Understanding UG/PG Structure in Singapore

Singapore or the Lion Country is part of the 4 Asian Tigers, conferred the name due to its phenomenal economic development. Almost entirely an Urban Economy, Singapore has become a hub to many foreign companies and specific sectors. While telecommunications, finance and banking are more effectively known, one of the biggest sectors in the country is Education. In its sincere effort to promote the cause of the youth of the nation, the country has built up some of the finest universities in the world. What’s more, it opened the doors to all international students for applying to these universities. Following the large number of Asian Student’s desire to study closer to home, many foreign universities set up their campuses in Singapore with great success. This mix of National/ Public Universities sin Singapore along with Private Universities in Singapore, there is a lot the country has to offer to an International Student. However, before we venture to apply to a universities in Singapore, we ought to understand the structure of their higher education in Singapore…how is it divided, what are the options and tenures.

To begin with, it would be safe to say that when it comes to International Universities, Singapore Universities draws many parallels to Indian Universities and the structure is more or less similar to that if Indian Universities. Unlike the other favoured destinations like the USA, UK and Australia or even Germany for that matter, Singapore’s Higher Education Framework is largely similar to the Indian Universities, making it easier for Indians to apply for and get admitted in one of the Universities. Also, with a large number of Foreign Universities set up in Singapore following their country’s admission cycle, Singapore offers you, quite literally, the best of all of the world at one place.

The higher education (or Tertiary Level) in Singapore, like in India, constitutes of Universities, Polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education. While Universities offer Degrees at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, the latter offer Diplomas and Certificates.

Universities

There are Public Universities in Singapore, called the National Universities. These are run under the Ministry of Education and adhere to the various norms as set by it. In total there are six national universities in Singapore…out of those, the top two – National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) rank amongst the top universities of Asia and the World.

The undergraduate level degrees, referred as the Bachelor Degrees are awarded by the University and the tenure varies from course to course. While most of the courses (including engineering, sciences and arts – language/ communications, etc.) are of 4 years, some of the courses, especially for Accountancy and Business are of 3 years duration. Public Universities also offer Dual Degree options wherein a student can get two bachelor degrees are also famous. For Masters’ courses, the eligibility is a Bachelor or equivalent degree. The course structure varies from 12 to 18 months for MBA courses and 1 – 3 years for MS courses.

As already mentioned, Singapore is also home of many Campuses of International Universities. The program offered by these universities along with their eligibility varies accordingly. In other words, an American University with campus in Singapore would offer same structure as given by their American Campus and accordingly the degrees are also of the same colleges. Some universities, however, have tweaked their admission cycles to match the general Singapore university guidelines. Application process for UG and PG Courses in Singapore, also accordingly varies.

Polytechnics

These are higher education institutes that provide 3 year diploma in a wide range of subjects. The idea behind these institutes is to provide skill based education and accordingly cater to the vocational courses. Some of the famous courses include engineering, business studies, accountancy, and tourism as well as hospitality management. Some of the Polytechnics in Singapore go as back as 1963 and enjoy a tremendous reputation as an institutes for higher education. The more famous Polytechnics also offer specialized courses like marine engineering, nursing, etc.

These accept students from Class 10 and 12^th and might require a language eligibility certificate. Usually, a CBSE or ISE Board student from India is exempted to write the Language Proficiency Exams like IELTS & TOEFL. Some of the famous Polytechnics of Singapore include Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic and Nanyang Polytechnic. Some of these famous polytechnics have also signed a memorandum with foreign universities to provide a better exposure to their students. For example, Ngee Ann Polytechnic has engaged with Chapman University in the US to provide a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Producing for graduates of the Film and Media Studies department while Nanyang Polytechnic, provides a course in Retail Marketing in association with the University of Stirling in Scotland.

These polytechnics enjoy wide acceptance across universities as well as industry. In fact, students graduating from these polytechnics are eligible to apply to foreign universities in Australia, New Zealand and UK and also get exemptions from the modules completed in the curriculum.

Institute of Technical Education

The third type of institutions offering tertiary education are the ITE’s or the Institute of Technical Education. Designed to cater to the larger population not able to provide the basic eligibility of Polytechnics or Universities, these institutes have now become centres of excellence and provide Certificates in a variety of fields. Most of these courses, however, do not offer admission to International Students. If however, you have completed your schooling from Singapore, you might be eligible to apply. Again, that would vary on a number of cases.