Programme Overview
The Advanced Technology Attachment Programme (ATAP), course CP3880, is a unit-bearing full-time internship programme that is offered twice a year. The programme will give students the opportunity to apply their academic knowledge to industry skills.
Programme Structure
Internship periods are a minimum 24 consecutive weeks* from January to June and May to November. In order to count an internship under ATAP, your internship job scope has to be computing related and able to add value to your degree programme. The internship period has to correspond with the School’s internship periods (please refer to the Internship Timelines for the official dates of internship). Breaking the internship into separate periods will not be permitted.
Assessment
Students’ progress on projects will be monitored during attachment and an assessment of their performance will be made (on Completed Satisfactory/ Completed Unsatisfactory (CS/CU) basis).
Students will be awarded 12 units upon successful completion of the six months attachment programme. Students will be awarded a Completed Unsatisfactory (CU) grade if they:
- Do not fully complete the attachment programme.
- Do not submit their monthly and/or final reports without valid reasons.
- Withdraw from the internship mid-way without valid reasons and/or without consulting the School.
- Withdraw their acceptance from the host organisation without valid reason.
Pre-requisites and Eligibility
In order to be eligible to apply for ATAP, students should have completed/are currently registered for ONE of the following courses from Table A and ONE of the following courses from Table B:
Table A
1 | IS2101 – Business & Technical Communication |
2 | CS2101 – Effective Communication for Computing Professionals |
3 | ES2631 – Critique and Communication of Thinking and Design |
Table B
1 | CS2103T/CS2103 – Software Engineering |
2 | CS2113/CS2113T – Software Engineering & Object-Oriented Programming |
3 | IS3106 – Enterprise Systems Interface Design and Development |
4 | BT3103 – Application Systems Development for Business Analytics |
Students who are pursuing the following are NOT allowed to register for ATAP:
- Students taking other courses during special term
- Students taking Undergraduate Research Project in Computing (UROP – CP3209)
- Students taking Computing Project (CP4106)
- Students taking B. Comp. Dissertation (CP4101) / B.Sc. (Business Analytics) Dissertation (BT4101) [Also known as Final Year Project (FYP)]. Students are not allowed to do FYP concurrently with ATAP and conversion of ATAP-related work to FYP is NOT permitted.
Application
Eligible students need to apply via TalentConnect. Please note that if a formal offer/acceptance of an approved position is not completed on TalentConnect, the internship will NOT be recognized as unit-bearing.
Internship Timelines
January to June
Internship Period: 6 Jan 2025 – 20 Jun 2025
Processing of Internship Submissions is done on a fortnightly basis
| ATAP | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Students viewing and application on TalentConnect |
4 Sep 2024 – 15 Nov 2024 |
Non-self-sourced Internships |
|
6 Dec 2024 |
|
|
|
Deadline to accept an offer |
5 working days from date of offer |
|
June to December
Internship Period: 23 Jun 2025 – 5 Dec 2025
Processing of Internship Submissions is done on a fortnightly basis
*Students will be allowed to start as early as 12 May, or as late as 7 July but MUST complete 24 weeks.
Regardless of the start/end dates, the same assessment submission deadlines will need to be followed by all students.
| ATAP | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Students viewing and application on TalentConnect |
13 Feb 2025 – 23 May 2025 |
Non-self-sourced Internships |
|
30 May 2025 |
|
|
|
Deadline to accept an offer |
5 working days from date of offer |
|
Assessment Criteria and Deliverables
Students will have 2 supervisors for the duration of their internship who will assess their progress.
- Work Supervisor
- Academic Supervisor (Students will be notified by email when their Academic Supervisor is assigned)
Please refer to the following PDF file for details on the assessment and deliverables.
Internship during Final Semester
Students in their graduating semester who require ATAP during their final academic term/semester need to submit an appeal. Grades will only be awarded in the Special Term which means your degree will be only be conferred on 31st August and students will only join the Commencement ceremony in the following year.
Please use http://www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/academic-activities/graduation as a reference for more details.
The table below reflects the course arrangements for ATAP:
ATAP (CP3880) Period | Course Arrangement | Remarks | |||
Semester II | *Special Term I | *Special Term II | Semester I | ||
Jan – June | CP3880 | CP3880 | – | – | Grades will be backdated to Special Term I |
May – Nov | – | CP3880 | CP3880 | CP3880 (Graded) | Grades will be awarded at the end of Semester I of the next Academic Year |
*Note: You do not need to pay the NUS Special Term Fees for having ATAP registered during the Special Terms.
Additional Courses
Starting from AY2024/2025 Semester 2 (Jan – Jun 2025 internship cycle), students will be allowed to take up their Communities and Engagement Pillar (Gen% or related courses offered by UTCP, NUSC) alongside up to 8 units worth of courses while on ATAP.
Example of possible workload during internship: CP3880 (12 units) + GEN% (2 units) + up to 8 units worth of courses.
Please refer to https://soc-n.us/approvallist for a non-exhaustive list of SoC Course Approvals for Students on internship.
Students may be allowed to carry out service work during the day (3-4 hours a week) on weekdays whilst on internship, subject to the employer’s approval.
*Students are reminded to NOT submit appeals to read courses that are listed under ‘Students are not permitted to enroll whilst on internship’ as these appeals will be rejected.
Kindly note that:
- Students are expected to manage their internship and school workload. The School will not be held responsible if you are unable to cope.
- Students will be responsible for dropping any additional courses (aside from CP3880). If you are found to have any additional courses without the relevant approvals, the School reserves the right to remove these courses.
- The internship company and course coordinator are under no obligation to provide their approval for students to take courses.
- Students are not permitted to read courses during Special Term with the exception of courses under the Communities and Engagement pillar.
- With effect from AY2025/2026 Semester 1, (Internships beginning 12 May 2025 onwards) DISA will not permit students to undertake the following courses while on internship:
- BT4103 Business Analytics Capstone Project
- IS4103 Information Systems Capstone Project
- IS4108 AI Solutioning Capstone Project
- Students on internship are to prioritise their commitments to their internship companies rather than focus on high workload courses. Students who need to read internship and any of the above-mentioned courses concurrently to graduate on time may make their appeals directly to A/P Oh Lih Bin (ohlb@nus.edu.sg)
Internship Support Letter
We will only be able to issue internship support letters for unit-bearing internships under School of Computing. (Please note that only requests for unit-bearing internships under the School will be entertained.)
For off-cycle or non unit-bearing internships, please contact CFG (hire@nus.edu.sg) directly. Note that NUS does not issue internship support letters for non-unit-bearing internships during the academic semester. Do also note that letter requests will only be processed AFTER a formal offer/acceptance on TalentConnect is completed.
Administrative Matters
Leave and Time-Off to attend to School Matters
Students may be granted leave at your employer’s discretion. For non-official outside of the scope of project work with the organisation, your employer has the right to pro-rate your pay. (This policy may vary between organisations). Students are advised to abide by the Human Resource practices of their employer.
Supervisors
Each student project will be co-supervised by their organisation’s supervisor and an academic supervisor from the school’s Department of Information Systems and Analytics.
Dress Code and Reporting Procedure on First Day of Attachment
Students are expected to dress appropriately in office attire and have their Identification Card, Bank Account Number, Bank Name and Branch with them.
Reservist (ICT)
Students who are required to fulfil their reservist obligations will need to inform the school (AskIR@comp.nus.edu.sg) and their employer when notified about their training. Students who receive notification prior to accepting an internship offer must inform the Industry Relations Office and their potential employer before accepting the internship offer.
Medical Leave
Students must inform their work supervisor if they are unwell or need to consult a doctor. They are not to take any leave without their supervisor’s prior knowledge. A relevant medical certificate will also need to be submitted to their supervisor.
Allowance
Students will be paid a minimum of S$1,200/- per month*. Organisations are exempt from CPF contributions.
*This minimum requirement is waived for self-sourced internships.
Insurance
Students are strongly encouraged to purchase their own coverage before going on internship. It is compulsory for students going overseas for their internship to purchase more comprehensive insurance coverage.
Overseas Visa
Students going overseas for their internship may need to apply for a visa from the host country. Students should request for an offer letter from that organisation which should be submitted to the local embassy/high commission/consulate with any other relevant supporting documents.
Disclaimer of Liability
The School will not be held responsible for any damage to properties and/or injuries suffered during the student’s internship attachment period.
Tuition Fees
Students are awarded units for being on unit-bearing internships, so they will need to register with the university and pay tuition in order for that unit to be recognized. Students on internship can continue to access school facilities, e.g., medical services, the library, computer and sports facilities.
Termination of Internship
Students and employers should complete the entire internship period or the mutually agreed upon period. In the event of early internship termination by either party, notice must be given to NUS School of Computing before a termination notice is issued.
With the termination, the student would receive a ‘CU’ grade for the internship unless special considerations are applied. Students need to consider their study plans (going for SEP, NOC etc) carefully BEFORE they accept any offer because any withdrawal after acceptance is unacceptable and will result in a ‘CU’ grade reflected on their transcripts.
NUS School of Computing reserves the right to initiate early termination of an internship at its discretion.
FAQ (ATAP)
Q: What does computing-related mean?
A: All unit-bearing internships must have components that relevant to your degree programme. If the job is largely non-technical in nature (whereby a student from a different faculty could just as easily perform the role), then it will not be suitable.
Q: Will I be allowed to break up my internship?
A: No, you will need to complete a single internship with a minimum duration of 24 consecutive weeks.
Q: Can I do a few months with one company and then another few months with a different company and count it under ATAP?
A: No, you are not allowed to break up the attachment period. Your attachment should be with a single employer for the entire duration of the internship.
Q: I am currently on ATAP, but I wish to pursue a different offer. Can I shorten my ATAP (24 weeks) to SIP (12 weeks)?
A: No, you are not allowed to shorten your internship.
Q: I started an internship last semester and have since completed it. Can I count it under ATAP?
A: No, the School does not allow any retroactive conversion of internships.
Q: I have secured an internship but it does not fall within the stipulated internship periods, can I count it under ATAP?
A: No, all unit-bearing internships have to fall within our recognized timelines. (We do allow some variance up to 1-2 weeks for the start date, please write in to AskIR@comp.nus.edu.sg to check) Off-cycle internships will not be recognized by the School. Internships should not interrupt the academic semesters before and after the stipulated internship periods.
Q: I have accepted an internship offer but it is past the deadline, can I still count it under ATAP?
A: No, you are required to adhere to the specified deadlines.
Q: Can I apply for ATAP if I have not fulfilled the pre-requisites?
A: No, you may not. You must complete the required pre-requisites before embarking on your internship. You may apply for internships whilst completing the pre-requisites, but must have cleared them before starting the internship.
Q: Can I co-read pre-requisites while on internship?
A: No, you may not.
Q: Can I take an internship in my final semester?
A: Yes, but you will need to submit an appeal to do so. Please note that you will need to provide a reasonable justification when making an appeal.
Q: I have already taken ATAP, can I take it again?
A: No, you can only take ATAP once.
Q: How do I read additional courses during internship?
A: You will need to secure written approvals from your (1) company supervisors and (2) academic coordinator / academic faculty teaching the course. You will need to ensure that the written approval explicitly states the course code and an estimate of the time commitment involved (e.g., weekly class hours, assignment preparation, and project work). Further instructions will be sent via email before the start of your internship.
Q: Does an approved enrolment for course request mean I am confirmed enrolment for the course?
A: No, the Industry Relations Office does not facilitate your enrolment. You will still need to bid for the course via CourseReg as per normal. The approval here refers to approval to co-read the course while on internship, NOT confirmation of enrolment.
Q: How many units can I read in my internship semester?
A: Starting from AY2024/2025 Semester 2 (Jan – Jun 2025 internship cycle), students will be allowed to take up their Communities and Engagement Pillar (Gen% or related courses offered by UTCP, NUSC) alongside up to 8 units worth of courses while on ATAP.
Q: Is there any template I should follow to seek approval to read additional courses?
A: There is no set template, but ideally, your document should inform your academic coordinator that you will be on internship in that semester and request for permission to co-read the requested course while on internship. Your support document from the employer should clearly state the (1) course code and (2) time commitment involved (e.g., weekly class hours, assignment preparation, and project work).”and that they approve.
Q: Do I need an official letter from the company to read additional course?
A: No, an email with explicit approval for the course and time commitment will suffice.
Q: I have secured an internship position but the company has not posted on TalentConnect, can it count as ATAP?
A: No, the position will need to be reviewed and approved on TalentConnect and a formal offer/acceptance must also be completed in order for the position to be registered as unit-bearing.
Q: Does submitting the Self-sourced Internship Form mean my internship is approved?
A: No, the School will still need to review and approve the posting on TalentConnect, and a formal offer (from the company)/acceptance (by the student) MUST be completed on TalentConnect within the stipulated timelines in order for the internship to be recognized as unit-bearing.
Q: Why do I need to submit the Self-sourced Internship Form?
A: The School batch processes internship submissions fortnightly. Submitting the form will accelerate this process by bringing it to our attention so that we can review it more quickly.
Q: I have already secured an internship and completed the formal offer/acceptance on TalentConnect. Do I still have to fill in the Self-sourced Internship Form?
A: No, it is not required.
Q: I was given an offer, but I did not respond within 5 working days and my offer is now expired, what can I do?
A: Ask the company to write in to internship@comp.nus.edu.sg to reset the offer.
Q: How do I get an internship support letter?
A:
Do note that we will only be able to issue internship support letters for unit-bearing internships under School of Computing. Please submit your request here. (Please note that only requests for unit-bearing internships under the School will be entertained.)
For off-cycle or non unit-bearing internships, please contact CFG (hire@nus.edu.sg) directly. Note that NUS does not issue internship support letters for non-unit-bearing internships during the academic semester. Do also note that letter requests will only be processed AFTER a formal offer/acceptance on TalentConnect is completed.
Q: As an international student do I need to apply for a work permit?
A: International students on unit bearing internships are allowed to work full-time during the semester. No additional work permit/visa is required.
