The academic year starts off with an orientation week. It is divided into two semesters, Semester 1 of 18 weeks
and Semester 2 of 17 weeks. Examinations are held at the end of each semester. There are two special terms
during the Semester 2 vacation.
Under the Academic Unit System, each course is assigned a certain number of academic units (AU).
The academic unit is a measure of the student's workload associated with both class attendance and preparation. For typical one-semester course, the number of academic units is calculated as follows:
(a) one hour of lecture/tutorial per week : 1 AU
(b) 3 hours laboratory/fieldwork per week : 1 AU
The curriculum structure comprises 2 categories of requirements:
a. Major Requirement
The courses of study are classified under 2 groups:
(i) Core Courses - these are compulsory courses required to satisfy programme requirements.
(ii) Major Prescribed Electives - these are courses for specialisation in a particular degree programme.
b. General Education Requirement (GER)
This is a curriculum requirement for broadening study and is divided into 3 areas of studies as follows:
(i) Core Courses (GER-Core):
- these are courses relating to :
→ Communication Skills
→ Singapore Studies
→ Human Resource Management* / Environmental Sustainability#
(ii) Prescribed Electives (GER-PE):
- the courses are categorised into 4 sub-areas of studies relating to:
→ Art, Humanities & Social Sciences (AHSS)
→ Business & Management (BM)
→ Liberal Studies (LS)#
→ Science, Technology & Society (STS)
(iii) Unrestricted Electives (GER-UE)
- these are courses chosen by students to broaden their learning experience.
Unrestricted electives may be taken from the list of courses offered by the School or, with the approval of the Chair concerned, from courses offered by other Schools in the University. Although unrestricted electives may be taken in any year of study, students are advised to plan carefully when to take the unrestricted electives in order not to delay their graduation.
For the purpose of fulfilling the requirements of the programme and for classification of the degree, once a course is confirmed by the student as being registered as a prescribed elective, it cannot be re-classified as an unrestricted elective, and vice-versa.
* applies to students admitted before AY 2011-12 (except students in the Sport Science & Management programme), full-time students admitted directly to Year 2 in AY 2011-12 and part-time students admitted in AY 2011-12
# applies to all students in the Sport Science & Management programme and full-time students admitted to Year 1 with effect from AY 2011-12
(2)
Prerequisites
Some courses may only be offered to students who have obtained at least the specified grade in related
courses offered at a lower level. These lower-level courses are called the “prerequisites” for the higher
level courses.
(4) Period of Candidature (for students admitted to NTU with effect from AY 2009-10)
(a) The period of candidature for each programme is as follows:
Single Degree Programmes (Full-Time)
|
Programme |
Period of Candidature |
|
Normal |
Minimum |
Maximum |
|
Accountancy
Business |
3 years
|
3 years
|
5 years |
|
Aerospace Engineering
Art, Design & Media
Bioengineering
Biological Sciences
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Chemistry & Biological Chemistry
Chinese
Civil Engineering
Communication Studies
Computer Engineering
Computer Science
Economics
Electrical & Electronic Engineering
English
Environmetal Engineering
Information Engineering & Media
Linguistics & Multilingual Studies
Maritime Studies
Materials Engineering
Mathematical Sciences
Mathematics & Economics
Mechanical Engineering
Physics & Applied Physics
Psychology
Sociology
Sport Science and Management |
4 years
|
3½ years
|
6 years
|
For students admitted directly to the second year of a 4-year programme, the normal, minimum and the maximum periods shall be 3 years, 2.5 years and 5 years respectively.
Single Degree Programmes (Part-Time)
|
Programme |
Period of Candidature |
|
Normal |
Minimum |
Maximum |
|
Electrical & Electronic Engineering
Mechanical Engineering |
5 years |
4 years |
8 years |
Double Degree Programmes (Full-Time)
|
Programme |
Period of Candidature |
|
Normal |
Minimum |
Maximum |
|
Accountancy and Business
Biomedical Sciences and Chinese Medicine*
Business and Computing
Business and Computer Engineering
Engineering and Economics |
4 years
5 years
4 years#
4 years#
5 years |
3½ years
5 years
4 years
4 years
4½ years |
5 years
7 years
6 years
6 years
7 years |
* Inclusive of 2 years at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine
# With acceleration
Integrated Programme (Full-Time)
|
Programme |
Period of Candidature |
|
Normal |
Minimum |
Maximum |
|
Renaissance Engineering Programme^ |
4.5 years |
4 years |
6 years |
^ awards two degrees - a Bachelor degree and a Masters degree
(b) Students who transfer credits from another university must comply with the requirements in Section 3(6).
(5) Classification of Students
Students are classified as Year 1 to Year 5 students according to the number of academic units earned. While re-classification is done normally at the end of an academic year, where appropriate, this may be done at the end of the first semester. Students placed on Academic Warning and Academic Probation will not be re-classified until they have been restored to good academic standing. See section 5(2)(i).
The number of academic units that students must earn to be classified to the next year of study is at: http://www.ntu.edu.sg/Services/Academic/undergraduates/Pages/AcademicUnitSystem(AUS).aspx
With the prior approval of the Chair concerned, students are allowed to take some courses from another university and transfer the number of academic units earned from that university towards fulfilling the degree requirements of NTU. This could include participation in exchange and/or other similar programme (such as Global Immersion Programme and Global Studies Programme).
Students who have taken some courses from another university prior to their admission to NTU may also apply for transfer of credits earned. They must submit their application for transfer of credits within the first semester of their enrolment in NTU.
Grades obtained for credits earned in other institutions are not counted in the classification of the degree awarded.
To be eligible for the award of a Bachelor’s degree from NTU, a student must fulfill the following conditions:
(a) For all students in the Sport Science & Management programme and full-time students admitted to Year 1 with effect from AY 2011-12
|
Programme |
Minimum Years of Study at NTU |
Minimum AU of Graded Courses obtained from NTU |
|
3-year programmes |
2 academic years |
52 AU |
|
4-year programmes
- For students admitted to Yr 1
- For students admitted directly to Yr 2 |
3 academic years
2 ½ academic years |
69 AU
69 AU |
For students admitted before AY 2011-12 (except students in the Sport Science & Management programme), full-time students admitted directly to Year 2 in AY 2011-12 and part-time students admitted in AY 2011-12
|
Programme |
Minimum Years of Study at NTU |
Minimum AU of Graded Courses obtained from NTU |
|
3-year programmes |
2 academic years |
66 AU |
|
4-year programmes
- For students admitted to Yr 1
- For students admitted directly to Yr 2 |
3 academic years
2 ½ academic years |
77 AU
66 AU |
The balance AU may consist of AU earned from courses with Pass (P), Exempted (EX) and Satisfactory (S) notations.
(b) Pass all or been exempted from some of the examinations prescribed for the degree.
(c) Satisfy all other requirements prescribed for the degree
All students must register their courses through the Student Automated Registration System (STARS) according to the schedule announced by the Office of Academic Services.
Students who join any classes without registration will not be allowed to take the examination(s) for the course(s) involved.
(2) Outstanding Tuition and Hostel Rental Fees
Students with outstanding tuition and hostel rental fees will be denied access to STARS and barred from course registration. Students must pay their outstanding fees before registering courses.
(3) Add/Drop Courses
Students may add or drop any course provided this is done within the add/drop period as announced by the Office of Academic Services.
A course that is dropped during the add/drop period will not appear in the official transcript. A student who is still registered for a course after the add/drop period but did not subsequently sit for the examination will be deemed to have read and failed the course. An 'F' will appear on his official transcript.
(4) Academic Load
In order to complete the degree requirements within the normal specified period of candidature, full-time students at NTU are expected to carry an academic load of 16 to 18 AU#/21 AU* per semester.
Subject to approval by the Chair concerned, students may be allowed to take up to 3 AU#/8 AU* more or less than the normal semester academic load to enable them to pursue their studies at a pace commensurate with their needs and/or capabilities.
* applies to students admitted before AY 2011-12 (except students in the Sport Science & Management programme), full-time students admitted directly to Year 2 in AY 2011-12 and part-time students admitted in AY 2011-12
# applies to all students in the Sport Science & Management programme and full-time students admitted to Year 1 with effect from AY 2011-12
(5) Restricted Repeat
Final Year students who have failed any core course which is not offered in the semester following the failure may be permitted to take the failed course(s) as restricted repeat(s). This arrangement is available only for Final Year core courses which students cannot replace with any other courses offered in the following semester. Additionally, only Final Year students deemed to have sufficient academic units to meet graduation requirements will be eligible for restricted repeat(s).
An examination for each of the courses offered in the semester is held at the end of the semester.
Students are not allowed to retake courses they have passed in order to improve on the grades of these courses. The grades for all attempts in all courses taken by a student are shown in his official transcript.
The Grade Point Average (GPA) system is applicable to students admitted to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences with effect from academic year 2004-2005, direct entry students admitted to Year 2 with effect from academic year 2006-2007 and all students admitted to Year 1 with effect from academic Year 2005-2006.
(a) Grades and grade points are assigned as follows:
|
Letter-Grade |
Grade Point |
|
A+ |
5.0 |
|
A |
5.0 |
|
A- |
4.5 |
|
B+ |
4.0 |
|
B |
3.5 |
|
B- |
3.0 |
|
C+ |
2.5 |
|
C |
2.0 |
|
D+ |
1.5 |
|
D |
1.0 |
|
F |
0.0 |
The above grades also apply to all students with effect from academic year 2005-2006.
(b) The following non-letter grades and notations are also used:
* - Course with Pass/Fail grading only
# - Repeated attempt
IP - In Progress
LOA - Absent (with valid reasons)
EX - Exempted from course
TC - Transfer credit
S - Satisfactory
U - Unsatisfactory
(c) The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) represents the grade average of all courses (including failed courses) attempted by a student. The computation of CGPA is as follows:
[Grade Point x AU for Course 1] +…+ [Grade Point x AU for Course X]
[Total AU attempted in all the semesters so far]
Only letter-graded courses i.e. courses with grades A+, A, A-, B- ... are included in the computation of CGPA. Courses where only Pass/Fail grades are given, where the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory option was invoked, where the students were absent with valid reasons, and courses that the students are exempted from or are in progress (i.e. awarded an ‘EX’ or an ‘IP’ grade) are not included in the computation of CGPA. A few examples of how CGPA is computed are given below for illustration.
Example 1
|
Course |
AU |
Grade |
Grade Point |
|
AA101 |
3 |
B |
3.50 |
|
AB102 |
3 |
B- |
3.00 |
|
AC103 |
3 |
C |
2.00 |
|
AD104 |
4 |
A |
5.00 |
|
AE105 |
3 |
D |
1.00 |
CGPA = [3.50 x 3]+[3.00 x 3]+ [2.00 x 3] + [5.00 x 4] + [1.00 x 3] = 3.03
[3 + 3 + 3 + 4 + 3]
Example 2
|
Course |
AU |
Grade |
Grade Point |
|
AA101 |
3 |
B |
3.50 |
|
AB102 |
3 |
B- |
3.00 |
|
AC103 |
3 |
C |
2.00 |
|
AD104 |
4 |
A |
5.00 |
|
AE105 |
3 |
F |
0.00 |
CGPA = [3.50 x 3]+[3.00 x 3]+ [2.00 x 3] + [5.00 x 4] + [0.00 x 3] = 2.84
[3 + 3 + 3 + 4 + 3]
Example 3
(The S/U option was invoked for AD104 and AE105. Grade S denotes a Satisfactory grade while grade U denotes an Unsatisfactory grade. These two courses, AD104 and AE105, are excluded from the computation of the CGPA.)
|
Course |
AU |
Grade |
Grade Point |
|
AA101 |
3 |
B |
3.50 |
|
AB102 |
3 |
B- |
3.00 |
|
AC103 |
3 |
C |
2.00 |
|
AD104 |
4 |
U |
NA |
|
AE105 |
3 |
S |
NA |
CGPA = [3.50 x 3]+[3.00 x 3]+ [2.00 x 3] = 2.83
[3 + 3 + 3]
Example 4
(AE105 is a Pass/Fail course i.e. only P or F grades are awarded. This course is excluded from the computation of the CGPA.)
|
Course |
AU |
Grade |
Grade Point |
|
AA101 |
3 |
B |
3.50 |
|
AB102 |
3 |
B- |
3.00 |
|
AC103 |
3 |
C |
2.00 |
|
AD104 |
4 |
A |
5.00 |
|
AE105 |
3 |
P |
NA |
CGPA = [3.50 x 3]+[3.00 x 3]+ [2.00 x 3] + [5.00 x 4] = 3.50
[3 + 3 + 3 + 4]
Example 5
(If a student is exempted from AE105, the grade ‘EX’ will be shown for this course.This course is excluded from the computation of the CGPA.)
|
Course |
AU |
Grade |
Grade Point |
|
AA101 |
3 |
B |
3.50 |
|
AB102 |
3 |
B- |
3.00 |
|
AC103 |
3 |
C |
2.00 |
|
AD104 |
4 |
A |
5.00 |
|
AE105 |
3 |
EX |
NA |
CGPA = [3.50 x 3]+[3.00 x 3]+ [2.00 x 3] + [5.00 x 4] = 3.50
[3 + 3 + 3 + 4]
(d) The Year Grade Point Average (YGPA) represents the grade average of all courses (including failed courses) attempted by a student in any year. The computation of YGPA is as follows:
[Grade Point x AU for Course 1] +…+ [Grade Point x AU for Course X]
[Total AU attempted in a year]
The method of computing the YGPA is similar to that for computing the CGPA. Please refer to the examples for computing CGPA for illustration. Courses attempted in the Special Terms are not included in the computation of the YGPA.
(e) The CGPA will be reflected in students’ transcripts.
(f) An ‘F’ grade obtained in a course, and a new grade attained for the subsequent repeat, will both be reflected in the transcript. Both grades will also be counted in the computation of YGPA and CGPA.
(g) Students are not allowed to repeat any courses taken except those with ‘F’ grade.
(h) The requirements for graduation are as follows:
— Successful completion of the prescribed academic unit requirement as set out by the programme curriculum.
— A minimum CGPA of 2.00 is required at the end of the final semester of study.
— Satisfy all other requirements prescribed for the degree including the requirements in Section 3(3).
(i) The criteria for satisfactory academic standing in any given semester are:
— maintaining a minimum CGPA of 2.00
— completing at least 75% of the normal AU workload
(j) Students with poor results will be accorded the following academic standing and subjected to performance review:
— Academic Warning – if the CGPA falls below 2.00 for any given semester.
— Academic Probation – if the CGPA falls below 2.00 for the following semester.
— Academic Termination – if the CGPA falls below 2.00 for the 3rd consecutive semester, or at the end of the final semester of study. A letter of termination will be issued. Appeal against termination on the grounds of extenuating circumstances may be made, subject to the following rules:
- the appeal must be submitted to the relevant School by the end of the first week of a semester.
- normally only one appeal is allowed per candidature.
(k) A minimum CGPA of 2.0 must be maintained at the end of each semester to qualify for the overloading of courses.
(l) The Dean’s list is compiled on a yearly basis. The top 5% of the cohort is eligible for the Dean’s list, subject to attaining a minimum YGPA of 4.50 and taking at least 16 AU of graded courses (for full-time students and 9 AU of graded courses for part-time students) in NTU in the academic year. Besides this, final year students must attain at least a Second Upper Honours degree in order to be considered for the Dean’s List.
(m) Students enrolled in the Accelerated Bachelor’s Programme must maintain a minimum CGPA of 4.00 in order to remain in the Programme. However, some Schools may set a higher minimum CGPA. For these Schools, the students will be informed.
(n) Credits for courses taken from approved student exchange programmes will be excluded from the CGPA computation, but they will be counted toward the academic unit requirement for graduation, and reflected in the transcript.
(o) The cut-off for each degree class is as follows:
|
CGPA Range |
Class of Honours |
|
4-year Programme |
3-year Programme |
|
4.50 – 5.00 |
First Class |
First Class |
|
4.00 – 4.49 |
2nd Class Upper |
2nd Class Upper |
|
3.50 – 3.99 |
2nd Class Lower |
2nd Class Lower |
|
3.00 – 3.49 |
Third Class |
Pass with Merit |
|
2.00 – 2.99 |
Pass |
Pass |
For programmes under the College of Engineering (except for the Maritime Studies programme) and College of Science, a minimum CGPA of 4.50 plus at least an 'A-' grade for the Final Year Project (FYP), are required for the award of a First Class Honours degree. For programmes under the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, students who opt out of the Final Year Project will not be eligible for a First Class or Second Upper Honours degree.
