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HISTORY OF THE FACULTY

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 765 students, and 48
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 six programmes at the postgraduate level, Master of Economics, Master of
Public Administration, Master of Applied Statistics, Master of Development Studies and
Doctor of Philosophy. Of the 765 students, 409 are enrolled in the undergraduate programme
while the rest are postgraduate students, including 32 international students from various
countries such as Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, China, Nigeria, Sudan, Pakistan, Myanmar, Maldives,
Ghana, Japan, Thailand, Afghanistan, Libya, Bangladesh, Syria, Gambia, Yemen, Palestine,
Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, United States, Canada, Norway and Somalia.

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 Ali Chair (TIAC), established in August 2000.
There have been six (6) distinguished holders of the Chair, Professor Ronald Ian McKinnon,
Dr. Yilmaz Akyuz, Datuk Seri Panglima Andrew L.T. Sheng, Professor Takatoshi Ito,
Professor Ajit Singh and Prof. Dr. Thorsten Beck.

To initiate and enhance research, teaching and dissemination of evidence-based knowledge
in the area of social security, including old age financial protection, the Social Security
Research Centre (SSRC) was established in March 2011. The Employee Provident Fund
(EPF) of Malaysia has graciously provided an endowment fund to establish centre and the
nation’s first endowed Chair in Old Age Financial Protection (OAFPC) at University of
Malaya.

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 with 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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