FAQ - Majors and Curriculum - NUS College

Back to General FAQ

Majors and Curriculum

What majors can be paired with NUS College?
The NUSC curriculum and experience can be paired with over 60 majors offered by colleges, faculties and schools across NUS. The exceptions are Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. Click here for more details.

How does the NUS College curriculum fit into my NUS undergraduate journey?
The NUS College curriculum is meant to enhance the basic NUS degree and is designed to interface well with other programmes and course requirements at NUS. Like other NUS students, NUSC students will fulfil a portion of their courses at their degree-bearing faculties, primarily courses that fulfil their major requirements. However, students will be able to complete all NUS General Education (GE) requirements in NUS College, as well as most faculty-specific common curriculum courses.* *NUSC students will be able to complete all elements of the common curriculum for the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) and most for the College of Design and Engineering (CDE).

What is the difference between the common curriculum in NUS College and NUS?
The NUSC curriculum consists of specially curated foundational and common courses, interdisciplinary electives and a flagship team-based project. A key difference between courses in NUSC compared to the common curriculum courses in NUS is the small class size. This allows for intimate seminar-style learning where students get to interact more meaningfully with their professors. Furthermore, unlike common curriculum classes in their degree-bearing faculties, their peers will come from different majors and faculties, facilitating the exchange of diverse perspectives and ideas in the classroom.

How many courses must I take as part of the NUS College Curriculum?
Students will fulfil up to 13 courses (56 units) as part of the NUSC curriculum. This comprises 6 courses on global critical competencies, 6 interdisciplinary electives and finally, the capstone Impact Experience Project (IEx), which constitutes 1 course (equivalent to 8 units). Click here for more details. Do note that some programmes and majors will qualify for waivers from some of the curriculum requirements in NUSC. While all NUSC students are required to fulfil the NUSC course requirements specific to their chosen majors, NUSC students pursuing specific degree programmes in NUS – for instance, Law, Engineering, Accountancy, PPE, the Double Degree programmes, to name a few examples – are waived from some of the curriculum requirements in NUSC. This is so that students pursuing these degrees will be able to integrate their curriculum with the requirements in NUS College. More details can be found here.

Is there a recommended timeline for completing the NUS College courses?
For cohorts that matriculated from AY25/26 and onwards, students are required to complete a set number of foundational and common courses by the end of each academic year to remain in good academic standing. It is important to note that being in poor academic standing detrimentally affects students’ applications to NUSC programmes (e.g. GEx, SRIP), senior year housing and other opportunities. All of the above information will be relayed to incoming Year 1s through their Peer Mentors and can also be found in the Academic Information PDF guide.

How are assessments conducted for courses offered by NUS College?
The courses at NUSC typically do not follow a traditional “final exam” format. Instead, a greater emphasis is placed on continuous assessment and collaborative learning both within and beyond the classroom setting. Depending on the nature of the course offered and the teaching approaches adopted by the respective faculty members, students may be assessed through a wide range of formats – this includes, but is not limited to, presentations, essays, reports, group projects, videos, posters and site visits. This diversity reflects the interdisciplinary approach that NUSC takes in creating a community of engaged learners who stretch one another continuously. By doing so, students are encouraged to demonstrate creativity and problem-solving skills across the different modes of evaluation.

Can I take a double major/degree while being in NUS College?
Yes, there are a variety of pre-packaged multidisciplinary programmes (MDPs) within NUS that are available to NUSC applicants. Click here for more details. Do note that these have an additional selection for admission. Furthermore, any NUS student (including NUSC students) may also construct/propose their own MDP by combining courses at NUS, though not all of them will be feasible and overloading may be necessary to complete the graduation requirements. NUSC also proudly partners with Sciences Po and Waseda University for the NUS-Sciences Po Double Degree Programme and Waseda-NUS Double Degree Programme. For these DDPs, students will obtain a degree from NUS and a degree from NUSC’s partner university.

Why are some majors not applicable to NUS College?
As these courses have more specialised courses and fixed curriculum, it is difficult for students to complete both their major’s courses as well as courses from NUSC’s common curriculum without extending their period of study.

Must I declare my major before I enter NUS College or can I have an undeclared major?
At the point of application, you must indicate an intended major/choice of course at NUSC, which you will read at your respective degree-bearing faculty or school (the exception being CHS students who have the flexibility of having an undeclared major for the first two years of studies). Subsequently, all students of NUSC will enjoy the flexibility to apply to transfer to another major compatible with the NUSC curriculum during their first four semesters of study, within the transfer windows stipulated by the NUS Office of Admissions.

What help do students receive in selecting classes?
All incoming freshmen will be assigned a peer mentor – a senior taking the same course as them (or as similar as possible since there are different multidisciplinary programmes). These mentors will guide you, beginning from the very first course registration exercise and help you map out your study plan for your entire university journey. There are also multiple academic-related chat groups set up to allow students to seek more specific advice regarding certain courses or academic programmes. If you require more help, the NUS College faculty advisors are always there to advise you as well.

I am an RNS who has accepted an offer for NUS College, what is the procedure to request to switch majors before my year of matriculation?
If you would like to switch majors before the admission application closing date leading to your year of matriculation, you will need to submit a fresh application to NUS for your desired new major(s). You may indicate your new choice(s) in your new application. If you have already accepted an offer from NUSC, you should select ‘No’ when asked if you would like to apply for NUSC. You should not complete the application form for NUSC in your re-application. If you are successful in your new application, the NUS Office of Admissions will offer the new major to you together with NUSC, unless the new major is not compatible with NUSC. If you are not successful, the offer that you have already accepted will remain.

I am an RNS who has accepted an offer from NUS College, but I have missed the admission application deadline leading up to my year of matriculation. What is the procedure to request for switching of courses before the start of Sem 1?
If you have missed the relevant admissions application closing date, and you would like to request to switch majors, you will need to submit an appeal to the NUS Office of Admissions for consideration. You may do so during the NUS Office of Admissions appeal window by logging into the NUS Applicants Portal and submitting your appeal.

I have received my NUS offer with NUS College and will be matriculating in the same year. What is the procedure to request for switching courses before the start of Sem 1?
If you would like to request to switch majors before the start of Sem 1, you will need to submit an appeal to the NUS Office of Admissions for consideration. You may do so during the NUS Office of Admissions appeal window by logging into the NUS Applicants Portal and submitting an appeal. If you have missed the admissions appeal window, you may contact the NUS Office of Admissions to request for an appeal to switch majors.

I am already enrolled as an NUS College student, and the academic year has started. What is the procedure to request for a transfer of academic programme or major?
You will need to submit an application to the NUSC Academic Team during the usual transfer windows (October and February). Do note that you will only be allowed to change your major within your first four semesters. The NUSC Academic Team will provide advice to you pertaining to your request.

I am on the LLB (4 year) programme and in NUS College. Can I embark on the Law Exchange Plus Programme?
The Law Exchange Plus Programme is not compatible with the NUSC curriculum. If you are offered the Law Exchange Plus Programme, and wish to accept the offer, you should transfer out of NUSC as soon as possible through the Office of Admissions.

I am in NUS College. Can I take up the NUS French Double Degree Programme?
The NUS French Double Degree Programme is not compatible with NUSC curriculum. If you are offered the NUS French Double Degree Programme, and wish to accept the offer, you should transfer out of NUSC as soon as possible through the Office of Admissions.

What is the NUS College & Duke-NUS Conditional Admissions Pathway?
The NUS College & Duke-NUS Conditional Admissions Pathway offers NUSC students who have achieved academic distinction to gain a conditional early acceptance to the Doctor of Medicine (MD) programme of Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS), while they pursue their undergraduate degree prior to the MD. It enables students to explore their diverse academic interests at NUS College while staying actively engaged with the Duke-NUS medical community. Upon fulfilling the admission requirements, students may matriculate into Duke-NUS Medical School immediately after graduating from NUS College. Find out more about the pathway and how to apply here.