Design-Centric Curriculum and Global Engineering Programme:

New Design-Centric Engineering Curriculum to prepare NUS graduates for globalised economy; Opportunities for top engineering undergraduates to get Bachelors from NUS and Masters from leading partner universities in four years

The world today is confronted with a number of major challenges such as climate change, natural disasters and ageing-related healthcare that require urgent solutions to ensure that we can maintain and improve our quality of life. This will require innovative engineering solutions ranging from devising individual components to systems design that integrate specialist knowledge from multiple disciplines.

A progressive engineering programme is needed to educate the engineers of tomorrow so that they are equipped to lead in solving complex and multi-disciplinary problems associated with these challenges.

The NUS Faculty of Engineering is responding to such challenges. In tandem with ongoing enhancements to the existing curriculum, it will introduce a new educational track with design as its central focus. Starting in academic year 2009/10, a Design-Centric Engineering Curriculum (DCC) will be established.

The new curriculum will allow students to grasp in greater depth, the connections between theory and practice, from component to systems level. Their assimilation of engineering concepts will be anchored on and conveyed through thematic design projects and modules that emphasise the linkage to practical design.

This new paradigm also involves students identifying and acquiring knowledge required to design components and systems through self-learning. It will allow students the flexibility to delve into much greater depth, topics in both technical and non-technical modules, to address design aspects they are assigned.

Design projects will centre around three broad themes: Future Transportation Systems, Engineering in Medicine and Smart Cities. The DCC's inception will see the launch of a major project on designing a "Future Car" under the theme of Future Transportation Systems.

Professor Chan Eng Soon, Dean of the NUS Faculty of Engineering said: "In addition to the tremendous opportunities for self-learning, such a design cum problem-based learning approach will encourage creativity and thinking out-of-the-box. The increased exposure to systems thinking and engineering technology management made available in this new learning environment will better equip graduates to handle large-scale complex technical problems of the future. Moreover, these projects will make students recognise the importance of profit-cost issues and inspire them towards innovation and entrepreneurship."

As a launch pad for this new curriculum, an Engineering Design and Innovation Centre (EDIC) will be established by the Faculty of Engineering. This will provide an environment that promotes interaction and exchange of ideas among staff and students of different disciplines to address design projects that require a wide spectrum of expertise. Academic staff with particular skills and experience in handling, teaching and supervising multi-faceted design problems will be recruited to manage and run the Centre.

Global Engineering Programme (GEP) for the Best and Brightest

To nurture top engineering students, a Global Engineering Programme (GEP) will be offered to the top students of each cohort. These highly talented students will have the opportunity to accelerate their programme and receive a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) degree from NUS after three years, followed by a graduate engineering degree from a GEP partner university at the end of the 4th year. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's School of Engineering is a partner, and details of similar arrangements are being finalised with Cambridge and Oxford universities.

Students will also gain early exposure to research at top partner universities through specially-tailored Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programmes, thus affording them contact with leading researchers, and the possibility of future PhD studies under their supervision. Those who have an entrepreneurial interest can elect to participate in the NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) programme. This will give them experience in technology start-ups through an overseas stint at one of the college locations, such as Silicon Valley.

Elaborating on the key features of the Programme, Prof Chan said: "Students will enjoy full scholarship support by NUS, in partnership with external agencies. This will cover the B. Eng degree at NUS as well as one year of graduate study at a top overseas university. The Faculty will encourage GEP students to pursue a PhD in order to maximise their potential. We are interacting with research agencies to source for support for students who elect to do so. GEP students will be mentored by a select pool of faculty members and will be able to participate in a rich myriad of co-curricular activities that will enrich and enhance their communications skills and leadership."