MA6788 Independent Study (For all MAE MSc students, except SAF students)

The MA6788 Independent Study course aims to provide an opportunity for students to work on actual industry projects within an actual industry environment. Students are expected to apply theoretical learnings to address real industry problems and carry out projects in a systematic way, which includes project definition and scoping, project planning and scheduling, resource planning and  financial budgeting, progress and result reporting and presentation etc.

Through this project-based course, students will gain valuable industry exposure and working experience, improve problem solving capabilities, enhance communication and leadership skills. The ultimate goal of the course is to bridge the gap between theoretical learning and practical problem solving, thus laying a solid foundation for students to embark on their career development in various industries.

Note: Students taking this course are expected to work on a project over the semester, in an actual industry context through an internship or work stint. The MA6788 Independent Study course is available to students on the Coursework Only study option. Students who have converted to the Coursework and Dissertation Study Option are not allowed to enrol in the MA6788 course.


This course carries 3 Academic Units.

Duration for Completion
One semester

Application and Registration
You should only register for Independent Study in the semester that you wish to start working on the Independent Study project. Please submit your application form for school approval at least two weeks before the course registration period for the Semester. Upon registration, in a particular semester, you will have to complete it by the end of that semester; otherwise, a “Fail” grade will be awarded.

Please follow the 4 steps to register for Independent Study:-

STEP 1: Obtain an offer of internship and work project, and submit the Application for MA6788 Independent Study form for school approval

Send the completed Application for MA6788 Independent Study to MAE Graduate Studies Office (mae.msc@ntu.edu.sg) for Programme Director's approval of internship and project scope. The programme director will assign an MAE supervisor in accordance with your title of the Independent Study project.

STEP 2: Register the Course

After Programme Director's approval, you have to register the course MA6788 Independent Study during the Course Registration Period, via GSLink as follows:

GSLink > Academic > Course Registration > Course Registration ( MSc)

If you do not have school’s approval, you will be de-registered from the course and are not allowed to work as a full-time intern during term time.

STEP 3: Register the Title and Supervisor

After you have registered the course, please submit your project title and assigned MAE supervisor during the Course Registration Period as follows:

GSLink > Academic > Course Registration > Registration for Independent Study (MAE Only)

STEP 4: Proceed with your project/internship

When Independent Study project registration is approved by School, you will receive an auto-generated email in your NTU Email account. Thereafter, you can proceed with the Independent Study to work on the industry project through a credit-bearing internship/work stint.

AFTER THE COURSE REGISTRATION PERIOD, NO REGISTRATION of COURSE WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Plagiarism Check
The University and School take a very strong view on plagiarism. 

To check for plagiarism, you may submit the drafts of your main report (excluding references & appendices) regularly through the Turnitin software found in NTULearn, where the software produces a similarity score and originality report. Click  e-Guide Search a Self-Enrol Course to learn how to self-enrol as a student in NTULearn.

Students' reports should have similarity index of less than 20%. Students have to revise and re-submit the final report within a week and if the students did not revise their reports and/or the plagiarism match percentage in their revised report remains >20%, they will be awarded a 'Fail' grade.

Report Writing Guidelines

Format & Style
The format and style of the submission is similar to that required of a technical paper or short report. The number of words expected is less than 8,000 words. The Dissertation should be typewritten in English, in the third person and with one and a half or double spacing between lines in Times New Roman font size 12. You are strongly encouraged to use your own words instead of copying directly from books, technical reports, etc. The Standard International Units (SI) should be used.

Click  Sample Cover Page for Independent Study for the template of the Independent Study cover page

The contents of the report should be presented in the following order:

1. Title page
2. Abstract (no more than one A4 page)
3. Acknowledgement page to give recognition of any advisory received in the course of the work on which the report is based 
4. Table of contents
5. List of figures (if any)
6. List of tables (if any)
7. List of symbols (if any)
8. Introductory chapter, literature review 
9. Text chapter
10. Methodology
11. Results and Conclusion
12. References
13. Appendix/Appendices (if any)

Report Submission Timeline for Each Semester

Students who have registered for MA6788 Independent Study in this semester (Semester 1 AY2025-2026) are to adhere to the following submission deadlines. Students who have registered for MA6788 Independent Study, but do not submit the report by the deadline will be deemed as “Failed”.

Students are required to submit the Final Report to their MAE supervisor.

Method of Evaluation

• Interim Milestone Presentation to the Supervisor. You may approach your supervisor to arrange an in-person presentation.
• One final written report [Soft copy PDF format, <3000 words] is to be submitted on the topic as formulated and specified between the Supervisor and student
• Feedback from your industry Supervisor will also be taken into account for your total final marks.

Grading

Independent Study will be graded. Grade earned will count towards the computation of Grade Point Average (GPA).

The report will be assessed and graded by the Supervisor.

Candidates who are unable to complete the Independent Study report within the semester will be deemed as ‘Failed’.