SUTD Graduates First Batch of Master of Architecture And Second Batch of Undergraduate Students

10 Sep 2016

71 masters and 246 undergraduate students received their degrees
Seven out of 10 students have either secured jobs prior to graduation or will be pursuing graduate studies or setting up their own startups

Singapore, 10 September 2016 – The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) marks another significant milestone with the graduation of its first batch of Master of Architecture students as well as its second batch of undergraduate students today. In total, over 300 students received their master degrees and bachelor degree certificates. Over 70 per cent of the undergraduates have secured jobs prior to graduation or will be pursuing graduate studies or setting up their own startups (Annex C). This is an increase of about six per cent compared to last year.

Close to one in four of those who secured jobs received return offers from their internship companies. Graduands secured jobs in over 70 per cent of Singapore’s emerging industries, with the top three sectors being Infocomm Services, Safety and Security, and Banking and Finance. In addition, amongst those who secured jobs, over 75 per cent of them will be working in companies that contribute towards the Smart Nation initiative.

Of the 71 master degree recipients, 62 of them were from SUTD’s first batch of undergraduates in the Architecture and Sustainable Design pillar who had continued to pursue their Master of Architecture at SUTD. The one-year Master of Architecture programme required the students to work on sustainable studio projects and specialised electives, complete a 16-week industry internship, and create a research-based thesis with real-life relevance to provide design solutions for today's world. Some thesis themes include high population density in developing countries and new materials or new assembly and fabrication methods that can mitigate shortage of labour and materials. These help better equip our future architects to handle the mounting challenges of space, environmental constraints and the merging of technology with urbanism and architecture.

26-year old Eugene Lim, who received a return job offer from his internship company, said: “I chose to do my Master of Architecture at SUTD because I wanted the combined exposure in technology and design as I believe that’s what sets the SUTD education apart from other architectural degree programmes.” Eugene shared that while interning at Surbana Jurong, he was involved in a joint project with Flux, a Google spin-off that develops software for architects and engineers to design buildings and cities of the future, and during that time, he was able to help bridge the gap between the computer scientist and the architect due to the technical programming and coding skills he had picked up at SUTD.

Engineering product development graduate, 28-year-old Brandon Chen, who has already set up his own startup company prior to graduation, said: “Since secondary school, I developed a deep passion for design and innovation as I felt that it would allow me to create something which can help improve lives. One current world issue is transportation and I was inspired to create innovative mobility solutions to help solve traffic congestion, the last mile problem, delivery issues, etc. The SUTD education not only equipped me with the necessary engineering skills, but also "design thinking", which helped me to innovate and come up with a fully functional product. I chose to further develop my ideas by setting up my own startup company, FOM Innovations." Brandon and his team are currently in discussions with a local hospital to develop a foldable personal electric vehicle that helps transport medical staff and medical devices from point to point.

SUTD President, Professor Thomas Magnanti said: “We are proud of the achievements of our second batch of undergraduates and have improved on last year's progress with seven out of 10 having secured jobs or proceeding to further studies at the time of graduation. Among those employed, 75 per cent will be working in companies contributing to the SMART Nation initiative. We are equally delighted to be graduating our first batch of Master of Architecture students, who are well-versed in both design and technology. They will be a new breed of architects who are able to cross the technical and digital divide. We believe that the SUTD education has well-equipped all of our students with the relevant knowledge, skills and attitudes to be leading innovators of tomorrow who can help to create a better world through technology and design.