UTP Chess Dragons: About Universiti Teknologi Petronas

University Profile

Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) was established on January 10, 1997 when PETRONAS was invited by the Malaysian government to set up a university.

The campus is built on a 400 hectare (1,000 acre) site strategically located at Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia. The University is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PETRONAS, the national oil company of Malaysia.

UTP offers a wide range of engineering and technology programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels complemented with a strong focus on Research and Development. The programmes are designed with high industry relevance to provide a dynamic learning environment.

The University community comprises of students and staff from various countries and is located in a beautifully landscaped setting, amidst the new township of Seri Iskandar. Its peaceful environment, wide open spaces and abundant lakes make these serene surroundings an ideal place to study.

The Early Beginning

Malaysia’s vision is to become a developed nation by 2020. In realising this aspiration, the country needs to ensure the availability of highly qualified human resources especially in the fields of science, engineering and technology. Towards this end, the efforts of the government in developing a strong and technically skilled workforce in the country must be complemented by the active participation of the private sectors.

PETRONAS, with its full commitment for human capital development, was one of the corporations that took up this challenge. In April 1995, the organisation established Institute of Technology PETRONAS (ITP) with the purpose of providing education at the tertiary level in order to contribute to this national effort.

With an initial intake of 65 students, ITP started its first academic session in July 1995 in rented premises. Its offices, classrooms and students accommodation were housed at PERMATA, Bangi while laboratory works were conducted at Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). There were only six permanent staffs at that time. Part-time staff from the neighbouring institutes of higher learning supplemented the teaching and laboratory works.

ITP relocated its operation to Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak on 1 July 1996 at the newly acquired USM Perak Branch Campus after building temporary offices, hostels and laboratories. It co-existed with USM for five years pending USM’s move to its new campus in Transkerian, Seberang Prai, and pending the setting up of UTP’s own permanent campus.

With the enactment of the Private Higher Learning Institution Act in December 1996, the Government officially invited PETRONAS to set up UTP on 10 January 1997. The academic master plan was then drawn up, followed by the physical master plan of the University. At this stage it was found necessary to acquire additional 200-hectares of land from the State, besides the 200-hectares earlier acquired from USM.
From then onwards, the planning and implementation of UTP Campus progressed rapidly achieving several milestones in its journey towards educational excellence.

Facilities: