SMU & Carnegie Mellon announce the new joint undergraduate and graduate education initiative with supporting IDA scholarship

As part of the national strategy to develop talented professionals in the fast changing infocomm industry, a new fast-track programme under the National Infocomm Scholarship will allow Singapore Management University (SMU) students to graduate within four to four and half years with both a Bachelor of Science (Information Systems Management) degree from SMU and a master's degree in IT from Carnegie Mellon University. Scholars selected for this programme will spend two years at SMU and another two to two and a half years at Carnegie Mellon, an elite and world-renowned American university in the field of information technology.

Undergraduate Phase

Scholars spend the first two years in Singapore at SMU's School of Information Systems. During this time, they take a mixture of IT and business courses as well as liberal arts foundation courses (see BSc (IS Management) curriculum for details). Students get deeply rooted in the distinctive SMU experience and in the highly innovative approach to business oriented IT education. SMU will arrange for scholars to do internship in the infocomm industry during or after their second year. During the first two years, scholars will receive special guidance from both SMU and Carnegie Mellon to prepare for the subsequent years in the United States .

Scholars will spend the third year at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, continuing to take a mixture of IT, business and liberal arts courses in order to satisfy the requirements of SMU's Bachelor of Science (Information Systems Management) degree. Scholars' home base at Carnegie Mellon will be the university's Information Systems undergraduate programme. Both Carnegie Mellon and SMU faculty will advise scholars on completing their SMU undergraduate degree in Pittsburgh, and on preparing for the master's programme in IT at Carnegie Mellon.

Master's Programme

Scholars commence on the master's programme at Carnegie Mellon in the fourth year while also finishing up any remaining requirements for the SMU bachelor's degree. An attractive aspect of this SMU-Carnegie Mellon collaboration is that scholars can opt for one of seven different IT related specialization in the master's programme:

The first three of these master's programmes can be completed in three academic semesters over a 12-month period. Students who select these programmes would complete both the SMU bachelor's and the Carnegie Mellon master's in four years. The fourth - Master of Science in Information Systems Management – requires three academic semesters plus a summer work experience, and is completed in 16 months. The last three programmes require four academic semesters over a 16-month period. Students opting for these 16-month master's programmes would complete both the SMU bachelor's and Carnegie Mellon master's in four and a half years. Details on these programmes can be found at Carnegie Mellon's website at www.cmu.edu.

Upon the completion of their degrees, scholars are required to serve a four-year bond with a Singapore-based company in the infocomm industry. Scholars will work out the choice of their master's degree with the company prior to enrollment in the master's programme.

NIS Eligibility Criteria

Applicants for the National Infocomm Scholarship (NIS) must have achieved outstanding ‘A' level results, outstanding polytechnic results, or equivalent (e.g. International Baccalaureate or other recognized international high school degrees). Applicants must also show a strong track record of co-curricular activities that demonstrates leadership, innovation and creativity.

To qualify for the dual-degree fast-track programme under the National Infocomm Scholarship, applicants must be a top-tier high performer who has clearly demonstrated academic and leadership abilities. Applicants must also possess that special X-factor of passion and flair for innovation and creativity. They must meet all of the rigorous and holistic admissions requirements of both SMU and Carnegie Mellon. They must be able to assimilate into the dynamic pedagogy of SMU, and also able to adapt to the demands of studying abroad at Carnegie Mellon, one of the world's leading universities for IT education and research.

Recipients of the scholarship need not necessarily have prior experience or education in infocomm to qualify. In addition to outstanding academic and co-curricular records, applicants should have a genuine interest in IT, and how IT can be integrated with other fields (eg. business, media, healthcare, R&D) to produce innovations that impact the industry.

NIS Coverage and Benefits

Up to 40 scholars over five years will be selected for the SMU-Carnegie Mellon fast-track programme, subject to the selection board's discretion. The scholarship covers full tuition and miscellaneous fees for the full period of study at both SMU and Carnegie Mellon University. The scholarship also includes an annual allowance, hostel fees, one return airfare, living allowances overseas, warm clothing allowances, medical insurance and visa fees.

About the SMU-Carnegie Mellon Partnership

A strategic partnership and working relationship has existed between SMU's School of Information Systems (SIS) and Carnegie Mellon University since January 2003. At that time, SMU entered into an agreement with Carnegie Mellon to work together to design and establish the SIS educational and research programmes. Through this ongoing relationship, this special dual-degree fast-track programme was developed to support IDA's national strategy to attract top pre-university student talent into the area of information technology. The SMU-Carnegie Mellon partnership is also open selectively to other students who are not under the National Infocomm Scholarship programme.

About the National Infocomm Scholarship

The National Infocomm Scholarship (NIS) was launched in 2004 by IDA and the Infocomm industry to develop Infocomm leaders for the local industry. NIS offers the unique opportunity for scholars to be nurtured by leading Infocomm Multinational Corporations (MNCs) and local companies during their course of study. The Scholarship also allows performing undergraduate scholars to move on to sponsored postgraduate studies. For more information on NIS, please visit IDA Singapore's website .

Welcome to the Fascinating World of Infocomm!

Features Shirley LEOW , National Infocomm Scholar BSc (IS Management) 2004 entry batch, School of Information Systems, SMU Master of Information Systems Management, Carnegie Mellon University (under the SMU-Carnegie Mellon Fast Track Programme )

Click here for information on application procedure.

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