READ THIS FIRST! VIEWS ON UNIVERSITIES & DEGREES RECOGNITION IN SINGAPORE

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JAYAN

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I noticed that there are many threads in the forum asking if a certain university is good, or whether a particular degree is recognized. Whether an university is good or not is very subjective, thus I will not attempt to comment on the issue of good/bad, but rather I will offer my take on the issue of recognition. Unfortunately, there is no short answer to the question of recognition, I'll nonetheless try my best to answer as comprehensive as possible

As far as recognition is concern, degrees from NUS, NTU and SMU are guaranteed to be recognized by the Singapore Government and most, if not all, of other local employers, for the simple fact that these are all true-blue universities that are offering education on an on-campus, full-time basis, and all are endorsed by the Singapore Government through the funding given, thus assuring local employers that those who graduate from them are at least of an acceptable caliber.

Next is the issue on degrees awarded by foreign universities. Although the official stance of the Singapore Government is that all degrees awarded by bona fide universities that're properly accredited by their home countries would be recognized, in practice, the employers, including the Singapore Government, do have other more detailed criterias for what're acceptable and what're not, when filling a position.

This means that degrees from distance-learning programmes (including SIM, MDIS, MIS, PSB Academy, SHRI etc.) or from on-campus full-time programmes in overseas universities are assessed strictly on a case-by-case basis. Being recognized does not automatically translate into being acceptable for employment. It may sounds contradictory but when it comes to employment, there're many variables involved beyond official recognition, for an employer from the private sector need not necessarily follows the Singapore Government's human resource policies.

That said, we must understand that there are the issues of job relevancy and employer's preferences also. Take these few examples: applying for a strictly engineering job with a business degree, even if it's from NUS/NTU/SMU and a First Class Honours one to boot, will more likely than not be met with failure, as it is not relevant; or like the recruiter prefers the graduates from NTU over NUS while filtering through job applications, because he was a graduate from the former and an die-hard alumnus, then there is nothing a person can do about except blames one's own luck; or for some positions, only those applicants with Good Honours degrees would be put aside for consideration for interviews, anything else that do not meet the minimum requirement would be thrown out.

I hope this helps clear the smoke for those who're confused. Fellow forumers are most welcome to add in points that I've missed, or to point out the discrepancies that I may have made.
 
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dilphinus

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Agree that 'how recognised' is very subjective and up to each individual. As long as your degree/qualification is accredited then it's okie.

For example in the travel industry, if you take a private diploma from TMIS, then the IATA diploma is your passport to jobs internationally, just like the ACCA. As in early childhood teaching, there are lots of private schools offering the Certificate and Diploma in Early Childhood Teaching. These are recognised by employers as well.

In today's Singapore society, it doesn't mean you have a degree from NUS/NTU/SMU you are secured/guaranteed a job.
 

JAYAN

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Come 2007, there'll be at least *FIVE* universities in Singapore, namely the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University, SIM University and University of New South Wales, not counting the boutique universities that set up campuses locally, like INSEAD for her postgrad business programs, or University of Nevada for her resort management degree programs.

Although all wouldn't be offering a full range of courses, like SMU is not offering any technological degree programs, or NUS is the only local university that offers medicine and dentistry, these are nonetheless full-fledge universities that are endorsed by the local government and more likely than not, the local employers as well.

This brings about the question that with so many choices available, would there be a ranking to separate the best from the rest? Just like what the Govt is doing for our pri sch, sec sch and JCs, perhaps in secret, but maybe openly and officially, in the name of encouraging competition amongst these institutes of higher learning?

Update (22.01.2008): UNSW Asia has closed down in 2007.
 
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saigonblack

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There are so many accredition bodies in the world today. And to be accredited doesn't mean its 'good' You can find so many different types of accredition in the world today. However, as a rule of thumb, these are the more common and have a good standing in the world today.

1. AACSB for the US Programs
2. AMBA for the UK Programs
3. EQUIS for the Europe Programs

There are further bodies that govern and provide policies for all these universities like QAA, OFSTED, NVQ, HERO for the UK. US itself have their own commissions like CHEA, DETC, NCL etc while Australia have AQA and TAFE

To be more safe, make sure your degree is one from the ACU. Also, Singapore will be introducing and should be adopting the systems of associate degrees very soon, i believe.
More changes to come to the education system in Singapore very soon, with the recent M&A of existing schools like Kapla taking over APMI, and many overs in discussions.

Just be more careful when signing up for local schools offering overseas certificates as CASETRUST will literally kill many small schools that depends on overseas students for their business. Should these schools not get casetrust, u can be sure their business will be adversely affected. Its best to buy an insurance to safeguard your fees paid to the school for your degree least something happen and u cannot get it back.

Good luck!
 

JAYAN

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saigonblack said:
There are so many accredition bodies in the world today. And to be accredited doesn't mean its 'good' You can find so many different types of accredition in the world today. However, as a rule of thumb, these are the more common and have a good standing in the world today.

1. AACSB for the US Programs
2. AMBA for the UK Programs
3. EQUIS for the Europe Programs

There are further bodies that govern and provide policies for all these universities like QAA, OFSTED, NVQ, HERO for the UK. US itself have their own commissions like CHEA, DETC, NCL etc while Australia have AQA and TAFE

To be more safe, make sure your degree is one from the ACU. Also, Singapore will be introducing and should be adopting the systems of associate degrees very soon, i believe.
More changes to come to the education system in Singapore very soon, with the recent M&A of existing schools like Kapla taking over APMI, and many overs in discussions.

Just be more careful when signing up for local schools offering overseas certificates as CASETRUST will literally kill many small schools that depends on overseas students for their business. Should these schools not get casetrust, u can be sure their business will be adversely affected. Its best to buy an insurance to safeguard your fees paid to the school for your degree least something happen and u cannot get it back.

Good luck!

Just to clarify that EQUIS, AMBA and AACSB are strictly for business schools or business programmes only. please note that there're accreditation bodies for the other professions e.g. engineering, accountancy etc.
 

saigonblack

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Yes , thanks for mentioning that JAYAN, all these accrediations i mentioned are for the business programs
 

JAYAN

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saigonblack said:
Yes , thanks for mentioning that JAYAN, all these accrediations i mentioned are for the business programs

No problem, you're welcome. :)
 

mgt101

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Just wanna share my overseas univ recognition view.

10++ yrs ago my parents sent me to new zealand for univ studies. was kinda intimidated then cos studying in nz was like a 'never heard before' thing during that time and even the place seem 'ulu'.
called up the psc (?) i think it's public service commission if i din rem. wrongly, to enquire if my future nz degree will be recognised in sg. you know the body that dish out scholarships.
they told me as long as the univ is accreditated in its country of origin and it's a commonwealth country then it's recognised in sg.
but... this applies to general degree like bsc, ba, bcom etc only

as far as i've seen in this forums, the univs in questions all fall under the recognisable list.
now that i've been in the workforce for so long and have been/am working in those big IT mnc firms (even kids know these companies), there exists many DL graduates in these companies.
So to all DL grads, don't get too worried or demoralised over the issue of recogntion. Govt. not recognising doesn't mean private sector don't too.
Just remember to study hard, get the good grades and attitudes and you'll be alright.
 

vaganza318

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Since you mentioning about recognition in SIngapore, by 2007 there are 5 universities and SIM and UNSW will be the newcomers and I personally belief that Singapore company will be accepting more australia degree as UNSW is one of the best university around for engineering. However, the starting pays would just make a different from which university u belong. I finally believe the critical success factor is still in your performance and attitude while u are working and climb corporate ladder. So wish all of you a success in your career journey...and keep continual learning attitude.
 

patryn33

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For engineering degree, look under PEB.
However the list is identical to ABET.
PEB used to sell this info packet like 6yrs ago, however ABET found that out and now you can view it free online!
 

celinehgl

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RE: VIEWS ON LOCAL UNIVERSITIES

What i know and heard from my lecturers and friends are:

NTU is more to engineering so if you ever want to take any engineering courses or computer engineering, NTU will be a better choice among all.
NTU is also recognized for its business school - anyway, it's not easy to do any business degree in NTU cos they are very good.
Some clarifications- if you ever choose computing, pls do not misunderstood that it is computer science, it is more of computer engineering.

NUS - More academic and traditional way of teaching. They are good especially if you study those courses like law and medicine, political science etc. They are very recognized because they are being ranked in the top 50 universities. Another reason is because they are the 1st university being set up in Singapore.

SMU - Some people said they are a private university. But what i feel is half-half, private and government-supported university. They are well known for business management school. This university is good because they trained their students pretty well in terms of presentation skills. Their presentation skills is POWERFUL than other universities. They placed high importance in class participation, projects. Nowadays, many employers will want to employ graduates like SMU cos they are able to present themselves. Their teaching there are more of American-style and they trained their students to be more independent and prepare well for the working society.
 

hx

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celinehgl said:
What i know and heard from my lecturers and friends are:

NTU is more to engineering so if you ever want to take any engineering courses or computer engineering, NTU will be a better choice among all.
NTU is also recognized for its business school - anyway, it's not easy to do any business degree in NTU cos they are very good.
Some clarifications- if you ever choose computing, pls do not misunderstood that it is computer science, it is more of computer engineering.

NUS - More academic and traditional way of teaching. They are good especially if you study those courses like law and medicine, political science etc. They are very recognized because they are being ranked in the top 50 universities. Another reason is because they are the 1st university being set up in Singapore.

SMU - Some people said they are a private university. But what i feel is half-half, private and government-supported university. They are well known for business management school. This university is good because they trained their students pretty well in terms of presentation skills. Their presentation skills is POWERFUL than other universities. They placed high importance in class participation, projects. Nowadays, many employers will want to employ graduates like SMU cos they are able to present themselves. Their teaching there are more of American-style and they trained their students to be more independent and prepare well for the working society.

NTU school of Computer Engineering offers Computer Science and Computer Engineering. NUS offers computing. Also, your arguement that computing (which is not offered in NTU) is more of computer engineering is not correct.
 

OngHuatHuat

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NUS rank 9th in the world for its engineering.....and yet u said NTU is the best in terms of engineering?
 

rs_ong

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yyhwin said:
NUS rank 9th in the world for its engineering.....and yet u said NTU is the best in terms of engineering?
another ranking-*****....:s8:
 

CISC

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Hi guys, here's the official response on this issue from MOE. I hope this will bring more light to people asking this question.

We would like to share with you that the Ministry of Education (MOE) does not have a list of accredited local and overseas universities. There is also no central authority in Singapore that assesses or grants recognition for degrees obtained from local and overseas universities. The reason is that the employer should be the one deciding whether a degree-holder has the qualities desired for the job and the qualification most relevant to his needs. The employer is in the best position to decide how much value he will assign to a person's qualification.

However, in selecting an overseas institution for studies, it is advisable that students establish whether the institution is a bona fide educational establishment. Students may also be interested to find out about the country's tertiary education ranking panel, entry requirements, duration and the length of course and modules covered before deciding to enrol into the institution. Such enquiries may be made at the Embassy/High Commission of the country where the university is located or at the relevant education centres. There are also some guidebooks available such as the Commonwealth Universities Yearbook for students who are interested to check on the accreditation status of overseas degree. The list is available at the Public Service Division website at: https://app.vog.gov.sg/StaticContent/StaticPage.aspx?url=WhatyouShouldKnow.htm (select "Entry Qualifications")

Professional degrees such as those in engineering, medicine, law, and accountancy should be those recognised by the respective professional bodies. For example, a person with an engineering degree from an overseas university who intends to seek registration as a professional engineer in Singapore will have to check whether the institution that awards the qualification is recognised by the Professional Engineers Board.

In the case of overseas universities offering external degree programmes here through local agents, the institutions concerned and their agents are responsible for all aspects of the programmes. It is advisable for students interested in such programmes to find out as much as possible about the programmes from the institutions or agents, before enrolling in them. You may wish to refer to MOE's (Private Schools Section) website at http://www.moe.gov.sg/privatesch/index.htm or STB's website at: http://app.singaporeedu.gov.sg/asp/edu/edu0209b.asp for information on external degree programmes offered in Singapore.

If you need information on the acceptance of overseas universities for employment in the Civil Service, you may click on this link to the Public Service Division at: http://www.vog.gov.sg/

We hope that the above clarifies. Should you have any further enquiries, please feel free to email me directly at contact@moe.edu.sg. Alternatively, you may also speak with our Customer Service Executives at 6872-2220.
 

khpr7777

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Insurance for school fees?

saigonblack said:
Its best to buy an insurance to safeguard your fees paid to the school for your degree least something happen and u cannot get it back.

you mean there are insurance that covers school fees?
do you have any e.g. of them?
 

joelckw

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the school has to be case accredited first. To apply for the insurance, you have to check / apply with the finance dept of the school. :)
 

qxlee86

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upcoming IR

As we all know, there are 2 upcoming IR in singapore but the problem is that the courses that singapore governing bodies offers are only diplomas other than SIM, NUS, NTU and SMU. Was in fact wondering what other private institutions base in singapore is recognised with the courses that they offer? My results are not good enough for singapore institutes. I wont want to be taking up a course, spend money + effort and time and end up not recognised. Any kind souls to guide me along please? thanks.
 

relaxrolex

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Just wanna share my overseas univ recognition view.

10++ yrs ago my parents sent me to new zealand for univ studies. was kinda intimidated then cos studying in nz was like a 'never heard before' thing during that time and even the place seem 'ulu'.
called up the psc (?) i think it's public service commission if i din rem. wrongly, to enquire if my future nz degree will be recognised in sg. you know the body that dish out scholarships.
they told me as long as the univ is accreditated in its country of origin and it's a commonwealth country then it's recognised in sg.
but... this applies to general degree like bsc, ba, bcom etc only

as far as i've seen in this forums, the univs in questions all fall under the recognisable list.
now that i've been in the workforce for so long and have been/am working in those big IT mnc firms (even kids know these companies), there exists many DL graduates in these companies.
So to all DL grads, don't get too worried or demoralised over the issue of recogntion. Govt. not recognising doesn't mean private sector don't too.
Just remember to study hard, get the good grades and attitudes and you'll be alright.

I totally agree!
 

Shiok!

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I noticed that there are many threads in the forum asking if a certain university is good, or whether a particular degree is recognized. Whether an university is good or not is very subjective, thus I will not attempt to comment on the issue of good/bad, but rather I will offer my take on the issue of recognition. Unfortunately, there is no short answer to the question of recognition, I'll nonetheless try my best to answer as comprehensive as possible

As far as recognition is concern, degrees from NUS, NTU and SMU are guaranteed to be recognized by the Singapore Government and most, if not all, of other local employers, for the simple fact that these are all true-blue universities that are offering education on an on-campus, full-time basis, and all are endorsed by the Singapore Government through the funding given, thus assuring local employers that those who graduate from them are at least of an acceptable caliber.

Next is the issue on degrees awarded by foreign universities. Although the official stance of the Singapore Government is that all degrees awarded by bona fide universities that're properly accredited by their home countries would be recognized, in practice, the employers, including the Singapore Government, do have other more detailed criterias for what're acceptable and what're not, when filling a position.

This means that degrees from distance-learning programmes (including SIM, MDIS, MIS, PSB Academy, SHRI etc.) or from on-campus full-time programmes in overseas universities are assessed strictly on a case-by-case basis. Being recognized does not automatically translate into being acceptable for employment. It may sounds contradictory but when it comes to employment, there're many variables involved beyond official recognition, for an employer from the private sector need not necessarily follows the Singapore Government's human resource policies.

That said, we must understand that there are the issues of job relevancy and employer's preferences also. Take these few examples: applying for a strictly engineering job with a business degree, even if it's from NUS/NTU/SMU and a First Class Honours one to boot, will more likely than not be met with failure, as it is not relevant; or like the recruiter prefers the graduates from NTU over NUS while filtering through job applications, because he was a graduate from the former and an die-hard alumnus, then there is nothing a person can do about except blames one's own luck; or for some positions, only those applicants with Good Honours degrees would be put aside for consideration for interviews, anything else that do not meet the minimum requirement would be thrown out.

I hope this helps clear the smoke for those who're confused. Fellow forumers are most welcome to add in points that I've missed, or to point out the discrepancies that I may have made.

the universitites in other commonwealth countries are also true blue universities too and regulated by their own governments.
 
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