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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Universiti Brunei Darussalam
Universiti Brunei Darussalam يونيبرسيتي بروني دارالسلام‎ is a national research university located in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. It was established in 1985 and has since become the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered.

UBD is ranked 71st in Asia by the 2023 QS Asia University Rankings, and 387th in the world by the 2024 QS World University Rankings.

Background

History

UBD was established in 1985, opening its doors to the first intake of 176 students. Since then, UBD has seen an increase in the number of graduates, the introduction of new academic programmes, the enhancement of infrastructure and the development of graduate studies.

The university moved to its current location, Tungku Link, in 1995. There are nine academic faculties and seven research institutes covering the fields of Science, Health Sciences, Asian Studies, Policy Studies, Education, Business, Engineering, Biodiversity, Advanced Materials & Energy Sciences, Advanced Research, Applied Data Analytics, Islamic Studies, Leadership, Innovation & Advancement.

International students

UBD opened its doors to international students from its inception. Over the years, there has been an increase in diversity, with many students coming from East Asia (China and Japan), Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Today, UBD offers a range of programmes to enhance international relations, such as the Brunei-US Enrichment Programme for ASEAN and the Discovery Year programme, which encourages students to go abroad during the third year of their undergraduate programme.

Academics

Admissions to UBD are extremely competitive. Brunei had only four large universities that offer undergraduate and graduate studies; two of them are religious universities. Local applicants could only apply through the online service known as HECAS (Higher Education Centralised Admission System) where representatives of Ministry of Education and local universities pick only qualified students that meet the requirements of points of specific exams such as General Cambridge Education A-Level Examinations.

Faculties and institutes

Faculty of Science
  • School of Digital Science (SDS)
  • Academy of Brunei Studies (APB)
  • Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS)
  • UBD School of Business and Economics (UBDSBE)
  • Faculty of Science (FOS)
  • Faculty of Integrated Technologies (FIT)
  • Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE)
  • PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences (PAPRSB IHS)
  • Institute of Asian Studies (IAS)
  • Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Advancement (ILIA)
  • Institute of Policy Studies (IPS)
  • SOAS Centre for Islamic Studies (SOASCIS)
  • e-Government Innovation Centre (eGInC)
  • UBD|IBM Centre
  • Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental Research (IBER)
  • Centre for Advanced Material and Energy Sciences (CAMES)
  • Centre for Advance Research (CARe)
  • Language Centre (LC)
  • Centre for Lifelong Learning (C3L)

Undergraduate

UBD currently offers five undergraduate degree programmes:

  • Bachelor of Digital Science (BDSc)
  • Bachelor of Business and Economic
  • Bachelor of Science
  • Bachelor of Health Science
  • Bachelor of Arts and Social Science
  • Bachelor of Engineering

Graduate Study

UBD offers graduate degrees (Masters by coursework or by research and PhD) in the following disciplines:

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Robotics
  • Data Science
  • Cybersecurity
  • Islamic Civilisation and Contemporary Issues
  • Islamic Banking and Finance
  • Education
  • Energy Studies
  • Computing and New Media
  • Crop Science
  • Primary Health Care
  • Brunei Studies
  • Malay Language and Linguistics
  • Art, Professional Communication and Media
  • Asian Studies

MRCGP (International)

The MRCGP (International) examinations were first established in the Institute of Medicine in 2005 after Brunei Darussalam was awarded host body status by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), UK. Membership of the RCGP has long been established and recognized as the standard assessment for family doctors. Brunei Darussalam is the first host examining body in the region and has successfully conducted the exams since 2005.

University Mosque

Construction on the University Mosque (Masjid Universiti) began in 1992 on a site of two hectares of land, and was completed in 1994, with a total cost of BND $7,600,000. The mosque was officially opened in 1995 by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. It has a capacity of 1800. The mosque is mainly used for religious activities carried out by the university and it also serves daily prayers for the Muslim students and the surrounding locals.

International rankings

University rankings
Global – Overall
QS World387
Regional – Overall
QS Asia71

In 2020 UBD has climbed to rank 254 in the world. In 2024, UBD has fallen down to rank 387 in the world.

Vice-chancellors

Vice-Chancellors Term in Office
1 Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia Haji Abdul Aziz bin Begawan Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Seri Paduka Haji Umar 1985–1986
2 Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Lela Dato Seri Setia Haji Abdul Rahman bin Dato Setia Haji Mohamed Taib 1986–1988
3 Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia Haji Abdul Aziz bin Begawan Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Seri Paduka Haji Umar 1989–1990
4 Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia Haji Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong 1991–1999
5 Dato Paduka Seri Setia Professor Dr. Haji Mahmud Saedon bin Othman 1999–2002
6 Dato Paduka Dr. Haji Ismail bin Haji Duraman 2003–2008
7 Dato Seri Setia Dr. Haji Zulkarnain bin Haji Hanafi 2008–2015
8 Datin Dr. Hajah Anita Binurul Zahrina binti Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia Haji Abdul Aziz 2015–2022
9 Doctor Hazri bin Haji Kifle 2022–present

Partner institutions

Southeast Asia

Singapore

Malaysia

Indonesia

The Philippines

Vietnam

Notable staff

Notable alumni

See also