Why SIS?

WHYSIS?

IT'S THE WAY WE . . .

1. The way we connect IT & Business

Using IT to Transform Business

We are not about making IT hardware, or fixing and maintaining equipment.

We are about designing, building, deploying and managing software applications that address business challenges and problems. We look to the World of Business and the various parts of the economy for our opportunities and inspiration.

The BSc (IS Management) Programme is shaped by industry and academic leaders who understand the forces of global change and the essential skills needed to leverage IT in business settings. Read more

IT-Business Linkage

“ Though the curriculum is technology focused, SIS emphasises the role of technology as an enabler to the business, rather than an end to itself. The value of this mindset when entering any industry as a fresh graduate cannot be overstated.

But most significantly, SIS especially taught me how to learn. The combination of doing many projects that required the integration of IS capabilities and business understanding, and doing a lot of “learning-to-learn” with guidance from the SIS faculty and staff is what really helped me for my professional career. ”

Shwetank SHEEL, Co-Founder and BI Principal, Neobytes Asia Pte Ltd
BSc (IS Management) 2003 entry batch

Read more testimonials

2. The way we learn

“ We excel in projects and project management because of our intensive SIS project experiences. ”
- comment from SIS student, Oct 2011

The BSc (IS Management) Learning Network

bsc_learning_network

Our Learning Approach

We have a distinctive active-learning experience which goes beyond classroom teaching, and even goes beyond the standard SMU interactive class pedagogy.

Our students LEARN, and learn-to-learn via in-class design exercises, presentations, debates, problem-solving sessions, small-scale projects, large-scale projects, and numerous interactions with business and technology professionals. Students gain exceptionally strong project management skills through designing, implementing, using and improving Business IT solutions.

Learning Outcomes (Learning to Learn)

The BSc (IS Management) learning outcomes form the foundation for becoming competent, adaptable and innovative professionals. Read more

More information on the BSc (IS Management) Curriculum is found here.

Above and Beyond the Classroom

We also take the learning experiences out of the classroom into the real-world via collaboration, fact-finding and critique sessions held at the project sponsors' sites. Take a look at some examples of our students' work, projects and experiences below:

3. The way we apply what we learn

“ We transform concepts into systems and processes that really work. We make things happen. ”
- comment from SIS student, Oct 2011

We place great emphasis on developing our students' ability to move ideas from concept to execution. Our BSc (IS Management) students have a reputation amongst their SMU peers and across industry employers as being able to get things done. People across SMU and across the World of Business rely on SIS students to make things happen and to drive change initiatives.

Projects

SIS students make use of what they learn. In addition to doing regular course assignments, they do projects to apply what they learn.

Projects form a large component of an SIS student's life. Most projects are done in groups so they learn how to work effectively in a team. These projects give students the opportunity to analyse and solve real business problems as well as build a solid foundation in IT and project management skills.

Many examples of IS Application Projects are shown here

Special Interest Groups

Another way SIS students apply what they learn is through the student-run IS-related Special Interest Groups (SIG).

SIGs are formed by students to further their passion and interests in specific areas via research, events, and other collaborative opportunities. Read more

4. The way we help people and change things

“ It’s cool, fun and challenging to be an agent of change — to change the way things are done. ”
- comment from SIS student, Oct 2011

We use Information Technology to create user-friendly software solutions to help people in all kinds of ways. Our students create innovative solutions to help people in business and government organisations to work smarter, improve productivity, and offer new types of services to their customers. Our students also use their capabilities to help people in a variety of non-profit and social service settings.

SIS students have the bright ideas, business acumen, and information systems skills to improve the way people communicate, collaborate, coordinate, and innovate.

IS Application Projects

Great examples of IS Application Projects that really helped people and changed things.

Take a look at prize and award-winning IS projects:

The full list of Project Prizes is found here.
The gallery of successful real-life projects can be found here

5. The way we prepare you for the future

“ SIS is a great "training ground" for the working world. You will learn to take ownership of your own learning and skills to juggle various commitments. Apart from technical skills and domain expertise, an IT professional must have communication and presentation skills that allow him to work with other business groups. The SIS curriculum will let you learn to collaborate effectively with your peers. Often there is more than one way to solve a problem, so learning from each other matters a great deal. Also, faculty members are always more than willing to provide advice. It will be tough work but the experience will be rewarding and far more significant. ”

TAN Choon Hua, Cliff,
BSc (IS Management) 2009 entry batch

SIS students get early exposure to new ways of working, communicating, coordinating, and collaborating.

Opportunities to Participate in SIS R&D Projects

Opportunities to Strengthen Your Professional Qualifications

Global Exposure

6. The way we bond as a community and family

SMU Information Systems Society (SISS)

SISS is the constituent body representing the School of Information Systems. Its aim is to look after the interests and welfare of all SIS students and champion a committed SMU community.
Read more

PRISM - the SISS Publication

Check out the different student experiences and the SIS family on PRISM. Read more

At SIS, we work hard and play hard together, building strong bonds along the way.

7. The way we transform you

“ Studying in SMU, especially in SIS, was probably the best decision I ever made in my life. It may sound exaggerated, but I am truly thankful for the skills and values that the school instilled in me. Not only did I learn hard skills like SQL and effective research which come in really handy in my everyday work, I also learnt soft skills like working effectively with people you have never met before which is crucial since my job is project based. SIS's culture has instilled humility, a learning-to-learn attitude, and so much more among my peers and I — something really unique to SIS. ”

CHIU Cheuk Ning, Olivia, Analyst, Accenture
BSc (IS Management) 2006 entry batch

Olivia is the first Singapore iWhiz. She had an exclusive session with Mr Bill Gates at Microsoft's HQ in Redmond, USA. Read more

New Generation Business IT Graduate

Each student comes to us with a deep store of unpolished talent, whether they are new to the world of IT and IS, or whether they are already familiar with it and are looking to further their passion.

The BSc (IS Management) Programme takes them through a journey of transformation.

They are able to further develop their innovation and problem solving skills.
They are able to design and find solutions to complex problems at the intersection of information, IT, people and business.
They grow to become good communicators, collaborators and problem solvers.
They are able to deal with rapid change and to manage projects well.
They can see how information technology, systems and business needs all interconnect.

Most importantly, they learn-to-learn, an essential quality which puts them in good stead to meet the challenges of the future.

Below is our 2011 print campaign, Transforming the Way Business does Business, featuring our BSc (IS Management) graduates.

8. The way we enjoy great career opportunities

Jobs and Careers after Graduating

BSc (IS Management) graduates are the top wage earners among the entire SMU graduating cohort and among all graduates from all of the local universities programmes (except law and medicine) for the second year in a row. This is shown in the Graduate Employment Survey results in 2010 and 2009 released by Ministry of Education.

Our BSc graduates are so highly desired by organisations across every part of the private sector and public sector. They have the opportunity to choose well-paid careers across such a wide-range of professions and roles. Many of them have secured full time employment even before graduation. Read more

SIS Entrepreneurs
SIS produces so many entrepreneurs. Take a look at some of the entrepreneural activities started by our students and graduates. Read more

Internships leading to Employment

“ I am very grateful for the invaluable opportunities SIS has given me. SIS facilitated my selection in the prestigious IDA ELITE Programme and various internships with Standard Chartered Bank, where I was given the chance to work in an overseas office and even offered a permanent position!

I also found the balance between IT and management skills taught to be exceptionally useful in the real world working environment; using IT to transform business is much more exciting and has far better career prospects than purely technical work! ”

Lynn TAN Min-li, Intern (Planning Manager, Database Team), Standard Chartered
BSc (IS Management) 2007 entry batch

Read more testimonials

Multiple Career Paths

In addition to the exciting choices at the start of their journeys, our graduates are also well positioned to switch between the paths as they progress along their careers, in line with their developing and maturing interests.

Our graduates enjoy the benefit of choice — choice of different career paths, whether as IT Professionals, Business IT Professionals or Business Professionals. They can choose to deepen their expertise in specific areas or pursue other interests in tandem with their changing interests. Read more

Last updated on 16 January, 2012 by School of Information Systems.