Frequently Asked Questions

Like all other undergraduate degrees offered at SMU, the BSc (Software Engineering) is targeted at graduates from the "A"-level, polytechnic diploma, the IB and NUS High School Diploma programmes (or a foreign equivalent).

Yes, and we have deliberately chosen to use the word "apprenticeship" for the BSc (Software Engineering). All SMU students must complete a 10-week internship as part of the graduation requirements. Such internships are centrally managed by the Dato' Kho Hui Meng Career Centre.

The Software Engineering apprenticeship, however, is closely monitored by the school. Besides a mentor from the host company, an academic advisor will be attached to each apprentice to get feedback about the work that the apprentice is performing.

And because the apprenticeship is a key component of the BSc (Software Engineering), a lot of emphasis is placed on the apprentices' experience and a continuous conversation between the mentors and the school takes place. You should expect the scope and nature of the 52-week apprenticeship to be different from a 10-week internship: companies are more willing to invest more in the professional development of apprentices who will be with them for an extended period. The length of the apprenticeship also enables apprentices to take on larger and longer projects. Host companies are also aware that by the time Software Engineering students commence on their apprenticeship, they would have already completed all their Software Engineering major core courses, and already have the technical foundation to tackle professional software engineering work.

Software Engineering students who have completed their 52-week apprenticeship are deemed to have fulfilled their 10-week internship requirement by SMU.

Yes. While we expect most of our students to perform their apprenticeship with one of our anchor partners, students are allowed to source for their own sponsor companies and get approval from the school to perform their apprenticeship there. The academic advisors attached to these students will carefully vet these self-sourced apprenticeship proposals to ensure that the proposed sponsor company is reputable, and that the proposed work meets our job role and scope requirements.

We do not want to assign our Software Engineering students to specific companies for their apprenticeship. We will work with our anchor partners so that they can start recruitment activities for our students in year 2. We expect our students to prepare for and apply for an apprenticeship placement with our anchor partners or self-source a host company (if the job scope meets our requirements).

We want to give our students the independence and flexibility to make decisions about their apprenticeship. We want to train them to take responsibility for and put effort into securing a placement themselves.

Having said that, the school will provide adequate support to our students in this regard. We believe that our major core courses - including career preparatory activities - prepare our students adequately for their apprenticeship. SMU is a safe environment to learn and explore. If a student really has difficulties finding a placement, our academic advisors and career coaches will be there to help.

Traditionally engineering degrees (such as the Bachelor of Engineering or Master of Engineering) are offered by a school or faculty of engineering. In the past, software engineering (SE) was frequently viewed as a specialisation of electrical engineering.

Today, software engineering has grown to be quite an independent discipline. When designing the software engineering degree, SCIS has decided to keep it as a “Bachelor of Science” in line with the existing BSc (Information Systems) and BSc (Computer Science) offerings from the school.

"Tracks" are specializations within a major. Information Systems (IS) major students can choose to complete tracks such as "Business Analytics" or "Product Development", while Computer Science (CS) students can choose to complete tracks such as "Artificial Intelligence" or "Cybersecurity". While the B.Sc. (Software Engineering) programme does not have "tracks", Software Engineering (SE) students may choose to complete the same courses under a CS or IS track, and declare that as a 2^nd major. Being an SE student does not mean giving up on a CS or IS specialization!

For example, an SE student who completes the courses required for the CS "Artificial Intelligence" track will be awarded a "2^nd major in Computing Studies (Artificial Intelligence)". Likewise, an SE student who completes the courses for the IS "Business Analytics" track will be awarded a "2^ndmajor in Technology for Business Solutions (Business Analytics)". And because many of the track courses are already SE-major core courses, it is possible to complete these 2^nd major requirements without taking more than 36 Course Units.

Yes, it is possible for Software Engineering students to graduate with Software Engineering as the first major, and take a second major from options available within SCIS or from those offered by other schools at SMU.

Second major options offered within SCIS:

• Computing Studies with specialization in one of the following:

  • Artificial Intelligence

  • Cybersecurity

  • Cyber-Physical Systems

• Technology for Business Solutions with specialization in one of the following:

  • Business Analytics

  • Product Development

  • Financial Technology

  • Smart-City Management & Technology

• IT Solution Management

All SCIS students who wish to take a second major will need to declare their intentions in year 2. Careful planning is required so that students take the correct courses as their "free electives" to fulfil the requirements of their selected second major.

For the full listing of 2nd majors offered also by other SMU Schools, please visit ,
/undergraduate/academic-experience/double-degrees-second-majors

Software Engineering is not offered as a 2nd major for any degree programme.

It is possible to take the BSc(Software Engineering) degree as a 2nd degree under the SMU Double Degree Programme (DDP) if your first (primary) degree is not the BSc(Computer Science) or BSc(Information Systems). Students in other schools with excellent results may apply for the DDP with the BSc(Software Engineering) as the 2nd degree at the end of year 1 or 2. We will evaluate the candidate’s suitability when we receive the applications.

Yes! All SE students need to complete 6 free elective courses (6 CU). A free elective can be any course offered by any school within SMU. A Software Engineering (SE) student may choose courses related to AI, cybersecurity or business analytics to fulfil the free elective requirements. In fact, an SE student may choose to take all the courses under a particular CS (e.g. AI track or cybersecurity track) or IS track (e.g. business analytics track) to fulfil a 2nd major in "Computing Studies" or "Technology for Business Solutions" respectively. 

For example, an SE student who completes the 4 AI-related courses under the CS "Artificial Intelligence" track as free electives will be awarded a "2nd major in Computing Studies (Artificial Intelligence)". An SE student who completes 3 Cybersecurity-related courses under the CS "Cybersecurity" track to fulfil the free elective requirements will be awarded a "2nd major in Computing Studies (Cybersecurity)". Likewise, an SE student who completes 4 analytics-related courses as free electives under the IS "Business Analytics" track will be awarded a "2nd major in Technology for Business Solutions (Business Analytics)". 

SE students should select their free electives carefully if they want to use them to fulfil a 2nd major requirement.

The demand for good software engineers is extremely high globally and is expected to remain high. Our graduates will be well sought after in the industry. In fact, the 1-year apprenticeship gives them a head-start! It is also possible for Software Engineering graduates to move into other tech-related roles such as software project managers and business analysts.

Yes. All SCIS students (including Software Engineering students) who are keen to pursue a postgraduate research degree after completing their bachelor’s may register for SCIS's Undergraduate Research (UResearch) Programme. Software Engineering students who are eligible for UResearch may choose to take research-related courses as their "free electives".

For more details refer to /undergraduate/academic-experience/uresearch

We believe that software engineering can be best learnt with a hands-on approach, which is why we developed the BSc (Software Engineering) Degree. We combined classroom-learning with structured on-the-job training for our students. We collaborated closely with our anchor partners to co-develop and co-teach the curriculum to ensure that you are familiar with current trends and best practices in software engineering. After the completion of the 12 Software Engineering major courses, you will have the opportunity to embark on a rigorous 52-week apprenticeship with one of our anchor partners.

SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Education. An undergraduate degree awarded by one of the six Autonomous Universities is recognized as a "Work-Study Degree" (or WSDeg) by SSG if it meets certain requirements. Generally, WSDegs dedicate a significant portion of curriculum time to on-the-job training to help students "better transit to the workplace upon graduation". There are currently about 40 WSDegs offered in Singapore. More information can be found at SSG | SkillsFuture Work-Study Degree.

The BSc (Software Engineering) is the first WSDeg offered by SMU. It requires the same level of academic rigor as other degrees offered by the School of Computing and Information Systems (SCIS) and is equal in status to a full-fledged bachelor's degree offered by SMU.

WSDeg: A SkillsFuture Work-Study Degree (WSDeg) is a degree programme with significant work component. At least 30% of curriculum time for WSDeg is spent on apprenticeships or structured on-the-job trainings (e.g. BSc (SE) features a rigorous 52-week apprenticeship programme worth 6 Credit Units). The curriculum is co-designed and co-delivered by both SMU and industry partners to provide an in-depth and immersive work experience weaved meaningfully into the degree programme. Only degrees specifically approved by SkillsFuture Singapore and MOE can be categorized as WSDeg. Currently, SMU offers 2 WSDegs: the Bachelor of Science (Software Engineering) and the Bachelor of Business Management (Private Banking).

Other work-study related terms used at SMU are "Work-Study Elective" (WSE) and "Work-Study Programmes" (WSP).

WSE: A Work-Study Elective (WSE) is a pass/fail course that is worth 2 Credit Units (CUs). It involves a minimum 20-week internship attachment during regular term time whereby students work for at least four days each week at the host company and are allowed to take a maximum of 2 CUs at SMU up to one day each week. Some of the WSEs offered by SCIS are:

• IS491 Analytics and Cloud Technology WSE,

• IS492 Cloud Solution Development WSE and

• CS490 Computer Science WSE.

WSP: A work-study programme (WSP) is a programme that provides opportunities for students to undergo longer internship durations to better interlace classroom-learning with structured on-the-job training. It consists of WSE and a maximum of 2 pre-determined courses, which can be taken before, during or after the required minimum 20-week internship. Neither the WSE nor the WSP are SkillsFuture programmes.

No. "Bachelor of Science (Software Engineering)" will be printed as the degree title on the SMU degree scroll and transcript.

All undergraduate SCIS programmes deal with leveraging on computing technologies to create value to businesses through innovative solutioning. All programmes have some overlapping learning outcomes such as acquiring programming skills, understanding how data is stored etc. The focus of each programme is different catering to the immediate job roles that the graduates are prepared for.

Information Systems emphasises the competencies to identify emerging technologies and market trends, exploit opportunities to digitally transform an organisation, and develop applications that harmonise with the overall IT infrastructure.

Computer Science emphasises computing theories and technical skills in translating them to usable computing technologies and solutions, as well as management skills needed to navigate complex software development & system deployment concerns.

Software Engineering emphasises the use of rigorous methods to construct reliable, trustworthy, secure and usable software systems, through a work-study program that integrates classroom learning with on-the-job training via a substantive apprenticeship.

Computing & Law emphasises legal skills to be able to comply with pertinent legal and regulatory requirements, and technical skills to protect technological innovation and manage the technology and business risks posed by innovation.

The first major refers to a student’s core field of study (i.e. his/her degree). At SMU, the first major requires one to complete 36 course units which includes SMU core courses, Major core courses, and electives.

In the Information Systems and Computer Science major, you pick one or two tracks to go deeper in one or two areas of specialization.

The second major exposes you to a wider breadth of knowledge and is designed to provide greater depth of study in an additional discipline. It requires you to take a set of 8 courses that gives you additional knowledge in the chosen field. Some of these courses can be double counted. Therefore, you will end up taking an additional 3 to 6 courses on top of your 36 courses required for your degree. A second major at SMU is like a minor offered in other universities.

If you do a double degree, you will be exposed to more breadth and depth as you must fulfil the degree requirements of each programme. This would require you to take a greater number of courses compared to doing a second major.

Both double degree and second major allow you to expand your horizon and acquire skill sets in possibly two academic fields of study.

Double degree students can declare a maximum of two majors (1st and 2nd majors) for the primary degree and one major (1st major) for the secondary degree. You do not need to declare your major(s) until your second year of study in SMU.

A track is an area of specialization within a degree that allows a student to acquire relevant technical/business skills based on their career aspirations.

The Information Systems programme offers 4 tracks:

• Business Analytics

• Financial Technology

• Product Development

• Smart-City Management and Technology

The Computer Science programme offers 3 tracks:

• Artificial Intelligence

• Cybersecurity

• Cyber-Physical Systems

Yes, it is possible. However, you will need to fulfil these transfer criteria by the end of year 2:

• A Cumulative GPA of at least 3.40 (out of a total of 4)

• Meet the grade requirement(s) for certain foundational courses of the programme that you wish to transfer to.

Yes, SCIS has an Undergraduate Research (UResearch) Programme that allows students to experience the challenges and exhilaration of research, discovery, and innovation. The programme will enrich students’ academic experience by enabling them to work at the frontiers of research in technology besides preparing them for graduate studies.

For more details refer to /undergraduate/academic-experience/uresearch

SMU has an Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) that offers a myriad of programmes to kickstart your journey. The centre combines the academic rigour of SMU, with invaluable guidance from our experienced industry titans.

For example, the Global Innovation Immersion (GII) programme is a 3-month overseas internship with High-Growth Innovative companies. Through this programme, you will get to develop future-ready skills to future-proof your career

For more details refer to https://iie.smu.edu.sg/GII.

Yes. If you have good academic records, you can pursue masters programme along with your undergraduate studies and complete both degrees within 4.5 years.

You can pick from a list of integrated post-graduate programme offered by SCIS:

• SMU Master of Science in Computing (MSC) Fast Track

• SMU Master of IT in Business Fast Track

• SMU-Carnegie Mellon Masters Fast Track

• SMU-University College London Integrated Programme

You would be able to work in diverse job roles in a range of industries. Some of the job positions of our recent graduates includes Applications Programmer, Business Support Engineer, Cybersecurity Specialist, Data Analyst, Data Scientist, Information Technology Project Manager, Product Manager, Software Engineer, Technology Analyst, and User Experience Designer.

The companies that have employed our graduates include ByteDance, Citi, Dell Technologies, Goldman Sachs, GovTech, Google, Meta.

You can also choose to pursue post-graduate studies at a local or foreign university. Our alumni have completed graduate studies from reputable universities like Carnegie Mellon and Cornell Universities.

SCIS offers the following four undergraduate programmes:

• BSc (Information Systems)

• BSc (Computer Science)

• BSc (Software Engineering)

• BSc (Computing & Law) ¹

¹interdisciplinary programme jointly offered by SCIS and YPHSL

If you have outstanding academic results (A level, Poly GPA or equivalent), you can apply to do a double degree at the point of application to undergraduate programme.

If you are not offered direct entry into the double degree programme, you can still apply for the double degree programme at the end of your first or second year if you have performed well (good cumulative GPA), and fulfilled the stipulated courses, subject to the availability of double degree places.

Yes. You will be taught programming from scratch. A computing education requires logical thinking and problem-solving skills rather than prior programming experience.

Many of the courses enjoy a high teaching team (faculty, instructor, and teaching assistants) to student ratio (3 to 4 teaching members for a class of 40 to 50 students). With ample support from the teaching team your seniors without any background have excelled in our programmes.

There is also a strong peer coaching and learning culture within the student community in our school. /news/2021/sep/06/strengthening-students-programming-skills-through-peer-support-and-personalised

Coders Assembly is a peer assisted learning initiative by the SCIS Society, Ellipsis.

Our Special Interest Group .Hacks, also conducts Code Clinics and workshops on a regular basis.

You can refer to the Indicative Grade Profile here, https://admissions.smu.edu.sg/admissions-requirements/indicative-grade-profile. The grade requirement will vary from year to year.

At SMU, we are committed to a holistic and aptitude-based admissions approach, where we look for students who have not only been successful academically but who possess qualities that we value. In addition to academic grades, we will look for evidence of these qualities such as aptitude, positive attitude, impactful involvement in community service and volunteer programmes, intellectual curiosity, critical thinking and communication skills as demonstrated through leadership in co-curricular activities.

Significant awards and achievements in areas relevant to the course applied for, noteworthy involvement in work/internships relevant to the course applied for will be considered.

During the application, do include the necessary information for us to make a holistic evaluation of you.

If you are a polytechnic student, this will depend on your diploma and grades for relevant courses. The usual number of exemptions ranges between 3 to 8.

If you are a JC student, you are likely to be eligible for 2 to 4 exemptions depending on your subject combination and grade obtained.

if you wish to find out the estimated number of exemptions that you will get, you can use the exemption calculator: https://admissions.smu.edu.sg/exemptions-calculator

36% of our freshman receive a scholarship or financial award each year.

SMU offers various flagship scholarships:

• SMU Global Impact Scholarship

• Lee Kong Chian Scholars’ Programme

• SMU Merit Scholarship

There are also other scholarships that are available for computing applicants:

• SMU SCIS Aspirations Scholarship

• SMU SCIS Achievements Scholarship

• SMU School of Computing and Information Systems (SCIS) Scholarship

• SMU Steven Miller Scholarship

• NG Kai Wa Scholarship

For the full list of SCIS scholarships, please visit /undergraduate/admissions-aid