FACULTY OF SCIENCE
GRADUATE PROGRAMMES APPLICATION INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS
Application Materials
Enclosed are : ? General Information
? Application Checklist ? Application Acknowledgement ? Application Form ? Application Fee Form ? Transcript Request Form ? 2 Referee Report Forms
There are two intakes per academic year: one in January and the other in August.
Please note that applications must be submitted to the departments by 15 May for the January intake, and by 15 November for the August intake respectively.
GENERAL INFORMATION A) Entry Requirements
1.
2.
3. 4.
5.
6.
Applicants who wish to pursue an MSc/PhD degree at the Faculty of Science must hold a relevant Bachelor degree with honours from National University of Singapore or Nanyang Technological University. Applicants who graduated from a university outside Singapore must hold an university degree in a relevant field, requiring a minimum of four years of study.
To be admitted directly to the PhD programme, local graduates should possess either a 1st Class Honours or a 2nd Class Upper Honours degree, and overseas applicants should possess an equivalent CAP, and/or meet the GRE/GATE/TOEFL/IELTS requirements stated below.
All applicants must submit either GRE or GATE test score. The minimum requirements are Verbal 500, Quantitative 700 and Analytical Writing 3.5.
As the medium of instruction at NUS is in English, applicants whose native tongue or medium of undergraduate instruction is not English, should submit TOEFL or IELTS score as evidence of their proficiency in the English Language. The minimum TOEFL score is 580 (Paper-based Test) and 260 (Computer-based Test). The minimum IELTS score is 6. Applicants are encouraged to take the TSE (Test of Spoken English) and TWE (Test of Written English).
Applicants who are not residing in Singapore or would like to do their research in overseas institutions, must spend a period in residence in Singapore for a minimum of 6 months (master’s degree) or 1 year (doctoral degree) during his/her candidature.
The minimum and maximum period of candidature is as follows:-
Minimum Maximum Graduate Programme (leading to) Masters 1 year 3 years Doctoral 2 years 5 years
Research candidates may be admitted as full-time or part-time students. The minimum and maximum periods of candidature are the same.
Instruction pg 1 of 6
B)Degree Requirements
1. Coursework requirements
Candidates pursuing higher degrees by research are required to attend and pass examinations in a minimum of 3 modules (2 coursework modules and 1 compulsory seminar module) for MSc and a minimum of 6 modules (5 coursework modules and 1 compulsory seminar module) for PhD. These courses are to be chosen in consultation with their thesis supervisor(s) and/or department(s).
2. Thesis/Dissertation
Candidates must submit, through the supervisor(s) and the Head of Department, his/her thesis/dissertation for examination within the maximum period of candidature. The thesis/dissertation must be on a topic approved by the respective departments and must make some contribution to knowledge and not be a mere collation of existing materials. The thesis/dissertation must contain original work or critical interpretation worthy of publication.
3. Any other additional requirements may be specified by the respective departments.
C) Scholarship Information
1.
2.
Applicants may indicate on the form if they wish to apply for NUS scholarships. The scholarships are open to applicants to the PhD programme (full-time) only.
Lee Kong Chian Graduate Scholarship (available for August intake only)
The Lee Kong Chian Graduate Scholarships (“Scholarships”) were established from donations received from the Lee Foundation and are the University’s most prestigious scholarship awards for graduate students. The selection of candidates will take place once a year, in time for the start of the academic year in August. Up to 5 new Scholarships will be given each year. Not all Scholarships will be awarded unless there are candidates of sufficient merit.
This bond-free Scholarship is open to students of all nationalities who gain admission to any Ph.D. programme at the University. In keeping with the donor’s wishes, the Scholarships will be awarded to well-rounded individuals showing exceptional promise who have an appropriate balance of intellect and character. Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of demonstrated academic excellence, leadership and a commitment to service.
Each award covers:
- a monthly stipend of S$3,300
- tuition, examination fees and other approved fees at NUs - an annual book allowance of S$500
- a one-off air travel allowance of 2 return tickets of up to S$4,000 (only for overseas
students subject to a maximum of S$2,000 per ticket); and - A one-off laptop allowance of S$1,500
President Graduate Fellowship
The President Graduate Fellowship (PGF) is awarded to candidates who show exceptional promise or accomplishment in research. A number of Ph.D. research students are selected each semester by the University for the award.
The bond-free fellowship is open to students of all nationalities who gain admission to a PhD programme in NUS.
Each award covers:
A monthly stipend throughout the period of award as follows: International Student S$3,000 Singapore Permanent Resident S$3,200 Singapore Citizen S$3,300 Tuition fees at the University;
Instruction pg 2 of 6
A one-off air travel allowance for 1 one-way ticket of up to S$750 (only for overseas students); and
The award is tenable for an initial 1 year and, subject to the awardee’s satisfactory progress, renewable annually up to a maximum of 4 years. For candidates who were transferred from a NUS Research Scholarship to a PGF, the total period of their tenure on both schemes must not exceed 4 years.
NUS Research Scholarships
The University offers Research Scholarships to outstanding candidates to pursue a full-time graduate research degree at NUS.
The bond-free scholarship is open to students of all nationalities. Applicants must be university graduates with at least a Class II Honours degree or equivalent and, at the time of award of the Scholarship, must have been offered admission as a candidate for a full-time higher degree by research at NUS.
The Research Scholars will be given a monthly stipend and a full tuition fee subsidy. For Research Scholars in a Ph.D. programme, monthly stipends for Singapore citizens, Singapore Permanent Residents and foreigners are currently S$2,500, S$2,200 and S$2,000 respectively.
A one-off settling allowance of S$1,000 (only for overseas students)
3.
Research Scholars in a Ph.D. programme may be eligible for an additional stipend of up to $500 per
month upon passing the Ph.D. qualifying examination, which is normally held 12 to 18 months after registration of candidature.
The NUS Research Scholarship does not provide additional assistance towards travel or other costs.
The Scholarship is tenable for an initial 1 year and, subject to the Research Scholar’s satisfactory
progress, renewable annually up to 4 years for Ph.D. candidates, as determined by the University.
D) How to complete the application forms
1. Application Form Any omission of information required in the application forms or supporting documents will render
the application void and should be avoided. Please complete the application form in English. All supporting documents, if not in English, must be accompanied by copies of the English translation of the documents.
Candidates who intend to apply to more than one Department must submit separate sets of application forms. Each set of application form should be accompanied by all the supporting documents.
2. Application Fee A non-refundable fee is payable for each application submitted.
Online application: S$20 per application (inclusive of GST) Paper application: S$40 per application (inclusive of GST)
3. Transcript Request Form An official transcript of academic records is required from each university attended. You are
responsible for requesting your transcript from the university concerned. Please use the transcript request form for this purpose. If you have attended more than one university, you should make photocopies of the transcript request form as required.
Transcript must be sent DIRECT by university and all other supporting documents must be CERTIFIED copies. Graduates from this University can submit certified copies of the official transcripts of their academic records with their applications. For foreign graduates, if you wish to submit your transcript together with your application form, the official transcript must be
Instruction pg 3 of 6
enclosed in a SEALED envelope with its flap bearing the security seal of the university and the signature of the Registrar or his representative.
4. Referee Reports Recommendations from 2 academic referees are to be submitted by using the attached referee’s
report forms. You should request your referees to return the forms in a SEALED envelope whose opening bear their signatures across it.
5. Application Acknowledgement Letter The acknowledgement letter, with your name and address clearly printed or typed, should be
returned with the completed application form.
6. TOEFL, GRE and GATE Scoresheets
Applicants can either:
(a) Submit TOEFL/GRE/GATE scoresheets certified by their universities with an original stamp; or (b) Request the NUS department to certify their scoresheets if they are in Singapore; or
(c) Request ETS to send the scoresheets direct to the Department in which the research will be
pursued in. Our institution code is 0677.
E) Where to send the forms
Please send the completed application forms and supporting documents to the department applied for at the following address;
Department of Biological Sciences Department of Mathematics Faculty of Science Faculty of Science National University of Singapore National University of Singapore Block S3 Block S17 14 Science Drive 4 10 Lower Kent Ridge Road Singapore 117543 Singapore 119076 Fax: (65) 6779 2486 Fax: (65) 6779 5452 Email: dbsbox6@nus.edu.sg Email: askmathpg@nus.edu.sg
Department of Chemistry Department of Pharmacy
Faculty of Science Faculty of Science
National University of Singapore National University of Singapore
Block S4 Block S8
18 Science Drive 4 3 Science Drive 3
Singapore 117543. Singapore 117543
Fax : (65) 6779 1554 Fax : (65) 6779 1691
Email: phabox2@nus.edu.sg Email: chmadmin@nus.edu.sg
Department of Physics Department of Statistics & Applied Probability
Faculty of Science Faculty of Science
National University of Singapore National University of Singapore
Block S16 Block S12
6 Science Drive 2 2 Science Drive 3
Singapore 117546 Singapore 117542
Fax : (65) 6872 3919 Fax: (65) 6777 6126
Email: stabox1@nus.edu.sg Email: phygrad@nus.edu.sg
Instruction pg 4 of 6
Application checklist
Please be reminded to include the following documents in your application: For each course you apply, you should enclose……
The completed Application Acknowledgement Slip
The completed application fee form and cheque/bank draft
The completed application form
(including overseas interview form for applicants residing in P.R. China and India)
Supporting documents (to be arranged in the following order)
Citizenship certificate
Certified copy of Bachelor's Degree transcript [English Translation] *
Certified copy of Bachelor's Degree certificate [English Translation] *
Certified copy of Master's Degree transcript – if applicable [English Translation] *
Certified copy of Master's Degree certificate – if applicable [English Translation] *
* These documents should be sent to us in SEALED envelopes with its flap bearing the security seal
TOEFL scoresheets
(for applicants whose degrees are from the Universities where English is not the main medium of
GRE / GATE scoresheets
communication)
of the university and the signature of the Registrar or his representative.
2 Referee Reports
(these reports should be sent to us in SEALED envelopes whose openings bear the referee’s signature across it)
Copy of publication(s) - if applicable
Other supporting documents
(photocopies of NRIC/Passport, membership of organisations, scholarships/awards received, etc)
For Self-Finance applicants, to include the following :
Documentary evidence of financial support in the form of a bank statement/a copy of recent payslip/letter of confirmation from a sponsor or documentary evidence of scholarship or other
award obtained, must be enclosed.
Please help us to arrange your documents in the following order. Thank you. Cheque / Bankdraft Acknowledgement Form
Instruction pg 5 of 6