Study Abroad Programmes

3.6.1     Student Exchange Programme (SEP)

NUS has established many Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with reputable foreign universities for our Student Exchange Programme (SEP). In this programme you can study abroad for up to two semesters but pay only local university fees. It is a great way to learn independence, to broaden your experience and to open up your mind. This is especially valuable as our nation is a global city with constant interactions in the international arena. It is a very precious opportunity for you as a student who will soon step out of the university to establish your career. You will meet interesting people, make new friends and form networks that may influence your future profoundly.

Tuition fees at the partner universities are waived and students will only need to pay their home university fees. With the appropriate mapping, students will be given credits which can be counted towards their graduation requirements.
If you wish to apply, you:
i.      Have to be a full-time undergraduate of NUS; and
ii.     Must have completed at least one semester when you apply for the SEP and two semesters when you leave for the SEP; and
iii.    Have attained a minimum CAP of 3.00 and no less than a C grade in any module; and
iv.     Have to be able to provide for your own airfare, accommodation and living expenses.

SEP students can apply for the NASA Exchange Awards to fund their exchange overseas.

For more details on the Student Exchange Programme, log on to:
[http://www.nus.edu.sg/iro/], [https://share.nus.edu.sg/registrar/student/info/Admin-Details-SEP.pdf] and
[http://www.science.nus.edu.sg/undergraduates/abroad/index.html]
Students should also look out for announcements on SEP talks organised by the Dean’s Office.

3.6.2     Summer Programme

The Faculty of Science partners the following universities: the University of Toronto (UofT), the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Costa Rica (UCR) and University of Dundee, to jointly offer Summer Programmes for each university’s students. This six-to-seven-week short-term exchange programme takes place during May to August, offering students the opportunity to sample student exchange without disrupting academic schedules. The summer programmes are multidisciplinary and involve participation from various departments spanning across Faculties/Schools at NUS, UofT, UCLA, UCR and Dundee.

In the host country, students will discover the true meaning of “learning outside the classroom” — observe and experience many of the things you study, including the country’s history, culture, art, and religion. For more information, please visit the URL http://www.science.nus.edu.sg/undergraduates/abroad/summer/index.html.

The International Relations Office of the National University of Singapore also offers university-wide summer programmes with universities such as University of Hong Kong, Korea University, University of Ulm and Tec de Monterrey, Mexico. For more information, please visit the URL
http://www.nus.edu.sg/iro/opps/summer/index.html.

3.6.3     Joint Minor Programme with University of Toronto

Leveraging on the expertise of the University of Toronto, renowned for its environmental sciences, this Joint Minor Programme offers students a comprehensive curriculum that broadens and deepens the education they receive in NUS. Unlike other short overseas studying stints, it integrates the overseas study period into the degree programme, allowing grades as well as credits to be transferred. This first international joint minor programme offered by NUS was launched in AY2008/09 with two minors offered to NUS students: Environmental Biology and Environmental Chemistry.

(I)  Joint Minor in Environmental Biology
Host Departments: Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (UofT) and the Department of Biological Sciences (NUS).

To be awarded the joint minor in Environmental Biology, a student is currently required to read and pass the modules as prescribed:

and  any two of the following courses:

For NUS students whose major includes the LSM modules taken for this minor, not more than 8 MCs are allowed to be double-counted. The duration of the overseas exchange is one semester at UofT.

Students specialising in Environmental Biology are allowed to count the UofT modules taken for this programme to their major requirements and will not be awarded a joint minor in Environmental Biology upon completion of the modules. Module mappings will be advised upon application.

(II)  Joint Minor in Environmental Chemistry
Host Departments: Department of Chemistry (UofT), the Centre for Environment (UofT), and Department of Chemistry (NUS).

To be awarded the joint minor in Environmental Chemistry, a student is required to read and pass the modules as prescribed:

For NUS students whose major includes the CM modules taken for this minor, not more than 8 MCs are allowed to be double-counted. The duration of the overseas exchange is one semester in UofT.

Eligibility
The joint minors in Environmental Biology and Environmental Chemistry are open to all NUS students, including students whose majors are Life Sciences and Chemistry respectively. To be allowed to apply for this Joint Minor Programme, students must
a)  have a CAP of at least 3.00;
b)  have read and passed the following modules:

For Environmental Biology
•    H2 Biology or equivalent or LSM1301 General Biology
•    H2 Mathematics or equivalent or any first year NUS Mathematics module
•    Any 4 MCs of NUS Statistics or Probability module
•    LSM1102 Molecular Genetics
•    LSM1104 General Physiology
•    LSM2102 Molecular Biology

For Environmental Chemistry
•   H2 Physics or equivalent or NUS Physics Bridging module
•   H2 Mathematics or equivalent or any first year NUS Mathematics module 
•   CM1111 Inorganic Chemistry 1
•   CM1121 Organic Chemistry 1
•   CM1131 Physical Chemistry 1
•   CM2142 Analytical Chemistry or CM2166 Analytical Chemistry for Applied Chemistry

For more information, please visit the website: http://www.science.nus.edu.sg/undergraduates/
abroad/jointminor.html

3.6.4     NUS Overseas College Programme

NUS Overseas Colleges is a university level unit of the NUS Enterprise Cluster that manages the highly innovative NUS Overseas Colleges programme. The programme targets NUS undergraduates with academic ability and entrepreneurial drive, keen to be interns in start-ups located in leading entrepreneurial and academic hubs of the world. At the same time, they will study entrepreneurship-related courses at highly prestigious partner universities. The aim is to cultivate and nurture them into enterprising, resourceful, independent self-starters who will eventually blossom into successful entrepreneurs.

Today, there are colleges in Silicon Valley and Philadelphia, USA; Shanghai and Beijing, China; Stockholm, Sweden; Bangalore, India and Tel Aviv, Haifa.

For more information, please visit the website: http://www.overseas.nus.edu.sg/

3.6.5     California Institute of Technology (Caltech) - Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF)

Caltech’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships programme (SURF) introduces students to research under the guidance of seasoned research mentors at Caltech. Students experience the process of research as a creative intellectual activity.

SURF is modelled on the grant-seeking process:
•      Students collaborate with potential mentors to define and develop a project.
•      Applicants write research proposals for their projects.
•      A Faculty committee reviews the proposals and recommends awards.
•      Students carry out the work over a ten-week period in the summer, mid-June to late-August.
•      At the conclusion of the programme, they submit a technical paper and give an oral presentation at SURF Seminar Day, a symposium modeled on a professional technical meeting.
•      Fellows are considered student employees for the summer period.

For more information, please visit the website: [http://www.nus.edu.sg/iro/opps/irap/caltech/index.html] and [http://www.surf.caltech.edu/].

3.6.6     Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - NUS Summer Undergraduate Research Exchange Programme

             The MIT-NUS Summer Undergraduate Research Exchange Programme was held for the first time during the summer of 2009. This programme will give students from MIT and NUS the opportunity to carry out individual research projects with faculty mentors at the other university. This programme will enhance and broaden students’ undergraduate experiences, provide them with the opportunity to live in another culture, conduct research in a different academic/research environment, and help them prepare to assume leadership roles in a global economy. Up to three undergraduate students from each university will participate in this exchange every summer.

For more information, please visit the website: [http://www.nus.edu.sg/iro/opps/irap/mit/index.html] and [http://mit.edu/urop/students/].

3.6.7     University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Summer Lab

The Faculty of Science partnered the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), on the Summer Research Exchange Programme for the first time in May 2009. This programme, a collaboration between FoS and UNC-CH, facilitates an exchange of up to five students every semester from each university to conduct research in the laboratories of the partner university. FoS students will be able to perform research part-time from mid-May to late-July in laboratories in the Departments of Biology, Chemistry and Physics & Astronomy at UNC-CH. UNC-CH students will receive credits for full-time research in laboratories in the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Physics at FoS.

3.6.8     French Double Degree Programme

The Grandes Écoles are the top French engineering schools which provide higher education and quality research in engineering science. A common feature of all Grandes Écoles is the strong emphasis on Mathematics and Physics curricula in the first year which are equivalent to those in the honours level in NUS. Stemming from a collaboration with the Grandes Écoles, FoS students enrolled in the French Double Degree Programme will be awarded a Bachelor’s degree with Honours and Master’s degree from NUS, and the “Diplôme d’Ingénieur” from the French Grande Écoles.

For more information, please visit the website: http://www.science.nus.edu.sg/undergraduates/abroad/frenchcdmp.html.