SUTD Academy Offers Adult Learners More SSG-Approved Courses

18 Jun 2018

SUTD Academy, the Singapore University of Technology and Design’s (SUTD) adult learning institution, has launched the ModularMasters (MM) programme in Cybersecurity. This is developed as part of the SkillsFuture Series, supported by SkillsFuture Singapore, which aims to help working adults grow skills in emerging skills areas which are required across different sectors.

The MM in Cybersecurity will be the first MM programme launched by SUTD Academy. Adult learners can take up bite-sized skills-based modular courses (SBMC) that carry credits, and stack them up to earn an MM certificate. SUTD Academy has also partnered Temasek Polytechnic to develop transferable SBMCs that can contribute to the MM certificate in Cybersecurity. Hence, students taking recognised modules from Temasek Polytechnic or other educational institutions can transfer over a set number of subject credits^[1] to SUTD Academy if they wish to earn an MM in Cybersecurity. An MM certificate in Cybersecurity requires 60 subject credits.

SUTD Academy is also building a pathway to allow adult learners who wish to further develop their knowledge in cybersecurity to apply to SUTD to pursue the full Master of Science in Security by Design (MSSD) degree by passing an entrance assessment examination and meeting other entry requirements subject to SUTD’s admission criteria for the MSSD. Upon admissions, they can use the MM in Cybersecurity certificate to offset subject credits from the MSSD programme. This stackable modular approach creates flexibility for time-constrained PMETs/working adult learners so that they can take the MM modules based on their more immediate learning/developmental (or reskilling and upskilling) needs, and if interested, pursue a full Master degree subsequently. 

Adopting SUTD’s pedagogy, the MM programme will be design-focused and hands-on. Capped at 20 to 25 students per instructor, the modules and courses will be technical in nature and some basic scientific/technical knowledge will be expected of participants. Designettes or design projects will be incorporated to reinforce the Big-D pedagogy of SUTD. 

Professor Pey Kin Leong, SUTD’s Associate Provost of Education, SUTD Academy and Digital Learning said: “SUTD Academy wanted to provide more flexible options and opportunities for working individuals and adults to upskill or reskill themselves. Hence, we came up with the idea of the ModularMasters, which allows participants to stack up short modules that they take up either out of interest or for reskilling purposes, and eventually allow them to obtain a certificate. Participants can also choose to pursue their interests further by going for the full master degree subsequently. We believe this will encourage them to continually upskill or reskill themselves to keep pace with the rapidly changing requirements of the workplace and help them stay relevant in today’s knowledge-intensive and technology-driven economy.” 

Temasek Polytechnic (TP)’s Director of Temasek SkillsFuture Academy, Mr John Leong, said: “TP is pleased to partner SUTD for our modular courses to be stacked to SUTD ModularMasters certificate in Cybersecurity. Our students will have the opportunity to further upgrade themselves at SUTD due to the benefit that courses can be stackable across all our Institutes of Higher Learning. TP will continue to work with SUTD and other AUs for such recognition and stackability to their programmes.”  

Other new MM programmes in the pipeline include one each in data analytics, AI and design innovations. SkillsFuture Credit can also be used to off-set course fees for these programmes. SUTD is one of the educational institutions driving and expanding SkillsFuture Series training programmes in the area of Cybersecurity.

[1] Temasek Polytechnic students can transfer a maximum of 18 subject credits while students from other educational institutions can transfer a maximum of 12 subject credits. Each module carries 3 subject credits and three to five modules can be stacked into a course.