The Sunday Times Mirror - Study options in Singapore

Singapore… Hmmm… What comes to mind? Shopping, nightlife, chicken rice, technology, business hub, a melting pot of people, and most importantly… education!

Yes, our focus this week is on what Singapore has to offer you with regard to higher studies. There are many options where one can read for an undergraduate degree in Singapore. The list of higher educational institutions fall under, Autonomous Universities, which are, the National University of Singapore (NUS), the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and the Singapore Management University (SMU). We will be focusing on the Autonomous Universities in this issue of Choices.

A number of programmes are on offer for undergraduate education at The National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). In order to broaden their undergraduate education, these universities have introduced a core curriculum, and they also work in collaboration with well- known foreign universities thereby being able to offer inter-disciplinary studies. A business-based curriculum is offered at the Singapore Management University (SMU). And in fact, their curriculum has been modelled on that of the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania.

The universities are totally autonomous in their pursuit of new heights of excellence in education, research and service while receiving funding from the government.

There are also a number of polytechnics, which offer diploma courses. Currently there are five, namely, the Singapore Polytechnic (SP), Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP), Temasek Polytechnic (TP), Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) and Republic Polytechnic (RP).

If the Fine Arts are what you want to look into, then you have the option of the LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA).

The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) is a technical education institution and if you want to enhance technical knowledge and skills relevant to the industry, then this may just be the place for it. A very important aspect of studying in Singapore is that you can apply for a tuition grant.

What is a tuition grant? Also known as TGS, the grant was introduced by the Government of Singapore to subsidise the high cost of tertiary education in Singapore.

At the moment, it is open to all students who have enrolled for full time courses in the following institutions, namely: the National University of Singapore, the Nanyang Technological University, the Singapore Management University, along with the Singapore Polytechnic, the Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, the Nanyang Polytechnic and Republic Polytechnic.

LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts also offer this grant.

All non-Singaporean students (including Singapore Permanent Residents), are required to sign a TG agreement. In signing this contract you are obliged and expected to work in Singapore for a minimum of three years upon graduation.

Admission requirements
In general the three main universities, namely, NUS, NTU and SMU expect you to have one of the following qualifications to enter. They are:
* 'A' Level (AQA, Cambridge, Edexcel)
* The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma
*Sri Lanka 'A' Level
You are required to submit your high school results and an explanation of your high school grading system along with your SAT I and II scores. The TOEFL or IELTS can come in handy for applicants whose first language is not English
What they mean by completing high school is that you need to have at least twelve years of general education.

Closing dates for applications:
For NUS: Admissions start mid-October 2006 and close for the Academic Year 2007/2008 on February 28, 2007.
For NTU: Applications open in October 2006 and close on March 15, 2007. The shortlisting for the Entrance Exam/Estimated Application Outcome will be in July 2007.
For SMU: To be confirmed

Intakes per year
NUS: Not confirmed
NTU: Not confirmed
SMU: There is only one intake per year which is in August. All undergraduate programmes are conducted on a full-time basis.

The National University of Singapore (NUS)
The following courses are available at NUS under their respective faculties
Arts and Social Sciences -
Arts and Social Sciences
Business -
Business Administration
Computing -
Computational Biology,
Computer Science
Information Systems
Electronic Commerce
Computer Engineering
Communications and
Media
Computing (Business or
Technology Focus)
Dentistry -
Dentistry
Design and Environment -
Architecture
Building and Real Estate
Environmental
Management
Industrial Design
Engineering -
Engineering (streamed after first year of study)
Bioengineering
Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering
Computer Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Engineering Science
Environmental Science
and Engineering
Industrial and Systems
Engineering
Materials Science and
Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Law - Law
Medicine -
Medicine
Nursing
Music -
Performance
(Orchestral
instruments/piano),
Composition
Science -
Science
Pharmacy
Costs
See table above for the rough cost per annum at NUS for international students
Nanyang Technological
University (NTU)
The courses available at NTU under their respective faculties:
Accountancy and Business-
Accountancy
Business
Art, Design and Media -
Art, Design and Media
Communication Studies -
Communication Studies
Education-
Arts (Education)
Science (Education)
Engineering -
Aerospace
Engineering
BioEngineering
Chemical and
Biomolecular
Engineering
Civil Engineering
Computer Engineering
Computer Science
Electrical and Electronic
Engineering
Environmental
Engineering
Materials Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Humanities -
Chinese
Economics
English
Psychology
Sociology
Physical and
Mathematical Sciences -
Chemistry and Biological
Chemistry
Mathematical Sciences
Physics and Applied
Physics
Mathematics and
Economics
Science -
Biological Sciences
Maritime Studies
Costs
See table above for rough cost per annum at NTU for International Students

Singapore Management University
This university offers five full-time undergraduate courses. They are:
* Bachelor of Accountancy
*Bachelor of Business
Management
*Bachelor of Science
(Economics)
*Bachelor of Science
(Information Systems Management)
*Bachelor of Social Science
Costs
Subsidized Tuition Fees
The fees for International students, who are not Permanent Residents of Singapore and if you have applied for the TG will be S$8,250 per year.
Full Fees
However, if for some reason you are not eligible for, or have not chosen to apply for the TGS, for an international student the full fee will be S$21,950.
Please note though, that the subsidized fee remains unchanged during your course of study, but the full fee is subject to change. This depends on the amount of the Government tuition grant subsidy.
FAQs
Will I need a visa and how will I get about it? The university or polytechnic will let you know what needs to be done, once you are accepted.
If I am at a local university or polytechnic, with a student visa, will I be able to work part-time?
Well, the answer is… you can! You can work part-time but these are under certain conditions.
You will also need approval by the university or polytechnic that you are studying in. However, do remember to approach the respective institutions for more information before you look for part-time employment.
Pointers and websites:
Most applications can be made online. Therefore, for more details the following websites will come in handy.
The website for the Ministry of Education in Singapore will come in handy. It offers a broader idea as to what exactly education in Singapore is like. So, click on the following link to get details on the universities in Singapore: http://www.moe.gov.sg/corporate/post_secondary.htm
For more details on NTU you can check out: http://www.ntu.edu.sg/publicportal/
For further details on
NUS visit: http://www.nus.edu.sg/
The website for the SMU is: http://www.smu.edu.sg/