251education in only three of the faculties (in these universities, Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Teknologi
MARA (UiTM)). The normal situation in most of the graduate education pro-
grammes in Malaysia is to have a higher education line or topic included in the
programme, with some academics teaching a general topic on higher education and
directing dissertations on higher education themes, but awarding a final degree in
education, educational sciences or pedagogy, not in higher education. Teacher edu-
cation is unsurprisingly considered a prominent theme. Hence, higher education has
not been the strongest area in the education faculties. The very few academics that
are involved in important research efforts and participating actively in the field
remain a minority in their institutions. Undoubtedly, the existence of so few masters
and doctoral programmes in higher education is a weak point in the development of
the field in Malaysia.
Thus, it is generally recognized that despite the rapid expansion and develop-
ment of higher education in Malaysia, the shortage of trained professionals in the
field of higher education has hampered efforts to implement the policies and man-
age the institutions. In response to the urgent need for leaders and scholars in the
field of higher education, some universities are in the midst of establishing doctoral
programmes in the field. However, these institutions are introducing doctoral pro-
grammes in higher education with inadequately prepared staff, and inadequate
instruction. As the courses are new and some are being developed, it is not known if
the curricula and experts can support the mission of these doctoral and master’s
programmes. It has to be stressed that in the preparation of higher education gradu-
ate programmes, it is essential for the providers to build the subject up as a genuine
discipline of considerable breadth and depth rather than to merely offer one or two
very general courses about higher education.
Admittedly, higher education studies borrow heavily from the various disciplines
to examine and explain phenomena related to the field (Kehm 2015 ; Teichler 2003 ,
2005 ). A discipline has been described as a community of individuals who share a
specialized area of study, a tradition, a method of inquiry, a language and a concep-
tual structure (Huber and Morreale 2002 ; Altbach 2001 ; Jones 2012 ). The curricular
offerings of a higher education doctoral programme should undoubtedly include
courses on the financing of higher education (economics), the models of higher
education (history), student development (psychology), organization and gover-
nance (political science), philosophy of education (philosophy) and others that have
a particular disciplinary focus. As a field of study that relies heavily on other disci-
plines, it is not surprising that it is often pulled in different directions; as a result,
students are challenged to find the appropriate lens with which to frame their
research work. Wright ( 2007 ) and Dressel and Mayhew ( 1974 ) acknowledged simi-
lar concerns about the higher education field lacking a general body of knowledge,
a unique vocabulary, specific techniques for theory testing, a standard methodology
for research and practices. However, Wright ( 2007 ) felt that borrowing from the
other social science disciplines helped move the field closer towards meeting the
criteria of a specialized field of study.
14 Higher Education as a Field of Study in Malaysia: Towards an Epistemic...