Very few make the grade at
DigiPen
Only 12 students from first batch of 33
graduated from tough programme
Ian Poh
Ms Elizabeth Huang, a DigiPen Singapore graduate, is now a
game artist with the Singapore branch of Japanese firm Tecmo Koei.
DigiPen students are required to study in-depth modules within and
outside their area of specialisation. -- ST PHOTO: NG SOR
LUAN
Shaun Lim had dreams of becoming a computer games creator when
he enrolled at DigiPen Institute of Technology, the top American
design and animation school that opened a Singapore campus in
2008.
Those dreams have since faded. The 23-year-old
dropped out in February, after struggling with the workload over
two semesters.
"There was very little breathing space between
keeping up with projects and lessons. At the end of every semester,
it felt like everyone wanted to quit. Those who chose to hang on
just continued to struggle," said Mr Lim, who now hopes to start
another degree programme elsewhere.
DigiPen, regarded as "the Harvard of game design",
said before its arrival here that it ran a demanding programme. Its
early batches of students have discovered just how tough it can
get.
Of the first 33 students who enrolled in the fine
arts in digital art and animation programme, only 12 survived to
graduate in June; the rest dropped out.
The school now runs four degree programmes here and
takes in between 150 and 160 students each year at its Buona Vista
campus.
The Sunday Times understands that on average, about
25 per cent of every cohort has dropped out, an attrition rate that
has raised eyebrows. They are a mix of those who give up, usually
within the first semester, and those told to go.
A student is put on probation for the next semester
if he falls below a grade-point average of 2, out of 4, and faces
expulsion if his grades do not improve. He can apply for
readmission after a year.
"We do not want to mislead anyone into believing
that it is an easy feat to graduate from DigiPen," said its
international chief operating officer, Mr Jason Chu.
DigiPen said this is made clear at its admission
interview and orientation. Applicants can shadow students to get an
idea of student life, and those who drop out may get credit
transfers to degree programmes elsewhere.
Mr Chu said: "DigiPen will not lower its standards
to make sure all students pass and graduate, but it will provide as
much support and assistance as possible to students who ask for
it."
There is a lot to cope with because students have
to study in-depth modules within and outside their area of
specialisation.
For example, those doing game development must
clear eight courses in mathematics, 20 levels of computer science,
two courses in physics, plus eight semesters of projects designing
games and three to four general electives.
Students said the emphasis on technical skills can
sap all their passion, and constantly struggling to keep up is
painful.
Mr Woo Kang Ning, 23, who dropped out from the game
design programme in his second semester, said he was aware of the
challenges but learnt too late what they were exactly.
"There was a lot of focus on mechanical aspects
which I realised I didn't have much interest in. By the end, I lost
my interest in game design," he said.
Students said that the way the degree programmes
are structured made it difficult too.
DigiPen started as an independent school here with
a four-year programme until 2010 when it became a partner of the
Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), which mostly runs two-year
degree programmes for polytechnic upgraders.
To qualify for government subsidies which cut their
average tuition fee from about $15,500 to $5,000 a semester,
DigiPen's Singaporean students have since been expected to complete
three semesters a year.
Most degree programmes run with two semesters and a
long break of about three months a year. The more packed DigiPen
programme sees its students working through a "summer session" and
taking shorter breaks between semesters.
Piled on top of the demanding course work, this has
added even more pressure, the students said. Failing a module which
is a pre-requisite for other modules can mean a student ends up
being unable to offer subjects he needs to complete his degree.
And if that means extending his time at DigiPen
beyond the stipulated time frame, he will end up paying the higher,
non-subsidised fees.
DigiPen chief technology officer Samir Abou Samra
said the attrition rate in Singapore was generally "no different"
from that of DigiPen's campus in the United States.
"We must ensure that our graduates are
industry-ready when they graduate," he said.
But The Sunday Times understands that DigiPen is in
discussions with the SIT to review the programme structures and
students' feedback on how having to squeeze the programmes into a
shorter time frame is affecting them.
The school declined to provide details on what its
first 12 Singapore graduates have gone on to do.
One in that select group is Ms Elizabeth Huang, a
game artist with the Singapore branch of Japanese firm Tecmo
Koei.
The 24-year-old, who did not come under the SIT
scheme, said that her experience at DigiPen was fulfilling despite
the steep learning curve.
"It would be good to have more rest time between
semesters to review what you have learnt," she said.
"But completing your degree within a shorter time
frame is just as good because it helps you prepare better for
working life."
COMPLETION RATES TRACKED:
MOE
The Education Ministry (MOE) said yesterday that the Singapore
Institute of Technology's (SIT) partnership with DigiPen allows
students passionate about interactive digital media to pursue a
publicly funded degree locally.
Noting the programmes offered by DigiPen here and
in the United States are identical in content and academic rigour,
it said: "MOE tracks completion rates of all publicly funded
tertiary education programmes on an ongoing basis, and works with
the tertiary education institutions, including SIT, to provide
support to our students in Singapore, and to carry out reviews of
the institutions' programmesfrom time to time." It added it would
work with the SIT and DigiPen to help students meet the high
standards.
Top News, The Sunday Times, October 14 2012, Pg 9