SERDANG, July 15 - Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has received professional accreditation from the Committee Heads of Environmental Sciences, the education committee of the Institution of Environmental Sciences (CHES-IES), United Kingdom, for three academic programmes at the Department of Environmental, Faculty of Forestry and Environment (FPAS) recently.

Dean of FPAS, Prof. Datuk Dr. Mad Nasir Shamsudin, said the three programmes are Bachelor of Environmental Management, Bachelor of Environmental Science and Technology, and the executive programme of Master of Environment.

"With this recognition, UPM became the first university in Southeast Asia and the fourth university outside of the United Kingdom to receive international accreditation.

"All three programmes are pioneer programmes in the field of environmental studies in Malaysia, with the bachelor programme was first offered in 1976 to enhance environmental education and research after the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden in 1972, " said Prof. Mad Nasir.

The Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES), founded in 1971, is a charitable organisation that promotes and raises public awareness on environmental science by supporting professional scientists and academics.

The Committee of Heads of Environmental Sciences (CHES), established in 1991 and merged with IES in 2012, is an active networking organisation representing environmental sciences and related fields at tertiary and continuing education levels.

CHES acts as the education committee for IES which evaluates and accredits bachelor programmes in accordance with the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) Benchmark Statement for Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences and Environmental Studies (ES3) in the United Kingdom. This also includes providing accreditation to master’s programmes with ES3 benchmark.

The accreditation is synonymous with achieving the highest standards and excellence in environmental science academic programmes. Only 45 universities worldwide had received this recognition for their degree programmes as listed at https://www.the-ies.org/accreditation.

Students in CHES accredited programmes have access to high-quality professional development pathways for their careers. They can obtain free and fast-tracked IES Student Membership once they have graduated, and work towards becoming Chartered Environmentalists and Chartered Scientists.

The achievement of the IES accreditation is proof of commitment and dedication of the Faculty of Forestry and Environment members in offering high-quality academic programmes and preparing graduates with the essential knowledge and skills needed for the future, in line with the university's vision to become a university of international repute.

The programmes accredited by CHES-IES are two Bachelor programmes and one Master’s programme with coursework at the Faculty of Forestry and Environment. The other programmes are Bachelor of Forestry Science, Bachelor of Wood Science and Technology, and Bachelor of Parks and Recreation Science.

Further information on the programmes, research, and collaboration opportunities offered by the Faculty of Forestry and Environment can be obtained from the Dean, Prof. Datuk Dr. Mad Nasir Shamsudin (dean.forenv@upm.edu.my). – UPM

Date of Input: 27/08/2020 | Updated: 27/08/2020 | hairul_nizam