Curriculum AY2021/2022, AY2022/2023 and AY2023/2024
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- Programme Requirements
PROGRAMME REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (BBA) FOR STUDENTS WHO MATRICULATE FROM ACADEMIC YEAR 2021/2022 TO AY 2023/2024.
Under this BBA programme students are enrolled directly into an Honours programme, which they can withdraw if they wish to. Students are required to complete 160 Units to graduate.
The degree requirements for the refreshed BBA programme are listed below. For further elaborations on each component, please refer to the drop-down accordions.
BBA DIRECT HONOURS PROGRAMME REQUIREMENTS
BBA Honours Degree Requirements (Total 160 Units) University Level Requirements (6 courses worth 24 Units) - General Education Courses
Programme Requirements (90 Units) - BIZ Core Courses (13 courses worth 50 Units)
- BIZ Specialisation Courses (worth 20 Units)
- Honours Programme Courses (worth 20 Units)
Unrestricted Elective Courses (46 Units) Non-Credit, Graduating Requirements 1. Academic Orientation Courses:
• BPM1701 Calculus & Statistics
• BPM1702 Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint for Business2. Intensive 1st-year primer course:
• BPM1705 Understanding How Business Works3. Career Preparation:
• Career Creation Starter Courses- STR1000 Career Creation Starter Workshops
- STR2000 Career Creation Starter Clinics
• Global Immersion and Study
Note 1: Students may graduate with the BBA general degree upon completion of 120 Units, comprising the general education courses (24 Units), core courses (50 Units), specialisation courses (20 Units) and unrestricted elective courses (26 Units). Note 2: Students may read up to a maximum of 60 Units of level-1000 courses. Any level-1000 course taken in excess of the 60 Units will not count towards the fulfilment of the degree requirements. For polytechnic graduates, 20 Units of advanced placement credits (exemptions) awarded under Unrestricted Electives from work completed at the polytechnic level, will NOT be counted against the 60 Units limit. Note 3: A course may be worth 1, 2, 3 or 4 Units. Core, specialisation and elective courses are worth four Units each unless otherwise stated. Additional elective courses of one, two or three Units may be introduced as and when necessary. - University Level Requirements
The University Level Requirement (ULR) is a graduation requirement which comprises General Education, aimed to connect disciplinary knowledge and perspectives with the skills needed for lifelong learning beyond the university.
All students are required to read and pass six General Education (GE) courses, one from each pillar:
- Cultures and Connections
- Singapore Studies
- Critique and Expression
- Data Literacy
- Digital Literacy
- Communities and Engagement
Please refer to this link for the list of courses approved under the six GE pillars.
Please refer here for our BIZ Sample Study Plan.
Students are strongly encouraged to complete the GE courses within the first two years of their candidature.
- Core Courses
The NUS BBA programme features a streamlined core with 13 foundational courses. Individually, the courses contribute to either the Analytical, Functional, and Leadership component of the core curriculum. Collectively, they provide NUS Business students a comprehensive, strong foundation to various aspects of business. The courses are listed below.
List of Core Courses
Course Code Course Title (i) Analytical Core DAO1704 Decision Analytics using Spreadsheets DAO2702 Programming for Business Analytics BSP1703 Managerial Economics BSP2701 Global Economy (2 Units) (ii) Functional Core ACC1701 Accounting for Decision Makers BSP1702 Legal Environment of Business MKT1705 Principles of Marketing MNO1706 Organisational Behaviour FIN2704 Finance DAO2703 Operations and Technology Management (iii) Leadership Core MNO2705 Leadership and Decision Making under Uncertainty BSP3701 Strategic Management ES2002 Business Communication for Leaders (BBA) - Specialisations
The curriculum boasts 7 specialisations for students to choose from. Please refer to the tables below about each specialisation and their courses.
Please note that the courses listed are non-exhaustive and may not be offered every semester. Students should always refer to NUSMods or the Course Outlines page for the latest course offerings.
Students are required to fulfil 20 Units of specialisation courses. Those who wish to read two specialisations may use Unrestricted Elective space to complete a second specialisation within the BBA programme. Some specialisation courses are electives in more than one specialisation. Maximum 8 Units of such courses may be used to meet the requirements for up to two specialisations. Triple counting is not allowed. There is also no entrance requirement (e.g. no GPA cut-off) for reading additional specialisations.
1. Business Analytics
With the increasing availability of computing power, decision making has undergone an evolutionary change, resulting in more use of data at all levels within an organisation. Business graduates thus need to be more numerate and analytical. We often see positions requiring a higher level of analytics know-how being advertised by recruiters to form decision teams with expertise in collecting and extracting actionable intelligence out of data. We aim to train our business students to the level where they can immediately be a valuable interface between data scientists and senior management, or qualify for the best graduate business analytics programmes globally.
This specialisation will pivot on the core business knowledge already acquired by all BBA students, and will take good contextual management understanding as given. Graduates with this specialisation should function very well as a data-savvy business consultant, either internally for their own organisations or externally for client establishments.
Business students will already have benefited from instructions in the online academic orientation course BPM1702 Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint for Business at the beginning of their first year, as well as DAO1704 Decision Analytics using Spreadsheets and DAO2702 Programming for Business Analytics.
Refer here for more information on the Business Analytics specialisation.
Please visit our public interest group for more details.
List of Business Analytics Specialisation Courses
Course Code Course Title Business Analytics Specialisation Required Courses DBA3702 Descriptive Analytics with R DBA3803 Predictive Analytics in Business IT3010 Data Management for Business Analytics Business Analytics Specialisation Elective Courses
(Choose any 2 specialisation elective courses from the list below)DBA3701 Introduction to Optimisation DBA3711 Stochastic Models in Management DBA3712 Dynamic Pricing & Revenue Management DBA3713 Analytics for Risk Management DBA3751 Independent Study in Business Analytics DBA3752 Independent Study in Business Analytics (2 Units) DBA3761 Topics in Business Analytics DBA4711 Applied Analytics DBA4712 Causal Learning for Managerial Decision DBA4713* Network Analytics with Business Applications DBA4714 Deep Learning and Generative AI in Business DBA4751 Advanced Independent Study in Business Analytics DBA4752 Advanced Independent Study in Business Analytics (2 Units) DBA4761 Seminars in Analytics DBA4811 Analytics for Consulting DBA4812 Supply Chain Analytics DBA4761A Sem in Analytics: Tidyverse Principles And Tidymodels DBA4813 AI Strategies in Business DBA4814 Analytics in Digital Marketplaces DOS3811 Technology and Business Innovation DOS4811 Data Visualisation DOS4813 Managerial Problem Solving MKT3811 Marketing Analysis and Decision Making MKT4812 Marketing Analytics MNO4716* Using R for HR Analytics and Machine Learning ACC3715** Accounting Analytics and AI IE4214 Revenue Management and Pricing Analytics
*Students may take either IE4214 or DBA3712 or both but only one of them will be counted towards their BA or OSCM specialisation. That is, students are not allowed to count both courses towards the same specialisation in either BA or OSCM.IS3221 ERP Systems with Analytics Solutions IS4241 Social Media Network Analysis BT4212 Search Engine Optimisation and Analytics BT4222 Mining Web Data for Business Insights *Available from Semester 1, AY2023/24 onwards
**Available from Semester 1, AY2024/252. Innovation and Entrepreneurship Specialisation
The Innovation and Entrepreneurship specialisation aims to equip our students to become visionaries and change makers to lead the transformation of Singapore businesses into the future economy. The pace of innovation means the industries our students enter will drastically transform over the course of their careers. Economic growth will come from leaders who understand the organisational and business challenges inherent in these changes and are comfortable managing an uncertain environment.
This specialisation will furnish our students with broad theoretic lenses to lead change effectively, whether in an entrepreneurial venture or a large multinational corporation. Partnered with rich experiential projects and courses, students will enter the workplace comfortably applying these theories with the broader skills developed in the BBA programme.
This specialisation will interest a broad cross-section of BBA students from those planning specific careers in management consulting or entrepreneurship to those who want to be well-equipped for the dynamic industrial environment.
List of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Specialisation Courses
Course Code Course Title Innovation & Entrepreneurship Specialisation Required Courses BSN3701 / TR3008** Technological Innovation BSN3702 / TR3002N* New Venture Creation Innovation and Entrepreneurship Specialisation Elective Courses
(Choose any 3 specialisation elective courses from the list below)BSN3703 Entrepreneurial Strategy BSN3711 The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Singapore & SE Asia BSN3712 Innovation and Intellectual Property BSN3713 Entrepreneurial Boot Camp BSN3714 Co-Creating Value (Tools for Collaborative Innovation) BSN3715 Digital Strategy BSN3716 360-Degree Business Innovation Strategy BSN3717 Family Business BSN3751 Independent Study in Innovation & Entrepreneurship BSN3811 People Strategy BSN4711 Product Validation BSN4712 Managing Social Networks in Markets and Organisations BSN4751 Advanced Independent Study in Innovation & Entrepreneurship BSN4811 Strategic Innovation for High Performance BSN4811A Innovation and Productivity (with Econometrics) (5 Units) MNO3811 Social Entrepreneurship MNO4761C SILHCM: Talent Development and Performing with Impact MNO4861C SILHCM: Corporate Entrepreneurship & Business Model Evaluation TR3001** New Product Development * Must be letter-graded and taken on NOC
** Must be completed BEFORE August 2023
3. Business Economics Specialisation
To ensure that students in this specialisation receive holistic training in business economics, the curriculum offers distinct alternative pathways from the second to the fourth year. To maximise synergies, the curriculum uses multiple courses from the Departments of Economics, Analytics & Operations, and Marketing.
Why Business Economics?
a) Offers a coherent specialisation for BBA students seeking careers in management or economic consulting, finance, or general management.
b) Develops a group of talent who will be well versed in business and management practices, and are also strongly proficient in economics.
Who should take it?
BBA students pursuing careers in management or economic consulting.
List of Business Economics Specialisation Courses
Course Code Course Title Business Economics Specialisation Required Courses BSE3702 Economics of Strategy BSE3703 Econometrics for Business I Business Economics Specialisation Elective Courses
(Choose any 3 specialisation elective courses from the list below)BSE3701 Macroeconomic Principles in the Global Economy BSE3711 Strategic Thinking – Economic Applications BSE3712 Behavioural Economics BSE3751 Independent Study in Business Economics BSE3761 Topics in Business Economics BSE3761A Economic System in Asian Business Environment BSE4711 Econometrics for Business II BSE4712 Economics of Organisations BSE4713 Causal Econometrics for Business BSE4751 Advanced Independent Study in Business Economics BSE4761 Seminars in Business Economics BSN4811 Strategic Innovation for High Performance BSN4811A Innovation and Productivity (with Econometrics) (5 Units) DBA3702 Descriptive Analytics in R DBA3803 Predictive Analytics in Business DBA4811 Analytics for Consulting DOS4811 Data Visualisation DOS4812 Business-Driven Technology MKT3812 Game Theory & Strategic Analysis MKT4811 Pricing Strategy MNO4711 Consulting to Management EC3322 Industrial Organisation I EC3332 Money and Banking I EC3373 ASEAN Economies EC3375 Economy and Business of Japan and Korea EC3378 Emerging India in Asia’s Economic Integration EC3394 Economics and Psychology EC3396 Economic Analysis of Law I 4. Leadership and Human Capital Management Specialisation
Leadership is the linchpin in organisations and teams. By understanding leadership, students will place themselves in a central node of influence to inspire people, create organisational outcomes, and ultimately realize the full potential of human capital.
To keep the specialisation current and relevant, keen attention will be paid to the shifting business landscape that forms the backdrop to leadership, for instance, trends on human resource (HR) big data analytics, controversial new organisational structures, and the impact of technology and globalization. These will be addressed in advanced seminar classes in collaboration with other departments where we probe the evolving role of leadership and how to lead organisations to stay ahead in a rapidly changing world. At the same time, Human Capital Management will proactively address the changes in the environment, especially on its horizontal and vertical alignment with strategy and culture to obtain sustainable competitive advantage for the firm and people.
Students who achieve this specialisation can look forward to careers in management consulting, HR consulting, organisation development, HR generalist/specialist, and HR policy maker.
List of Leadership & Human Capital Management Specialisation Courses
Course Code Course Title Leadership & Human Capital Management Specialisation Required Courses MNO3701 Human Capital Management MNO3702 Negotiation and Conflict Management MNO3703 Leading in the 21st Century Leadership & Human Capital Management Specialisation Elective Courses
(Choose any 2 specialisation elective courses, total 8 units, from the list below)MNO3711 Managing Change MNO3712 Training and Development MNO3713 Management of Employee Relations MNO3714 Business with a Social Conscience MNO3715 Leading Groups and Teams MNO3716 Principles of Global Management MNO3717 Business Innovation & Cross-Cultural Communication (2 Units)*** MNO3751 Independent Study in Leadership & Human Capital Mgt MNO3752 Independent Study in Leadership & Human Capital Mgt (2 Units) MNO3761 Topics in Leadership and Human Capital Management MNO3761A TILHCM: Employee and Organisational Misbehaviours MNO3761B TILHCM: Managing China Venture MNO3761C TILHCM: Crisis Management MNO3811 Social Entrepreneurship BSN3811 People Strategy MNO4711 Consulting to Management MNO4712 Experiencing Work: Effects on Behaviour & Well-Being MNO4713 Leading Across Borders MNO4714 Developing Impactful Social Sector Solutions MNO4715** Foresight and Scenario Planning MNO4716* Using R for HR Analytics and Machine Learning MNO4717** Talent Acquisition MNO4751 Adv Independent Study in Leadership & Human Capital Mgt MNO4752 Adv Independent Study in Leadership & Human Capital Mgt (2 Units) MNO4761 Seminars in Leadership and Human Capital Management MNO4761A SILHCM: Compensation and Performance Management MNO4761B SILHCM: Job Attitudes MNO4761C SILHCM: Talent Development and Performing with Impact MNO4761D SILHCM: Industry 4.0, Technology, & Management Implications MNO4861C SILHCM: Corporate Entrepreneurship & Business Model Evaluation * Available from Semester 1, AY2022/23 onwards
** Available from Semester 2, AY2022/23 onwards
***To be offered in Special Term (Part 1). Students will be required to read another 2-unit elective course/Independent Study Course (ISC) to fulfil Leadership & Human Capital Management specialisation requirement. Otherwise , the course can be read as an Unrestricted Elective (UE).
5. Finance
The finance specialisation aims to produce ethical, high quality and job-ready finance professionals with a global mind-set for the finance industry. This is achieved through the following dimensions: industry relevance, ethics, breadth, rigour, and cross discipline. The finance specialisation is a Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) programme partner, meeting the CFA programme curriculum requirements which are updated frequently for industry relevance.
The specialisation involves many distinguished industry professionals as adjunct professors and invited speakers, bringing to the classroom the latest know how and innovations in the industry. Other than internships, students complete a field service project with a company in the industry which involves solving real business problems faced by the company. Students take part and perform well in finance competitions organised by the industry. The finance specialisation takes the development of ethics very seriously. All students go through an ethics workshop based on the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct. The ethics dimension is often revisited in every finance course through discussions and case studies. Students are held to the highest standard of ethics requirement, especially in the area of nonplagiarism, honesty in assessment related work, and professionalism in project work.
The specialisation addresses the need for breadth through its three required finance courses: FIN3701 Corporate Finance, FIN3702 Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management and FIN3703 Financial Markets. This ensures that students know the basic workings in the various sectors within the finance industry. It addresses the need for rigour through its many elective subjects ranging from the area of asset management, to personal finance, banking and business finance. Students may package their electives freely to develop all rounded rigor or specialized rigor for a particular finance career.
The finance specialisation integrates well with other specialisations in the Business School producing not just finance specialists but balanced business professionals with strength in leadership and technology. Students have enough elective courses to take another specialisation such as marketing, decision science and management. The case studies and projects in the finance courses often require analysis in these other specialisations as well. The specialisation supports overseas student exchange programme stimulating the development of global mind-set and perspectives in finance.
The finance specialisation employs the latest and best pedagogy for education including blended learning. Some courses are conducted in our trading and computer lab complete with industry software such as Bloomberg and MSCI Barra, producing job-ready graduates. The specialisation enjoys the support of its numerous enthusiastic and dedicated alumni. They regularly come back for networking sessions with undergraduates and provide mentorship and career guidance. This adds to the vibrancy and colourful learning experience in the specialisation.
List of Finance Specialisation Courses
Course Code Course Title Finance Specialisation Required Courses FIN3701 Corporate Finance FIN3702 Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management FIN3703 Financial Markets Finance Specialisation Elective Courses
(Choose any 2 specialisation elective courses from the list below)FIN3711 International Financial Management FIN3712 Options and Futures FIN3713 Bank Management FIN3714 Financial Risk Management FIN3715 Risk and Insurance FIN3716 Financial Modelling FIN3717 Fixed Income Securities FIN3718 Value Investing in Asia FIN3719 Household Finance FIN3720 Financial Statement Analysis FIN3721 Consumer Banking Wealth Management FIN3722 Sustainability Risk Management FIN3751 Independent Study in Finance FIN3752 Independent Study in Finance (2 Units) FIN3761 Topics in Finance FIN3761A TIF: Transaction Banking FIN3761B TIF: China’s Capital Markets FIN3761C TIF: Foreign Exchange Trading FIN3761D TIF: Physical Commodity Markets and Assets FIN4711 Research Methods in Finance FIN4713 Advanced Portfolio Management: Securities Analysis & Valuation FIN4714 Valuation and Mergers & Acquisition FIN4715 Measuring Success in Philanthropy and Impact Investing FIN4716 Equity Research Seminar FIN4717 Entrepreneurial Finance FIN4718 FinTech Management FIN4719 FinTech and Financial Data Analytics FIN4720 Sustainability and Finance FIN4721 AI, Blockchain and Quantum Computing FIN4722 Advanced Household Finance FIN4723 The Financial System FIN4751 Advanced Independent Study in Finance FIN4752 Advanced Independent Study in Finance (2 Units) FIN4761 Seminars in Finance FIN4761A SIF: Private Equity FIN4761B SIF: Investment Banking FIN4761C SIF: Applied Portfolio Management Techniques FIN4761D SIF: Family Business and Wealth Management 6. Marketing Specialisation
Marketing, more than any other business functions, deals with customers. It is also the revenue-generating department in any organization.
Marketing is about managing profitable customer relationships by satisfying customer needs better than competition, thus creating superior value for customers. Hence, students majoring in Marketing should understand not only the company and its customers, but also the competition in the context of the political, economic, socioeconomic, and technological environment to identify opportunities and harness them through well thought out product, pricing, distribution and promotion strategies to bring value not only for the customers but also to the company.
As such, marketing courses are developed and offered at various stages of the curriculum to enhance learning progression and outcomes consistent with what Marketing is. All students begin with learning Principles of Marketing (MKT1705) in their first year. The second marketing course (MKT3701 – Marketing Strategy: Analysis and Practice) builds on the principles by sharpening students’ analytical proclivity and going in-depth in key topics especially from a managerial and strategic perspective. The Consumer Behaviour (MKT3702) course drills deep into understanding customers – the fundamental premise of marketing; specifically, how consumers affect business practices and also how marketers influence them. These courses are the building blocks upon which electives are offered.
Our electives cover comprehensively the strategies involving what is often termed the marketing mix – product and brand, pricing, retailing and promotion. As Singapore is a service economy, our curriculum also offers a Services Marketing course to equip students for this important sector.
Beyond these marketing mix courses, we keep current with offerings concerning Digital Marketing as well as Customer Relationship Management, among others. As data analytics is an important driver in today’s businesses, we offer MKT3722 Research for Marketing Insights as well as MKT4812 Marketing Analytics to train Marketing majors in understanding the quantitative bases underlying the strategies.
List of Marketing Specialisation Courses
Course Code Course Title MKT2711 (for BIZ students only) Marketing Venture Challenge (this course does not count towards the Marketing Specialisation) Marketing Specialisation Required Courses MKT3701 Marketing Strategy: Analysis and Practice MKT3702 Consumer Behaviour Marketing Specialisation Elective Courses
(Choose any 3 specialisation elective courses from the list below)MKT3711 Services Marketing MKT3714 Digital Marketing MKT3715 Business-to-Business Marketing MKT3716 Customer Relationship Management MKT3717 Product & Brand Management MKT3718 Advertising and Promotion Management MKT3720 Retail Marketing MKT3722 Research for Marketing Insights MKT3761A / MKT3723** Wealth Management Marketing MKT3761D/MKT3724* TIM: Sustainability Marketing MKT3751 Independent Study in Marketing MKT3752 Independent Study in Marketing (2 Units) MKT3761 Topics in Marketing MKT3761B TIM: Marketing in Developing and Emerging Economies MKT3761C TIM: Social Impact Marketing MKT3761E TIM: Marketing in Social Networks MKT3811 Marketing Analysis & Decision Making MKT3812 Game Theory and Strategic Analysis MKT4714 Consumer Decision Making MKT4716 Consumer Culture Theory MKT4761E / MKT4719* Distribution Management: Channels and Platforms MKT4761G / MKT4720 * Product Experience Management MKT4761B/ MKT4721** Customer Analytics & Visualization MKT4761D / MKT4722* Personal Selling & Sales Management MKT4761H Marketing Strategy & Execution MKT4761J AI in Marketing MKT4761K Seminars in Marketing: Marketing Technology MKT4761L Seminars in Marketing: Consumer Insights for Business Growth MKT4723* Customer Experience Management MKT4751 Advanced Independent Study in Marketing MKT4752 Advanced Independent Study in Marketing (2 Units) MKT4761 Seminars in Marketing MKT4761A SIM: Growing and Marketing the Next On-Demand Unicorn MKT4761C SIM: Media Strategy for a Digital Economy MKT4761F SIM: Disruption and Marketing MKT4811 Pricing Strategy MKT4812 Marketing Analytics * Available from Semester 1, AY2022/23 onwards
** Available from Semester 2, AY2022/23 onwards
7. Operations and Supply Chain Management Specialisation
Managing business operations effectively is crucial to the competitive advantage of any organisation. This specialisation is not only designed for students who are keen to venture into the functional area of operations, logistics or supply chain management, but also for anyone who will play an effective role in contributing to the competitiveness of any organisation regardless of industry sectors. Building upon the BBA core course DAO2703 Operations and Technology Management, students are equipped with foundational knowledge in supply chain management and service operations, which are applicable to both manufacturing and service industries.
Electives relating to project management, information management and business analytics further provide students with essential knowledge and skills needed for sound decision making and effective management of business processes. Given growing environmental concerns, sustainable operations management becomes a highly relevant and hence included topic.
This specialisation offers an elective project course to provide students with hands-on experience in addressing issues and resolving challenges in the operations and supply chain domain. Please visit our public interest group for more details.
List of Operations & Supply Chain Management Specialisation Courses
Course Code Course Title Operations and Supply Chain Management Specialisation Required Courses DOS3701 Supply Chain Management DOS3703 Service Operations Management DOS3704 Operations Strategy Operations and Supply Chain Management Specialisation Elective Courses
(Choose any 2 specialisation elective courses from the list below)DOS3702 Procurement Management DOS3712 Physical Distribution Management DOS3713 Project Management DOS3714 Sustainable Operations Management DOS3751 Independent Study in Ops & Supply Chain Management DOS3752 Independent Study in Ops & Supply Chain Management (2 Units) DOS3761 Topics in Operations & Supply Chain Management DOS3811 Technology and Business Innovation DOS4711 Supply Chain Applied Project DOS4712 Co-ordination and Flexibility in SCM DOS4714 Service Design DOS4715 Lean Principles for Operational Excellence DOS4751 Advanced Independent Study in Ops & Supply Chain Management DOS4752 Advanced Independent Study in Ops & Supply Chain Management (2 Units) DOS4761 Seminars in Operations and Supply Chain Management DOS4811 Data Visualisation DOS4812 Business-Driven Technology DOS4813 Managerial Problem Solving DBA3701 Introduction to Optimisation DBA3711 Stochastic Models in Management DBA3712 Dynamic Pricing & Revenue Management DBA4761A Sem in Analytics: Tidyverse Principles And Tidymodels DBA4811 Analytics for Consulting DBA4812 Supply Chain Analytics DBA4813 AI Strategies in Business DBA4814 Analytics in Digital Marketplaces IE4214 Revenue Management and Pricing Analytics
*Students may take either IE4214 or DBA3712 or both but only one of them will be counted towards their BA or OSCM specialisation. That is, students are not allowed to count both courses towards the same specialisation in either BA or OSCM. - Honours Programme
All students are enrolled into the Honours programme with the option to withdraw from honours and complete a basic degree if they wish to. To pursue the honours programme, students are required to have obtained a minimum GPA score of 3.20 upon completion of 100 Units or more. It is assumed that all eligible students will continue with the honours programme unless they opt to graduate without honours by “Applying For Graduation” at the beginning of their graduating semester, subject to meeting graduation requirements.
The curriculum also features a dual-track Honours Programme. Students may choose from 1 of the 2 Honours options offered based on their academic inclinations and aspirations.
- Research Option: Dissertation (12 Units) in the area of specialisation, and 2 advanced Independent Study Courses not related to dissertation research area (8 Units), or a Field Service Project (8 Units).
- Coursework Option: Three level-4000 business courses worth 12 Units, of which 8 Units must be in the area of specialisation , and a Field Service Project (8 Units).
The dissertation requirement will be offered in two tracks: a more research oriented track that will focus on theoretical and empirical research at an appropriate level, and a more applied version that places greater emphasis on application of theory to managerial and business issues. The dissertation topic must be within the student’s area of specialisation.
The Field Service Project (FSP) is team-based. This course will add relevance to students’ learning and will provide them the opportunity to serve and contribute to businesses, social enterprises and not-for-profit entities. The course is therefore values-based while focused on relevance. Students can only read FSP Course once.
For more information on Honours Dissertation and Field Service Project, please click on the links below:
- Unrestricted Elective Courses
Students are highly encouraged to pursue a second specialisation, major or minor with Unrestricted Elective Courses. Under this component, students may take any course to fulfil their Unrestricted Elective Courses requirement. That is, they may take courses offered by the Business School and/or courses offered outside the School to fulfil this requirement.
- Independent Study Courses
The inclusion of non-compulsory Independent Study Courses (ISCs) provides students the opportunity to pursue an in-depth study of a Business topic/issue and/or an area of specialisation independently, under the close supervision and guidance of an instructor.
Here are the lists of ISCs available:
BIS3751 Independent Study Course in Business (4 Units)
The Independent Study Course in Business provides the opportunity for student to pursue an in-depth study of a Business topic or issue independently, but under the close supervision and guidance of an instructor. Through such a learning experience, not only will the student gain an indepth knowledge of the topic of interest, the skills acquired through such a process of independent knowledge acquisition will be invaluable for a career in the Business world. The personalised interaction with the instructor will also facilitate mentorship.
Independent Study Course in an Area of Specialisation (4 Units)
Independent Study Courses (ISCs) in an area of specialisation are for students with the requisite background to work closely with an instructor on a well-defined project in the respective specialisation areas. Students will be exposed to individual-based research and report-writing while tackling a business issue under the guidance of the instructor.
Course codes and titles:
- BSE3751 – Independent Study in Business Economics
- BSN3751 – Independent Study in Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- DBA3751 – Independent Study in Business Analytics
- DOS3751 – Independent Study in Operations & Supply Chain Management
- FIN3751 – Independent Study in Finance
- MNO3751 – Independent Study in Leadership & Human Capital Management
- MKT3751 – Independent Study in Marketing
Please note that students are allowed to read up to a maximum of 8 Units of ISC/Advanced ISCs, where only 4 Units can be used to count towards a specialisation.
Advanced Independent Study Course in an Area of Specialisation (4 Units)
Advanced Independent Study Courses (ISCs) in an area of specialisation are for senior students who are in the BBA and BBA (ACC) honours programmes with the requisite background to work closely with an instructor on a well-defined project in the respective specialisation areas. The courses may also be made available to students who are eligible for admission into the honours programmes but choose to pursue the non-honours course of study. Students will hone their research and report-writing skills while tackling a business issue under the guidance of the instructor.
Course codes and titles:
- BSE4751 – Advanced Independent Study in Business Economics
- BSN4751 – Advanced Independent Study in Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- DBA4751 – Advanced Independent Study in Business Analytics
- DOS4751 – Advanced Independent Study in Operations & Supply Chain Management
- FIN4751 – Advanced Independent Study in Finance
- MNO4751 – Advanced Independent Study in Leadership & Human Capital Management
- MKT4751 – Advanced Independent Study in Marketing
- ACC4751 – Advanced Independent Study in Accounting
- ACC4752 – Advanced Independent Study in Accounting (2Units)
Please note that students are allowed to read up to a maximum of 8 Units of ISC/Advanced ISCs, where only 4 Units can be used to count towards a specialisation.
Deadline for submission of ISC Application Form for approval by Assistant Dean (Undergrad Academic) is latest by 2nd week either Sem 1 or Sem 2 of the academic year. Deadline for submission of project report to the supervisor for grading is the Monday of the Reading Week.
Please download the form here.
If you have further enquiries about the ISCs courses, please contact Mr Liong Wai Loon (wailoon@nus.edu.sg)
- Non-credit, Graduating Requirements (and FAQs)
(1) Academic Orientation Courses (AOCs)
AOMs are online-based multimedia courses in Calculus and Statistics, and Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint for Business. These courses provide consistent pre-requisite knowledge preparation to facilitate more effective learning of core courses in class as a cohort once semester begins.
- BPM1701 Calculus and Statistics
- BPM1702 Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint for Business
(2) Intensive Primer Course
Effective at introducing specific knowledge and experiential skills within a relatively short time frame, this intensive primer course is an initiative by the Business School to ensure all students begin with a comprehensive introduction to ‘Understanding How Business Works’, to appreciate how different business functions work together.
- BPM1705 Understanding How Business Works
Click here for FAQs on AOMs and the Intensive Primer Course.
(3) Career Preparation Course
In nurturing leaders for marketplace impact, the Career Preparation Course consists of the following 2 components to build students’ soft skills and knowledge to complement the academic programme.
The compulsory Non-Academic graduation requirements are:
- Career Compass Starter Courses:
These zero (0) Unit courses are STR1000 and STR2000 and are conducted by NUS Business School’s Career Services Office (BIZCareers) in the first and second year. These courses are designed to provide students with practical skills; students will learn job search strategies, resume writing, interviewing skills, understanding one’s strengths and job motivations, networking techniques, as well as business etiquette and corporate dressing. - Global Immersion and Study:
This component ensures all students will receive direct and significant international exposure through participation in overseas experiences. This may be a semester abroad, an overseas internship, a case competition or a study trip. Participation in both internal NUS-led trips as well as external approved trips will enable our students to be better prepared for the global economy.
Click here for FAQs on the Career Preparation Course
- Advanced Placement Credits and Exemptions
For more information on Advanced Placement Credits (APC), please click here.
- Degree Level: Promotion Criteria
Degree Level of BBA and BBA(Acc) students from 2017 cohort onwards
All BBA and BBA(Acc) students from 2017 intake cohort onwards are enrolled into the Honours programme with the option to withdraw from honours and complete a general degree if they wish to. To pursue the honours programme, students are required to have obtained a minimum GPA of 3.20 upon completion of 100 Units or more. It is assumed that all eligible students will continue with the honours programme unless they opt to graduate without honours by “Applying For Graduation” at the beginning of their graduating semester, subject to meeting graduation requirements of the non-honours programme.
Students’ progress in their course of studies are reflected in their degree level (BBA1/BAC1, BBA2/BAC2, BBA3/BAC3 and BBAH/BACH). The criteria for the promotion of a student’s course code from 2017 intake cohort onwards are different from pre-2017 intake cohorts. The criteria for 2017 intake cohort onwards are as follows:
- BBA1 or BAC1: Students who have completed less than 40 Units worth of courses.
- BBA2 or BAC2: Students who have completed at least 40 Units but less than 80 Units worth of courses.
- BBA3 or BAC3: Students who have completed at least 80 Units but less than 100 Units worth of courses; OR Students who have completed more than 100 Units worth of courses but are not eligible for (or choose not to pursue) the honours programme.
- BBAH or BACH: Students who have completed at least 100 Units worth of courses and are eligible for the honours programme.
- Programme Requirements