Singapore’s university education aspires to prepare students not only for today’s world but also for a world where there will be jobs that have yet to be invented and challenges not yet foreseen.

The National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have initiated a number of innovative programmes, including the broadening of undergraduate education, the introduction of a core curriculum, collaborations with top foreign universities, and the establishment of inter-disciplinary centres. The Singapore Management University (SMU) offers a broad-based business curriculum modelled after that of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) is the newest addition to the university landscape as announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his 2008 National Day Message. SUTD nurtures technically grounded leaders and innovators for society and is established in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Zhejiang University.

Being autonomous, these universities can chart their own destiny, differentiate themselves and pursue new heights of excellence in education, research and service, whilst receiving substantial government funding.

View the 2010 Graduate Employment Survey results of:

• NUS (63kb .pdf)
• NTU (62kb .pdf)
• SMU (60kb .pdf)

The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) was established in 2009 to provide an industry-focused university education for polytechnic upgraders, in partnership with the polytechnics and renowned overseas universities.

SIM University (UniSIM) provides university education to working professionals and adult learners by adopting a flexible learning approach to enable its learners to balance their career, family and studies. MOE provides fees subsidies for UniSIM's part-time undergraduate degree programmes.

Founded in 1898, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business created the world’s first Executive MBA programme in 1943 to provide senior managers and executives with the most up-to-date management education. The same programme is now available in its Asia Campus in Singapore.

DigiPen Institute of Technology offered the world’s first Bachelor of Science degree programme in game software engineering - B.S. in Real Time Interactive Simulation (RTIS). DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore is the first international branch campus of DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, Washington. Offering degrees in Real-Time Interactive Simulation, Production Animation and Game Design, the programmes prepare students to enter the digital interactive industries in Singapore and abroad.

Established in 2001 as part of century-old EDHEC Business School, EDHEC-Risk Institute has become the premier European centre for financial research and its applications to the investment industry. EDHEC Risk Institute—Asia serves as a platform for generating and disseminating academic insight into investment issues of global importance and particular relevance to investors and institutions in Asia. Drawing upon its research expertise and senior faculty, it offers the whole range of its executive seminars and degree courses in Singapore, including the noted PhD in Finance (residential and executive tracks) and the new Executive MSc in Risk and Investment Management.

ESSEC Business School is a major player in international management education. With a faculty renowned for high-quality research, ESSEC fosters a spirit of excellence, innovation, and diversity. Its Singapore campus offers executive programmes, part of the MBA in conjunction with the Paris campus, and two Advanced Master’s in International Business and in Finance.

German Institute of Science and Technology-TUM Asia is a subsidiary of Technische Universität München (TUM). Recognised as one of Germany’s first three “elite universities” by the German government in 2006, TUM is one of the most innovative institutions of higher learning in Germany. It is renowned for the quality of its academic offerings, as well as its close links with industry. TUM Asia offers joint postgraduate degree programmes with NUS and NTU, such as Master of Science programmes in Industrial Chemistry, Integrated Circuit Design, Microelectronics and Aerospace Engineering. It also offers TUM’s Master of Science in Transport and Logistics.

Widely recognised as one of the most innovative and influential business schools, INSEAD’s unique global perspective and multicultural diversity are reflected in all aspects of its research and teaching. The INSEAD-Wharton Alliance combines INSEAD’s resources with those of Wharton’s to deliver business education and research across a global learning network.

S P Jain Center of Management is the international initiative of S P Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai which is ranked among the Top Ten Business Schools in Asia and India. S P Jain offers an Executive MBA programme and a truly Global MBA programme conducted jointly from both the campuses in Dubai and Singapore.

At Tisch School of the Arts Asia, students have the opportunity to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree in one of three areas: Animation and Digital Arts, Dramatic Writing and Film Production - the same degrees offered by Tisch School of the Arts in New York City.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), a state research institution, has its only global campus in Singapore. UNLV Singapore, established in 2006 currently represents the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, a global leader in hospitality and tourism education. UNLV Singapore offers a fully accredited Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Administration and tourism and casino gaming executive education.

Polytechnics were set up with the mission to train middle-level professionals to support the technological and economic development of Singapore. Reflecting the wide range of abilities, aptitudes and interests of their students, the polytechnics seek to train students with relevant and specific skills for the workplace to give Singapore a competitive edge as we move into a knowledge-based economy. Today, polytechnic graduates are valued as practice-oriented and knowledgeable middle-level professionals, much sought after by industry.

The polytechnics are also a significant provider of continuing education and post employment professional development programmes and services.
There are currently five polytechnics in Singapore:

• Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP)
• Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP)
• Republic Polytechnic (RP)
• Singapore Polytechnic (SP)
• Temasek Polytechnic (TP)

Established on 1 April 1992, Institute of Technical Education (ITE) took over the role and functions of the Vocational & Industrial Training Board (VITB). Since its formation in 1992, ITE has focused its effort on establishing the institute as a post-secondary technical institution of excellence. The primary role of ITE is to ensure that its graduates have the technical knowledge and skills that are relevant to industry. ITE is the national authority for the setting of skills standards and the certification of skills in Singapore.

LASALLE College of the Arts and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) are private institutions providing post-secondary education in the arts. Both LASALLE and NAFA offer publicly-funded diploma programmes. The institutions also offer offshore or externally accredited degree programmes which are not funded by the government.