Undergraduate Education

3.1        Overview

Core Educational Philosophy
The Science education is multidisciplinary and trains students to meet the increasingly complex needs of the future. Our degree programmes are constantly reviewed and revised to ensure that the education our students receive remains relevant. Course content is but a fraction of the education provided. Greater emphasis is placed on developing and sharpening the students’ analytical and creative thinking skills, presentation skills, computer literacy, and problem solving techniques. These are the life skills that make science graduates versatile, articulate, and IT-savvy.

We offer an education that is inclusive and able to cater to a wide spectrum of student interests, aptitudes and abilities, developing and maximising the potential of each individual. In terms of undergraduate instruction, the Faculty has adopted specialised modes of delivery aimed at cultivating deeper approaches to learning. We also run various boutique programmes targeting different groups of students to stretch and enrich the educational experience of as many as possible.

(1)           Modules for Freshmen

Two modules designed for freshmen were launched in AY2006/07, with emphasis on honing students’ analytical, creative thinking, and writing skills:

Freshman Seminar

FMS12XXY (where X stands for a running number and Y is an alphabet denoting the Department*) Freshman Seminar provides an unparalleled opportunity for first-year students and faculty to explore a scholarly topic of mutual interest together in a small group setting. Designed with freshmen in mind, the module sparks students’ intellectual curiosity as they are oriented to becoming an active member of the NUS intellectual community. Students can benefit from in-depth discussions on a specific scientific issue, and learn to present ideas clearly in oral and written form.

Different Symbols for Departments (Y)

B = Department of Biological Sciences
C = Department of Chemistry
M = Department of Mathematics
P = Department of Physics
R = Department of Pharmacy
S = Department of Statistics and Applied Probability
D = Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (for Pre-Med Track Students only)

Academic Writing

SP1202 Communicating with the Academy is designed with the aim of helping first-year students write better academic science texts, and to enable them to develop critical skills in assessing ideas. The module discusses three main interrelated areas: social development of scientific writing, formal objective style of writing, and argumentation in the experimental report.

(2)           Specialised Modes of Delivery

Besides the standard modes of delivery through lectures, seminars and tutorials, students are also given ample opportunities to explore other more challenging learning options, such as independent study and research work, to stimulate their intellectual development.

Independent Study Modules

Students who are in our Special Programme in Science, University Scholars Programme, as well as those who meet the minimum CAP criteria of at least 4.50, are allowed to register for Independent Study Modules (ISMs) in their respective major disciplines. In general, ISMs are structured upon existing modules and students are required to design their course material under the guidance of a supervisor with the objective of covering topics in greater depth and/or breadth than they will if they read the regular modules. Students are expected to benefit from the personalised instruction as well as the high-level discourses they are engaged in with their supervisors.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme in Science

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme in Science (UROPS) offers many of our students the opportunity to do research in specific areas related to their discipline. The programme has been primarily designed with the aim of engaging students in the process of intellectual inquiry, problem-solving, creative thinking, and enhancing intellectual exchange and collaboration between undergraduates and Faculty members. The annual NUROP Congress which showcases outstanding projects is also an excellent training ground for students to hone their presentation skills and build their confidence in public speaking.

(3)           Special Faculty-Based Programmes

Besides the specialised modes of delivery employed to stretch our students, the Faculty also hosts a suite of special boutique programmes, each having its own specific aims and objectives targeting different groups of students. The Faculty is committed to promoting these programmes as well as identifying and selecting suitable candidates for participation in these programmes.

Special Programme in Science

Introduced in 1996, the Special Programme in Science (SPS) aims to nurture talent among budding scientists. SPS is an intense programme for a selected group of undergraduates who have a strong passion and aptitude for Science. It is directed at students who delight in the rigorous training of the mind and character. Through this programme, participants are introduced to some of the broad areas of contemporary scientific concerns through an interdisciplinary approach, a cornerstone and hallmark of SPS.

Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Programmes

The Faculty has in the past few years jointly set up three new multidisciplinary programmes—Physics and Life Sciences, Chemical Sciences (with undergraduate and graduate research scholarships from A*STAR) and Computational Biology—with the Faculty of Engineering, the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and the School of Computing. These programmes are designed with the objective of paving the way to specific graduate programmes and research in hot multidisciplinary areas like Biophysics, Medicinal Chemistry and Bioinformatics. As such, these programmes are well suited for students who seek careers in the research-intensive track.

The growing list of challenging multidisciplinary study options also includes specially designed double degree programmes in Law and Life Sciences, Computer Science and Mathematics/ Applied Mathematics, Materials Science & Engineering and Physics, as well as a Concurrent M.Sc. (Mgt.) and B.Sc. (Hons.)/B.Appl.Sc. (Hons.) programme. Additionally, academically outstanding students who want to acquire competence in two disciplines may apply to do self-designed (free structure) double degrees. Some viable combinations of double degrees include a Science degree with Operations and Supply Chain Management (offered by the School of Business), Computing (offered by the School of Computing), Psychology [offered by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS)], or  Economics (offered by FASS).

In order to graduate, students must fulfill the requirements for at least one primary major. They are allowed to read a maximum of two majors. Pharmacy students are allowed to read only one major. Students who relish challenges may take a double major programme (one primary and one second major). The second major may be offered by FoS or even other Faculties in disciplines complementing the primary major of the student.

Professional Placement Programme

The Professional Placement Programme was introduced in 1998 as an integral part of the Applied Science Programme (B.Appl.Sc.) where students are attached to companies over a period of six months for on-the-job training and exposure. The programme seeks to give first-hand experience in the application of scientific knowledge to practical problems and is consistent with the objective of the B.Appl.Sc. Programme, which is to serve the R&D manpower needs of pillar industries in Singapore. Such placements also serve to give our students a head start in their careers by enhancing their visibility within the industry.

Undergraduate Professional Internship Programme (UPIP)

The Undergraduate Professional Internship Programme (UPIP) is aimed to provide non-Applied Science undergraduates the opportunity to perform structured internship in an organization during their undergraduate study. This elective programme allows students to engage actively in career preparation and job seeking exercises, whet their interpersonal, communications and other soft skills, and experience the day-to-day working professional life. Students will be presented the challenges of competing and securing a job position in the organization, applying their discipline-related knowledge and professionalism in a working environment, and thus acquiring experiential learning that complements their course activity.

For more information, visit URL :  http://science.nus.edu.sg/students/enrichment/upip.html

Joint Minor Programme

Leveraging the competencies of the University of Toronto (UofT), one of the world’s most prestigious universities, the Faculty offers joint minor programmes in Environmental Biology and Environmental Chemistry, for which NUS students study advanced courses for one semester at UofT. Successful participants are able to transfer both credits as well as grades to satisfy their graduation requirements. Under the terms of this partnership with UofT, NUS students need to pay their usual tuition fees to NUS only, for the duration of their studying stint at UofT. For more details, refer to 3.6.3.

Joint Summer Exchange Programme

The Faculty of Science has partnered reputable institutions such as University of Toronto (UofT), University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Tecnológico de Monterrey, University of Costa Rica, Harvey Mudd College (HMC) and the Suzhou NUS Research Institute to offer summer programmes.

The main objective of the programme is to provide an exciting yet academically challenging short-term study option that would allow more Science students to experience an overseas education. At the same time students would gain sensitivities and insights into cultures different from their own, in preparation for the more global and interconnected world of the future.

(4)           Special University-Level Programmes

In support of the overarching objectives of many of the University-initiated programmes, the Faculty currently hand-picks outstanding scholars for intensive programmes like the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Programme at the California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Research Opportunities Programme, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Summer Lab, the Double Degree Programme with French Grandes Écoles and the NUS Overseas College Programme. Other programmes like the NUS Student Exchange Programme are also actively promoted to students as we believe that the exposure students receive outside the Singapore-NUS educational environment adds value to their undergraduate education and contributes to their personal growth.