New Pathway Programme Allows Temasek Polytechnic’s Engineering Students to Start Classes at Singapore University of Technology and Design Earlier

28 Jan 2021

Temasek Polytechnic (TP) and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement to launch a new pathway programme that will provide selected TP students from the School of Engineering with early exposure to university-level Engineering modules and a unique university student experience over the course of their polytechnic studies.  
 
Starting from the AY2020 intake, this TP-SUTD Pathway Programme (TPP) will be open to TP students undergoing Electronics, Mechatronics, Biomedical Engineering, and Computer Engineering courses. Students from TP’s Common Engineering Programme posted to these four diploma courses are also eligible. The TPP allows selected students to take modules taught by SUTD during the course of their diploma studies, and to earn credits which are counted towards both TP’s and SUTD’s graduation requirements. Students selected for the TPP will have their polytechnic curriculum adjusted to allow them to complete their TP modules before starting their lessons in SUTD.
 
How the TPP Works

Eligible TP students can apply for the TPP at the end of Year 2, Semester 1 of their diploma course. They will undergo a merit-based selection jointly administered by TP and SUTD, which will assess them based on academic grades and interview performance. For a start, the programme’s inaugural cohort will admit around 20 students.
 
Selected students will begin the TPP by taking a compact SUTD module during their vacation break at the end of Year 2 Semester 2 in TP. From Year 3 Semester 2, the TPP students will start taking SUTD Term 1 modules alongside SUTD Freshmore (i.e. Year 1) students.  These modules taken in SUTD will also be counted towards the students’ elective module graduation requirements in their diploma studies. The students can also look forward to a residential experience similar to that of an SUTD Freshmore student.
 
Please refer to Annex below for illustration of how TPP works.
 
Professor Pey Kin Leong, SUTD Associate Provost for undergraduate studies said: “SUTD is pleased to work with TP to open multiple avenues for students to pursue higher education. The partnership with TP will give potential students an early taste of the unique SUTD education in engineering and architecture, with a strong focus on human-centred design and innovation. Students under this programme can graduate a year earlier with a diploma and bachelor degree.”
 
Echoing the benefits of the programme, Mr Wong Kia Ngee, Director of TP’s School of Engineering said: "By allowing students to start their university modules early while they are in TP, the TP-SUTD Programme has provided an additional pathway for our students to transition to university when they are still in the polytechnic. We will continue to explore collaboration opportunities with institutions of higher learning to ensure that our students get the best possible learning experience while realising their aspiration for further studies.”