PENANG, 22 February 2016 - The Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry offered by the School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has received international recognition recently when it was accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), United Kingdom.

The degrees involved are the Bachelor of Science with Honours (Chemistry), Bachelor of Applied Science with Honours (Industrial Chemistry) and Bachelor of Applied Science with Honours (Analytical Chemistry) which enabled the degree holders to gain professional recognition as a Chartered Chemist (CChem).

RSC, established in 1980, is an influential professional body with over 50,000 members comprising professionals and chemical scientists from all over the world.

The Dean of the School of Chemical Sciences, Professor Dr. Afidah Abdul Rahim said that the international recognition has brought forth a considerable impact in strengthening the perception of the academic programme and the graduates of USM Chemical Sciences at the global stage.

The initiative to accredit the USM Chemical Sciences undergraduate programme started in late 2012 through an e-mail correspondence with the RSC’s Accreditation Manager, Toby Underwood.

"On 2 November 2015, the School of Chemical Sciences USM received a visit from three RSC assessors from Universiti Malaya, Victoria University of Wellington and RSC itself to review the documentation and the syllabus of the programmes, followed by meetings with the academic staff, question and answer interview sessions with the students and also visits to the laboratories," she said.

Afidah added that this recognition could also enhance the employability of USM students who are pursuing the Chemical Sciences programmes and allows them to be accepted worldwide.

"Any USM students who wish to further their studies at the United Kingdom (UK) would have a better chance of securing a place in the UK universities as this accreditation has given an added value to their first degree obtained at USM," she said.

USM received the certificate of accreditation last January and the accreditation is valid for the period of 2014-2020.

USM has currently about 600 students pursuing a 4-year Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry.

According to Afidah, the School is also actively pursuing international collaborations with various universities abroad including universities in Canada and has been offering double degree programmes with the University of Lorraine, France since 2002 and the Nagaoka University of Technology (NUT) Japan since 2012.

Translation: Tan Ewe Hoe

Text: Hafiz Meah Ghouse Meah / Photos: Ng Yong Hang