Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) provides high quality education in sciences, business, economics, policy studies, engineering, medicine and social sciences. The university introduced the GenNEXT programme in 2009, allowing students to tailor their studies according to their learning styles. Its pioneering Discovery Year programme allows students to study abroad through its partnership with universities and institutions across six continents.
The recently officiated UBD Startup Centre (USC) is a platform for UBD alumni to explore entrepreneurial ideas and work with other alumni or current students from multidisciplinary backgrounds and interests. This initiative also aims to develop UBD research project ideas with the intention of elevating them further towards commercialisation, in line with UBD’s vision to be a University of Innovation and Enterprise.
In June 2021, UBD continued its growth in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings, moving up to 250th place. Since it broke into the QS World University Rankings in 349 places in 2017, UBD has risen to be in the top one per cent out of over 26,000 universities globally since 2020.
The announcement by QS showed that UBD performed particularly well, improving in the six indicators. Its strongest indicator, International Faculty, was placed among top 50 in the world. This indicator along with Faculty-Student Ratio and International Students also sees UBD performing better than the global average. UBD has also made improvements in Academic Reputation and Employer Reputation.
In October 2021, UBD added another feather to its cap with the newly released Times Higher Education (THE) World University Subject Rankings. UBD, for the first time, was placed in the 201-250 band for social sciences.
This ranked UBD third in ASEAN, together with the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University. UBD performed particularly well in social science research impact, in the top 21 percentile, and international outlook, top 27 percentile, in the world.
Social Sciences is the third UBD discipline to be ranked by THE, following the recent success of engineering, ranked 201-250, and physical sciences, ranked 401-500 in the world. For a small, young university, it is a major achievement to be ranked among the best universities in the world. The achievement is due in part to the quality of academic and applied impact of UBD’s research.
Established in 2007, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) now has seven faculties: Faculty of Usuluddin; Faculty of Syariah and Law; Faculty of Arabic Language; Faculty of Islamic Economics and Finance; Faculty of Islamic Development Management; Faculty of Islamic Technology; and Faculty of Agriculture.
Each faculty offers various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes ranging from Usuluddin, Syariah, Islamic Law, Arabic Language, Islamic History, Islamic Finance to Business Management programmes.
In addition to its core programmes, UNISSA offers additional courses to provide students with a competitive edge so they will thrive in any environment while portraying the virtues of a devout Muslim. Some courses include Al- Quran, Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB), Islamic Virtues and Entrepreneurship.
Students of Bachelor’s degree programmes who have obtained CGPA 3.50 and above throughout the first two years of study are given an opportunity to study abroad for a year at any of UNISSA’s partner universities in the Middle East, United Kingdom (UK), Morocco or Malaysia.
The study abroad programme aims to provide experience studying overseas under different education systems, ways of life, and cultures. Alternatively, students in their third year undergo industrial training to gain work experience and insights into the day-to-day operations at selected organisations.
UNISSA was recently recognised as a fourstar ‘plus’ institution in the applied university category, based on the University Performance Metrics (UPM) evaluation system led by Vietnam National University, in collaboration with the ASEAN University Network (AUN).
In the UPM 2021 edition, UNISSA obtained five stars in the research category, while also earning four stars in six out of eight evaluation categories: strategic governance, education, innovation ecosystem, information technology infrastructure, internationalisation and community service.
After gaining recognition as a four-star ‘plus’ institution in September, UNISSA gained further recognition for two undergraduate programmes – the Bachelor of Science in Islamic Finance, and the Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Syariah Law in October 2021.
The Bachelor of Science in Islamic Finance programme was recognised as a five-star programme and ranked top in the applied programme category with 752.5 points, while the Master of Law and Bachelor of Syariah Law dual degree programme received a four-star recognition and ranked seventh with 604 points.
As the evaluation result of 44 indicators in seven categories, the Bachelor of Science in Islamic Finance programme earned five stars in three categories – strategic alignment, teaching and learning, and internationalisation. Meanwhile, the Master of Law and Bachelor of Syariah Law programmes received four stars in five categories, including research and innovation, the university ecosystem, and community service.
The establishment of Politeknik Brunei was consented by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in a titah delivered during the Teacher’s Day celebration on October 18, 2008 to accelerate the country’s human resources development, emphasised by the National Development Plan (RKN) and Brunei Vision 2035.
With a vision to be a reputable polytechnic producing innovative, skilful and marketable graduates, and a mission to equip students with sustainable skills through holistic and quality education in a supportive teaching and learning environment, Politeknik Brunei began its operation in January 2012, with the enrolment of its first intake.
Politeknik Brunei reached another significant milestone after it was awarded the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 9001:2015 on November 27, 2017 by Bureau Veritas (BV), making it the first higher education institution in Brunei Darussalam to be certified, particularly in providing Level 5 Diploma Education in the field of Business, Information Communication Technology and Science & Engineering.
In support of the institution’s vision on nurturing innovation, Politeknik Brunei is also an Institutional Member of the Oracle Academy. Politeknik Brunei remains keen and unequivocal in developing ICT talents of young Bruneians (particularly those who are passionate about ICT or technology in general), since the Oracle Academy advances computer science education globally to drive and boost knowledge, innovation, skills development, and diversity in technological fields by offering both educators and students computer science education resources.
Politeknik Brunei is divided into the School of Business, School of Health Sciences, School of Information and Communication Technology, School of Science and Engineering, and Department of General Studies.
Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) is an elite engineering and technology university in the Sultanate specialising in the areas of engineering, business, computing, applied sciences and mathematics, and Design. In 1986, UTB was initially established as a higher learning institution offering Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes. It was upgraded to a university in 2008 and has seen tremendous development since then, with the expansion of its academic programmes portfolio and collaboration in research, education and training programmes.
With its high-quality education, hands-on approach and industry-based programmes, UTB has produced graduates who are readily accepted by top universities around the world and highly valued by employers in the country and abroad.
Currently, UTB is ranked at 344 worldwide by the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking (QSWUR) and has climbed up 98 places since its first debut in 2019. This has placed UTB at 40 for Young Global University under 50 years of age.
In the latest QS Asia University Rankings 2021 edition, UTB is ranked at 126 among a total of 687 institutions across the continent. This achievement has placed UTB among the top eight engineering and technology university in Southeast Asia.
These show that UTB is able to be on par with other prestigious universities around the world and are clear indicators of UTB’s ability to harness its strengths as an institution of global calibre.
Last year, UTB also marked another milestone after being awarded the 5-Plus Star rating for excellence by QS. This achievement has placed UTB among the 15 universities in the world and the only university in Southeast Asia to receive the prestigious QS 5-Plus Star Award. The 5-Plus Star Award recognises the university as an elite destination for the very best students and faculty worldwide, and acknowledges UTB’s research excellence, quality in teaching, globalisation experience for students, and capacity for nurturing student talent.
To be rated 5-Plus Star, an institution must achieve the maximum five stars across all categories. UTB performs exceptionally well as a young university, with perfect scores in four out of eight of its assessed categories: teaching, employability, social responsibility and inclusiveness.
One of the many aspects that enabled the university to achieve this prestigious award include Programme Strength category: Engineering – Civil and Structural, which UTB performed particularly well according to the report by QS. As the key provider of engineering higher education in Brunei, this amazing result is yet another testimony to the strengths and quality of education at UTB through its efforts in pursuing and retaining professional accreditations for its programmes.
Besides getting its offered programmes accredited from professional international bodies, UTB continues to develop current and relevant programmes for its students including shortening the duration of some of its undergraduate degree programmes from four years to three years starting last year as part of its efforts to make its graduates more competitive in the job market.
With these exciting new changes at UTB and broadening of degree programme areas, the university is confident students will find a diverse academic experience of global calibre. UTB graduates will matriculate knowing they have a solid academic foundation and the hands-on experience that will set them apart from the rest of the field and shape them to be citizens with impact.
As part of its efforts to support Brunei Vision 2035, UTB developed its new five-year Strategic Plan 2019-2023, focussing on four strategic areas: quality education, independent learners, translational research and quadruple helix engagement. Successful implementation of initiatives under these focus areas within the five-year period will improve UTB’s global prominence while making a strong impact and contribution to the country’s human resource, industrial and enterprising capabilities. UTB strives to equip its graduates with quality education, industrial experience and other added values to prepare and provide them with a competitive edge in today’s saturated job market not only in the Sultanate but also overseas.
UTB’s vision is to become a global university impacting society and its mission is to nurture socially responsible talents that are deeply rooted in MIB values and committed to building a global and entrepreneurial society in pursuit of innovation and industry-relevant capabilities, towards the fulfilment of Brunei Vision 2035.
Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE) was set up in 2014 as a post-secondary institution providing technical and vocational education. It was created by merging the Department of Technical Education and seven technical and vocational schools nationwide.
IBTE’s Vision is ‘A dynamic technical education institution embracing lifelong learning’, while its mission is ‘Nurturing learners to be highly competent and socially responsible towards building a dynamic economy’, and consists of three strategic goals – quality teaching and learning; sustainable corporate governance; and effective strategic collaboration with stakeholders.
The schools of IBTE are categorised into IBTE Central and IBTE Satellite. IBTE Central has four campuses under its wings, namely IBTE Sultan Saiful Rijal Campus, IBTE Nakhoda Ragam Campus, IBTE Mechanical Campus and IBTE Business Campus.
Meanwhile, IBTE Satellite has three campuses, namely IBTE Jefri Bolkiah Campus, IBTE Sultan Bolkiah Campus and IBTE Agro-Technology Campus. These campuses conduct various programmes from energy and engineering to agriculture and business.
Established in 2002, Kolej International Graduate Studies (Kolej IGS) started operations in 2004, offering vocational education and training related to business and information technology. The college provides an alternative pre-university education for ‘O’ Level leavers through certificate, diploma and HND programmes.
Kolej IGS is the first college to offer diplomas from the Brunei Darussalam Technical and Vocational Education Council (BDTVEC) by developing their own courses. Undergraduate programmes are also available. The college caters to mature students, providing part-time options for professional development among working adults to advance their careers. Since its establishment, Koleg IGS has yielded more than 200 graduates from different programmes, now working in various public and private sectors.
Cosmopolitan College of Commerce and Technology (CCCT) is another private higher education institution in the country and offers business and technology courses across different levels as well as pre-national diploma courses of BDTVEC.
Established in 2004, the college takes pride in its approach to education. With a strong line-up of industry-oriented lecturers who can adapt to a modern and structured method, the college provides a well-rounded learning experience through consultative coaching and workshops providing students an opportunity to explore new skills and boosting their employability. Over 26 companies conducted campus interviews in 2020 with some students receiving job offers.
In June 2021, 416 students of CCCT graduated in HNDs, diplomas in level 1 to 3 and certificates in IT, business and creative media production during the college’s 14th convocation ceremony.
Laksamana College of Business (LCB) was established in 2003 in partnership with the Kensington College of Business (KCB) in London, UK and Abdul Razak Holdings, Brunei Darussalam. LCB created history in 2017 by being the first institution in Brunei to be honoured with the prestigious ASIC global accreditation.
LCB thrives to create an innovative and creative environment to meet students’ needs while catering to the demand of industries and corporates as well. With the launch of the Pearson BTEC (UK) Diploma, HNC and HND programmes in 2009, the college aims to establish itself as a premier UK education provider in Brunei in Business, IT/Computing and Hospitality Management-related courses.
In 2015, LCB officially embarked on a new journey of providing full-fledged degree courses locally. The world-renowned three-year degrees are awarded by the University of Chester, UK. The degree courses at LCB include the BSc (Hons) Computer Science, BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance, BA (Hons) Business Management and BA (Hons) Marketing. These courses are available in both full and part-time study mode. In addition, all Chester degree courses are available in both day and evening-time study mode.
The Culinary School by Laksamana College of Business was launched in 2019, the first private institution for Culinary Arts in Brunei running the well-renowned City & Guilds, London Programme.
Four more undergraduate and three postgraduate University of Chester degree were launched in 2020. LCB caters for the demand for the progression from Pearson BTEC Hospitality students by starting BA (Hons) Events Management and BA (Hons) International Tourism Management. LCB also expanded the range of Computing Degree options by adding BSc (Hons) Applied Computing and BSc (Hons) Software Engineering. In the same year, LCB earned a College Recognition award from the Institute of Travel & Tourism.
The college reached another milestone in 2021 by introducing postgraduate programmes in MSc International Finance, MSc Management and MSc Advanced Computer Science awarded by the University of Chester.
LCB also launched a new course this year in Foundation in Information Technology for O Level graduates keen to pursue a degree in Computing-related fields.
The college has more plans in store for the year, with the construction of its new campus extension under way. The new building will have three floors, of which one will be dedicated to its Culinary School, and the other floors for more classrooms and an auditorium. The building is set to be completed by the end of the year.
Registrations for new intakes is every February/ March and August/September.
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