The presence of reputable schools, colleges and universities has led to Singapore becoming a major international education hub.
Correspondingly, more overseas universities are now entering Singapore’s education market.
Currently, there are more than 120 overseas higher education institutions collaborating with universities in Singapore that offer various undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate programs, according to a study by Edupoll.
The Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) Global Education has successfully tailored its more than 50 academic programs, ranging from undergraduate to postgraduate as well as from certificate to diploma, in partnership with universities and institutions from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Switzerland.
Among the established international universities SIM GE has collaborated with are RMIT University, the University of London, University at Buffalo and the State University of New York.
One of the oldest private institutions in Singapore, SIM GE has an enrollment of over 19,000 students including 3,000 international students from more than 40 countries worldwide, of which 37 percent are Indonesians.
Isbandi Hartawan said he was delighted to have studied at SIM. Initially, he was offered the chance to pursue his undergraduate degree in the US. But he then decided to stay in Singapore owing to the country’s proximity and atmosphere, which is conducive to the learning progress.
“I had the option of pursuing my degree in either the US or Singapore. I chose the latter not only because I could be close to my family and friends but also because there are great higher education institutions affiliated with renowned universities from the US and Australia,” said Isbandi, who just graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from SIM-University at Buffalo.
Isbandi learned about SIM prior to entering the university. The learning environment was truly conducive to his efforts toward earning his degree. “And the degree is prestigious, as it was awarded in partnership with the State University of New York and the University at Buffalo,” he said with pride.
The National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) are two public universities with outstanding academic and research reputations that offer comprehensive global education opportunities with top overseas universities.
Around 23,000 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students are currently enrolled at NTU in various academic programs that include the schools of engineering, life sciences, communications, art, business and the humanities and social sciences. Some of these schools offer joint programs in partnership with renowned universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford, the University of Tokyo, Fudan and Cornell.
With an enrollment of more than 23,000 undergraduate and 9,000 graduate students,, the NUS offers various fields of study by collaborating with top overseas universities such as Harvard University and Eindhoven University of Technology.
Having 14 faculties, NUS’s collaboration includes the offer of popular major studies ranging from engineering, bioengineering and architecture to computer science, medicine and business administration.
NUS has joint degree programs (JDPs) with the Australian National University (ANU). The JDPs focus on learning from the combined strengths of both universities. “Students are exposed to a cross-cultural experience that helps us build an international value while at the same time providing us with the opportunities to broaden our network,” Melina Gunawan, who is currently taking a JDP at NUS, remarked.
In addition, NUS has established a joint Master’s degree program with the Technical University of Munich (TUM), a reputable German technical university.
By Aulia Rachmat Sungkar. Published in The Jakarta Post, Sunday, July 11, 2010.
