Research Degrees: MSc & PhD – NUS Faculty of Science

The research degree provides training in a particular subject area through independent investigation, study and experimental work, culminating in the submission of a thesis on the research undertaken. A supervisor or supervisors will be appointed for each candidate. Students are required to attend appropriate lectures and sit for written examinations.

The following degrees are awarded upon completion of the research programme:

• Master of Science (M.Sc.) or
• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Teaching and supervision of graduate research students are undertaken by the following departments:

• Department of Biological Sciences
• Department of Chemistry
• Department of Mathematics
• Department of Pharmacy
• Department of Physics
• Department of Statistics and Applied Probability

The faculty also offers a specialised programme in the following area:

• Food Science and Technology

The following is a synopsis of the general requirements for both M.Sc. and Ph.D. programmes. Please visit the websites of the respective departments for more details.

Coursework Requirements

M.Sc.

• In general, students are required to attend and pass examinations in a minimum of 3 modules (2 modules from level 5000 and above + 1 compulsory seminar module).
• Exception: Students from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics are required to read 6 modules.
• The number of required modules may vary from department to department. Please check with the relevant department for more information.

Ph.D.

• In general, students are required to attend and pass examinations in a minimum of 6 modules (5 modules from level 5000 and above + 1 compulsory seminar module). Exception: Students from the Department of Mathematics are required to read 9 modules.
• The number of required modules may vary from department to department. Please check with the relevant department for more information.

These courses are to be selected in consultation with student’s thesis supervisor(s) and/or department.

All modules taken by the student will be included in the CAP computation. This includes undergraduate modules and cross-faculty modules.

Interested applicants should possess the following:

• A good relevant Bachelor and/or Master degree
• NUS graduates should have at least a 2nd Upper Honours
• The ability to pursue research in the candidate’s proposed field of advanced study

International students are expected to submit their TOEFL/IELTS & GRE/GATE test scores to support their application.

Please check with the department that you are applying to for more detailed information.

English Language Requirement
All international students are required to take an English Language proficiency test (Diagnostic English Test) unless exemption has been granted. This test will determine whether candidates would need to take the Graduate English course.

• M.Sc. – Achieve an intermediate level of proficiency in the Graduate English course
• Ph.D. – Achieve an advanced level of proficiency in the Graduate English course

To fulfil the English Language requirement, students must obtain a Grade C and above. Starting from AY2012 Semester 2 intake, students will be charged a module fee of S$2,000 if they are required to repeat the English module.

Dates
For more information on Application Dates, click here.

Fees
For more information on Fee, Scholarships and Finance matters, click here.

Faculty of Science, NUS
National University of Singapore
Block S16 Level 9, 6 Science Drive 2
Singapore 117546

Tel: +65 6516 7993 / +65 6516 8780
Email: scidrgs@nus.edu.sg