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Lecturer, Communications

Education

Teach courses in communications, such as organizational communications, public relations, radio/television broadcasting, and journalism. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

EducationCreative Arts & Media

Picture the job

Where you'd usually workA lecture hall

  • Mostly indoors
  • Rarely dealing with the public
  • Regular working hours

An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.

In Malaysia

Communications lecturers in Malaysia teach mass communication, journalism, PR, advertising and broadcasting at public universities (e.g. UiTM, UKM, USM, UPM) and many private universities. Programmes are often run in both Bahasa Melayu and English, and industry experience in local media or agencies is valued.

How people get into it here
SPM → STPM/Matriculation/Foundation/Diploma → Bachelor's in Mass Communication, Media Studies, Journalism, Public Relations or Advertising → Master's (minimum for a DS11 public-university post) → PhD (strongly preferred; needed for Senior Lecturer and above)

Sources:pengambilancns.uitm.edu.myperlis.uitm.edu.myappsmu.ukm.myspp.gov.my

Pay in Malaysia

Government starting pay

RM3,320 – RM3,650

per month

Senior grade

RM6,210 – RM14,370

per month

Official basic pay for the government grade, before allowances. Private-sector pay can differ.

UiTM academic job advertisement (Pensyarah Universiti DS11/DS13, SSPA) · Dec 2025

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. Typical entry

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationMaster's degree
The full route to this careerThe steps from school, UPU programmes and sourced costs, read against your answers.

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

IPG (Teacher Training)

Explore KPM's teacher-training route. Check current funding and apply through KPM's PISMP portal, not UPUOnline.

~5 years
Compare routes against your results and interests

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

Quick answers

How do you become a Lecturer, Communications in Malaysia?

SPM → STPM/Matriculation/Foundation/Diploma → Bachelor's in Mass Communication, Media Studies, Journalism, Public Relations or Advertising → Master's (minimum for a DS11 public-university post) → PhD (strongly preferred; needed for Senior Lecturer and above).

What should I study to become a Lecturer, Communications?

Related fields of study: Education and Creative Arts & Media. SPM subjects that help most: English, Bahasa Melayu, Computer Science / ICT and Electrical & Electronic Eng. Studies.

How much does a Lecturer, Communications earn in Malaysia?

The official pay scale put starting pay at RM3,320 – RM3,650 a month, and RM6,210 – RM14,370 with experience (source: UiTM academic job advertisement (Pensyarah Universiti DS11/DS13, SSPA), Dec 2025).

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
  2. 2Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  3. 3Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  4. 4Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  5. 5Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as public speaking, media criticism, and oral traditions.
  6. 6Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
  7. 7Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
  8. 8Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
  9. 9Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.
  10. 10Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks.
  11. 11Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head.
  12. 12Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
  13. 13Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
  14. 14Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
  15. 15Keep abreast of developments and technological advances in the communication field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
  16. 16Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.
  17. 17Participate in campus and community events.
  18. 18Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
  19. 19Act as advisers to student organizations.
  20. 20Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.
  21. 21Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
  22. 22Provide professional consulting services to government or industry.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Lecturer
  • Professor
  • Instructor
  • Speech Teacher
  • Adjunct Lecturer
  • Speech Professor
  • Adjunct Professor
  • College Professor
  • Speech Instructor
  • Adjunct Instructor

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Bahasa MelayuDraws directly on Communications and Media — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Computer Science / ICTDraws directly on Computers and Electronics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Electrical & Electronic Eng. StudiesDraws directly on Computers and Electronics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Islamic / Moral StudiesDraws directly on Philosophy and Theology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • English Language99%

    English

  • Education and Training94%
  • Communications and Media85%

    EnglishBahasa Melayu

  • Psychology78%
  • Computers and Electronics77%

    Computer Science / ICTElectrical & Electronic Eng. Studies

  • Sociology and Anthropology76%

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicNot at all
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never
  • Time spent standingA little

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

33%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

0.01%

Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work

Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job, and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.

What beginner adverts asked for

We read 11 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.

10 of 11 were internships

Allowance or pay, when stated

RM700 – RM900

3 of 11 adverts printed an amount: usually between RM700 and RM900 a month. Many print none.

An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.

Related careers

If this interests you, these are worth a look too.

About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Communications Teachers, Postsecondary

Source: UiTM academic job advertisement (Pensyarah Universiti DS11/DS13, SSPA) · as of Dec 2025

Check the salary figures yourself:UiTM academic job advertisement (Pensyarah Universiti DS11/DS13, SSPA)

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org