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◄Faculty of Economics and Administration►

HISTORY OF

THE FACULTY OF ECONOMICS AND ADMINISTRATION

First established in 1959 as the Department of Economics within the Faculty of Arts,
University of Malaya in 1959. The Faculty of Economics and Administration (FEA) was
founded in May 1966 to meet the nation's growing demand for a professional workforce.
Beginning with just 14 students and three academic personnel, headed by Royal Professor
Ungku Aziz, FEA has evolved into a flourishing academic community of 1076 students, and
58 academic staff, among them professors and lecturers with international reputation in their
respective fields.

Drawing the strength of four departments; Economics, Administrative Studies and Politics,
Development Studies and Applied Statistics, FEA currently offers the Bachelor of Economics
degree, and four programmes at the postgraduate level, Master of Economics, Master of
Public Administration, Master of Applied Statistics and Doctor of Philosophy. Of the 975
students, 486 are enrolled in the undergraduate programme while the rest are postgraduate
students, including 98 international students from various countries such as South Korea,
Gambia, Indonesia, Iran, China, Nigeria, Vietnam, Pakistan, Myanmar, Tanzania, Palestin,
Ethiopia, Syria, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, Sudan, Yemen, Nepal, Sri
Lanka, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The FEA also administers the Population Studies Unit (PSU) that was set up in 1979 as part
of the Population and Family Health Project funded by the World Bank and the United
Nations Fund for Population Activities. Research and training on population related issues
are conducted under the auspices of the PSU.

The FEA is intensively engaged in enhancing academic excellence in the field of monetary
and financial economics through the Tun Ismail Chair, established in August 2000. As of 31st
August 2008, there have been four distinguished holders of the Chair, Professor Dr. Yilmaz
Akyuz, Professor Ronald McKinnon, Dato' Seri Panglima Andrew L.T. Sheng and Professor
Dr. Takatoshi Ito.

In November 2006, the Royal Professor Ungku Aziz Chair was established to honour the
contribution of Royal Professor Ungku Aziz in the fields of education and economic
development. Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs is the first holder of the Royal Professor Ungku
Aziz Chair. In conjunction with the establishment of the Chair, the Centre for Poverty and
Development Studies was set up at the Faculty to serve as a focal point for academic work,
research, consultancy and technical assistance in areas related to poverty and development.

In upholding its research stance, the FEA collaborates wth the Malaysian Economic
Association in the publication of an international journal, the Malaysian Journal of Economic
Studies. FEA also has produced the International Journal of Institutions and Economies
(IJIE).

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