Second Major in Innovation & Design: Cohort AY2025/2026 onwards
The Second Major in Innovation & Design consists of a series of project-based courses that run throughout a student’s candidature. Students are expected to develop their knowledge, skills, and abilities in innovation and design in a cumulative manner through these courses.
The learning journey begins with fundamental courses that introduce students to basic concepts in innovation and design, and culminates in a major design project and a final year project where students are expected to apply their design knowledge and skills to develop solutions to real problems. Students will also take a number of electives to widen their knowledge about topics in design, innovation, business, and entrepreneurship.
The requirements of the Second Major in Innovation & Design are as follows:
Compulsory courses (24 units)
- Design project: CDE3301 Ideas to Proof-of-Concept (12 units)
- Final year project: CDE4301 Innovation & Design Capstone (12 units) or CDE4301A Ideas to Start-up (12 units)
Notes:
- CDE3301 replaces the design project course in Biomedical Engineering and Engineering Science. Students should clear at least one elective course from List I prior to CDE3301.
- CDE3301 must be completed during either of the following windows:
- Year 2 Semester 2 to Year 3 Semester 1
- Year 3 Semester 2 to Year 4 Semester 1
- CDE4301 and CDE4301A can be used to fulfil Integrated Project for Engineering majors. Subject to approval from their own majors, students from non-Engineering majors may seek permission to double-count CDE4301 or CDE4301A towards the honours thesis course in their majors.
- CDE3301, CDE4301 and CDE4301A cannot be read concurrently with credit-bearing internship.
Elective courses (16 units)
Complete 16 units of elective courses from List I, List II, List III, List IV, and/or List V, subject to the following conditions:
- At least 8 units must be from List I
- At most 8 units of Level 1000 courses
| List | Courses | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| I | Fundamental electives
|
At least 8 units must be completed from courses in List I.
Students who are interested in product design, innovation, and entrepreneurship are recommended to take CDE2300 (or ID1121) and CDE2301. CDE1301%, CDE2310, and CDE2311 are targeted at students who intend to work on projects in complex engineering systems and special competition projects. Students who are required to take the introductory course DTK1234 Design Thinking should pass the course before embarking on CDE2300. CDE2300 or CDE2310 can be double-counted toward the cross-disciplinary course requirement for students from School of Computing. For students from other Faculties/Schools, these courses are counted as unrestricted electives. UTC2734 is available for students in Residential College 4 only and can be double-counted between the University Town College Programme and this Second Major. Students can only count ONE of the following courses as an elective for this Second Major if they are working on a special competition project (e.g. FSAE, Bumblebee, Calibur Robotics). They may have to undergo a separate selection process to join each competition project:
CDE2605R/CDE2606B can only be counted as an elective for this Second Major for students from College of Design and Engineering who are in a special competition project without its own CDE1301% course (e.g. University Rover Challenge, CanSat Competition, Singapore Amazing Flying Machine Competition). Courses in List I must be completed in NUS can cannot be mapped by those from student exchange, summer, or winter programmes. |
| II | Design and Technology electives
|
As the number of vacancies for some the these courses may be small, students are advised to plan ahead and consider as many options as possible.
Generally, Level 5000 courses have limited vacancies for Year 4 undergraduate students and can only be enrolled by submitting an appeal via CourseReg. Generally counted as unrestricted electives. Some courses may be double-counted between this Second Major and a student’s primary major. |
| III | Business, Management, and Entrepreneurship electives
|
As the number of vacancies for some the these courses may be small, students are advised to plan ahead and consider as many options as possible.
Generally, Level 5000 courses have limited vacancies for Year 4 undergraduate students and can only be enrolled by submitting an appeal via CourseReg. Generally counted as unrestricted electives. Some courses may be double-counted between this Second Major and a student’s primary major. |
| IV | For students in NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) programmes
|
Students must apply separately for admission into NOC programmes.
Generally, students can fulfil up to 8 units of electives for this Second Major if they are enrolled in a one-semester or year-long NOC programme. |
| V | Mapping of courses from student exchange, summer, and winter programmes
|
Only for courses from partner universities which cannot be directly mapped to any existing NUS course in List II and List III.
Students should submit mapping requests via EduRec. |
Generally, students will need to enrol in the courses above on their own via CourseReg except for the following core and elective courses in List I (which are hosted by the Engineering Design and Innovation Centre) will be enrolled via pre-allocation:
- CDE1301B Conquering the Seas: Fundamentals of Autonomous Maritime Systems
- CDE1301C Dominating the Battlefield: Fundamentals of Combat Robotics
- CDE1301F Fundamentals of Automotive Engineering
- CDE2300 Product Design and Innovation
- CDE2301 Value Creation in Innovation
- CDE2310 Fundamentals of Systems Design
- CDE2311 Introduction to Space Systems
- CDE3301 Ideas to Proof-of-Concept
- CDE4301 Innovation & Design Capstone
- CDE4301A Ideas to Start-up
General programme timeline
Generally, most students will read their first course for this Second Major in Year 1 Semester 2 by choosing one course from the List I electives. They will then read a second elective from List I in Year 2 Semester 1, before embarking on the year-long design project in CDE3301 in Year 2 Semester 2 to Year 3 Semester 1. Those who are unable to read one or both courses from List I may read either or both courses concurrently with CDE3301.
There is no scheduled project course in Year 3 Semester 2 so that students can go for a semester-long internship, student exchange programme, or other programmes. The final year project course CDE4301/CDE4301A will be read in Year 4, while the remaining two electives can be read in any semester but typically in Year 3 and Year 4.
Students who are planning to embark on a one-semester or year-long NOC programme may do so in Year 3 Semester 2 (until Year 4 Semester 1 for year-long programme) after completing CDE3301.
Students who are planning to graduate within 3 years instead of the usual 4 years (e.g. poly-intake students and those who are in the Engineering Scholars Programme) will read one or both courses from List I concurrently with CDE3301 in Year 1 Semester 2 and Year 2 Semester 1.
Recommended study plans
Click on the links below for more details about the requirements and recommended study plans for various primary majors with the Second Major in Innovation & Design.
NOTE: The links will be posted by July 2025 and updated from time to time, hence students are strongly advised to check the latest requirements regularly.Â