Singapore Institute of Technology kicks off 2015 with five new applied degree programmes and a slew of ambitious industry initiatives. SIT’s new applied degree programmes and industry initiatives place a strong emphasis on skills mastery through enhanced collaboration with their industry partners, and are aligned with the national SkillsFuture movement.

SIT’s five new applied degree programmes are:

i. Master of Engineering Technology & Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Building Services)

ii. Bachelor of Engineering (with Honours) in Pharmaceutical Engineering

iii. Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Information and Communications Technology (Information Security)

iv. Bachelor of Hospitality Business (with Honours)

v. Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Systems Engineering (ElectroMechanical Systems) - Joint degree programme offered by SIT and DigiPen Institute of Technology

All SIT degree programmes will feature the Integrated Work Study Programme (IWSP) ranging from 8-12 months as a core component of its curriculum. The IWSP is customised according to industry needs in terms of content and schedule, thus each degree programme boasts an individualised IWSP. It encourages students to actively apply theoretical knowledge to solve problems in a real work environment. Classes for the new degree programmes will be located at SIT@Dover, with MEngTech and BEng (Hons) Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Building Services) classes held at both SIT@Dover and SIT@SP Building, and B Hospitality Business (Hons) classes to be located at SIT@RP Building. The first intake will start classes in September 2015. Admission for the new degree programmes opened on 12 January 2015.

Master of Engineering Technology & Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Building Services)

The construction industry continues to grow at an average of 10% per annum in Singapore due to demand in residential, industrial and infrastructural development. Currently, all buildings in Singapore, both old and new, must undergo the green mark certification process by 2020, and Singapore targets to have 80% of all buildings Green Mark certified by 2030. There is a need to increase productivity of the built environment sector as well as the cost efficiency of building management. The use of advanced technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) is expected to increase productivity (by reducing the need for costly rework during the construction process) – leading to better process, project and cost management. This calls for manpower specialising in the integrated building management services, which includes engineers in Efficient Energy Management, Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC), and Building Information Modelling (BIM).

MEngTech and BEng (Hons) Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Building Services) encompasses all the necessary engineering disciplines that are required for the building services industries in Singapore. It is the first such undergraduate programme in Singapore. This applied degree programme will train graduates in building services with specialisations in Efficient Energy Management, Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC), and Building Information Modelling (BIM).

Bachelor of Engineering (with Honours) in Pharmaceutical Engineering

Pharmaceutical manufacturing contributes to 17% of Singapore’s annual manufacturing output, making it one of the key pillars of the Singapore economy. In the last few years, pharmaceutical giants have set up nine world-class biologics manufacturing plants in Singapore, which is projected to create a sizeable number of new jobs in the pharmaceutical sector.

The BEng (Hons) Pharmaceutical Engineering degree programme is the first undergraduate Pharmaceutical Engineering programme in Singapore. Built on an interdisciplinary curriculum that intersects engineering and science, it aims to deliver a rigorous education to students. The applied degree programme will also have a strong industry focus and aims to educate and train students to be competent in the development and manufacture of the two largest classes of pharmaceutical drugs: (i) biologics and (ii) small molecule drugs, which are critically needed to support and grow the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector in Singapore. Besides the pharmaceutical industry, the rigorous engineering training students undergo will allow graduates to contribute to other relevant industries including chemicals, food, life science, nutraceutical (nutrition+pharmaceutical) and the flavours and fragrances sectors.

Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Information and Communications Technology (Information Security)

As more organisations rely on information and communications technology (ICT) to support their daily operations, it is essential that these key information systems are protected. A breach in security could lead to significant financial losses and may have grave national security implications. Organisations, be it governments, businesses or consumers are still fighting to guard against data leakage, unauthorised access to corporate resources and malware attack against their networks. There is thus an urgent need to shore up the security of infrastructure and systems. This creates a growing demand for more Information Security professionals to monitor and protect organisations and their clients in both the public and private sectors from any possible cyber threats.

The BEng (Hons) Information and Communications Technology (Information Security) is Singapore’s first undergraduate degree programme majoring in Information Security to meet this industry demand. This applied degree programme will allow students to make use of existing information security tools at a high level, and develop deep specialised knowledge and skills such that they can understand and appreciate the underlying working principles of information security tools, algorithms and technologies.

Bachelor of Hospitality Business (with Honours)

The hospitality industry is projecting a major human resource shortage in the levels of middle and upper-middle management in the coming few years. Rough estimates from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) indicate that on top of the prevailing talent crunch, there will be an additional shortfall of about 3,000 employees in the hospitality industry by 2017. The first such undergraduate programme amongst Singapore’s local autonomous universities, B Hospitality Business (Hons) aims to prepare its students for entry level- management positions in the hospitality industry. It develops an academic grounding in hospitality management and intellectual capacity for the industry.

This applied degree programme will equip students with solid industry knowledge and sound business analytical skills which are essential for middle management in the hospitality industry. Students will develop strong operational skills (know-how) and be anchored in solid theoretical knowledge (know-why). They will also acquire strong cultural sensitivity and critical thinking skills in line with the international nature of Singapore’s hospitality scene. This degree programme has the following specialisations: i) Industry specialisations – ‘Hotels and Integrated Resorts’ and ‘MICE’, and ii) Functional specialisations – ‘Sales and Marketing’ and ‘Financial Management and Real Estate Investment’.

Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Systems Engineering (ElectroMechanical Systems) (Joint Degree Programme with DigiPen Institute of Technology)

As Singapore develops more high value-added engineering activities, Systems Engineers with the ability to operate effectively in this complex and interconnected environment are needed. Systems Engineering (ElectroMechanical Systems) (SEEMS) engineers are trained to design and develop complex systems that can range from a single product such as a mobile robot to an organisation of engineering artefacts such as a transportation system.

BEng (Hons) Systems Engineering (ElectroMechanical Systems) is a multi-disciplinary joint degree programme between SIT and DigiPen Institute of Technology, Singapore. The applied degree programme integrates Mechanical, Electrical/Electronic and Computer Engineering using Systems Engineering. The programme builds on DigiPen’s expertise and experience in Computer Science and Computer Engineering. It also taps on SIT’s expertise in various engineering domains, bringing together the fields of Mechanical, Electrical, Electronic, and Computer Engineering with a holistic approach to system development. As this is a joint degree programme, students will spend their third trimester of their second year of study at the home campus of DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, Washington, United States.

Building Industry Relations for Applied Learning

Professor Tan Thiam Soon, President, SIT said, “We are starting 2015 on a good note with five new applied degree programmes and many new, exciting industry initiatives. As we are still in our early years, this is an important time for us to build a solid foundation involving all our stakeholders – the students, industry, and the larger community. As our degree programmes are applied in nature, we are forging new collaborations to deepen our relationship with industry.”

“As a pioneer university of applied learning in Singapore, our goal is to develop innovation-driven students who can make real contributions to their industries, and have real impact in society. SIT produces ‘best-in-class specialists’ who can contribute directly to industry. The applied degree programmes are designed to prepare students for the workforce by bringing an innovative mind-set to the workplace. Thus, SIT’s new applied degree programmes are closely linked to industry; this demonstrates that we are pushing the envelope and reshaping Singapore’s education landscape to one that is intertwined with industry.”