At CCDS, the undergraduate curriculum is designed as an integrated system. Foundational knowledge is sequenced deliberately, disciplinary depth is developed progressively, and flexibility is preserved through defined pathways.
· Build strong core competencies
· Develop disciplinary depth
· Broaden perspective beyond their major
· Apply knowledge through structured experiential components
Rigour and adaptability are not competing goals. They are engineered into the design.
Programme Structure
Every CCDS undergraduate programme is built on five integrated components.
University Core
· Interdisciplinary Collaborative Core (ICC) · Care, Serve, & Learn (CSL)
Broad-based intellectual grounding common to all NTU undergraduates.
College Core — Professional Series
Common college requirements, including introductory computational thinking and professional development, with structured internship components.
Programme Core
Foundational and disciplinary courses within the major, including mathematics, programming, systems, and theoretical foundations.
Major Prescribed Electives (MPE)
Advanced courses within the major that enables focused specialisation.
Broadening & Deepening Electives (BDE)
Electives from across the university, allowing students to extend or broaden beyond primary discipline.
This structure balances foundational rigour, disciplinary depth, and intellectual flexibility.
Curriculum Design
The undergraduate curriculum at CCDS is intentionally designed as an integrated system. All programmes share a common University and College core. Beyond this foundation, they differ in how Academic Units are distributed between Programme Core requirements, Major Prescribed Electives, and Broadening & Deepening Electives.
Differences arise primarily in the balance between foundational depth and elective specialisation.
Understanding this balance can help you choose the programme that best matches how you want to learn and where you want to grow.
Curriculum Design – Double Degree Programmes
Double degree programmes are structurally integrated – not stacked. Students complete the academic core of both disciplines within a coordinated framework that manages progression, intensity and integration across the full duration of study.
The structure below shows how Academic Units (AU) are distributed across five curriculum components.
Each double degree pathway is designed with a different balance of depth, duration and intensity — understanding this structure helps you choose the programme that best fits your ambitions.
Curriculum Design – Second Majors
Second majors allow students to deepen expertise in a complementary discipline while completing a single primary degree within the standard four-year timeframe.
Unlike double degrees, students graduate with one degree and an additional second major credential. The curriculum is integrated – not extended.
Structural Overview
All Second Major pathways follow a consistent framework:
· Primary Degree (Core + MPE): CSC — 82 AU | CE — 83 AU | DSAI — 78 AU
· Second Major Requirement: 25 AU (Entrepreneurship) | 30 AU (Business, Sustainability) | 31 AU (Data Analytics)
· Interdisciplinary Collaborative Core (ICC): Common Core + Professional Series + Care, Serve & Learn — 33 AU (fixed across all programmes)
· Total Academic Units (AU): CSC pairings — 140–145 AU | CE pairings — 141–146 AU | CE + Data Analytics — 156 AU | DSAI + Sustainability — 141 AU
There is no Broadening & Deepening Elective (BDE) component in Second Major pathways, as curriculum space is allocated to the additional disciplinary requirements.
At a Glance
| Programme | Primary Core + MPE | Second Major/BDE | ICC | Total AU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSC + Business | 82 | 30 | 33 | 145 |
| CSC+ Sustainability | 82 | 30 | 33 | 145 |
| CSC + Entrepreneurship | 82 | 25 | 33 | 140 |
| CE + Business | 83 | 30 | 33 | 146 |
| CE + Sustainability | 83 | 28 | 33 | 144 |
| CE + Entrepreneurship | 83 | 25 | 33 | 141 |
| CE + Data Analytics | 83 | 20 | 33 | 136 |
| DSAI + Sustainability | 78 | 30 | 33 | 141 |
This structured design ensures disciplinary depth in Computing while enabling meaningful cross-domain expertise within a four-year programme.