Students enrolling into the National University of Singapore (NUS) this year will be spoilt for choice as they can now apply directly to about 70 new combinations in which students can pursue a single-degree major with a second major (i.e. Double Major) or a minor (i.e. Major-Minor).
These new combinations will be spread across 16 subject areas in Business, Humanities, Social Sciences, as well as Science and Technology.
Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost, said, “As a comprehensive university, NUS offers its students great flexibility and choice in customising their education based on their interests and aspirations. On top of 56 bachelor’s degrees, we now offer 71 double degrees, 33 joint degrees and 24 concurrent degrees. However, to be an effective contributor in the workplace of the future, graduates need to develop deep expertise in more than one core discipline.”
In the recent years, we have also observed that students have been gaining knowledge in multiple fields and very often, outside of their core disciplines. Therefore, to encourage students to expand their domain expertise, NUS has developed a broad suite of combinations for students doing a single-degree major to pursue a second major or a minor.
“To help our students better manage their curriculum, we have structured the new combinations to enable students to complete all the modules within their candidature of 4 years. Prospective students can apply to these programmes directly when they apply for a place in NUS,” Prof Tan added.
In the new academic year, NUS will offer about 30 new Double Major combinations and about 40 Major-Minor combinations. Students can take their pick from 16 subject areas detailed here.
Further the institution has also revamped its undergraduate degree programme for students to pursue enriching careers in fast-growing FinTech and Enterprise IT sectors. Starting from August 2017, the NUS School of Computing will be introducing an enhanced undergraduate degree programme in Information Systems. Also the revamped Bachelor’s Degree program will train students in development of technological solutions for large government and business organisations.
See: NUS, NTU, SMU to Offer up to 2,240 spots via Discretionary Admission Scheme for Students in 2017
NUS Computing plans to admit up to 120 students per year for this four-year degree programme. Graduates from the revamped Bachelor of Computing in IS programme will be well-prepared to begin their careers in a wide variety of exciting roles such as enterprise architects, digital strategists, solution consultants, financial IT analysts, systems analysts, software developers, IT start-up entrepreneurs.
Image caption: NUS Computing’s enhanced curriculum will prepare students for careers in the fast-growing FinTech and Enterprise IT sectors
Graduates from the IS programme are also highly sought after by employers. According to the latest Graduate Employment Survey 2015, IS graduates enjoyed a high employment rate of 97 percent. Building on its strong track record, the School of Computing embarked on a review of it’s IS undergraduate degree programmes in December 2016. This is also the first major revamp of the IS degree programme in seven years.
“The IT industry landscape and manpower requirements have transformed tremendously over the last decade. Besides proficiency in IS development and IT management, today’s highly competitive business environment also demands innovation, design thinking, ecosystem development, platform architectural design, and IT governance – these are skills derived from expertise in information systems.”
“In particular, future IT professionals should be well-versed in the key emergent frontiers such as Financial Technology (FinTech) and Internet of Things (IoT). It is therefore timely that we enhance the IS undergraduate degree programme so that our graduates continue to possess skills and competencies that are relevant to industry needs,” said Professor Mohan Kankanhalli, Dean of NUS School of Computing.
Under the revamped IS programme, students will go through foundational training in their first two years to develop solid skills in systems and applications development for enterprise IT solutions, and expertise in enterprise and platform architectural design and development.
New courses such as ‘Information Systems Leadership’ and ‘Enterprise Systems Architecture and Design’ will also prepare students for large enterprise-based IT environments that are found across IT platforms.
Students will also be able to engage in significant real-world projects through internships, which will provide invaluable industry exposure, enhance their education, and offer early career insights.
Also read: NUS grads now 15th most employable in the world
Feature image credit: Freepik
