- The new undergraduate curriculum, which will be implemented in July 2023, was launched at the inaugural SUSS Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Symposium 2022 by Minister for Education Mr Chan Chun Sing.
- The revamp encompasses changes to the undergraduate curriculum and a move from the current two 6-week terms to a single 12-week semester to foster flexible and deeper learning.
Singapore, November 29, 2022 – The Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) announced a new university-wide curriculum today. The revamped curriculum was launched by Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education, who was the Guest-of-Honour at the opening of the SUSS Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Symposium 2022. This revamped curriculum is intended to enhance students’ employability, education experience, and graduate value, so that they can better serve society.
This new curriculum was one of the key recommendations by a panel, commissioned by SUSS President Professor Cheong Hee Kiat in 2021. The panel was set up to:
- Review the existing SUSS academic system with a focus on four areas – philosophy and outcomes of education, curriculum design, pedagogy, and learning support and resources;
- Identify gaps that need to be addressed;
- Update knowledge and developments elsewhere pertinent to the study, and;
- Recommend reforms and improvements that SUSS may wish to adopt.
SUSS Provost Professor Robbie Goh said, “Our revamped curriculum acknowledges the unique student profile of SUSS, which is about 75% adult learners, while also enhancing their educational experience and better preparing them for a disruption-prone working life. The new SUSS semester system will allow more learning “white space” for self- and peer-learning, and greater engagement with and reflection on the subject matter. A stronger core curriculum will instill fundamental competencies, while the possibility of greater major-minor combinations and even double-majoring will ensure that our graduates have more flexibility and range throughout their careers. There will also be a greater emphasis on interdisciplinary and applied learning, including a final-year honours capstone involving students from different Schools and disciplines working together as teams to solve problems drawn from real industry and society scenarios.”
Key changes to the SUSS curriculum and semester
The following table shows the key changes that will take effect in the July 2023 semester for new and current students.
| New students (i.e. students who enrolled from the July 2023 semester) | Current students (i.e. students who enrolled before the July 2023 semester) | Graduate students |
- Curriculum revamp
| Yes | No | No |
- Move to a 12-week semester
| Yes | Yes | Yes |
- Tuition fees
| No adjustment | No adjustment | No adjustment |
- Curriculum revamp
The SUSS Core requirement has expanded for the new curriculum to impart all students with values, skills and knowledge to navigate an increasingly disruptive and uncertain world. The SUSS Core will place greater emphasis on interdisciplinary and experiential learning courses, which will allow students to deepen their learning by way of application and creation. Some signature courses which reinforce the SUSS DNA include “Learning-to-Learn,” intended to enable competencies for lifelong learning, as well as compulsory community engagement and overseas experiential learning for all full-time undergraduates.
Other core courses include “Interdisciplinary Processes for a Better World”, “Work and Learning in a Changing World”, and “Teamwork in the Modern Workplace”. Embedded in the courses are opportunities for students to develop various attributes related to the 3Hs – Head, Heart, Habit – of SUSS’s educational philosophy. The courses have been designed with the experiential learning cycle in mind (concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation, and active experimentation), and learning in the courses will revolve around case studies, self-reflection, role-play, providing and receiving peer critique, as well as active experimentation. Changes to the curriculum will be introduced to all new undergraduate students who enrol from the July 2023 semester.
Current students (enrolled before the July 2023 semester) will continue with their current curriculum.
The revamped curriculum also opens up the space for free electives so that students can choose to take a minor or second major. The second major broadens or complements the knowledge and training attained in the major and is an option applicable for selected full-time undergraduate programmes.
Part-time undergraduate students are required to complete 130cu and 170cu for a basic degree and an Honours degree respectively. The following options are available for a basic degree (130cu):
For a part-time degree with Honours (170cu):
Full-time undergraduate students are required to complete 200cu for a direct Honours degree. The following options are available:
Full-time undergraduate programme | Option of a second major |
Bachelor of Accountancy | No |
Bachelor of Early Childhood Education | No |
Bachelor of Human Resource Management | Yes |
Bachelor of Public Safety and Security | Yes |
Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics | Yes |
Bachelor of Science in Finance | Yes |
Bachelor of Science in Marketing | Yes |
Bachelor of Science in Information and Communication Technology | No |
Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain Management | Yes |
Bachelor of Social Work | No |
- Move to a 12-week semester
There are two regular semesters in a year – January semester (Jan to May including exam processing period) and July semester (Aug to Dec including exam processing period) – where most courses will be conducted. There will be a special semester from May to June set aside for internships, work attachments, overseas trips and short courses.
The 12-week semester will apply to all students from the July 2023 semester.
In the current semester, there are two 6-week terms in a semester. A typical course (i.e. 5cu course) is conducted over 6 weeks. In the 12-week semester, there are no terms and a typical course is conducted over 12 weeks.
The new curriculum would provide flexible contact hours ranging from 6 to 8 weeks depending on the design of courses with consultations and feedback in between to enrich learning. The enhanced flexibility in scheduling would also enable different pedagogical approaches such as problem-solving and theory-practice links while building on SUSS’s strengths in blended learning. Students can take courses with different scheduling arrangements to maximise their time in the 12-week semester.
Classes will be scheduled according to the needs of the course. The following are a few examples:
| Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 |
Example 1 | Lesson | | Lesson | | Lesson | | Lesson | | Lesson | | Lesson | |
Example 2 | | Lesson | | Lesson | | Lesson | | Lesson | | Lesson | | Lesson |
Example 3 | Lesson | Lesson | Lesson | Lesson | Lesson | Lesson | | | | | | |
Example 4 | | | | | | | Lesson | Lesson | Lesson | Lesson | Lesson | Lesson |
Example 5 | Lesson | Lesson | Lesson | Lesson | Lesson | | | | | Lesson | Lesson | Lesson |
Example 6 | Lesson | Lesson | Lesson | Lesson | | | | | Lesson | Lesson | Lesson | |
Areas without lessons represent “white space” when students engage in projects/case studies/tasks or consultation with tutors.
- Tuition fees
There is no adjustment to the tuition fees arising from the curriculum revamp exercise. For the latest tuition fees, please refer to SUSS website.
Industry partners endorsements
“The speed with which entry-level employees can absorb their new environment is strongly correlated to the experiences and capabilities they bring with them to their first position. When new career entrants bring relevant technical, cultural, and interpersonal skills and experiences with them, they are more likely to be successful in their role. That’s a finding from an IDC white paper, sponsored by Microsoft. As such, it is heartening to see the new SUSS curriculum provides students access to inter-disciplinary learning resources, hands-on experiences, and on-the-job training to best equip them to jump-start their careers when they graduate.” – Ms Lum Seow Khun, Director, Public Sector Group, Microsoft Singapore.
“SUSS and SLA have been working closely to support the capability development of #SGlogistics enterprises and human resources. As we continue to face rapid changes in global markets and new emerging needs, this curriculum revamp is timely and will further enhance the market relevance of SUSS students by equipping them with holistic industry-relevant and future-ready skill sets to lead and excel in their logistics careers.” - Mr Oh Bee Lock, CEO, Singapore Logistics Association.
SUSS SoTL Symposium 2022
The inaugural SUSS SoTL Symposium 2022, themed “Learning for Life: Curriculum, Pedagogy and Credentialing”, was held from November 29 – December 1, 2022. Some 300 attendees from academia and industry attended the first day of the event, which comprised a keynote address by Professor Christopher Dede (Harvard University Graduate School of Education), panel discussions and presentations.
The symposium captured key value propositions in SUSS’s commitment toward continuous learning and social good, and has two-fold objectives. First, it announces the new curriculum that aims to enhance employability and ensure flexibility and longevity in employment. The revamped curriculum is the outcome of a strategic review of its education system after 16 years of operation. Second, it invites conversation around the best practices, knowledge gaps, potentials and challenges of an education system focused on developing competencies to learn for life, and in so doing, chart the direction of SUSS SoTL research agenda for the next five years.
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About the Singapore University of Social Sciences
SUSS is a university with a rich heritage in inspiring lifelong education, and transforming society through applied social sciences. We develop students and alumni to be work-ready and work-adaptive, aspiring to reach their full potential, through our 3H’s education philosophy – ‘Head’ for professional competency with applied knowledge, ‘Heart’ for social awareness to meet the needs of the society, and ‘Habit’ for passion towards lifelong learning.
We offer over 80 undergraduate and graduate programmes, available in full- and part-time study modes, which are flexible, modular and inter-disciplinary, catering to both fresh school leavers and adult learners. SUSS also offers a broad range of continuing education and training modular courses for the professional skills upgrading of Singapore’s workforce.
Our programmes and courses are offered by our five schools:
- S R Nathan School of Human Development
- School of Business
- School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences
- School of Law
- School of Science and Technology
To date, over 42,000 graduates have experienced our unique brand of education, and each year, about 17,000 students are pursuing their full- and part-time studies with us.
The Institute for Adult Learning (IAL), as part of SUSS, leads in the field of research on adult and workplace learning and training of adult educators to build capabilities of the training and adult education sector in Singapore and beyond.
For more information on SUSS, please visit www.suss.edu.sg.