National University of Singapore (NUS) is transforming its educational model to give students the flexibility to pursue programmes across disciplines.
In Academic Year 2021/2022, the university will pilot ten Cross-disciplinary Degree Programmes (CDPs) across a variety of disciplines, as part of its effort to adopt fresh approaches in higher education.
Some possible pairing of complementary disciplines include economics and data science, computing and project management, as well as engineering and business.
To graduate, a student needs to complete 160 modular credits, the same requirement for a four-year Bachelor with Honours degree programme. This comprises 40 credits covering the fundamentals for each of the two majors, 20 credits on integrative projects involving both majors, 20 credits on general education, and 40 credits on unrestricted electives in any discipline.
"We believe that this novel cross-disciplinary model will enable our graduates to not just meet market demands, but to have mastery of a unique set of skills which they themselves have created," said NUS Senior Deputy President and Provost Professor Ho Teck Hua.
"They will be better-equipped to thrive in a fast and complex world.”
Traditional Double Degree or Double Major programmes are designed based on a specialist educational model, where students will acquire in-depth knowledge in two distinct disciplines. NUS’ new cross-disciplinary approach, on the other hand, breaks down the boundaries of two disciplines and focuses on the integration of these disciplines.
“The Cross-disciplinary Degree Programmes allow NUS to offer our students the best of both worlds – the flexibility to explore and the knowledge to specialise," added Prof Ho, who is also the Executive Chairman of AI Singapore.