About the Programme
The computing foundation graduate certificate is an essential certification programme that is pivotal in meeting the needs of the working professionals who wish to embark on conversion to the computing field.
This certification programme provides a systematic pathway for applicants with insufficient computing background to acquire the core competencies in computing. By completing the Graduate Certificate in Computing Foundations, candidates can also better prepare themselves before formally joining the regular computing master’s degree programme. These candidates can acquire the necessary fundamental computing skills by reading a set of foundation modules that would serve as bridging modules. The modules offered in this graduate certificate programme are instrumental in either conversion to a computing career or career advancement even without embarking on the MComp programme.
In this programme, courses will be conducted by our faculty members who are scholars, researchers, and thought leaders in their field of expertise. Computing Foundation modules will be taught at an accelerated pace.
Certificate for Enrolment
Candidates who enrol in the Graduate Certificate in Computing Foundations I & II will need to complete three modules for each respective programme as indicated below. Candidates should complete the GC-CF I programme before they can continue with the GC-CF II.
- IT5001 Software Development Fundamentals
- IT5002 Computer Systems and Applications
- IT5003 Data Structures and Algorithms
- IT5004 Enterprise Systems Architecture Fundamentals
- IT5005 Artificial Intelligence
- IT5006 Fundamentals of Data Analytics
- IT5007 Software Engineering on Application Architecture
Admission Requirements
The programme is open to those with a bachelor’s degree. Candidates with other qualifications and related work experience may also apply for the programme. Each application will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee. The above are minimum requirements and do not guarantee admission.
Duration
Candidates who enrol for the certification programme must complete the programme within 36 months from the point of admission.
Workload
All candidates will be admitted to the graduate certificate programme on a part-time basis. The maximum and minimum number of modules a candidate can take per semester are three (12 modular credits) and one (4 modular credits) module(s) respectively.
Modules offered and schedule of classes
For details of the January 2023 modules' schedule, please refer to Annex (SoC GC-CF).
Award of Graduate Certificate
To be awarded the graduate certificate, the candidate must complete three modules (12 modular credits) listed in the respective graduate certificate module listing, and obtain at least a CAP of 2.5.
Students who have completed the certification programme may wish to apply for admission to the Master of Computing (General Track) programme.
Graduate Certificate in Computing Foundations I (GC-CF I)
Complete 3 modules listed here:
- IT5001 Software Development Fundamentals
*Students must pass IT5001 in order to continue with the other CF I modules.*
Choose any two of the following modules:
- IT5002 Computer Systems and Applications; or
- IT5003 Data Structures and Algorithms; or
- IT5004 Enterprise Systems Architecture Fundamentals
Graduate Certificate in Computing Foundations II (GC-CF II)
Upon completion of GC-CF I, students may proceed to enrol for GC-CF II.
Complete 3 modules listed here:
- Choose one (not taken in GC-CF I):
- IT5002 Computer Systems and Applications; or
- IT5003 Data Structures and Algorithms; or
- IT5004 Enterprise Systems Architecture Fundamentals
- Choose at least two modules from:
- IT5005 Artificial Intelligence
- IT5006 Fundamentals of Data Analytics
- IT5007 Software Engineering on Application Architecture
Module Description
IT5001 Software Development Fundamentals
This module aims to introduce non-computing students to the principles and concepts of software development at an accelerated pace. Students will be introduced to the basics of programming (control flow, code and data abstraction, recursion, types, OO), development methodology (ensuring correctness, testing, debugging), simple data structures and algorithms (lists, maps, sorting), and software engineering principles. Through hands on assignments and projects, students will learn good software development practices (documentation, style) and experience a typical software engineering cycle (waterfall and agile workflow).
IT5002 Computer Systems and Applications
This module aims to introduce non-computing students to (a) the common principles and concepts in computer systems: abstraction, layering, indirection, caching, hierarchical naming, prefetching, pipelining, locking, concurrency; (b) the inner workings of a computing device, including hardware (CPU, memory, disks), operating systems (kernels, processes and threads, virtual memory, files), and applications (Web, databases).
IT5003 Data Structures and Algorithms
This module introduces non-computing students to efficient computational problem solving in an accelerated pace. Students will learn to formulate a computational problem, identify the data required and come up with appropriate data structures to represent them, and apply known strategies to design an algorithm to solve the problem. Students will also learn to quantify the space and time complexity of an algorithm, prove the correctness of an algorithm, and the limits of computation. Topics include common data structures and their algorithms (lists, hash tables, heap, trees, graphs), algorithmic problem solving paradigms (greedy, divide and conquer, dynamic programming), and NP-completeness.
IT5004 Enterprise Systems Architecture Fundamentals
This module aims to equip non-computing students with fundamental knowledge in architecting and designing modern Enterprise Systems in organisations that can be reasonably complex, scalable, distributed, component-based and mission-critical. Students will develop an understanding of high-level concepts such as enterprise architecture and software architecture. They will them move on to acquire fundamental systems analysis and design techniques such as object-oriented requirements analysis and design using the Unified Modelling Language.
IT5005 Artificial Intelligence
The study of artificial intelligence, or AI, aims to make machines achieve human-level intelligence. This module provides a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental components of AI, including how problem-solving, knowledge representation and reasoning, planning and decision making, and learning. The module prepares students without any AI background to pursue advanced modules in AI.
IT5006 Fundamentals of Data Analytics
This module introduces students to the fundamental concepts in business analytics. They can learn how to apply basic business analytics tools (such as R), and how to effectively use and interpret analytic models and results for making informed business decisions. The module prepares students without any analytics background to pursue advanced modules in business and data analytics.
IT5007 Software Engineering on Application Architecture
Pre-requsitie: IT5003 Data Structures and Algorithms
To meet changing business needs, this course focuses on flexible and agile software development on modern application architecture. Students learn to design and develop modern applications that support multiple clients across different platforms such as desktop, mobile devices and cloud. The course covers designing (1) website-based front-end software and (2) mobile app front-end that interacts with a common cloud-based backend. The final part involves engineering software for higher-level objectives such as security and performance. Tools and techniques for writing modern software, such as, HTML5, CSS3, React.js, Node.js, MySQL/MongoDB, and Git will be taught.
Application Information
There are two application cycles in each Academic Year:
| Intake | Application Period | Outcome | Semester Period |
| January 2023 (Semester 2) | 1 Oct - 31 Oct 2022 | Mid - End Nov 2022 | 9 Jan to 6 May 2023 |
| August 2023 (Semester 1) | May 2023 (TBC) | June 2023 (TBC) | Aug to Dec 2023 (TBC) |
^Please refer to the University’s Academic Calendar for details on the semester and examination period.
To apply, please submit your application via the Online Applications Portal. Candidates are required to upload the following supporting documents when submitting their online application:
- A copy of bachelor’s degree certificate
- A copy of official transcript for bachelor’s degree
- A copy of identification document/ citizenship certificate/ passport/ documentary proof of permanent residence status as well as valid work pass.
- Any other supporting documents such as CV or professional certificates
- Brief statement/short paragraph of objective/purpose for applying to this programme.
*Note:
- All supporting documents must be in English or with English translation
- Candidates are required to produce originals of the submitted documents for the School’s verification
during enrolment upon successful admission.
For enquiries, please contact socgradc@comp.nus.edu.sg.
Course Fees
The fee for the following modules below is $4,600 each (before fee subsidy):
- IT5001 Software Development Fundamentals
- IT5002 Computer Systems and Applications
- IT5003 Data Structures and Algorithms
- IT5004 Enterprise Systems Architecture Fundamentals
Eligible Singapore Citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents enrolled may be given tuition fee subsidy by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG).
| Per Module Basis [Applicable to IT5001, IT5002, IT5003 & IT5004] |
International Participants | Singapore Citizens |
Singapore PRs |
Enhanced Training Support for SMEs2 | |
| 39 years old or younger | 40 years old or older1 | ||||
| Per Module Fee | $4,600.00 | $4,600.00 | $4,600.00 | $4,600.00 | $4,600.00 |
| Less: SSG Funding | $0.00 | $3,220.00 | $3,220.00 | $3,220.00 | $3,220.00 |
| Nett Per Module Fee | $4,600.00 | $1,380.00 | $1,380.00 | $1,380.00 | $1,380.00 |
| Prevailing GST* on Per Module Fee | $368.00 | $110.40 | $110.40 | $110.40 | $110.40 |
| Total Per Module Fee Payable, Including Prevailing GST | $4,968.00 | $1,490.40 | $1,490.40 | $1,490.40 | $1,490.40 |
| Less Additional Funding if Eligible Under Various Schemes | $0.00 | $0.00 | $920.00 | $0.00 | $920.00 |
| Total Per Module Fee Payable, Including prevailing GST, after additional funding from the various funding schemes | $4,968.00 | $1,490.40 | $570.40 | $1,490.40 | $570.40 |
*Note: Prevailing GST is subject to change to 8% in 2023, and 9% in 2024.
The fee for the following modules below is $5,800 each (before fee subsidy):
- IT5005 Artificial Intelligence
- IT5006 Fundamentals of Data Analytics
Eligible Singapore Citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents enrolled may be given tuition fee subsidy by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG).
| Per Module Basis [Applicable to IT5005 and IT5006] |
International Participants | Singapore Citizens |
Singapore PRs |
Enhanced Training Support for SMEs2 | |
| 39 years old or younger | 40 years old or older1 | ||||
| Per Module Fee | $5,800.00 | $5,800.00 | $5,800.00 | $5,800.00 | $5,800.00 |
| Less: SSG Funding | $0.00 | $4,060.00 | $4,060.00 | $4,060.00 | $4,060.00 |
| Nett Per Module Fee | $5,800.00 | $1,740.00 | $1,740.00 | $1,740.00 | $1,740.00 |
| Prevailing GST* on Per Module Fee | $464.00 | $139.20 | $139.20 | $139.20 | $139.20 |
| Total Per Module Fee Payable, Including Prevailing GST | $6,264.00 | $1,879.20 | $1,879.20 | $1,879.20 | $1,879.20 |
| Less Additional Funding if Eligible Under Various Schemes | $0.00 | $0.00 | $1,160.00 | $0.00 | $1,160.00 |
| Total Per Module Fee Payable, Including prevailing GST, after additional funding from the various funding schemes | $6,264.00 | $1,879.20 | $719.20 | $1,879.20 | $719.20 |
*Note: Prevailing GST is subject to change to 8% in 2023, and 9% in 2024.
For details of the various schemes, please refer to:
1Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy (MCES)
2Enhanced Training Support for SMEs (ETSS)
Note:
- Eligible applicants may use SkillsFuture Credit to pay for the programme and eligible organizations (excluding government entities) may apply for the absentee payroll funding via SkillsConnect. For more information, visit absentee payroll funding. Please note that SkillsFuture Credit may not be used to pay for Student Services Fee.
- Only modules taken on graded-basis are eligible for SSG funding.
- SSG will only fund a module once per eligible student. In the event that a student wishes to retake a module, the student will not be eligible for SSG funding for that module.
The fee for the following module below is $5,800:
- IT5007 Software Engineering on Application Architecture
All fees quoted are exclusive of prevailing GST, unless otherwise stated.
All enrolled candidates will also be required to pay the Student Services Fee of $23.58 (exclusive of prevailing GST) per semester.
The University reserves the right to review and adjust the course fees and make changes to the programme structure and requirements as necessary and accordingly without prior notice.