FAQs

How do I apply for admission to NUS?

As entry requirements to the ESP, students must have H2 Pass in Mathematics or Further Mathematics. Exceptional first-year students from Engineering and Science faculties may apply for admission to first or second year of ESP. For more information on admission and requirements, please go to: nus.edu.sg/oam/apply-to-nus

Am I eligible for the Engineering Science course if I did not take Physics H1 or H2 level?

Yes. The only pre-requisite for the Engineering courses is H2 Mathematics or Further Mathematics for Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘A’ level applicants. However, if you have also taken H2 Physics, it would be an advantage for you.

Some of our higher level engineering modules in certain engineering majors do require H2 Physics as a prerequisite. Students without Physics would therefore need to do bridging modules on their own whilst in NUS. Hence, students with a pass in H2 Physics would have greater flexibility.

Which majors can an ESP student switch to after the first year if he/she decides not to continue with ESP?

An ESP student can switch to any engineering/science discipline after first year if he/she decides not to continue with ESP. His/her first-year performance and the number of vacancies will determine if the student is able to get into the programme of his/her choice.

After the first year, can an Engineering or a Science student transfer to second year ESP if he/she does very well in Year 1?

Yes, an engineering or a science student can transfer to ESP if he/she does well in year 1, but this transfer is subject to available places in the programme.

Can a foreign student study ESP?

Yes, the Engineering Science Programme is also opened to foreign students.

I am interested in the Engineering Science Programme. Can you supplement me with more information regarding the course specialisations? I would also like to know if it is possible to switch specifications if the situation arises?

The areas of specialisation to be offered in the 3rd and 4th year are:

Nanoscience and Technology
Energy Science and Technology
Computational Engineering Science
Engineering Science in Medicine

Read more about each specialisation here

This new course is an integration of a couple of fields, i.e. science, engineering, computing, maths etc. Therefore, how does the faculty rate its new course as a course with bright prospects for its new intake of students?

“Integration” is a significant word here. Unlike taking a selective set of existing courses from these fields, ESP tends to integrate them in a natural way that it is seamless and gives a multidisciplinary approach to tackle a scientific problem. The rating of ESP is based on the level of rigour and difficulty in studying (and passing) the modules. Of course, the rating assigned by the faculty ultimately will be judged only after a couple of years of its existence. It is also worth noting that the selected specialisations (i.e. nanoscience and nanotechnology, energy systems, computational engineering science and Engineering Science in Medicine) are in line with A*STAR and EDB focus areas for Singapore industries. ESP students will have an advantage when pursuing R&D careers in these industries.

Although Engineering Science is not a new field of discipline, it is a relatively new course in NUS. As such, how does the faculty ensure that its new course will stand with a leading edge over the same course provided by other universities or institutions?

It is true that the phrase “Engineering Science” is not new. There have been such degree programs and departments dating back to 1930s. The purpose in those days was to have non-discipline specific (i.e. general) degree so that the graduates may pursue jobs that are not hard-core mechanical, civil, electrical, etc. The objective now is solely to prepare graduates who will take on the specific jobs that require multidisciplinary background while having a strong mathematics and physics fundamentals that are integrated with engineering subjects (problem-formulating and solving ability). We are constantly striving to nurture young minds with the objectives set for ESP. For example, the ESP student team won the prestigious Mondialogo Engineering Award (20000 euro cash prize) in AY2006/07. This award is the top honour awarded to the top 10 teams out of 809 that registered for the preliminaries. The project proposes to design and implement a fruit-drying system that makes use of solar energy for this process to, hence allowing farmers to preserve a portion of their fruits to be sold out-of-season or exported in order to ensure higher incomes. ESP student teams clinched the Third Prize (NT$10,000 cash award) and Second Prizes (NT$15,000) in the World’s Largest International Seismic Resistant Structural Design Competition held in Taiwan in September 2009, 2010 and 2012, respectively.

Recently, NUS together with Osaka University, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH of Sweden), University of California Berkeley and University of Toronto formed an International Engineering Science Consortium to provide leadership in undergraduate education on engineering science. This is evidence of the high respect that NUS has earned for its engineering science programme.

Are there any plans to integrate more fields of specialisations into the new programme?

As time goes on, with experience and need (as dictated by the market forces) we will modify the areas of specialisation.

How does ESP compare with a double degree programme?

ESP is not a double degree programme but an interdisciplinary programme. In a double degree programme, you must satisfy the requirements of both disciplines. For example, a double degree in engineering and economics means that the graduate must satisfy the academic requirements of engineering as well as the academic requirements of economics. The number of modular credits in a double degree programme is higher and requires the students to take at least 5 years to complete the programme.

In the 4-year ESP, we blend engineering and science requirements into a single degree programme. The difference between this programme from say a BSc or a BEng in a traditional engineering programme is that ESP provides more engineering to BSc and more science to traditional type BEng. The ESP graduates will be better prepared to work in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary areas such as Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Energy Science & Technology, Computational Engineering Science and Engineering Science in Medicine.

It is worth noting that many ESP students graduate with a minor in Physics or Mathematics or Computer Science as their ESP curriculum allows them to take just a few more modules in these aforementioned areas and to graduate with a minor programme.

What are the job opportunities?

The career prospects are wide ranging from both academic and industrial R&D labs in Semiconductor & Microelectronics, Data Storage & Media, Scientific Instrumentation, Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, Computational Design and Consultancy, Renewable Energy, Analytical Microscopy and Bio-medical Imaging, Start-up Nanotechnology and other high-tech companies. For those students who wish to pursue a research career, we strongly recommend that they take up a Ph.D. degree in either a science or an engineering department.

The first three cohorts of ESP students graduated in 2010, 2011 and 2012. One third of the graduating classes are reading PhD programmes in various disciplines in top notch universities such as Harvard, MIT, Yale, CalTech, Georgia Tech, Cambridge, and Duke University. The rest of the graduates find employment as engineer-scientists in research institutes such as Data Storage Institute (DSI), SimTech, Energy Research Institute and Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) and private & public organizations such as Renewable Energy Corporation, LJ Energy Pte Ltd, Softsource Singapore, Zugo Photonics Pte. Ltd., Jurong Consultants, Keppel, Siemens, Schneider Electric, Micron Semiconductors, NEA, ABB and BP. A number of ESP graduates started their own companies.

Has ESP been accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Board?

Yes, the Engineering Science Programme was awarded a full accreditation by the Engineering Accreditation Board, Singapore.