NUS Overseas Colleges

The NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) programmes provide opportunities for students to intern in start-up companies in leading entrepreneurial hotspots across the globe. The duration of the internships normally span one semester (short programmes) or two semesters (year-long programmes).

Students may participate in NOC programmes to partially fulfil the requirements of the Innovation & Design Programme and the internship requirement (if any) of their primary majors. Admission into NOC programmes is on a competitive basis and is managed entirely by NOC.

Year-long NOC programmes

By default, students who intend to participate in a year-long NOC programme should do so over Year 3 Semester 2 and Year 4 Semester 1. They may apply for NOC during Year 2 Semester 2.

Students in year-long NOC programmes may be exempted from the final year project course CDE4301A upon their return to NUS in Year 4 Semester 2, but will need to seek for approval for mapping to CDE4301A before embarking on their NOC internship. For students from Engineering disciplines, mapping of their year-long NOC programme to CDE4301A is allowed only if their NOC internship job scope is Engineering-related.

Mapping of year-long NOC programmes for Engineering students in the Innovation & Design Programme:

NOC courses for year-long programmes Courses replaced by NOC
TR3201N Entrepreneurship Practicum (8 units)

or ETP3203L Innovation & Enterprise Internship Practicum (8 units)

 Cohorts AY2019/2020 and AY2020/2021:

  • Computer Engineering: Technical elective (breadth) (6 units) + unrestricted elective (2 units)
  • Other Engineering disciplines: EG2401A Engineering Professionalism (2 units) + technical elective (4 units) + unrestricted elective (2 units)

Cohort AY2021/2022 onwards:

  • CDE4301A/EG4301A Ideas to Start-up (4 units out of 12 units) + unrestricted elective (4 units)
TR3202N Start-up Internship Programme (12 units)

or ETP3201L Innovation & Enterprise Internship (12 units)

or ETP3206L Innovation & Enterprise Internship (16 units)

 Cohorts AY2019/2020 and AY2020/2021:

  • EG3612 Vacation Industrial Attachment (6 units) + EG4301 DCP Dissertation (4 units out of 12 units) + unrestricted elective (2 units)

Cohort AY2021/2022 onwards:

  • EG3611A Industrial Attachment (10 units) + EG2401A Engineering Professionalism (2 units)
  • Excess 4 units from ETP3206L will be counted as unrestricted elective
TR3203N Start-up Case Study & Analysis (8 units)

or ETP3202L Innovation & Enterprise Case Study & Analysis (8 units)

 Cohorts AY2019/2020 and AY2020/2021:

  • EG4301 DCP Dissertation (8 units out of 12 units)

Cohort AY2021/2022 onwards:

  • CDE4301A/EG4301A Ideas to Start-up (8 units out of 12 units)
Entrepreneurship courses (up to 8 units) — depending on NOC location:

Cohorts AY2019/2020 to AY2024/2025:

  • ETP3211/TR3002N New Venture Creation (4 units)
  • ETP3222A/TR3049A Topics in Entrepreneurship (4 units)
  • ETP3222B/TR3049B Topics in Entrepreneurship (4 units)
  • ETP3251/TR3003 Global Entrepreneurial Marketing (4 units)
  • ETP3224/TR4001 Global Entrepreneurial Leadership (4 units)

Cohort AY2025/2026 onwards:

  • ETP3211/TR3002 New Venture Creation (4 units)
  • ETP3222A Topics in Entrepreneurship (4 units)
  • ETP3222B Topics in Entrepreneurship (4 units)
  • ETP3224 Global Entrepreneurial Leadership (4 units)
  • ETP3225A Topics in Entrepreneurship (2 units)
  • ETP3251 Global Entrepreneurial Marketing (4 units)
  • ETP4212 Venture Creation: Process and Mindset (4 units)
 Cohorts AY2019/2020 to AY2024/2025:

  • Group C courses (Innovation & Enterprise electives)

Cohort AY2025/2026 onwards:

  • List IV electives

Note: Students will need to complete additional iDP electives in NUS if they are unable to complete 8 units of entrepreneurship courses during NOC.
ETP2271 Discovering Resilience and Purpose (2 units)

(Note: only for NOC intakes in AY2025/2026 Sem 1 and earlier)

 Unrestricted elective (2 units)

NOTE: Students from non-Engineering majors will need to consult us and their home department for the mapping of the NOC programmes to their graduation requirements.

One-semester NOC programmes

Students who intend to participate in a one-semester NOC programme should do so in Year 3 Semester 2 only once they have completed the design project course CDE3301. They may apply for NOC in Year 2 Semester 2. Upon their return to NUS in Year 4 Semester 1, students are required to complete the final year project course CDE4301 or CDE4301A.

Mapping of one-semester NOC programmes (except NOC Singapore) for Engineering students in the Innovation & Design Programme:

NOC courses for one-semester programmes Courses replaced by NOC
TR3202S Start-up Internship Programme (12 units)

or ETP3201S Innovation & Enterprise Internship (12 units)

 Cohorts AY2019/2020 and AY2020/2021:

  • EG3612 Vacation Industrial Attachment (6 units) + unrestricted elective (6 units)

Cohort AY2021/2022 onwards:

  • EG3611A Industrial Attachment (10 units) + EG2401A Engineering Professionalism (2 units)
TR3204S Entrepreneurship Practicum (Short) (4 units)

or ETP3204S Innovation & Enterprise Internship Practicum (4 units)

 Cohorts AY2019/2020 to AY2024/2025:

  • Group C course (4 units)

Cohort AY2025/2026 onwards:

  • List IV elective (4 units)
Entrepreneurship course (4 units) - depending on NOC location:

  • ETP3211/TR3002N New Venture Creation
  • ETP3222A/TR3049A Topics in Entrepreneurship
 Cohorts AY2019/2020 to AY2024/2025:

  • Group C course (4 units)

Cohort AY2025/2026 onwards:

  • List IV elective (4 units)
ETP2271 Discovering Resilience and Purpose (2 units)

(Note: only for NOC intakes in AY2025/2026 Sem 1 and earlier)

 Unrestricted elective (2 units)

Mapping of NOC Singapore for Engineering students in the Innovation & Design Programme:

NOC courses for Singapore programme Courses replaced by NOC
TR3202T Start-up Internship Programme (12 units)

or ETP3201S Innovation & Enterprise Internship (12 units)

 Cohorts AY2019/2020 and AY2020/2021:

  • EG3612 Vacation Industrial Attachment (6 units) + unrestricted elective (6 units)

Cohort AY2021/2022 onwards:

  • EG3611A Industrial Attachment (10 units) + EG2401A Engineering Professionalism (2 units)
TR3203T Start-up Case Study & Analysis (8 units)

or ETP3202S Innovation & Enterprise Case Study & Analysis (8 units)

Note: TR3203T/ETP3202S will not longer be offered from AY2024/2025 onwards.

 Unrestricted elective (8 units)
TR3204T Entrepreneurship Practicum (Short) (4 units)

or ETP3204S Innovation & Enterprise Internship Practicum (4 units)

 Cohorts AY2019/2020 to AY2024/2025:

  • Group C course (4 units)

Cohort AY2025/2026 onwards:

  • List IV elective (4 units)
TR4049T Seminars in Entrepreneurship (4 units)

or TR3002N/ETP3211 New Venture Creation (4 units)

or ETP4212 Venture Creation: Process and Mindset (4 units)

 Cohorts AY2019/2020 to AY2024/2025:

  • Group C course (4 units)

Cohort AY2025/2026 onwards:

  • List IV elective (4 units)
ETP2271 Discovering Resilience and Purpose (2 units)

(Note: only for NOC intakes in AY2025/2026 Sem 1 and earlier)

 Unrestricted elective (2 units)

NOTE: Students from non-Engineering majors will need to consult us and their home department for the mapping of the NOC programmes to their graduation requirements.

Completing CDE3301 during Special Term

Students who plan to embark on NOC in the August semester may be offered the option to complete the second half of CDE3301 during Special Term (i.e. May to July) immediately after the first semester of CDE3301 in the January semester, subject to the following conditions:

  • Everyone in the same project group must complete CDE3301 together during Special Term regardless whether they are in NUS in the August semester.
  • The second half of CDE3301 cannot be taken concurrently with a credit-bearing vacation internship during Special Term.

Students who want to pursue this option are advised to team up with others who want to do the same and work on the same project for CDE3301.