Women face more challenges as they rise through the ranks in their careers, including getting promoted to leadership positions, according to the McKinsey report and the Leanln study.
The Women's Professional Development (CFG1500) course is designed to provide year 3 and 4 female undergraduate students with knowledge and skills to succeed in the workplace.
Through understanding the challenges women uniquely face, especially in advancing their careers and balancing work-life, students will learn how to navigate these uncertain times, honing their self-awareness and mental resilience life skills. Students will also be mentored by senior female leaders and engage in peer learning through experiential activities, building their interpersonal skills whether in collaboration, communication, or networking.
Receive exclusive mentorship
by a female leader
Develop a career plan to navigate challenges with clarity and direction
Acquire skills to accelerate your professional advancement
Course Details & Registration
Course Units: 2 Units, Unrestricted Elective (UE) Course
Assessment and Grading Basis: CS/CU
Pre-requisites: Year 3 and 4 female undergraduate students
Schedule: Semester 1 and 2 of AY2025/2026
Mode of Enrolment: You may register for this course by completing the registration form.
Registration opens on Friday, 2 Jan 2026 (12am) and closes on Monday, 5 Jan 2026 (10am). Submission of the form does not guarantee a place in the course. We aim to inform students who have been successfully enrolled in the course by Monday, 5 Jan 2026 (6pm).
For any questions on this course, please e-mail LifeSkills@nus.edu.sg and attention it to Jun Qian.
Session 1: Develop Awareness of Yourself and the World Around You
This e-learning is tailored for early career women, helping students understand self-awareness, its importance in mental resilience, and how to cultivate it. It will also cover skills crucial for professional development such as strengths identification and effective communication skills.
Session 2: Set Goals, Identify Challenges, and Seek Solutions as Part of Career Planning
In this first in-person session, students will be guided in planning their career journeys by setting realistic goals, challenges, and solutions through a career-plan framework. Students will learn networking strategies and craft their elevator pitches to enhance their communication skills and professional readiness.
Session 3: SWOT Analysis and Career Planning with Mentors
Students will be introduced to their mentors in-person and learn about their professional journeys. They will share their career plans with their mentors for feedback and integrate SWOT insights. There will also be a networking activity where students will be able to practice their elevator pitches.
Session 4: Increase Awareness and Understanding of Internal and External Challenges
This e-learning explores the business case for gender diversity, highlighting its impact on performance and innovation. It addresses external and internal challenges in a woman’s career progression, such as workplace biases, imposter experience, and work-life balance. Students will learn strategies for resilience, build support networks, and set achievable career goals.
Session 5: Can You Have It All?
This session features a panel discussion on achieving balance as a working woman, exploring career, family, and work-life priorities. Students will be able to engage with the speakers, followed by speed networking with mentors in rotating groups.
Session 6: Recap, Reflect, and Commit to Action
This final session will include students engaging in a prioritisation exercise and reviewing their revised career plans, identifying accountability partners, and submitting reflections.
Workload
CFG1500 is structured around six lessons and delivered in an e-learning and face to face workshops format.
To secure a CS for this course, you will need to complete the following:
- All assessment components
- 100% classroom attendance (comprises 4 in-person sessions)
There is no examination for this course.
Assessment Instructions for Students
Grading Components:
| Assessment Task |
Assessment Weightage |
| In class participation for all four in-person sessions | 40% |
| Submission of Career Plan
|
20% |
| Submission of Mentoring Session Reflection Journal |
15% |
| Submission of Final Self-reflection | 15% |
| Completion of e-learning 1 & 2 | 10% |
| Total Course Score |
100% |
Through this course, I gained many valuable insights that will impact the way I present myself in the workplace and my attitudes towards my career. First of all, I learnt about the importance of dressing professionally. In my previous internships, I did not give much thought into my styling. However, through this course, I learnt that styling is crucial when creating a good first impression on clients and colleagues, and moving forward, I will make it a point to reflect professionalism and confidence in my dressing. Secondly, I have learnt a lot about how women can thrive in a male-dominated environment. My mentor, Irene, shared that she was part of the Singapore Armed Forces for a long period in her career. Her confidence in knowing that her capabilities were no less than anyone else’s was what enabled her to succeed in that male-dominated environment. As a female who is pursuing a career in software development, I recognise that I will be working in an industry that is made up of predominantly males. I am inspired by her words and hope to carry the same confidence in my own abilities when I enter the workforce. Overall, this course has given me many practical tips to excel in the workplace, and has also encouraged me to think deeply about challenges I may face as a professional woman and how I can respond to these challenges.
— Amber Tan Junning, Year 3, School of Computing
This course has been invaluable in shaping my expectations for life after graduation and preparing me for the transition into the workforce. As an undergraduate, the academic environment is very different from the realities of the corporate world, and this experience has given me a clearer picture of what lies ahead. Engaging with such accomplished women has been truly inspiring — their diverse experiences, perspectives, and advice from across industries have not only motivated me but also broadened the way I see my future career path.
— Babu Gayatri, Year 4, College of Design and Engineering
I have truly enjoyed myself in this course, in meeting different people from both similar and different backgrounds as me, as it made me feel less alone in the journey of finding what truly fulfils me in terms of my career. Speaking with the various mentors has also truly empowered me to take charge of my career and how to make myself visible in the workplace, while navigating through what makes me feel most accomplished in life. I also feel really reassured through this course, in that many existing fears I previously had regarding women in the workplace aren’t as scary as they seem to be, and can be dealt with as long as I stay confident and true to myself.
— Khoo Yong Qing, Year 4, Faculty of Science