THE EVOLVING HIGHER EDUCATION
LANDSCAPE IN SINGAPORE
Professor Tan Chin Tiong
President
Singapore Institute of Technology
Executive Summary

The way it was: National University of Singapore and
Nanyang Technological University

Then came Singapore Management University

Growing with Singapore University of Technology &
Design and Singapore Institute of Technology

The new education landscape in Singapore

The bigger context: opportunities and challenges
Changes in the Last 40 Years
•
British influences in education
•
The old University of Singapore and Nanyang University
•
National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang
Technological University (NTU)
•
The new Singapore Management University (SMU):
• A new US model
• Autonomous state funded University
• Partnership with the Wharton School, University of
Pennsylvania
•
The 4th University: Singapore University of Technology &
Design (SUTD) - partnership with MIT
•
The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)
The SIT Story
•
Government announced increased University cohort
participation rate (25% to 30% by 2015)
•
Importance of Poly Sector
•
40% of each Primary One cohort
•
1/3 of Poly students can get into junior colleges to do ‘A’
Levels
•
Important role of Polys to remain (to focus on Diploma)
•
SIT to increase university places for Poly graduates
SIT Programmes
•
Degree programmes include:
• Engineering and Applied Sciences
• Health Sciences
• Digital media
• Design
• Hospitality
•
Both full time and part time
•
Poly graduates will get advanced placement
•
Singaporeans/Permanent Residents will be subsidised
•
Mostly for Poly grads
•
> 2000 students per intake by 2015
Industry Endorsed Areas
Digital
Media
Allied
Health &
Nursing
Engineering
& Applied
Sciences
Hospitality
Industry
Relevant
Programmes
Design
Partners & Programmes
Scholarships
Science & Technology | Specifically for SIT Students
Non-Science & Technology | Specifically for SIT Students
Scholarships Open to SIT Students
The Straits Times – 13 November 2010
The Straits Times - 13 November 2010
Diversity, Diversity & Diversity
•
SMU School of Business engaged Wharton School as partner
•
SMU School of Information systems: marrying IT with business
(Carnegie Mellon as partner)
•
SMU School of Law: a broad based law school
•
Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School
•
SUTD: Integrative, multi-disciplinary approach to engineering
and design (with MIT as collaborator)
•
SIT offering multiple degrees of overseas universities
•
Imperial College-NTU Medical School: technology, business
and medicine
•
NUS-Yale Liberal Arts College
The Broader Picture - Opportunities
•
Hundreds of private education providers in Singapore and
Asia
•
Iskandar Malaysia (South Johore)
• Newcastle University’s Medical School
• Southampton University’s Engineering School
• Marlborough College
•
Twinning programmes in Malaysia
•
Foreign universities in China
Challenges
•
Limited resources of universities (budget cuts)
•
New education landscape: global collaborations
•
Rankings will drive global presence
•
Brand equity: quality vs opportunities