International courses and programs with universities across China

A leading research-intensive university in Asia, the National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore`s flagship university offering a global approach to education and research with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise.

Its 15 faculties and schools, spread across three campuses, offer a wide range of education programs designed for different interests and aspirations.

With 21 university-level research institutes and centers as well as three Research Centers of Excellence, it engages in cutting-edge research of global impact, with particular emphasis on issues crucial to Asia and the world in the 21st century.

At NUS, students enjoy a rigorous, broad-based education that offers flexibility and choice. An exciting facet of the NUS experience is the broad spectrum of globally oriented programs that enable its students to succeed in life and work in a globalized world.

Spirit of enterprise

A unique and exciting program at NUS is the NUS Overseas College (NOC) program, which aims to foster global perspectives as well as a spirit of enterprise in students by immersing them in leading entrepreneurial hubs such as Silicon Valley, Philadelphia`s "Bio Valley" and Bangalore.

In China, NOC offers programs in Beijing and Shanghai in partnership with Tsinghua and Fudan universities. Students in the programs gain an in-depth understanding of China through year-long, full-time internships with Chinese companies and part-time courses at the partner universities.

Its long-standing and close ties with leading universities in China forged over the years have enabled NUS to offer distinctive and quality programs such as double-degree graduate courses with Fudan University, Peking University and Tsinghua University.

It also has student exchanges and summer programs with partner universities across China such as Chongqing University, Fudan University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Nanjing University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Sichuan University, University of Science and Technology of Beijing, Wuhan University of Technology, Xi`an Jiaotong University and Zhejiang University.

Growing collaborations

NUS has given study awards to over 200 top students from Chinese universities since 2001. It has welcomed over 700 exchange students from China over the years while more than 400 NUS students have benefited from rich educational experiences in China.

Since 2003, NUS undergraduates have participated in the Sino-Singapore Undergraduate Exchange Program.

Established to broaden bilateral ties through interaction between outstanding undergraduates, the prestigious Exchange Program aims to instill Singapore students with a global perspective and an understanding of China as well as enable Chinese students to learn about life and education in Singapore.

About 50 undergraduate students from each country participate in the program that offers 15 days of reciprocal exchanges.

Among its many undergraduate and graduate programs, the highly successful Chinese language-based Master in Public Administration and Management program, jointly offered by the NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and the NUS Business School, is popular among senior Chinese officials and top executives of State-owned enterprises.

With the growing number of NUS alumni in China, NUS alumni chapters have been established in Beijing, Chengdu, Hong Kong and Shanghai. They provide robust support to the school and offer valuable networking opportunities and hospitality to NUS students, faculty and alumni visiting, residing or working in China.

As a leading research-intensive university involved in strategic and high-impact research, NUS is well known for achievements in engineering, life sciences, biomedicine, and social and natural sciences.

It has numerous successful research collaborations with leading universities around the world, including joint laboratories in physics with Shandong University and bioscience with Xiamen University.

Following the establishment of the Singapore-Peking-Oxford Research Enterprise for Water Eco-Efficiency in 2010, NUS will again collaborate with Peking University in the Singapore-Peking University Research Center for a sustainable low-carbon future.

Funded by Singapore`s National Research Foundation, the center will be located on the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise at the NUS University Town.

Close ties

NUS` growing ties in education and research with leading institutions in China is founded on mutually beneficial collaborations underpinned by the strong bilateral ties between China and Singapore.

As an example, NUS is the first foreign university to set up a research institute in the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP).

Covering 20,000 square meters in the park`s Dushu Lake Science and Education Innovation District (SEID), the NUS Research Institute will engage in research and entrepreneurship activities, and provide executive training programs, in collaboration with the SIP Administrative Committee.

In November 2010, NUS President Tan Chorh Chuan and Su Bo, vice-chairman of SIP Administrative Committee and chairman of SEID Administrative Committee, signed an agreement for collaboration at a ceremony attended by China`s Vice-President Xi Jinping and Singapore`s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

"NUS is honored and very excited with this collaboration with the SIP Administrative Committee to set up a new research institute in the park," Tan said. "We hope that the institute will contribute significantly to the vision and goals of the Suzhou Dushu Lake Science and Education Innovation District in SIP.

"At the same time, the institute will strengthen and expand research in NUS, while deepening our expertise and connections in China. This is a significant step that will contribute to NUS` continued growth as a university in a future where China will play an even more prominent role."

Su added that "the Suzhou municipal government and the National University of Singapore have jointly established the NUS Research Institute in Suzhou, underscoring the aim of the China-Singapore Joint Steering Council for a broader and deeper partnership between the two countries".

"It also marks a new milestone for bilateral cooperation at SIP. We believe that this project will ink a new chapter in the fostering of friendship and partnership between China and Singapore."

Beneficial relationship

At the helm of a leading global university in Asia, Tan is highly sought after to share his insights and experience with counterparts around the world.

In China, he was honored to be invited by China`s Ministry of Education to speak on "Asian Higher Education and the Region`s Economic and Societal Developments" at the first Asian University Presidents` Forum in Guangzhou in November 2010.

In May 2010, as the only university president from Singapore, he chaired a plenary session at the fourth Chinese-Foreign University Presidents` Forum in Nanjing, where presidents of more than 20 top international and 150 Chinese universities gathered.

NUS` engagement with China is multifaceted. Jointly organized by the NUS Global Asia Institute (NUS-GAI) and the NUS Business School, the Wee Cho Yaw Singapore-China Finance and Banking Forum was begun in 2010 in Beijing to deepen understanding of the challenges and opportunities in banking and finance in Singapore and China.

Following its success, the second forum was held in Singapore in January 2011 and featured Fan Yifei, executive vice-president and deputy chief operation officer of China Investment Corporation, who gave an informative and insightful lecture on the topic "China: The New Global Growth Engine or the Next Global Bubble?".

In May 2011, NUS hosted the inaugural China Education Exhibition in Singapore. Organized by China`s Ministry of Education, the exhibition involved more than 20 participating universities including Fudan, Peking and Tsinghua universities, and showcased China as a destination of choice for tertiary studies.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Wei Wei, ambassador of China to Singapore, celebrated the strong relationship between the two countries, which he noted had grown immensely over the past 20 years, especially in the area of education.

NUS deeply values its ties with its many partner universities in China and supports the strong and growing bilateral ties between China and Singapore, according to the school.

Besides its extensive engagement in China from the institutional to the individual level, NUS also strives to expand its partnerships with leading universities in China through joint initiatives in prestigious university networks such as the International Alliance of Research Universities, Association of Pacific Rim Universities, and the Shanghai-Seoul-Singapore S3 University Alliance.

Through continued dynamic engagement in China, NUS looks forward to building even more strategic partnerships with Chinese institutions, thereby contributing towards closer and stronger ties between the two nations.

China Daily