Maintaining Diverse Curriculum with Liberal Arts at New NUS College Following Closure of Yale-NUS College
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the preservation of a diverse curriculum and residential experience at the new NUS College following the merger of Yale-NUS College and the University Scholars Programme. Ms He Ting Ru asked how the liberal arts tradition and small-group teaching would be maintained for both current and future students. Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing responded that the new curriculum will blend liberal arts with data and computational studies, supported by a flagship Global Pathway Programme for overseas experience. He affirmed that existing Yale-NUS students will retain access to their current majors and small-group teaching practices until 2025. Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing further emphasized that vibrant residential living remains a central commitment for both Yale-NUS and the new NUS College.
Transcript
37 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Education (a) how will a diverse curriculum that includes the liberal arts be ensured for the new NUS College and its students in order to maintain the interdisciplinary and global perspectives from Yale-NUS College (YNC) and NUS’ University Scholars Programme (USP) experiences; and (b) how will small-group teaching and vibrant residential living be kept for students of both the YNC in the interim, and the new NUS College.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: In line with NUS’ broader plans to enhance interdisciplinary learning, NUS will merge the best elements of Yale-NUS College (YNC) and the NUS’ University Scholars Programme (USP) to form the new NUS College. NUS College will offer an education model that is interdisciplinary, inclusive and accessible. It will have a diverse and vibrant student community, with small-group teaching within a residential living and learning environment.
The curriculum of NUS College will draw on the liberal arts tradition, supplemented with data and computational studies which are critical areas of skills and expertise for the future. There will be a flagship Global Pathway Programme, which will give students the opportunity to spend six months to a year overseas, where they will participate in curated activities centred around specific themes, such as technology, entrepreneurship, diplomacy and environmental and climate action.
NUS remains fully committed to preserving the education experience for YNC students in the meantime. Students will continue to have access to the full range of majors and minors currently offered by YNC until 2025. There will be no change to class sizes or to YNC’s current practice of small-group teaching and residential learning.