Singapore Management University
Encyclopedia
The Singapore Management University (Abbreviation
: SMU; ; ; ) was officially incorporated on January 12, 2000, and was Singapore
's first private university
funded by the government. It is now an autonomous, government funded university like the National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University.
The university is home to more than 7,000 students and comprises six Schools offering undergraduate, graduate, and PhD programmes in Business Management, Accountancy
, Economics
, Information Systems Management
, Law
and the Social Sciences
. The University has an Office of Research, 19 research institutes and centres of excellence, and provides public and customised programmes for working professionals through its Office of Executive and Professional Education.
SMU distinguishes itself from other universities in the region through its emphasis on providing a holistic undergraduate education with interactive pedagogy and by requiring students to complete a minimum of 10 weeks' internship and 80 hours' community service either locally or overseas before graduating.
SMU is one of the youngest universities to receive accreditation from the oldest global accrediting body, AACSB International. SMU is accredited for both its business and accounting undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
Led by the newly appointed Chairman, Mr Ho Kwon Ping, a Singaporean business entrepreneur, the SMU task force determined that the new institution would follow the American university system featuring a more flexible broad-based education.
Following a review of undergraduate business schools to serve as a model for SMU, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
emerged as the best candidate. Thus, the Wharton-SMU agreement was signed in February 1999 followed in June by the Wharton-SMU Research Center
collaboration. In July 1999, Professor Janice Bellace
, then Deputy Dean of the Wharton School, commenced a two-year term as SMU's first president alongside founding Provost Dr Tan Chin Tiong. Dr Tony Tan remarked at that time about the SMU-Wharton relationship: "We hope to be able to tap the expertise and support of Wharton's faculty and extensive alumni network of public and private sector leaders, while offering Wharton a 'beach-head in Asia'."
In 2000, SMU made its first home at the former historic Raffles College on Evans Road at the edge of the Hwa Chong Institution Campus. The campus, first opened in 1929, had already been home to several institutions, before SMU. In 2001, SMU upgraded and occupied the main campus facilities, balancing the need to refit and refurbish it with facilities while preserving the heritage of colonial architecture. From 2001-2004, Professor Ronald Frank served as SMU's second president and was succeeded by president Professor Howard Hunter.
After five years at its Bukit Timah location, during which time the University saw the formation of four schools, the library and three centres of excellence as well as the Commencement of the first SMU graduates, SMU moved to its new and permanent city campus in the Bugis-Bras Basah District.
Since then, SMU has expanded, with the development of a Law School and the restructuring of the School of Economics and Social Sciences into two Schools, the School of Economics and the School of Social Sciences
.
Dr Yong Pung How
and Professor Arnoud De Meyer
officially took over duties from Dr Richard Hu Tsu Tau
and Professor Howard Hunter on 1 September 2010 as the new Chancellor
and the new President
of SMU.
scores. Many students among the present intake are national sportsmen, musicians, young entrepreneurs and community-service volunteers. All applicants have to go through an interview session if they are shortlisted before they are offered a place.
As demand for seats in the University has increased, the admissions process has tended to become more selective. The university received 10,680 applications for the 1,350 places for the academic year starting in fall 2008. Approximately one in eight of the applicants are selected.
A Graduate Studies Office (GSO) manages the coursework and research postgraduate programmes in SMU.
(BAcc) undergraduate degree as its sole offering. Since that time, the SoA has received strong endorsement from the industry and the accounting profession in general. The School followed then up on this initial success in 2005, launching the Master of Professional Accounting (MPA) programme for professionals intending to join the accounting profession but did not possess an undergraduate accounting qualification.
Both the SMU MPA and BAcc are accredited with the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore (ICPAS), the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), CPA Australia
, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (ICAA) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
students in August 2000. The School was named after Lee Kong Chian
in appreciation for the sizeable donation provided by The Lee Foundation to establish the School.
In addition to the BBM, the Business School
offers graduate coursework programmes such as the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Executive of Business Administration (EMBA), Master of Science in Wealth Management, Master of Science in Applied Finance and Master of Science in Innovation. The school offers the Master of Science in Applied Finance (China) programme, a collaborative effort between SMU and Wangyanan Institute for the Study of Economics (WISE) at Xiamen University, China
.; and the Master of Science in Communication Management, in partnership with Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and with 10 days spent at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Besides these, research programmes such as the Master of Science in Finance, Master of Science in Management and Master of Science in Operations Management are offered. The school has also started to offer a Business PhD programme in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources (OBHR) as well as in Finance.
faculty was separated from the social sciences to form a school of its own. This restructuring was largely accepted as a sound decision in view of the fact that SoE's curriculum had been modeled on that of the Wharton School instead of following the traditional social science-type economics curriculum found at most other institutions.
Today, the SoE offers the Bachelor of Science (Economics) as well as Master of Science programmes in Economics and Applied Economics. In 2007, the School also introduced a PhD in Economics programme.
when SMU and CMU forged a four-year strategic partnership intended to use the expertise of the CMU faculty in the School's initial establishment. Through this partnership, CMU aided SIS in establishing and developing the BSc Information Systems Management undergraduate programme, including faculty recruitment, development and mentoring; curriculum and course design; and the establishment of the flagship SMU - CMU Fast-Track programme, which enables SIS students to graduate within four-and-a-half years with both a bachelor's degree from SMU and a master's degree from CMU. In 2007, both universities agreed upon an additional four year extension with CMU now providing support in the establishment and growth of SIS's post-graduate education offerings. Under this agreement, the two universities also increased their focus on collaborative research efforts leading to joint faculty research outputs, funded projects and graduate student interaction.
SIS offers the Master of Science in Information Systems, Master of IT in Business (MITB), as well as the PhD in Information Systems programmes, in addition to its BSc undergraduate offering. For the MITB Programmes, there are two tracks: Financial Services (MITB FS) and Service Sector Analytics (MITB SSA). The Financial Services track was launched in 2007 and the Service Sector Analytics Track in 2011.
(now a Judge of Appeal). The School offers the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.)
undergraduate programme with a further offer of an American-style Juris Doctor (JD)
programme. The offer of a JD programme, unique in Singapore which has until recently adhered to the British-influenced system of legal education, was made to enable mid-career or fresh graduates in other disciplines to pursue a degree in law, allowing them to become practicing lawyers. The school also offers a Master of Laws (LLM) programme with specialist tracks in Commercial Law, Dispute Resolution and Islamic Law & Finance.
The School of Social Sciences (SoSS) was established in July 2002 as part of the then, School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS). Through a restructuring exercise in 2007, the School of Economics and School of Social Sciences were separated to form independent Schools within the University. The School's primary offering is the Bachelor of Social Science, a broad-based multidisciplinary social sciences undergraduate programme. Within this programme, three main majors are offered, namely Political Science
, Psychology
and Sociology
. In addition, the school offers a PhD in Psychology.
The SMU campus is located in the central part of the island at a $426 million, 4.5 hectare city campus. Located in the civic district of the city, the city campus will support the University's undergraduates, along with students in its graduate programmes.
The campus has six blocks:
The six buildings are connected by an underground walkway known as the Concourse, which is open to the public and lined with shops. The campus was designed by two teams of architects, with Cox Architects and Planners and DEG Architects in charge of the Administrative Building, and Edward Cullinan Architects and KNTA Architects designing the rest.
Teaching facilities include seminar rooms, class rooms, computer labs and group study rooms used by students for project discussions. There are research facilities scattered throughout the University. Sports facilities are limited on campus because of space constraints; however, the university has a swimming pool, gymnasium, and a multi-purpose sports hall which is equipped with a rock wall. The University has campus-wide wireless LAN networks.
In addition, the university leases rooms from a student hostel at Commonwealth Drive and these are open to 212 full-time SMU students (2nd year and above), exchange students and full-time postgraduate students who plan to study full time at SMU for the forthcoming academic year. The hostel is located near Holland Village which is known for its cosmpolitan array of restaurants and cafes.
The academic year commences in late August. Each term is 15 weeks long, including a week-long mid-term break and another week of revision and exams. Term 1 generally runs from late August to early December, while Term 2 begins in January and ends in mid-April. In most courses, students are assessed on the level of their class participation, a group project, a mid-term test, and possibly, an exam at the end of the term. Students are generally required to give a presentation on a project topic for every course they read. Attending a half-unit course, called Finishing Touch, which advises students on career skills is also mandatory.
It is part of each student's curriculum to spend at least 10 weeks on internship at an approved organisation, and 80 hours on community service. These occupy the summer holidays of most students. Students are also encouraged to go an international exchange term with partner universities to experience different cultures. SMU has around 142 agreements with partner universities from 41 countries.
The SMUSA is a highly-influential student body in the university. The top management of the university including the President, Deputy President, and Provost will meet with council members and discuss issues with regard to SMU student life at least once a year. The Association also played a role in creating the undergraduate tuition-fee structure at the SMU. When the university announced its first fee hike in 2005, the Association banded its members together, and drafted a proposal for the fees to be locked in for all current students. The SMU Board of Trustees accepted the Association's proposal with minor revisions, and this allowed students who were admitted in each academic year to have their fees locked in for their entire period of study, instead of having tuition fees which were subject to revision.
The elections for the Executive Committee of the Association are held during the second term of each academic year, and each member holds a one-year term of office, beginning from January 1 to December 31.
Abbreviation
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
: SMU; ; ; ) was officially incorporated on January 12, 2000, and was Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
's first private university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
funded by the government. It is now an autonomous, government funded university like the National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University.
The university is home to more than 7,000 students and comprises six Schools offering undergraduate, graduate, and PhD programmes in Business Management, Accountancy
Accountancy
Accountancy is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management; the art lies in...
, Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, Information Systems Management
Information systems
Information Systems is an academic/professional discipline bridging the business field and the well-defined computer science field that is evolving toward a new scientific area of study...
, Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and the Social Sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
. The University has an Office of Research, 19 research institutes and centres of excellence, and provides public and customised programmes for working professionals through its Office of Executive and Professional Education.
SMU distinguishes itself from other universities in the region through its emphasis on providing a holistic undergraduate education with interactive pedagogy and by requiring students to complete a minimum of 10 weeks' internship and 80 hours' community service either locally or overseas before graduating.
SMU is one of the youngest universities to receive accreditation from the oldest global accrediting body, AACSB International. SMU is accredited for both its business and accounting undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
History
The idea of setting up a third university in Singapore was first mooted by the Singapore government in 1997.Led by the newly appointed Chairman, Mr Ho Kwon Ping, a Singaporean business entrepreneur, the SMU task force determined that the new institution would follow the American university system featuring a more flexible broad-based education.
Following a review of undergraduate business schools to serve as a model for SMU, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
emerged as the best candidate. Thus, the Wharton-SMU agreement was signed in February 1999 followed in June by the Wharton-SMU Research Center
Wharton-SMU Research Center
The Wharton-SMU Research Center under Singapore Management University's Office of Research was established in June 1999 as a center for research collaboration between SMU and the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania...
collaboration. In July 1999, Professor Janice Bellace
Janice R. Bellace
Janice R. Bellace is the Director of the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business. Her primary appointment is in the Wharton School of Business in the Legal Studies and Business Ethics department, of which she is currently Chairperson; she has a secondary appointment in the...
, then Deputy Dean of the Wharton School, commenced a two-year term as SMU's first president alongside founding Provost Dr Tan Chin Tiong. Dr Tony Tan remarked at that time about the SMU-Wharton relationship: "We hope to be able to tap the expertise and support of Wharton's faculty and extensive alumni network of public and private sector leaders, while offering Wharton a 'beach-head in Asia'."
In 2000, SMU made its first home at the former historic Raffles College on Evans Road at the edge of the Hwa Chong Institution Campus. The campus, first opened in 1929, had already been home to several institutions, before SMU. In 2001, SMU upgraded and occupied the main campus facilities, balancing the need to refit and refurbish it with facilities while preserving the heritage of colonial architecture. From 2001-2004, Professor Ronald Frank served as SMU's second president and was succeeded by president Professor Howard Hunter.
After five years at its Bukit Timah location, during which time the University saw the formation of four schools, the library and three centres of excellence as well as the Commencement of the first SMU graduates, SMU moved to its new and permanent city campus in the Bugis-Bras Basah District.
Since then, SMU has expanded, with the development of a Law School and the restructuring of the School of Economics and Social Sciences into two Schools, the School of Economics and the School of Social Sciences
SMU School of Social Sciences
The School of Social Sciences is one of the six schools at the Singapore Management University. It offers a Bachelor of Social Science undergraduate degree with options to major in Political Science, Psychology or Sociology...
.
Dr Yong Pung How
Yong Pung How
Yong Pung How, DUT . He was the former Chief Justice of Singapore, serving from 1990 to 2006. Prior to his judicial career, he was a lawyer, banker and senior government official...
and Professor Arnoud De Meyer
Arnoud De Meyer
Arnoud De Meyer is a professor and Belgian national. He received his PhD from the University of Ghent. He was associated for 23 years with INSEAD as a professor and as Dean for the MBA programme, Executive Education and the Euro Asia Centre. He was also the founding Dean of INSEAD's Asia Campus in...
officially took over duties from Dr Richard Hu Tsu Tau
Hu Tsu Tau Richard
Richard Hu Tsu Tau is a former Singaporean politician. He served as Minister of Finance from 1985–2001 and is affiliated to the People's Action Party...
and Professor Howard Hunter on 1 September 2010 as the new Chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
and the new President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of SMU.
Future Direction
Following a strategic review by the university management, senior faculty and the Board of Directors, Professor De Meyer announced the strategic goals of a five year plan in his State of the University Address 2011. These goals are to:- Continue to deliver a holistic undergraduate education experience with a distinctive interactive pedagogy, involving multi-disciplinary perspectives and a culture of rigorous learning and innovation.
- Foster a stimulating and dynamic research culture combining focused disciplinary research with opportunities for multi-disciplinary perspectives.
- Become an Asian knowledge hub for research centred around the world of business and management.
- Develop high quality graduate, professional and executive education programmes.
- Raise the reputation and international profile of SMU.
- Ensure financial strength that sustains growth and innovation.
Academics
The Singapore Management University follows a course credit system similar to that used in most American universities. Each individual course within the University is assigned a certain credit weightage and students are usually required to take a specified number of units in order to fulfill requirements for graduation. Courses are typically conducted as small group seminars of under 50 students so as to allow for a high degree of interactive discourse between students and lecturers.Admissions
Admission to the undergraduate programmes is based on criteria that include GCE A-Level or Polytechnic grades, an interview and extra-curricular achievements or work experience. While optional, applicants are also encouraged to submit their SAT I Reasoning TestSAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
scores. Many students among the present intake are national sportsmen, musicians, young entrepreneurs and community-service volunteers. All applicants have to go through an interview session if they are shortlisted before they are offered a place.
As demand for seats in the University has increased, the admissions process has tended to become more selective. The university received 10,680 applications for the 1,350 places for the academic year starting in fall 2008. Approximately one in eight of the applicants are selected.
A Graduate Studies Office (GSO) manages the coursework and research postgraduate programmes in SMU.
Rankings
- Singapore Management University was ranked 65th worldwide by The University of Texas at DallasUniversity of Texas at DallasThe University of Texas at Dallas, also referred to as UT Dallas or UTD, is a public research university in the University of Texas System. The main campus is in the heart of the Richardson, Texas, Telecom Corridor, north of downtown Dallas...
Top 100 Worldwide Business School Ranking. - SMU was rated as a 4 Palms Business school (world top 300) by EduniversalEduniversalEduniversal is a French consulting company and a rating agency specialized in Higher Education. Founded in 1994, one of the main goals of Eduniversal is to provide a tool, for students all around the world, which provides information on the Best Business Schools, located in Eduniversal's 9...
in 2011. - Singapore Management University was ranked by Webometrics Ranking of World UniversitiesWebometrics Ranking of World UniversitiesThe Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, also known as Ranking Web of World Universities, is ranking system for the world's universities based on a composite indicator that takes into account both the volume of the Web contents and the visibility and impact of these web publications...
(Jan 2011) 1262th out of around 20000 colleges, polytechnics and universities in the world. - Singapore Management University (as an entire university) was ranked 28th out of all business schools in the world by WebometricsWebometricsThe science of webometrics tries to measure the World Wide Web to get knowledge about the number and types of hyperlinks, structure of the World Wide Web and usage patterns...
(Ranking Web of World Business Schools) in Jan 2011. - SMU was ranked 10th worldwide and 1st in Asia by The Accounting Review for the number of refereed articles accepted for publication in 2009.
School of Accountancy
The School of Accountancy (SoA) was launched in 2001 with the Bachelor of AccountancyBachelor of Accountancy
The degree of Bachelor of Accountancy is the principal academic degree in accountancy in several countries, and is often the only degree recognised for subsequent practice; see First professional degree. It is abbreviated B.Acy. or B.Acc. or B. Accty....
(BAcc) undergraduate degree as its sole offering. Since that time, the SoA has received strong endorsement from the industry and the accounting profession in general. The School followed then up on this initial success in 2005, launching the Master of Professional Accounting (MPA) programme for professionals intending to join the accounting profession but did not possess an undergraduate accounting qualification.
CPA Australia
CPA Australia is one of three professional accounting bodies in Australia, the others being the Institute of Public Accountants and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia....
, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (ICAA) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
Lee Kong Chian School of Business
The Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB) is the largest School within the University. The LKCSB holds the status of being SMU's founding School with it having opened its doors to its pioneer batch of Bachelor of Business Management (BBM)Bachelor of Business Management
Bachelor of Business Management , sometimes known as a Bachelor of Management Studies, is an undergraduate program of four years. One who completes BBM from a university can challenge MBA graduates. It is an undergraduate course similar to MBA which is graduate course...
students in August 2000. The School was named after Lee Kong Chian
Lee Kong Chian
Lee Kong Chian , was a prominent businessman and philanthropist and the founder of The Lee Foundation in Singapore. He was one of Southeast Asia's richest men in the 1950s and 1960s. He was the son-in-law of philanthropist Tan Kah Kee.-Early life:...
in appreciation for the sizeable donation provided by The Lee Foundation to establish the School.
In addition to the BBM, the Business School
Business school
A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in Business Administration. It teaches topics such as accounting, administration, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems, marketing, organizational behavior, public relations, strategy, human resource...
offers graduate coursework programmes such as the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Executive of Business Administration (EMBA), Master of Science in Wealth Management, Master of Science in Applied Finance and Master of Science in Innovation. The school offers the Master of Science in Applied Finance (China) programme, a collaborative effort between SMU and Wangyanan Institute for the Study of Economics (WISE) at Xiamen University, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.; and the Master of Science in Communication Management, in partnership with Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and with 10 days spent at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Besides these, research programmes such as the Master of Science in Finance, Master of Science in Management and Master of Science in Operations Management are offered. The school has also started to offer a Business PhD programme in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources (OBHR) as well as in Finance.
School of Economics
The School of Economics (SoE) was established in July 2002 as part of the then School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS). Following a restructuring exercise, the University's economicsEconomics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
faculty was separated from the social sciences to form a school of its own. This restructuring was largely accepted as a sound decision in view of the fact that SoE's curriculum had been modeled on that of the Wharton School instead of following the traditional social science-type economics curriculum found at most other institutions.
Today, the SoE offers the Bachelor of Science (Economics) as well as Master of Science programmes in Economics and Applied Economics. In 2007, the School also introduced a PhD in Economics programme.
School of Information Systems
The School of Information Systems (SIS) was formed with the aid of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
when SMU and CMU forged a four-year strategic partnership intended to use the expertise of the CMU faculty in the School's initial establishment. Through this partnership, CMU aided SIS in establishing and developing the BSc Information Systems Management undergraduate programme, including faculty recruitment, development and mentoring; curriculum and course design; and the establishment of the flagship SMU - CMU Fast-Track programme, which enables SIS students to graduate within four-and-a-half years with both a bachelor's degree from SMU and a master's degree from CMU. In 2007, both universities agreed upon an additional four year extension with CMU now providing support in the establishment and growth of SIS's post-graduate education offerings. Under this agreement, the two universities also increased their focus on collaborative research efforts leading to joint faculty research outputs, funded projects and graduate student interaction.
School of Law
The SMU School of Law (SoL) stands out as the University's smallest and most highly selective school with a total annual intake of around 125 students. Establishment of the School of Law was announced in August 2007 following the encouragement of the Singapore Government, which had, during a major review, discovered a shortage of qualified legal personnel in Singapore. Previously, the School existed as the Department of Law at the university's Business School, and it was chaired by Professor Andrew PhangAndrew Phang
Judge of Appeal Andrew Phang Boon Leong is a Judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore.Born in Singapore in 1957, he received his LL.B. from the University of Singapore in 1982, before earning his LL.M. and S.J.D. from Harvard University in 1984 and 1988 respectively...
(now a Judge of Appeal). The School offers the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.)
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
undergraduate programme with a further offer of an American-style Juris Doctor (JD)
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
programme. The offer of a JD programme, unique in Singapore which has until recently adhered to the British-influenced system of legal education, was made to enable mid-career or fresh graduates in other disciplines to pursue a degree in law, allowing them to become practicing lawyers. The school also offers a Master of Laws (LLM) programme with specialist tracks in Commercial Law, Dispute Resolution and Islamic Law & Finance.
School of Social Sciences
The School of Social Sciences (SoSS) was established in July 2002 as part of the then, School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS). Through a restructuring exercise in 2007, the School of Economics and School of Social Sciences were separated to form independent Schools within the University. The School's primary offering is the Bachelor of Social Science, a broad-based multidisciplinary social sciences undergraduate programme. Within this programme, three main majors are offered, namely Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
. In addition, the school offers a PhD in Psychology.
Office of Executive Education
In addition to its traditional academic programmes, the University also runs executive education courses. Among the programmes are Executive Skills for Board Members in Challenging Times; SMU-SingHealth Graduate Diploma in Healthcare Management & Leadership; SMU-SPRING Learn, Explore, Do (LED); SMU-BCA-WDA Productivity and Leadership Development; SNEF-SMU CEO Seminars: The Art & Science of Productivity Leadership; and Jonson & Jonson-SMU Hospital Management.Centres and Institutes
The University hosts five institutes and a larger number of research centres.Institutes
- Behavioural Sciences Institute (BSI)
- Financial Training Institute@SMU (FTI@SMU)
- Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIEE)
- Institute of Service Excellence at SMU (ISES)
- International Trading Institute @SMU (ITI)
- Sim Kee BoonSim Kee BoonSim Kee Boon was one of Singapore's pioneer civil servants - men who worked closely with the Old Guard political leaders and played a key role in the success of Changi Airport and turned the fortunes of Keppel Shipyard around....
Institute for Financial Economics
Centres
- BNP ParibasBNP ParibasBNP Paribas S.A. is a global banking group, headquartered in Paris, with its second global headquarters in London. In October 2010 BNP Paribas was ranked by Bloomberg and Forbes as the largest bank and largest company in the world by assets with over $3.1 trillion. It was formed through the merger...
Hedge Fund Centre - Centre for Dispute Resolution
- Centre for Marketing Excellence
- Chinese Capital Market Research Centre (CCMRC)@SMU
- Lien Centre for Social Innovation
- Living Analytics Research Center (jointly with Carnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
) - SMU-SAS Enterprise Intelligence Lab (SEIL)
- Standard Chartered iLab@SMU
- UOBUnited Overseas BankUnited Overseas Bank Limited , abbreviated as UOB is a bank incorporated in Singapore. It was founded 6 August 1935 by Kuching-born Datuk Wee Kheng Chiang, father of the present United Overseas Bank Group Chairman, Mr...
-SMU Entrepreneurship Alliance Centre - Wee Kim WeeWee Kim WeeWee Kim Wee GCB was the fourth President of Singapore from 2 September 1985 to 1 September 1993.-Early life:Born into a humble family, Wee Kim Wee was the son of a clerk, Wee Choong Lay and his wife Chua Lay Hua. His father died when he was eight...
Centre - Wharton-SMU Research CenterWharton-SMU Research CenterThe Wharton-SMU Research Center under Singapore Management University's Office of Research was established in June 1999 as a center for research collaboration between SMU and the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania...
Campus and facilities
The campus has six blocks:
- Lee Kong Chian School of Business
- School of Accountancy, which also houses the School of Law
- Li Ka Shing Library
- School of Information Systems
- School of Social Sciences, which also houses the School of Economics
- Administrative Building.
The six buildings are connected by an underground walkway known as the Concourse, which is open to the public and lined with shops. The campus was designed by two teams of architects, with Cox Architects and Planners and DEG Architects in charge of the Administrative Building, and Edward Cullinan Architects and KNTA Architects designing the rest.
Teaching facilities include seminar rooms, class rooms, computer labs and group study rooms used by students for project discussions. There are research facilities scattered throughout the University. Sports facilities are limited on campus because of space constraints; however, the university has a swimming pool, gymnasium, and a multi-purpose sports hall which is equipped with a rock wall. The University has campus-wide wireless LAN networks.
Accommodation
The SMU Hostel, known as SMU Residences @ Prinsep, is located on Prinsep Street. The hostel was created by refurbisishing three Housing Development Board blocks donated by the government. The hostel welcomed its first residents in December 2006 and was officially opened in February 2007. The hostel buildings can accommodate about 250 residents. Priority is given to international students, most of whom live in various private hostels around the island.In addition, the university leases rooms from a student hostel at Commonwealth Drive and these are open to 212 full-time SMU students (2nd year and above), exchange students and full-time postgraduate students who plan to study full time at SMU for the forthcoming academic year. The hostel is located near Holland Village which is known for its cosmpolitan array of restaurants and cafes.
Graduate employment
In the Graduate Employment Survey 2010, SMU graduates achieved a record employment rate of close to 100% and higher starting gross monthly salaries across five of the university’s degree programmes, surpassing the performance of graduates in 2009 and 2008. 74% of them secured job offers either before graduation or within one month after graduation. Two thirds of the graduates received two or more job offers. The average monthly salary among SMU graduates in full-time jobs was $3,271, an improvement of 5.8 per cent over 2009's figure of $3,093, and the highest for SMU graduates since its first cohort graduated in 2004. In addition, the top 20 per cent of its graduates, usually those working in financial institutions, took home an average salary of $5,062. There were some among the 125 top-earners who were paid up to $13,000 a month.Student life
Students can take part in the school clubs and events, as well as organise school events.The academic year commences in late August. Each term is 15 weeks long, including a week-long mid-term break and another week of revision and exams. Term 1 generally runs from late August to early December, while Term 2 begins in January and ends in mid-April. In most courses, students are assessed on the level of their class participation, a group project, a mid-term test, and possibly, an exam at the end of the term. Students are generally required to give a presentation on a project topic for every course they read. Attending a half-unit course, called Finishing Touch, which advises students on career skills is also mandatory.
It is part of each student's curriculum to spend at least 10 weeks on internship at an approved organisation, and 80 hours on community service. These occupy the summer holidays of most students. Students are also encouraged to go an international exchange term with partner universities to experience different cultures. SMU has around 142 agreements with partner universities from 41 countries.
SMU Students' Association
The Association was formed in 2000 by its pioneer batch of students, with the aim of building a community of students. Every matriculated SMU undergraduate is a member of the SMUSA. The SMUSA serves as an umbrella organisation that consists of the SMU Students' Association Council, an Executive Committee, and seven constituent bodies. The constituent bodies include Accounting Society (ASOC), Business Society (BONDUE), School of Information Systems Society (SISS), SMU Economics Society (OIKOS), Social Science Society (SOSCIETY), Arts and Cultural Fraternity (ACF), SMU Sports Union (SSU) and Special Interest and Community Service Sodality (SICS).The SMUSA is a highly-influential student body in the university. The top management of the university including the President, Deputy President, and Provost will meet with council members and discuss issues with regard to SMU student life at least once a year. The Association also played a role in creating the undergraduate tuition-fee structure at the SMU. When the university announced its first fee hike in 2005, the Association banded its members together, and drafted a proposal for the fees to be locked in for all current students. The SMU Board of Trustees accepted the Association's proposal with minor revisions, and this allowed students who were admitted in each academic year to have their fees locked in for their entire period of study, instead of having tuition fees which were subject to revision.
The elections for the Executive Committee of the Association are held during the second term of each academic year, and each member holds a one-year term of office, beginning from January 1 to December 31.
Social Science Society (SOSCIETY)
The SMU Social Sciences Student Society was established in 2004 to serve as a point of communication between the students, faculty and school offices. Colloquially known as SOSCIETY, the executive committee is elected annually by Social Sciences undergraduates to provide a holistic student life for fellow social scientists.Business Society (BONDUE)
An initiative by the Office of the Deanery of the LKCSB, BONDUE was formed in April 2004, to inculcate a sense of identity and foster cohesiveness amongst the stakeholders in the LKCSB community - the Deans, faculty, alumni, staff and students. BONDUE is one of the main drivers in the organising and planning of student activities, ranging from student-led camps to cohesion get-together social nights. All business-school students are encouraged to participate in Bondue's activities to ensure a well-rounded education at the SMU.SMU Economics Society (OIKOS)
OIKOS is the constituent body representing the School of Economics. Its aim is to look after the interests and welfare of all Economics students.School of Information Systems Society (SISS)
The society is a bridge between students and faculty, acting in the interests and well-being of all information-systems students and to strengthen ties within the SIS community and across the university.Arts and Cultural Fraternity (ACF)
ACF is the student-run constituent body that oversees the 26 arts and cultural clubs in SMU, and represents their interest to the administration and to the SMUSA Council. It oversees the development of its clubs as well as arts and culture in SMU, and plans events such as the annual SMU Arts Festival.SMUXtremists (SMUX)
SMUXtremists (SMUX) was established in 2000 by a group of like-minded students who sought to share their passion for the outdoors with others in the Singapore Management University (SMU), consisting of 6 teams, namely: Biking, Diving, Kayaking, Trekking, Skating and the XSeed team. Currently, with a 1000-strong membership base, and managed by a dedicated team of 14 committee members, SMUX is consistently the most active and largest Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) Club in SMU.SMU Sports Union (SSU)
Their motto "Might of One, Strength from All" represents SSUs aim of being a united front for all sports clubs in SMU.External links
Official university sites:- Singapore Management University - http://www.smu.edu.sg
- SMU Student's Association - http://www.smusa.sg
- SMU undergraduate student information site - http://info.smu.edu.sg/courses/
- Webometrics Ranking of World Universities
See also
- National University of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeThe National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
- Nanyang Technological UniversityNanyang Technological UniversityNanyang Technological University is one of the two largest public universities in Singapore with the biggest campus in Singapore and the world's largest engineering college. Its lush 200-hectare Yunnan Garden campus was the Youth Olympic Village of the world's first 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in...
- Singapore Institute of TechnologySingapore Institute of TechnologySingapore Institute of Technology is a publicly-funded institute of higher learning in Singapore that caters primarily to local polytechnic graduates who wish to pursue a bachelor's degree...
- Singapore University of Technology and DesignSingapore University of Technology and DesignThe Singapore University of Technology and Design will be Singapore's fourth autonomous university. It is developed in collaboration...
- List of universities in Singapore