Singapore University of Social Sciences (ex-UniSIM)

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SIM University, recently renamed the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), is set to ramp up its full-time degree courses and places, with numbers rising from the current annual intake of 580 students to 1,000 in a few years.

The university, which yesterday became Singapore's sixth autonomous university, will expand the number of places for its popular courses such as business analytics and early childhood education.

It will also add more social science-related degrees in areas such as urban studies and environmental studies. But even as it expands its full-time degree offerings and places, it also aims to be the university of choice for working adults.

SUSS president Cheong Hee Kiat said that, despite the growing number of full-time students, which stands at 890, the university's mainstay is the army of 13,200 part-time students enrolled in 60 part-time courses, ranging from counselling to accounting.

The university receives more than 5,000 applications a year from working adults and mature students who want to pursue a degree.

Communications, logistics and supply chain management, early childhood education, social work, and building and project management are among the courses that continue to draw students.

More than 400 people applied for the 60 places in its law school, which began running its courses in January to train criminal and family lawyers.

Professor Cheong expects demand for its part-time degree courses to remain healthy over the next few years, partly because of the SkillsFuture initiative, which encourages workers to update their skills. "The majority of them want a degree to further themselves in their careers or to make a switch. The university offers them a flexible path to work and study for a degree at the same time," he added.

He said most of the part-time students have three to five years of work experience and attain their degrees in four to five years.

With a foundation laid by SUSS' predecessors - SIM University and the Open University Degree Programme - he said it has used online learning to let working adults progress at their own pace.

He said SUSS will also expand its offerings for adult learners. It will work with the SkillsFuture Singapore Agency and companies to develop industry-relevant courses and create content that supports the upgrading of industries.

SUSS' other area of focus - social sciences - will not be confined to those in the field. Prof Cheong said there will be an infusion of social sciences in other degrees such as business or engineering.

"In civil engineering, for example, besides the technical aspects of putting up a new bridge or building, we want our students to consider the social impact as well. How will it impact the people living in the vicinity?"

Students interviewed said they hoped SUSS will continue to ensure that its courses are relevant and recognised by the industry. Many of its 60 courses are accredited by professional bodies.

The students welcomed the move to convertSUSS into an autonomous institution, saying this will boost recognition of its degrees.

Full-time accountancy student Tan Jun Cheng, 24, hoped that with more funding and resources, SUSS will be able to offer more programmes. "I would like to see more entrepreneurship programmes and stints that will give us more industry exposure."

FireIce SG

The Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) will step up its efforts to ensure that its students go through a curriculum with a strong social focus regardless of their course of study.

Set up as a private university in 2005, the school formerly known as SIM University is undergoing restructuring to be the country’s sixth autonomous university.

Speaking to the media ahead of the second reading of the SUSS Bill in Parliament yesterday, SUSS president Cheong Hee Kiat (picture) said the university is looking at offering social science courses as core modules, such as in areas of social research, the environment and ethics.

It will also organise activities where students can apply these skills. For example, students studying electronics could be asked to simplify devices for the seniors in the society.

Some of these courses are already available to the full-time students, but SUSS is looking at introducing them to the part-time courses as well. More social science-related disciplines will also be introduced over the next one to two years.

While some students might eventually forget about the social science courses after taking such modules in their first year, Prof Cheong added: “If we bring it into his curriculum for the rest of his time with us ... hopefully it will make the student think about this long after he has graduated from us.”

And he hopes they will apply what they have learnt about social sciences into their own fields.

Even as SUSS joins the national university system where the autonomous status will provide an “enhanced standing” and better recognition among employers, Prof Cheong said the university will continue to keep an open door to applicants, regardless of their qualifications.

It will continue to accept students with varying qualifications, be it A-Levels or polytechnic graduates, or others looking to take part-time courses. At times, SUSS will also recognise the training an applicant has completed in the industry.

Currently, SUSS has about 890 full-time students and 13,180 part-time students. It offers more than 60 programmes, including full-time degree programmes in law, early childhood education and logistics, and has about 145 faculty members.

Prof Cheong said it will be working with the Ministry of Education on expanding the university’s future intakes for part-time and full-time courses. More resources will be also available to provide better quality of education for its students, he said.

In line with SkillsFuture, Prof Cheong said the school will continue to provide for students who are “learning on the go” through various courses. Siau Ming En

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With the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) set to be the sixth autonomous university here, several Members of Parliament (MPs) yesterday raised some areas of concern about how the institution would be positioned. Issues raised included whether it would see sustained demand, and whether a niche in social sciences would affect the standing of non-related disciplines.

About 10 MPs spoke in Parliament on the second reading of the Bill to set up the university, before it was passed yesterday. It was previously announced that SIM University (UniSIM) would be restructured and renamed to become SUSS.

While there may be a demand for more family and criminal lawyers, early childhood practitioners and specialists in Singapore, MP Desmond Choo wondered if an investment in disciplines with a strong social focus would hinder one from being “nimble” when industry requirements change in future.

In response, Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung said this is not something to worry about, as long as the Singapore economy remains diverse and vibrant. For instance, successful tech companies do not just hire coders and engineers, but also need to draw on a pool of anthropologists, psychologists and other social scientists, he said.

Addressing fears that the business and engineering programmes at SUSS would lose their prestige or recognition, Mr Ong said it is common for universities to “offer quality programmes beyond what their names imply”.

He likened it to how the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) offers arts and social science disciplines. Or how the London School of Economics and Political Science offers law, international relations and accountancy.

As part of its focus on applied learning, SUSS will retain and develop its existing strong culture in service learning, and expand its offering of professional development programmes, which are not always at the degree level. SUSS has already introduced around 200 of such modular courses, Mr Ong said.

Calling it not just a “simple renaming but a significant reorientation” of Singapore’s leading private university catering to adult education, Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Daniel Goh fretted about how the higher education field would evolve into six “silo” universities, “all functionally differentiated” and each becoming a “great echo chamber in itself”, leading to fewer collaborations with each other and less competition of ideas.

Acknowledging this, Mr Ong said while big universities such as NTU and the National University of Singapore have less incentive to have inter-university collaboration, smaller universities such as the Singapore Management University and the Singapore University of Technology and Design have a “strong motivation” to do so.

Responding to questions from MPs Fatimah Lateef and Saktiandi Supaat on whether entry requirements would change, Mr Ong said that SUSS takes into account not just academic grades, but also career accomplishments and experience.

Associate Professor Fatimah also asked if students at SUSS would have access to the same scholarships, bursaries and study awards as the other autonomous universities, while MP Louis Ng wanted to know if programme fees would be cut.

Mr Ong said a major change in the level of subsidised fees is not expected, given that there is the availability of Government-supported financial aid schemes, including bursaries and study loans.

On another matter concerning alumni, the university has arranged for degree certifications to be re-issued in SUSS’ name for them. Details on this will be released later.

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