQR)
 Malaysian Qualifications
Framework (MQF)
• Malaysia's declaration about its qualifications and their
quality in relation to its education system.
• MQF is an instrument that develops and classifies
qualifications based on a set of criteria that are approved
nationally and benchmarked against international best
practices, and which clarifies the earned academic
levels, learning outcomes of study areas and credit
system based on student academic load
 Eight levels of MQF
qualifications
• Levels 1 to 3 - Skills Certificates awarded by the Skills
Sectors.
• Level 3 - Academic and Vocational and Technical
Certificates
• Level 4 and 5 - Diploma and Advanced Diploma
• Level 6 - Bachelors Degree
• Level 7 - Masters Degree
• Level 8 - Doctoral Degree

• The levels are differentiated by learning outcomes, credit

hours and student learning time.
 Engineering Accreditation
Council (EAC)
• Delegated body by the Board of Engineers
Malaysia as the only recognized accrediting body
for engineering degree programmes offered in
Malaysia.
• Membership:
– BEM (5-6 representatives),
– IEM (5-6 representatives),
– Industry Employers (3-4 representatives),
– Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA)
(1 representative) and
– Public Service Department (JPA) (1 representative)
 Engineering Accreditation
Council (EAC)
• Operate since 2000
• The EAC accredits 190 programmes at 26
institutions of higher learning
• 18th June 2009: the Board of Engineers
Malaysia was accepted as the 13th signatory of
the Washington Accord
 Function of EAC
• Primary responsibilities: to set policy and
conduct approval and accreditation evaluations
• Other functions:
– Maintain a list of accredited engineering programmes.
– Oversee the development and operation of accreditation and
mutual recognition of programmes with other countries.
– Keep the Board informed of the activities of EAC. Where
necessary make recommendations to the Board.
– Foster the dissemination of developments and best practices in
engineering education.
– Advice the Board on public statements or representations that
should be made in relation to engineering education.
Why need accreditation?
 According to the EAC manual,
accreditation is needed:
• to ensure that the quality of engineering
education/programme of registered engineers with BEM
attain the minimum standard comparable to global
practice.
• to ensure that graduates of the accredited engineering
programmes satisfy the minimum academic requirements
for registration as a graduate engineer with the Board of
Engineers Malaysia (BEM) and for admission to graduate
membership of IEM.
• to ensure that Continual Quality Improvement (CQI) is
being practiced by Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs).
• serve as a tool to benchmark engineering programmes
offered by IHLs in Malaysia.
 Engineering Technology
Accreditation Council (ETAC)
• The Engineering Technology Accreditation Council
(ETAC) is a delegated body by the Board of Engineers
Malaysia established in early 2015 as the only
recognized accrediting body for engineering technology
bachelor degree, engineering diploma and engineering
technology diploma programmes offered in Malaysia.
• Membership:
– BEM,
– Industry Employers,
– Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA),
– Public Service Department (JPA) (1 representative)
and
– other relevant learned societies (MySET, IEM, etc)
 ETAC
• The ETAC was instrumental in ensuring
Malaysia’s ETAC accredited engineering
technology bachelors’ degree, engineering
diploma and engineering technology
diploma programmes are substantially
equivalent to the engineering degrees of
the signatories of the Sydney Accord and
Dublin Accord.
 ETAC Missions
• To accredited engineering technology bachelor
degree, engineering diploma and engineering
technology diploma programmes
• To provide students with an excellent academic
foundation and technical education through
structured education programmes
• To provide recognition for all engineering
technologist and engineering technician from
skilled based education programmes both locally
and internationally