Frequently Asked Questions

1. I have a degree in another area other than computer science. Can I apply?
   
2. These are my grades. Can you tell me what my chances are?
3. Will I be able to get financial support if I am accepted? Is the financial support sufficient to cover the living expenses?
4. I have not taken the GRE. Can I apply?
5. What institution code should I use to designate SMA to receive my GRE score?
6. In my offer package, it is stated that I am required to get a B-1 US visa for the Summer Conference at MIT before I arrive in Singapore. What happens if I am unsuccessful in getting the visa?
7. What is the duration of the Summer Conference in MIT and when is it normally scheduled?
8. I already have a Master's degree. Can I apply directly into the Ph.D. program?
9. The SMA SM degree is a coursework Master's degree. How is this different from a research Master's degree such as those from NUS or NTU?
10. What are the distance education technologies used in the SMA CS program? Can distance education compete with face-to-face teaching? Will I get a good education?
11. What can I do with an SMA SM degree?
12. Are the degrees recognized all over the world? Who are the degrees awarded by?
13. How does the SMA CS program compare to programs in the United States?

I have a degree in another area other than computer science. Can I apply?

We do accept exceptional candidates from related areas such as Electrical Engineering if we think that you have sufficient background to cope with the coursework.

These are my grades. Can you tell me what my chances are?

Admission is very competitive (see statistics) and depends on many factors. Unless you are extremely good or extremely poor (compared to the average), we will not be able to tell you what your chances are until we have received all applications.

Will I be able to get financial support if I am accepted? Is the financial support sufficient to cover the living expenses.

All accepted students are automatically given bond-free scholarships of S$1500 (S$2100 for Singapore citizens and permanent residents) that are sufficient to cover living expenses. The tuition fees are fully subsidized by the SMA. Students are also expected to undergo industrial attachment for approximately 5 months with a company or research institute. During attachment, a topup of at least $500 is usually provided by the industrial partner. Further information about scholarships and living expenses can be found here.

I have not taken the GRE. Can I apply?

Students from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) are not required to take the GRE. All other students are required to take the GRE. We do occasionally accept exceptional students who have not taken the GRE, but in general, applications without the GRE (except those from NUS and NTU) are at a disadvantage.

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What institution code should I use to designate SMA to receive my GRE score?

You should use 0677, the code for the National University of Singapore. Please indicate that you have designated the NUS to receive your score on your application form or by email to smacs@comp.nus.edu.sg.

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In my offer package, it is stated that I am required to get a B-1 US visa for the Summer Conference at MIT before I arrive in Singapore. What happens if I am unsuccessful in getting the visa?

Unfortunately, you will not be able to participate in the Summer Conference at MIT. However, we will be videotaping the classes and digitizing the tapes so that you can watch them in Singapore.

What is the duration of the Summer Conference in MIT and when is it normally scheduled?

The duration of the Summer Conference in MIT is two and a half weeks and is normally held from the third week of July to August.

I already have a Master's degree. Can I apply directly into the Ph.D. program?

Yes, students in the direct Ph.D. program do essentially the same coursework as the students in the graduate program (that leads to the S.M.
degree) but are given a lighter coursework load during the first year in order to be able to spend more time starting their research work. In addition to that, they do a research methodology course, where they are exposed to different research areas and to the research interests of the faculty.

The SMA SM degree is a coursework Master's degree. How is this different from a research Master's degree such as those from NUS or NTU?

The SMA SM degree consists of 6 courses and an industrial attachment project. A research degree usually requires fewer courses and has a larger project component. The SMA SM degree concentrates on building a strong foundation through a rigorous set of courses. The courses are typically MIT courses co-taught by MIT professors with a high degree of interaction through distance education technology. The duration of the SMA SM degree is shorter - 1 year compared to the 1.5 to 2 years typically required for a research Master's degree. In addition to that, SMA SM students have the opportunity to visit MIT for about three weeks where they attend courses, talks by entrepreneurs and visit the Laboratory of Computer Science and the AI Lab.

What are the distance education technologies used in the SMA CS program?

Can distance education compete with face-to-face teaching? Will I get a good education? We use a combination of tape-delayed lectures, live interactive videoconferencing and face-to-face tutorials and recitations. Students usually watch lectures that are taped from a live class in MIT. This is followed by live interactive paper discussions, question answering and problem solving sessions through videoconferencing with professors from MIT and face-to-face sessions with professors from Singapore. The classes are small, the students in the classes are very good and there is a lot of contact with the professors. On average, the students have two hours videoconferencing with the MIT professor and two hours face-to-face contact with the Singapore professor for each course. At other times, the Singapore professors are available for face-to-face consultation while the MIT professors are available via email. In addition to that, SM students spend a three week immersion period in MIT and the Ph.D. students spend an additional 6 months attached to the research groups of their MIT advisors. The MIT professors are also regular visitors to Singapore. In the courses conducted so far, the average performance of SMA students have been virtually identical to the average performance of MIT students taking the same course in MIT.

What can I do with an SMA SM degree?

You are well suited for technically challenging jobs in research institutes such as the Institute for Inforcomm Research, Data Storage Institute, DSO National Laboratories, Institute of Systems Science and in high-tech companies in Singapore such as Sun Microsystems, Creative Technologies, Encentuate, Motorola, Tech Semiconductor, etc.

Are the degrees recognized all over the world? Who are the degrees awarded by?

The degrees are awarded by the National University of Singapore. The students also receive an SMA Certificate for completion of courses conducted jointly with MIT. The National University of Singapore is well known within Asia and throughout the world. The MIT and Singapore professors are highly regarded in their research areas. We are working hard to create a good brand name for SMA through excellence in teaching and research.

How does the SMA CS program compare to graduate programs in the United States?

We believe that our program is comparable to that of a good state university in the United States. A benchmarking study performed by the Department of Computer Science at the National University of Singapore ranks the department in the 20s among the computer science departments in the US. In addition to having a strong Singapore faculty, we have highly regarded MIT professors participating in the program. The courses offered are mostly MIT courses that are co-taught by the MIT professors. Admissions is highly competitive (c.f. the MIT EECS admissions statistics) and so far our students have achieved comparable grades to the MIT students taking the same courses in MIT.