NUS FASS (Global Studies) VS NTU Public Policy & Global Affairs?

drunkenluv

Junior Member
Joined
May 16, 2013
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Hi there. I have already received offers for both course already but I am unsure of what to choose. Would like to gather some feedback before I choose...


Some of my main concerns:

1. I heard that in NUS, we need to take 3 exposure modules, 1 from each of the following baskets- Asian Studies, Humanities and Social Studies? Is this true? I was actually considering Global Studies, Economics and Psychology but if this is the arrangement, I would not be able to take this combination. I have researched on the other subjects in the other baskets but Im not really interested in them. Also, Global studies is considered an interdisciplinary subject which doesnt fall into any of the categories so would I be able to do it as oone of my exposure modules?

2. I intend to do my masters overseas, either in the States or UK. Would the University actually affect this? I heard that NTU doesnt do as well compared to NUS in terms of recognition overseas.

3. NTU offers direct honours while only about half of the students in NUS FASS have honours. I suppose that this affects starting pay quite significantly..

4. For NUS Global Studies, there are more themes to choose from ( Policy making, International Communications etc). In NUS, the focus is mainly on the "Public" side of things- Public Policies and Public Administration. However, if I were to choose Policy Making as my theme, I personally feel that NTU's public policy would be better. Also, NTU focuses mainly on Singapore (and abit of ASEAN) but NUS allows me to choose a region I want to specialise in.

5. Distance. NUS is alot closer. Im not quite sure how important this factor is but I dont think I want to travel so far (okay, I know SG is small).

6. I understand that if I were to work overseas, NUS would be the prefered choice. Would the University make much of a difference if I were to work in Singapore?

7. NUS is definitely more established but since both are new courses, Im not quite sure whether this would affect. I found out that NTU offered PPGA as a minor before. Is this also the case in NUS?

Really hope to get some feedback as I really am quite confused at the moment. Thank you for taking time to read my lengthy post
 

bugmenot45

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2011
Messages
1,581
Reaction score
0
I was actually considering Global Studies, Economics and Psychology but if this is the arrangement, I would not be able to take this combination.

God. It is just exposure modules. Don't worry so much... please think about the bigger picture and don't get distracted by the details.

I intend to do my masters overseas, either in the States or UK. Would the University actually affect this? I heard that NTU doesnt do as well compared to NUS in terms of recognition overseas.

Then please, please choose NUS. You'll have much more exposure to research in NUS and while some people would deny it - I say, YES, your undergrad school name matters especially if you come from a foreign school. Especially if you are applying to US/UK (less so for aussie/europe).

NTU offers direct honours while only about half of the students in NUS FASS have honours.

You do realise that direct honours does NOT mean confirmed honours?

However, if I were to choose Policy Making as my theme, I personally feel that NTU's public policy would be better.

Why would you say that? I don't really agree.

NUS is definitely more established but since both are new courses, Im not quite sure whether this would affect. I found out that NTU offered PPGA as a minor before. Is this also the case in NUS?

NUS Political Science department (where many of the modules are from) has been around for so much longer than NTU. Honestly, minors are not a good gauge.
 
Last edited:

cjfalk

Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2011
Messages
292
Reaction score
0
1. Correct. Don't think you can do Global Studies as an exposure module, although it may fall under social sciences. It's only 1 module per subject area anyway, so not really a big deal even if you don't really like the subjects.

2. NUS >>> NTU in international recognition. However, if you want to do a master's, I believe most unis will still accept a good degree from NTU. Do note that most good master's programmes want you to have high 2.1, some even expect a first or close to there. Of course, there's always LKYSPP and it is fairly reputable, although definitely not up to the standard of the top unis.

3. Not really I think. In the end I'm sure the lower tier of NTU grads (even with honors) are compared with those without honors from NUS. It's the relative position that counts, not so much the name/nature of the degree here.

6. Not really. NUS probably has a slight advantage in the local job market but not that significant really.

IMO, i would still go for NUS because NTU is hardly renowned for its humanities or social science programmes. NTU is still ultimately a biz and engineering sch, with maybe the WKW sch being not too bad also.
 
Important Forum Advisory Note
This forum is moderated by volunteer moderators who will react only to members' feedback on posts. Moderators are not employees or representatives of HWZ. Forum members and moderators are responsible for their own posts.

Please refer to our Community Guidelines and Standards, Terms of Service and Member T&Cs for more information.
Top