In right this moment’s panorama of rising applied sciences and shifting job market calls for, a versatile, industry-relevant curriculum is proving important. Taylor’s College’s Faculty of Pc Science is designed to assist this method, empowering college students to form their very own studying journeys.
Programme director of the Bachelor of Pc Science (Honours), Dr Navid Ali Khan, notes that the curriculum is designed to make sure college students can translate classroom studying into significant, real-world affect by means of problem-solving and sensible execution.
That is supported by the programme’s Triple Observe mannequin, providing college students the selection between internship-based studying, prolonged {industry} immersion, or a technopreneurship pathway targeted on constructing startups.
That is evident in graduates resembling Phen Jing Yuan, a Bachelor of Pc Science (Honours) graduate who has gained greater than 30 world hackathons.
“College students like Phen stand out due to their curiosity, resilience, and powerful initiative. They actively search alternatives past the classroom, embrace challenges, and reveal the power to work successfully below stress,” says Dr Navid.
For Phen, what drew him to Taylor’s College was the extent of flexibility and tutorial customisation it gives.
“In comparison with many different universities in Malaysia, Taylor’s gave me the chance to form my diploma based mostly on my pursuits by means of totally different extensions, majors, minors, in addition to switch or alternate alternatives by means of its collaborations with many well-known worldwide universities,” he says.
This flexibility allowed him to pursue specialisations in each AI and cybersecurity concurrently — a call he made as early as 2022, recognising these fields as key drivers of future know-how.
These extensions proved particularly useful within the hackathons he participated in whereas at Taylor’s College, notably these targeted on AI, Web3, blockchain, and different rising applied sciences.
“As a result of I had already developed familiarity with many associated ideas by means of my coursework, I used to be capable of perceive new concepts extra rapidly and apply them sooner than somebody encountering them for the primary time,” says Phen.
By way of each hackathons and coursework, he additionally developed a robust understanding of stakeholders and their expectations — from what they search for in a undertaking to the requirements required.
“This turned particularly helpful in hackathons, the place judges are additionally stakeholders. It skilled me to ask higher questions, perceive what a selected judging panel is searching for, and form our resolution and presentation extra strategically.”
Studying to innovate by means of collaborations
Whereas Phen is understood for his many hackathon victories, his journey started with pragmatism slightly than ardour. He noticed hackathons as a technique to stand out whereas accelerating his progress.
He went on to steer groups comprising college students from throughout the Faculty’s programmes, together with the Bachelor of Pc Science (Honours), Bachelor of Software program Engineering (Honours) and Bachelor of Data Expertise (Honours), strengthening his means to collaborate and work successfully throughout disciplines. This expertise bolstered that fashionable know-how options are constructed by means of collaboration, slightly than remoted skillsets.
“From my expertise, groups turn into a lot stronger after they can mix college students with totally different strengths. When these areas come collectively, the workforce can suppose extra broadly, design extra formidable options, and execute them extra successfully,” he says.
Some of the vital classes, he provides, was understanding workforce dynamics — surrounding himself with people who share his mindset, assist formidable concepts, and align in imaginative and prescient. This method contributed to a robust worldwide successful streak, from Singapore and Japan to the USA.
Experiential studying results in robust graduate outcomes
Whereas lectures, tutorials, and coursework stay vital, hackathons are a key a part of the pc science studying expertise. Dr Navid believes these platforms create an setting the place college students aren’t solely skilled however actually examined in real-world contexts.
Dr Navid Ali Khan
“These experiences push college students past conventional studying boundaries, serving to them develop important considering, speedy problem-solving and innovation below stress. Our function is to create alternatives, present mentorship, and nurture the boldness wanted for college students to excel in such environments,” he says.
That is supported by purpose-built amenities such because the Cybersecurity Lab, Huawei Lab, and Mac Lab, which give hands-on expertise in areas together with cybersecurity, programming, software program design, and digital content material creation utilizing industry-standard instruments.
Dr Navid notes that the Faculty’s programmes ship robust graduate outcomes, with excessive ranges of satisfaction, employability, and marketability. This displays a broader shift the place graduates aren’t solely coming into the workforce, but additionally creating alternatives inside the digital financial system, taking over roles from software program builders to tech startup founders.
Constructing on this basis, the Faculty additionally gives a complete suite of postgraduate programmes. These embody the Grasp in Utilized Computing, Grasp of Pc Science and Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Pc Science, in addition to 100% on-line Grasp in Utilized Computing.
This robust tutorial providing is additional underscored by Taylor’s College world recognition. The college is ranked among the many Prime 200 globally for Knowledge Science & AI and is recognised because the Prime Personal Non-GLU in Malaysia for these topics (QS World College Rankings by Topic 2026).
Reflecting on his journey, Phen credit the flexibleness and alternatives at Taylor’s College’s Faculty of Pc Science for shaping his path, and encourages future college students to explore how they will specialize in high-demand fields whereas constructing modern options.