The Faculty of Deans and Directors at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) yesterday held a press conference to provide the latest and detailed information about the GenNext Programmes to be offered to the new undergraduate students of the 2009/2010 intakes.

It was also held to inform potential students and their parents, as well as society in general, about the interesting and exciting developments that are taking place in the academic faculties, in terms of the programme structures and possible combinations within the four generic programmes.

This is so that students and their parents will be better informed on the kind of academic packages that are available to them in the different degree programmes that they have been accepted into.

The GenNext programme will be implemented this August with its first intake of students studying either Bachelor of Business at the Faculty of Business, Economics and Policy Studies, Bachelor of Health Sciences at the Institute of Medicine, Bachelor of Arts at the Faculty of Arts and Social Studies or Bachelor of Arts Major in Brunei Studies at the Academy of Brunei Studies.

The GenNext degrees will develop a broad knowledge across the chosen subject areas, while ensuring the transfer of sufficient skills to prepare students for professional practice or further study.

In line with Gen Next, UBD’s Language Centre will also be enhancing its teaching and learning processes. They will be offering two new courses, namely English and Communications and Foreign Languages.

The Bachelor of Business under the Faculty of Business, Economics and Policy Studies (FBEPS) exciting new programme will give students the flexibility to choose from a variety of majors including accounting and finance, economics and business administration.

In addition, students may qualify to take a double major or a minor in any specialist area from the Faculty or across the University. Alternatively, students may elect to take a single major and increase their knowledge in a broad range of subject areas from different disciplines, including public policy, languages, arts, humanities and the sciences.

Students with both the depth of knowledge acquired from a major programme of study and breadth of know ledge across different disciplines will be highly valued in the current, multi-disciplinary, globalised world of business.

The keys to the new Bachelor of Business are flexibility and opportunity. All Bachelor of Business students take a common first year comprising degree core and breadth modules. At the end of their first year they will then be in a good position to decide in what discipline they want to major and whether they want to do a single or double major or add a minor to their major.

FBEPS also offers breadth courses to non-business students from other Faculties in order for them to get a taste of the business world. These modules include Leadership Basics; leadership skills that will enable students to gain insights into their own personal characteristics associated with the notion of effective leadership, Introduction to Entrepreneurship; a module that explores the entrepreneurial spirit in all walks of life, Contemporary Issues in the Brunei Economy; which investigates the major economic issues and challenges that are facing Brunei today, and Essentials of Public Policy; a module concerned with the important role of government in economic and business development.

GenNext students will also embark on the ‘Discovery Year’ in their third year, in which they will undertake one of several available combinations of study abroad programmes, internships, community services, business innovations/incubation schemes and breadth courses.

In line with UBD’s policy of offering, whenever possible, its current students equivalent opportunities to those who will enter the new GenNext programmes in August 2009, the current Study Abroad Programme has been extended to cater for a greater number of students than in the past.

The Institute of Medicine (IM) is also introducing its new generation of undergraduate programmes — the Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc). Students have a choice of studying four majors, namely: Medicine, Biomedical Science, Nursing and Midwifery.

The new programmes are designed for students to attain the necessary core clinical, biomedical, and scientific expertise with interprofessional emphasis. Students are given clinical and laboratory exposure and experience from early on in the programme.

Students who major in Medicine will spend three years in IM after which they will graduate with a BHSc (Medicine). They will then continue their studies in a partner medical school overseas either in the UK or Australia and will graduate with a degree in Medicine from their chosen partner medical school.

As for students majoring in Biomedical Science, Nursing or Midwifery, they will spend four years in the degree programme with a ‘Discovery Year’ in their third year of study when they will spend up to one year abroad designed to provide students with the opportunity to establish and develop global awareness.

The rest of the programme consists of courses in their major discipline and breadth courses. Our students can choose from a variety of breadth courses offered by 1M, other faculties in UBD and those developed by various faculties.

Similarly, students from other faculties are welcome to take our breadth courses, examples of which include First Aid and Basic Life Support, Interpreting Popular Media Reports on Health Research and Biostatistics. This approach is intended to offer a greater range of pathways for students and provide them with greater flexibility in their career choice.

For the Bachelor of Arts under the Faculty of Arts and Social Studies (FASS), students will normally take their degree over a four year period: Year One, Foundation Year; Year Two, Establishment Year; Year Three, Discovery Year and Year Four, Capstone Year.

Each of these years is divided into two semesters, the first is from August to November and the second is from January to April. In addition to course work, students will take examinations at the end of each semester.

To graduate students will require a minimum of 128 Modular Credits (MCs). Each Module is usually worth four MCs (some are worth only two), so in total approximately 32 modules are required.

The modules are offered at various levels: Level 1,000; Level 2,000; Level 3,000 and Level 4,000. The content of the levels becomes increasingly more difficult, thus Level 4,000 modules have a higher weighting than the other levels.

Students must take a minimum of 24 Major Modular Credits (six modules) from Level 4,000 modules to be able to graduate. Students may take different level modules during any year of study, subject to them being available and after consultation with their programme leader. All majors have a programme leader who will guide students in academic matters.

Of the breadth modules, eight are Compulsory Breadth (MIB: four; English I: two; English II: two) and a minimum of 16 (four modules) must be taken outside the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, including at least four (one module) from the Faculty of Science/Institute of Medicine.

The FASS offers the following Major Disciplines; Sociology and Anthropology, Malay Language and Linguistics, Professional Communication and the Media, Geography and Development, English Language and Linguistics, Historical Studies, English Literature, Art, Malay Literature and Environmental Studies For the academic year 2009/2010 students who are partaking in the Bachelor of Arts Major in Brunei Studies will be engaged in a new structured programme, which is different from what is available today. The most significant difference will be the new module in Year Three, the Discovery Year.

The majority of the modules offered will emphasise on giving a broader knowledge and experience to the students on Brunei Darussalam. The new programme structure will encompass on the aspects of History, Community, Monarchy, Culture, Administration, Language, Education, Politics and Development of Brunei Darussalam.

The more significant change is also the introduction of five new courses being taught in English, namely; Brunei History and Sultanate, NGOs in Brunei, Brunei’s Politics, Brunei Foreign Policy and Geography of Brunei as a major course subject.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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