Tips for SPM Students: How to Choose a Study Route
- Edumap Malaysia
- Nov 24, 2021
- 2 min read
Tips for SPM Students: How to Choose a Study Route

When you have decided on your choice of career, the next important step is to find out what education qualifications you need and how you plan to gain these qualifications.
To begin, here are some questions which will help you consider the education pathway that would be most suited for you and your needs.
Do you want to pursue an academic based programme or would you prefer a vocational based programme which requires more hands-on work? Your answer may lie somewhere in between the two choices but having an idea of what type of programme you prefer will help point you to courses that are more fitting to your nature. In addition, you should scrutinise the coursework and curriculum of a particular course as different institutions could offer very different course methodologies and curricula.
It is important that you understand your academic ability and the career you want to pursue.
Choosing a Course
Another guide is to consider your background and subjects you have studied so far. The list below provides a general guide to areas of study grouped according to your education background (art/science/technical stream). That being said, it is often possible for students from one stream to switch to an area of study of a different stream provided he/she meets the admission requirements of the institution.
Please refer below list of disciplines at tertiary education level available to students from the arts or science streams, or both.
Arts stream courses available to Arts Stream candidates
Literature**
Religious Studies**
Performing Arts
Fine Arts
Others
Science stream courses available to Science Stream candidates
Applied Sciences
Life/Biological Sciences
Physical Sciences
Medicine
Dentistry
Pharmacy
Engineering
Health Science
Others
Arts & Science Stream courses available to both the Arts and Science streams candidates
Accounting
Art & Design
Architecture
Business Administration
Banking & Finance
Communication Studies
Education
Environmental Studies
Humanities
History
ICT
Geography
Graphic Design & Multimedia Production
Language & Literature
Law
Management
Mathematics & Statistics
Marketing & Sales
Quantity Surveying
Social Sciences
Sports Science
Study Options After SPM
If you have just completed your secondary schooling with an SPM qualification, you may be thinking of furthering your education. Before you decide on which institution to apply to, first consider all the study options available to you in Malaysia:
Pre-University Programmes
Form 6 STPM
Matriculation college under the Ministry of Education Malaysia
Matriculation programmes offered by public universities
UK 'A' Level, and Australian and Canadian pre-university programmes
Pre-university and university foundation programmes offered by private higher educational institutions
Tertiary Level Qualifications
Certificate or diploma programmes at private colleges
Diploma programmes at private universities
Certificate or diploma programmes at community colleges or polytechnics
Skill qualifications at skill training institutions (offered by government agencies as well as private institutions)
Industry apprenticeship schemes
Certificate or diploma programmes offered by an external examination body at private higher educational institutions
Bachelor's degree programmes at Malaysia Teacher Training Institutes
source: studymalaysia.com
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