SUTD and SMU Jointly Launch Inaugural Undergraduate Dual Degree Programme in Technology & Management
“Technology, Design and Management” in a two university integrated curriculum; a distinction from other dual degree programmes
This May, the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and the Singapore Management University (SMU) will admit the first batch of dual degree undergraduate students. Up to 45 top achievers will have the unprecedented opportunity to pursue an engineering degree from SUTD and a business management degree from SMU concurrently. The four-year programme, aimed at producing graduates who will be highly effective in an increasingly complex globalised world, will prepare students to be technology and management-grounded leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs.
Students will spend time at both campuses, and will take SUTD and SMU courses from the first academic year, thus benefitting from a uniquely integrated and interdisciplinary learning experience over four years of study. The programme will also include up to six courses to be co-developed by SMU and SUTD. To attract top Singaporean students to the programme, scholarships offered to deserving students will cover full tuition fees, including allowances for overseas internship, community service, and more.
Students in this programme will graduate with a Bachelor of Business Management from SMU and a Bachelor of Engineering from SUTD with a specialisation in one of the three engineering pillars: Engineering Product Development, Engineering Systems and Design or Information Systems Technology and Design. To graduate with both degrees, students will have to fulfil the academic and non-academic requirements from SUTD and SMU, such as SUTD’s Undergraduate Practice Opportunities programme (UPOP) and SMU’s Finishing Touch programme, hostel residency at SUTD in the first three terms (equivalent to one year period), 80 hours of community service, a 16-week internship, as well as overseas exchanges and a dedicated business study mission.
SUTD President, Professor Thomas Magnanti, said, “The world has enormous needs and opportunities for leaders steeped in technology, management, design and entrepreneurship. This innovative, intense and demanding dual degree programme provides a rare opportunity for top students. They will learn from and experience the culture and educational content of two outstanding institutions. The graduates will be equipped with a competitive edge in technology, design and business and be ready to lead in the evolving innovation economies.”
SMU President, Professor Arnoud De Meyer, said, “This group of students will receive an integrated and interdisciplinary learning experience at both SMU and SUTD concurrently, in a rigorous programme that has been specially developed by the two universities. That we will offer every single student in this dual degree programme a scholarship and a dedicated curriculum illustrate our joint commitment towards this privileged group of high-achievers. They will be a cadre of talents who will encompass the qualities of both SMU and SUTD, and who will be well positioned to be leaders in both business and technology management.”
Mr Loh Chin Hua, CEO of Keppel Corporation, said: “The Dual Degree Programme offers a unique blend of technical knowledge and management rigour, which will give graduates entering the workforce the added advantage of multidisciplinary perspectives and competencies. Keppel, as a conglomerate with leading businesses globally, welcomes the introduction of the Programme as it can potentially produce a pipeline of well-rounded talents for our offshore & marine, property, as well as infrastructure businesses.”
Ms Low Sin Leng, Senior Advisor for Sembcorp Development, who believes the graduates from this dual degree programme will be highly attractive to employers, said, "I expect students graduating from this dual degree programme, which offers a powerful combination: Technology and Design excellence coupled with Business management, will be well sought after by global and local companies with engineeering and innovation focus."
The SUTD-SMU collaboration
SUTD and SMU signed a framework for collaboration in education, research and student and faculty exchanges in October 2011. Modelled after American schools with an emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship, SMU and SUTD have many similarities in their pedagogical approach. Both universities inculcate a multidisciplinary approach to real world learning, highly value exposure to industry internships, overseas exchanges, competitions and other co-curricular activities. Both apply multi-modal assessment methods comprising written examinations, project work and assignments. Under the existing collaboration, all SUTD students (including those students on this dual degree programme) will be offered advanced placements to two Masters programmes at SMU – Master of Science in Management and the Master of Science in Innovation – which will open for application by SUTD students in January 2015.
About Singapore University of Technology and Design
The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) is Singapore’s fourth publicly-funded university, and one of the first universities in the world to incorporate the art and science of design and technology into a multi-disciplinary curriculum. Established in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), SUTD seeks to nurture technically-grounded leaders and innovators in engineering product development, engineering systems and design, information systems technology and design, and architecture and sustainable design, to serve societal needs.
The University, also in collaboration with Zhejiang University (ZJU) and Singapore Management University (SMU), is distinguished by its unique East and West academic programme which incorporates elements of technology, entrepreneurship, management and design thinking. It also offers an MIT-SUTD Dual Masters' Degree Programme; a full-time programme leading to a degree from MIT and another from SUTD. Graduate opportunities also include the SUTD PhD Programme. As a research-intensive university, SUTD will bring together the best minds and ideas to seek solutions to modern-day challenges and create a better future. For more information, please visit www.sutd.edu.sg.
About the Singapore Management University
A premier university in Asia, the Singapore Management University (SMU) is internationally recognised for its world class research and distinguished teaching. Established in 2000, SMU’s mission is to generate leading edge research with global impact and produce broad-based, creative and entrepreneurial leaders for the knowledge-based economy. It is known for its interactive and technologically-enabled pedagogy of seminar-style teaching in small class sizes.
Home to about 8,000 students, SMU comprises six schools: School of Accountancy, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, School of Economics, School of Information Systems, School of Law and School of Social Sciences, offering a wide range of bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degree programmes in various disciplines.
With an emphasis on generating rigorous, high impact multi-disciplinary research that addresses Asian issues of global relevance, SMU faculty collaborate with leading international researchers and universities from USA, Europe, China and India as well as with partners in the business community and public sector through its research institutes and centres.SMU’s city campus is a state-of-the art facility located in the heart of downtown Singapore, fostering strategic linkages with the business and wider community. www.smu.edu.sg
About SUTD’s Undergraduate Practice Opportunities programme (UPOP)
The UPOP is a year-long programme introducing students to the skills, mindset and ethos that they will need to translate quantitative or “hard” engineering, mathematics and science training into successful careers. This includes coaching on resume writing, negotiation skills and regular networking sessions with potential employers and industry partners to prepare students to present themselves effectively.
About SMU’s Finishing Touch programme
SMU pioneered “The Finishing Touch” course, by which students have to pass a compulsory career preparation skills programme that includes career planning, interview and networking skills, business etiquette and managing workplace relationships.
Introduced in 2001, the Finishing Touch (FT) programme has been one of the distinguishing factors in the making of the SMU graduate. It prepares SMU undergraduates during the 4-year course of studies in the career management skills and gears students towards career success.
Year One and Year Two compulsory workshops conducted over your first two years give students more time to learn and assimilate the knowledge and skills. Year Three and Year Four are optional workshops at your crucial job application stage in your senior SMU years. FT will offer you choices of workshops to help you hone your skills with more advanced training and more depth.