UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SARAWAK

Faculty of Social Sciences

As Malaysia is currently experiencing rapid growth and socio-economic transformation in its pursuit to attain a fully developed nation status by the year 2020, the role of social sciences is becoming more crucial in researching understanding and interpreting the development processes and changes. The various disciplines within social sciences will enable us to understand the human, social, geo-politics and cultural complexities of the local and global society, especially in facing rapid globalization.

The Faculty of Social Sciences offers six programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level, i.e. International Studies, Industrial Relations and Labour Studies, Social Work Studies, Communication Studies, Politics and Government and Development Planning and Management. Degrees awarded are Bachelor of Social Science, Masters of Social Science and Doctor of Philosophy. The academic programmes are applied in nature, balancing the theoretical and practical aspects, emphasizing the multi-disciplinary approach so as to impart knowledge related to various perspectives within the social sciences. This will ensure the graduates to be more competitive at the local, national and global work place.

The Faculty of Social Sciences was established to enable students to acquire and upgrade their knowledge in this field. In view of the university's strategic and unique geographical location in Borneo with more than 25 ethnic groups, and rich in flora and fauna, this will make the faculty as an excellent centre for research in various fields. The knowledge acquired will enhance the graduates' understanding of the socio-political, socio-economic and socio-cultural transformation of society in their midst, thus empowering them to chart effective strategies and steps in handling its challenges and problems. The skills acquired will also provide them with a conceptual framework which is useful for development planning and the management of dynamic change and growth in the context of attaining a progressive society.

The Faculty intends to be a centre of academic excellence in teaching-learning, research, and publication by having qualified, experienced, competent and highly motivated academic staff members who will always place excellence in scholarship as their priority. With that asset, they will be able to guide the students meaningfully. In this context, the programmes have been carefully designed by taking into account changes and development in social sciences so as to ensure that the curriculum and courses are always relevant and contemporary.

The Faculty also ensures that the students are moulded in line with the aspirations of the nation by emphasing a notion of development, which is holistic, integrated and balanced. This is further enhanced by providing them with other practical communicative and social skills so as to enable them to contribute effectively and meaningfully to the development of society and the nation. To accomplish these goals, the Faculty has established various forms of strategic collaboration and cooperation with local communities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and both the public and private sectors. Through its undergraduate industrial placement programmes, social science graduates will be better prepared and more familiar with the relevant skills to face the challenges of the outside world.