MSc Programme Requirements
Students in the MSc Engineering Design & Innovation programme need to complete 40 units of courses comprising:
- 24 units of core courses, including a major year-long interdisciplinary design project.
- 16 units of elective courses, with at least one elective course from each of the three baskets (Design, Enterprise, and Technology).
Students also need to achieve a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 in order to graduate, and meet other continuation requirements stipulated by the University for coursework-based programmes.
This MSc programme is offered on a full-time basis only and should be completed between 12 and 18 months (i.e. two or three regular semesters).
Core Courses
These courses provide an introduction to key topics in engineering design and innovation. It includes a major, year-long interdisciplinary project in which students are required to work in a team to define a problem to address and create a proof-of-concept prototype of a solution to the problem.
| Course code | Course title | Units | Semester in which course is usually offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| CDE5301 * | Interdisciplinary Design Project | 12 | August and January |
| CDE5302 | Design Thinking and Product Development | 4 | August |
| CDE5303 | Engineering Systems Design | 4 | January |
| CDE5304 ^ | Ideas to Market | 4 | January |
| CDE5313 ^ | Innovation by Design | 4 | August and January |
Notes:
* This course runs over two consecutive semesters.
^ One of these courses must be read as a core, while the other can be read as an elective if desired.
CDE5301 Interdisciplinary Design Project
In this year-long, project-based course, students will work in multidisciplinary teams comprising members from engineering, design, and related fields to tackle complex, real-world challenges grounded in human experience. They will explore how individuals, communities, and organisations encounter problems in their everyday lives, and how thoughtful, well-tested solutions can make a genuine difference. This course is more than a project: it is a journey through the messy, meaningful process of interdisciplinary design innovation. Along the way, students will build the skills, mindset, and confidence to collaborate across disciplines and deliver solutions that are as thoughtful as they are tangible.
CDE5302 Design Thinking and Product Development
This course is an opportunity for graduate students to hone fundamental and practical skills in design thinking and product development. Students will learn the roles of design thinking in value creation, product design, discovery of business opportunity and bridging the gap between problem discovery and solution validation. Students will also gain perspectives in both physical and digital product design through representative works of prominent product and user experience (UX) designers. Students will be immersed in a group design project on emerging themes for example digital health, immersive reality, future of transportation and agri-tech, to solidify the knowledge they learned in the course.
CDE5303 Engineering Systems Design
This core course considers the ever-increasing complexity of modern products and introduces the application of systems engineering methodologies and tools in designing and developing such products. Students will learn the fundamentals of system engineering and the methodologies and tools that are commonly leveraged when considering real life wicked problems.
CDE5304 Ideas to Market
This course is created for students who are already working on a concept product/solution in CDE5301 Major Design Project to enable them to explore commercialisation of their product/solution. In this course, they will learn how to identify potential customers, discover unmet market needs, develop a scalable business model, and create a market launch plan for their product idea using the Adaptive Innovation framework. The final outcome will be a pitch of their product idea to relevant stakeholders including potential investors. This course therefore serves to empower students to make commercialisation decisions which are most relevant for innovation.
CDE5313 Innovation by Design
This course serves as a foundation for those seeking to drive innovation initiatives by adopting design-driven approach, applying it to technology, business and system domains. It equips students with the innovation design and management capabilities needed to design and deliver innovation effectively within an organisation. Tailored for professionals ready to step into innovative roles, it develops the ability to leverage on design technology, to enable structures and culture to build essential competencies. Students will learn the importance of design thinking, systems thinking, user-centricity, market insights, organisational alignment, structuring and communications in designing for innovative outcomes.
Elective Courses
Students have flexibility to read elective courses which best suit their interest and aspirations, while at the same time ensuring they have sufficient exposure to a wide range of topics. Students must choose at least one course from each of the three baskets of electives (Design, Enterprise, and Technology).
Design
| Course code | Course title | Units | Semester in which course is usually offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| BN5501 | The Biodesign Process of Innovation in Healthcare | 4 | August and January |
| CDE5311 | Designing UX/UI for Human-Centred AI | 4 | August and January |
| ID5352 | Design Research Methods | 4 | August |
| ID5354 | Design Strategies and Leadership | 4 | January |
| ID5355 | Collaborative Design | 4 | January |
| ID5360 | Sustainable Innovation: Design & Transformation Strategies | 4 | August |
| ID5361 | Design for Healthy Living | 4 | August |
| ID5951 | Emerging Topics in Design | 4 | August |
| IE5301 | Human Factors in Engineering and Design | 4 | August |
| NM5219 | Critical Design | 4 | January |
| CDE5399D | Engineering Design & Innovation Internship | 4 | August, January and Special Term |
Enterprise
| Course code | Course title | Units | Semester in which course is usually offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| CDE5304 ^ | Ideas to Market | 4 | January |
| CDE5313 ^ | Innovation by Design | 4 | August and January |
| IE5003 | Cost Analysis and Engineering Economy | 4 | January |
| MT5001G | Intellectual Property Management & Innovation Strategy | 4 | August |
| MT5012 | Marketing of Technology Products in the Digital Era | 4 | August |
| MT5022 | Digital Disruption and Technology Strategy | 4 | January |
| MT5023 | Technology-Based Entrepreneurship Strategy | 4 | January |
| MT5911 | Venture Capital Funding for TechVenture | 4 | January |
| MT5920 | Enterprise Development | 4 | August and January |
| CDE5399E | Engineering Design & Innovation Internship | 4 | August, January and Special Term |
^ Note: one of these courses can be read as an elective if the other is read as a core.
Technology
| Course code | Course title | Units | Semester in which course is usually offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| BN5208 | Biomedical Quality and Regulatory Systems | 4 | August |
| CDE5312 | Beyond the Surface: Exploring Interactive Wearables | 4 | August and January |
| CEG5204 | Smart Sensing Systems | 4 | January |
| CEG5205 | AI Sensors and Virtual/Augmented Reality Technologies | 4 | August |
| CEG5301 | Machine Learning with Applications | 4 | August and January |
| ESE5901 | Environmental Technology | 4 | January |
| ME5209 | Energy Technologies and Systems | 4 | August |
| ME5608 | Additive & Non-Conventional Manufacturing Processes | 4 | August |
| ME5612 | Computer-Aided Product Development | 4 | January |
| CDE5399T | Engineering Design & Innovation Internship | 4 | August, January and Special Term |
Students should check NUSMods for more information about the courses listed above and whether they are offered in the current academic year.
Internship course
CDE5399D/E/T is an elective internship course for students who wish to spend one semester or the Special Term working on a full-time internship. These are the requirements for the internship course:
- The minimum duration of the internship must be 12 weeks, with a full-time workload in a pre-approved company in Singapore. Internships outside Singapore do NOT qualify. Students are expected to seek their own internship opportunities.
- The internship can only be credited once (either CDE5399D/E/T) and will be in lieu of one elective course in the respective elective basket. Students must still complete at least one non-internship course for each basket.
- The internship course will be assessed via 2 reports during the entire duration of the internship. The 1st report should be submitted around Week 6 of internship while the 2nd report to be submitted at the conclusion of the internship. The final grade will be either CS/CU (completed satisfactory or unsatisfactory).
- The internship can start anytime as long as it does not interfere with the full-time coursework during a semester.
- Each internship is subject to approval. Students must seek approval at least 4 weeks before the planned commencement of internship.
Other elective courses
Students have the option to read up to 8 units of elective courses which are not currently listed in the three baskets above. However, they should take note of the following considerations:
- The elective courses have to be relevant to this MSc EDI programme and hence are subject to approval. The elective courses have to contribute to substantial knowledge/skills in Design, Enterprise, or Technology.
- The workload for each course should be at least 4 units.
- The elective courses can only be requested during the appeal period of the Course Registration (CourseReg) exercise. This will be subject to approval by the host department of each course. The appeal period typically comes at the end of the CourseReg period i.e. Round 3 onwards.