SIT Offers Singapore's First Undergraduate Degrees in Speech and Language Therapy and Digital Communications and Integrated Media in AY2020

SINGAPORE, Jan. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In line with the university's mission to offer applied degree programmes targeted at growth sectors of the economy, the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) will launch two new degree programmes in Academic Year 2020/2021 - Bachelor of Science with Honours in Speech and Language Therapy (SLT), and Bachelor of Science with Honours in Digital Communications and Integrated Media (DCIM). Both are the first undergraduate degrees of their kind in Singapore.

Additionally, new agreements between SIT and two overseas university partners - DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore and Technical University of Munich (TUM), will see four existing Overseas University (OU) degrees be conferred as four joint-degree programmes for the AY2020 intake. These programmes will focus on technologies that will not only address the challenges, but also reshape business models and strategies, in the engineering and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sectors. Adding to its suite of postgraduate programmes, SIT will offer the Master of Engineering Technology (MEngTech) in Civil Engineering to equip graduates and professionals with deeper training in civil engineering technologies and practices.

Professor Chua Kee Chaing, Deputy President (Academic) & Provost, SIT, commented: "The new degree programmes will offer specialised pathways for students in the related fields. The SLT programme, the first of its kind in Singapore, serves to meet national needs to train a new generation of market-ready speech therapists. Similarly, the DCIM programme will train communications professionals for the rapidly changing digital media landscape. We are also pleased to bring our collaborations with DigiPen (Singapore) and the Technical University of Munich even closer with the roll-out of four new joint degree programmes. Building on the success of the current programmes, students will additionally benefit from SIT's applied learning pedagogy, including an eight-month Integrated Work Study Programme (IWSP), a characteristic feature of all SIT programmes."

Meeting Demand for Speech Therapists in Singapore

With the Government's plan to invest more resources in programmes for children who require early intervention, as well as older adults who require speech therapy following acute care episodes (e.g. stroke), there is an increasing demand for Speech Therapists (STs) in Singapore. SIT's SLT degree programme will be the first undergraduate programme in Singapore which seeks to meet national needs for competent STs to promote health and well-being for people of all ages.

The programme was developed in close consultation with STs from Singapore's three major health clusters (National University Health System, Singapore Health Services and National Healthcare Group), Ministry of Social and Family Development-funded Therapy Hubs and Social Service Agencies (SSAs), as well as practitioners from private practice.

The pioneer intake will commence classes in September 2020. The four-year SLT programme aims to provide a fulfilling educational experience, both academically and clinically. As part of SIT's applied learning pedagogy, SLT students will undergo a 30-week clinical practice education with various public and private healthcare institutions during their studies. By integrating theory and practice, the programme will ensure that graduates will be industry-ready. 

"It has been demonstrated that children and adults with feeding/swallowing and communication difficulties benefit from early speech therapy assessment and intervention. To meet the demands of our aging population and the increasing trend of chronic diseases and children diagnosed with developmental issues (e.g. autism, global development delay), we have to increase the pipeline of locally trained speech therapists," said Melissa Chua, Head of Speech Therapy, Sengkang General Hospital.

"Currently, there is only one graduate entry Masters programme at NUS that has an intake once every two years. The SIT undergraduate programme will add to this pipeline of speech therapists in Singapore as we continue to grow speech therapy services that look into the management of feeding and swallowing and communication difficulties for both children and adults. Currently, those who are interested to pursue Speech Therapy as their primary qualification will have to do so overseas, in countries like Australia and the United Kingdom. This year, they will be able to do so locally in a programme that is designed by local speech therapists and therefore more suited to meet the needs of the Singapore population," Ms Chua added.

Bridging the Digital Communications Talent Gap

Digitalisation has disrupted business operations globally. To reach out to more consumers, companies are leveraging on multi-channel communications to bring their products/services to the consumers. With increasing communication in the digital space, there is a need for more digital communications professionals in the market currently.

Launched in response to industry demand, SIT's DCIM programme aims to train students in three key spheres: Digital Web Analytics, Integrated Media Management and Digital Media Production. Graduates from the programme will be able to work in a wide variety of fields, including advertising, media, corporate communications and public relations.

"Talent is at the heart of Singapore's digital transformation. With the convergence of tech and media, it is important that our media professionals possess the relevant digital skills and new mindsets to meet the needs of the industry. In keeping pace with the changing media landscape, we are pleased to see more course offerings such as the SIT DCIM programme, which will help nurture a pipeline of industry-ready media professionals," said Mr Howie Lau, Chief Industry Development Officer, Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

Boosting Computer Programming, Interactive Media and Game Development Talent for the Digital Economy

A new collaboration agreement between SIT and DigiPen (Singapore) will see the roll out of two SIT-DigiPen (Singapore) joint degrees to meet demand for ICT professionals in computer programming, interactive media and game development.

Building upon the programmes currently offered by DigiPen (Singapore), the joint degree in Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Computer Science in Real-Time Interactive Simulation (BSCS RTIS) is a four-year degree programme which caters to the ever-growing need for engineers and computing professionals with deep software development skills. The comprehensive curriculum will allow students to acquire various skills required for the software industry, including data analytics, machine learning and augmented reality. Graduates of the BSCS RTIS programme will be well-equipped to take on highly technical roles in the digital economy.

The field of interactive media and digital entertainment has also seen a growing demand for software engineers with deep interactive design skills. To address this, SIT will partner DigiPen (Singapore) to offer the Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Computer Science in Interactive Media and Game Development (BSCS IMGD), an enhancement of DigiPen (Singapore)'s current Computer Science and Game Design degree. Graduates of the BSCS IMGD programme will be well-equipped to enter both the games and broader software industry to take on roles that require both engineering and design expertise.

"After 10 years of collaboration, DigiPen (Singapore) is pleased to strengthen our relationship with SIT. By leveraging each institute's strengths, we are confident that these joint degrees will provide students the best of both worlds. The industry-relevant curriculum and applied learning pedagogy will produce graduates who have a strong academic foundation as well as practical project management and production skills," says Mr. Jason Chu, Chief Operating Officer, International, DigiPen Institute of Technology.

Grooming Work-ready Graduates for Singapore's Electronics & Chemical Engineering Industries

The electronics industry is a key growth sector for Singapore's economy. The Electronics Industry Transformation Map (ITM) has envisioned companies to boost productivity through the adoption of robotics, automation, data analytics, as well as embrace advanced manufacturing innovation. The four-year joint degree programme in Electronics and Data Engineering (EDE) offered by SIT and TUM will combine electronics and data engineering to groom work-ready graduates for the electronics industry, by equipping them with the necessary competencies expected of the new digital workforce.

Another key driver of the Singapore economy is the chemical industry. Through the Energy and Chemicals ITM, the industry is expected to create 1,400 jobs by 2025. The new SIT-TUM joint degree programme in Chemical Engineering will equip students with Industry 4.0 skillsets to address the manpower demands of the chemical industry. Graduates from the programme will be hands-on chemical engineers with knowledge in data engineering and additive manufacturing.

"In this digital age, engineers with forward thinking ideas and solutions are needed to tackle existing and new issues brought about by the industry. As we at TUM strongly believe that academia should always be in close cooperation with the industry's needs, we are happy to work together with SIT to ensure that our new joint programmes equip engineers of the future with the relevant skills that are essential for them to excel in the workforce. I believe that the improved SIT-TUM programmes will increase the relevancy of skills for students and prepare them to make their impact in the industry," said Dr. Markus Wächter, Managing Director, Technical University of Munich Asia.

All SIT-DigiPen (Singapore) and SIT-TUM joint degrees will feature an eight-month IWSP, where students will work and train in companies related to their specialisation, to develop deep specialist skills in their chosen field. In addition, students are required to complete the Overseas Immersion Programme in DigiPen's home campus in the United States and Technical University of Munich in Germany respectively, to widen their global outlook and experience cross-culture exchanges.

Postgraduate Degree in Civil Engineering

SIT currently offers a three-year joint degree programme with the University of Glasgow in Civil Engineering, a programme launched in 2017. A further learning component, a Master of Engineering Technology (MEngTech) degree to be awarded solely by SIT, will be launched in AY2020. A unique difference of the one-year full-time MEngTech programme is the industrial relevance of the curriculum, developed in consultation with agencies and companies in the construction sector. Selected modules will be co-delivered by practising industry experts to train students to be deep specialists in two specialisation tracks - Structural Engineering and Geotechnical Engineering.

The Bachelor and Masters programmes will follow the Engineering Accreditation Board's requirements for full accreditation, recognising graduates from these programmes as Professional Engineers in Civil Engineering, through the Professional Engineers Board.

SIT Admissions Exercise and Open House 2020

For AY2020/2021, SIT will offer 38 undergraduate degree programmes, of which 16 are SIT-conferred, 18 are joint degrees and 4 are offered by overseas university partners. Five postgraduate degree programmes will also be offered for the upcoming academic year. Please refer to Annex A for the list of degree programmes offered.

SIT's admissions period for AY2020/2021 is from 10 January to 19 March 2020. Interested students can apply via the SIT website at SingaporeTech.edu.sg. SIT takes a holistic approach in assessing applicants, taking into consideration academic results, extra-curricular interests and a candidate's passion for the field and personal qualities. Relevant work experience will also be considered and all shortlisted applicants will be assessed through interviews.

The SIT Open House will be held at Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre, Level 3, from 11 to 12 January 2020. Prospective students will have the opportunity to speak to lecturers, staff and students on-site to find out more about SIT's degree offerings, financial assistance schemes and scholarships available, as well as receive career advice. Representatives from the various student clubs and societies will also give interested applicants a glimpse of the vibrant student life awaiting them.

About Singapore Institute of Technology

Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) is Singapore's university of applied learning. It aims to be a leader in innovative university education by integrating learning, industry and community as part of its unique pedagogy. Partnering world-class universities, SIT offers applied degree programmes targeted at growth sectors of the economy. SIT also aims to cultivate in its students four distinctive traits, or the SIT-DNA, which will prepare them to be 'thinking tinkerers', who are 'able to learn, unlearn and relearn', be 'catalysts for transformation' who are 'grounded in the community'.

Established in 2009, SIT currently has six distributed campuses, with its main campus in SIT@Dover. SIT became an autonomous university in 2014 and is expected to move to its new centralised campus in Punggol in 2023. The future campus will be part of the Punggol Digital District, and will feature a Campus Boulevard, which will connect residents to the waterfront and Coney Island.

For more information, visit www.SingaporeTech.edu.sg.

Annex A

LIST OF DEGREE PROGRAMMES