Singapore Management University

Infobox University
name = Singapore Management University
native_name =


established = 2000
type = Private
president = Howard Hunter
deputy president = Tan Chin Tiong
provost = Rajendra Srivastava
city = Singapore
country = Singapore
undergrad = 4529
postgrad = 213
faculty = 210
campus = Urban
website = [http://www.smu.edu.sg www.smu.edu.sg]

The Singapore Management University (Abbreviation: SMU; Chinese: 新加坡管理大学; Malay: "Universiti Pengurusan Singapura"; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் நிர்வாக பல்கலைக்கழகம்) was officially incorporated on January 12, 2000, and is Singapore's first private university funded by the government.

The SMU approach to preparing graduates is a focused but broad-based education, modelled after the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Today, SMU is home to more than 5,400 students and comprises six schools:
*Lee Kong Chian School of Business "(LKCSB)" [http://www.business.smu.edu.sg/]
*School of Accountancy "(SOA)" [http://www.accountancy.smu.edu.sg/]
*School of Economics "(SOE)" [http://www.economics.smu.edu.sg/]
*School of Information Systems "(SIS)" [http://www.sis.smu.edu.sg/]
*School of Law "(SOL)" [http://www.law.smu.edu.sg/]
*School of Social Sciences "(SOSS)" [http://www.socsc.smu.edu.sg/]

The SMU offers six bachelor's degree programmes in Business Management, Accountancy, Economics, Information Systems Management, Laws and Social Science. It offers ten master's degree programmes in Wealth Management, Applied Finance, Applied Finance (China), Professional Accounting, IT in Business (Financial Services), Economics, Applied Economics, Finance (by research), Management (by research) and Operations Management (by research). A PhD programme in Information Systems is the first doctoral degree to be offered. The university will continue to introduce new master's programmes and further develop a university-wide PhD programme.

The SMU also has a dedicated Office of Research, a number of centres of excellence, and provides public and customised programmes for working professionals through its Office of Executive Education. Collaborations with leading institutions, including the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Chicago, Xiamen University, the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, India, the University of St. Gallen, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the Swiss Finance Institute, allow the SMU to draw on academic and research strengths of its partners across all major disciplines.

In May 2007, the SMU launched Knowledge@SMU [http://knowledge.smu.edu.sg] , an online knowledge portal developed in collaboration with Knowledge@Wharton. Knowledge@SMU translates the latest SMU research and insights into a diverse mix of content accessible to a broad audience, including analysis of current business trends, interviews with industry leaders and the SMU faculty, and articles based on their recent research, book reviews, conference and seminar reports.

MU Leadership and Faculty

The SMU Chancellor is Dr Richard Hu, who is a widely-respected politician and a former cabinet minister of Singapore. The SMU Board of Trustees is led by Chairman Ho Kwon Ping.

The SMU is headed by President Howard Hunter (JD, Yale), Deputy President Tan Chin Tiong (PhD, Pennsylvania State University), Provost Rajendra Srivastava (Ph.D, University of Pittsburgh), Dean Michael Furmston (LL.M, University of Birmingham), Dean Peter Hedström (PhD, Harvard University), Dean Bobby Mariano (PhD, Stanford), Dean Steve Miller (PhD, Carnegie-Mellon), Dean Pang Eng Fong (PhD, University of Illinois), and Dean Pang Yang Hoong (PhD, Queen's University).

Former presidents include Professor Ronald Frank, and Professor Janice R. Bellace (of Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania).

The SMU has a 210-strong international faculty whose members include former Ambassador, Pang Eng Fong; poet, writer and creative-thinking expert Kirpal Singh; and actress, screenwriter, Dr Margaret Chan. In addition to its permanent and visiting faculty members, the SMU also taps successful business leaders and entrepreneurs for their specific expertise and management skills to combine academic vigour with hands-on business savvy.

trategic Goals

* Attract and sustain the finest faculty
* Attract outstanding students
* Identify and appoint key academic leaders
* Build external linkages and support
* Build excellent infrastructure to support mission

hared Values

* Commitment to the SMU Mission
* Integrity
* Responsibility
* Collegiality
* Leadership
* Excellence

Programmes, Centres, and Institutes

Undergraduate Programmes

The university offers the following bachelor's degree programmes which may be taken in any combination for the university's uniquely-flexible undergraduate double-degree programme:
*BBM - Bachelor of Business Management
*BAcc - Bachelor of Accountancy
*BSc (Econs) - Bachelor of Science (Economics)
*BSc (ISM) - Bachelor of Science (Information Systems Management)
*B Soc Sc - Bachelor of Social Science
*LL.B - Bachelor of Laws

The SMU's undergraduate programme allows students to major in cross-displinary areas such as Economics, Law, Accounting, Finance, Quantitative Finance, Information Systems Management, Marketing, Psychology, Political Science, Sociology, Corporate Communication, Operation Management, Business Statistics & Actuarial Mathematics and Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources.

Graduate and Professional Programmes

The university offers 13 postgraduate programmes [http://www.smu.edu.sg/postgraduate/index.asp] , including a Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme launched in 2008, as well as two PhD programmes.

Some of SMU's academic collaborators and industry partners for Executive Education include University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, European Business School International University Schloss Reichartshausen and Mercer Human Resource Consulting LLC.

"School of Accountancy"
*Master of Professional Accounting

"Lee Kong Chian School of Business"
*Master of Business Administration
*Master of Science in Applied Finance
*Master of Science in Applied Finance (China)
*Master of Science in Wealth Management
*Master of Science in Finance
*Master of Science in Management
*Master of Science in Operations Management

"School of Economics"
*Master of Science in Applied Economics
*Master of Science in Economics
*PhD in Economics

"School of Information Systems"
*Master of IT in Business (Financial Services)
*PhD in Information Systems

Centres & Institutes

The university houses the following research centres and institutes:
*BNP Paribas Hedge Fund Centre [http://www.smu.edu.sg/centres/hfc/]
*Centre for English Communication [http://www.smu.edu.sg/centres/cec/]
*Centre for Marketing Excellence [http://www.business.smu.edu.sg/centres/cme/aboutcentre.asp]
*Centre for Teaching and Learning [http://www.smu.edu.sg/centres/ctl/]
*Chinese Capital Market Research Centre (CCMRC)@SMU [http://www.smu.edu.sg/centres/ccmrc/index.asp]
*Lien Centre for Social Innovation [http://www.smu.edu.sg/centres/lien/index.asp]
*Standard Chartered iLab@SMU [http://www.smu.edu.sg/centres/ilab/index.asp]
*UOB-SMU Entrepreneurship Alliance Centre [http://www.smu.edu.sg/centres/usea/index.asp]
*Wee Kim Wee Centre [http://www.business.smu.edu.sg/wkwc/]
*Wharton-SMU Research Centre [http://www.smu.edu.sg/centres/wsrc/index.asp]
*Financial Training Institute@SMU (FTI@SMU) [http://www.smu.edu.sg/centres/fti/index.asp]
*Institute of Service Excellence at SMU (ISES) [http://www.smu.edu.sg/centres/ises/index.asp]
*International Trading Institute @SMU (ITI) [http://www.smu.edu.sg/centres/iti/index.asp]
*Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics [http://www.smu.edu.sg/institutes/skbife/index.asp]

Location and Campus

Formerly occupying Singapore's historical Bukit Timah campus, the university now resides in its permanent campus in the central part of Singapore. The $426 million, 4.5 hectare city campus is a first in Singapore. Located in the civic district of the city, the city campus will support the university's eventual 6,500 undergraduates, along with students in its future graduate programmes.

The SMU city campus consists of 6 blocks, namely the Lee Kong Chian School of Business; School of Accountancy, which also houses the School of Law; the Li Ka Shing Library; School of Information Systems; School of Economics and Social Sciences; and the Administrative Building.

The six buildings are connected by an underground walkway known as the Concourse, which is open to the public and lined with shops selling food and stationery. The campus was designed by two teams of architects, with Cox Architects and Planners and DEG Architects in charge of the Administrative Building, and Edward Cullinan Architects and KNTA Architects designing the rest.

Teaching facilities include seminar rooms, group study rooms used by students for project discussions and classrooms. There are also research facilities, most of which are located underground at the Concourse. Sports facilities are limited on campus because of space constraints; however, the university has a swimming pool, gymnasium, and a multi-purpose sports hall which is equipped with a rock wall. [Singapore Management University. 2006. "Campus Overview". Available at http://www.smu.edu.sg/campus/index.asp]

tudent Accommodation

The SMU Hostel, known as [http://www.smu.edu.sg/leasing/hostel/ SMU Residences @ Prinsep] , is located on Prinsep Street which is a change from the previous plans to house the hostels in Jurong East. The hostel is from refurbished Housing Development Board buildings (Blocks 2, 4 and 7) donated by the government.

The hostel welcomed its first residents in December 2006 and was officially opened in February 2007. The current hostel buildings can accommodate about 250 residents. Priority is given to international students, most of whom currently live in various private hostels around the island. There are plans to expand the hostel in the near future.

Admission

Admission to the SMU is based on a broad range of criteria - including A-Level or Polytechnic results, SAT scores, a panel interview, a reflective essay and the other qualities and achievements of an applicant. Many students among the present intake are national sportsmen, musicians, young entrepreneurs and community-service volunteers. Two in three applicants are polytechnic students. All applicants are to have gone through an interview session if they are shortlisted before they are offered a place.

The admission is getting more selective by the year. The university received 10,680 applications for the 1,350 places for the academic year starting in Fall 2008. Approximately one in eight of the applicants get selected.

Admission into the university's BAcc and BSc (Econs) programmes are known to be extremely competitive. The School of Accountancy, in particular, has been known to recruit and produce some of the brightest students in the university. As of 2008, four of the five Valedictorians since SMU's inception were from the SOA.

Graduates

The university has drawn positive responses from the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, who encouraged the other two local public universities to model themselves after the SMU. Graduates have been acknowledged to be "confident and articulate" by several multi-national corporations and global firms just like their fellow graduates from the Nanyang Business School of Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore.

SMU graduates are widely sought after in the private sector, commonly hired in a wide spectrum of professions, including financial, accounting, consulting and services sectors. More than 20 per cent of the university's graduates land jobs in banking, finance, auditing and accounting upon graduation.

According to a Singapore Press Holdings publication on May 27, 2008, the SMU released their 2007 graduate employment numbers and almost all graduates found jobs within half a year of graduation. Two thirds of the graduates received two or more job offers. Average graduate monthly salaries also rose from $2850 the previous year to $3040, an increase of 6.7 per cent. The top 20 per cent wage earners earned around $5,600 a month. The annual Graduate Employment Survey surveyed 711 SMU alumni who graduated between May and September 2007, of which 618 responded. [http://www.smu.edu.sg/news_room/smu_in_the_news/2008/sources/LHZB_20080527_1.pdf]

Notable Graduates

"The following information are extracts edited from the SMU Office of Corporate Communication Press Releases"

Mr Lim Kong Wee was among the pioneer batch of graduates in 2004. Awarded the prestigious Valedictorian award, he graduated summa cum laude with double degrees in BBM and BAcc. Receiving a resounding appraisal from the Human Resources department at HSBC, Lim was selected as a Management Associate with the bank. A student with exemplary academic performance, Lim was actively involved in school and community service projects. [http://www.smu.edu.sg/news_room/press_releases/2004/20040710.asp]

The Class of 2005 Valedictorian, Ms Lim Kexin, was a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) tax scholar. She graduated summa cum laude with a BAcc, and immediately joined PwC as a tax associate in June 2005. Lim was an SMU Ambassador and was known for her active volunteerism. [http://www.smu.edu.sg/news_room/press_releases/2005/20050720.asp]

Mr Darren Lim Wenbin made history amongst SMU graduates when he pledged a scholarship in the name of his parents upon graduation. Named as Valedictorian in 2006, Lim was the first graduate in Singapore to commit an annual donation towards a scholarship fund fresh out of university. He graduated summa cum laude from the School of Accountancy and was the Founding President of the SMU Accounting Society. Lim became the second top graduate from SMU to join HSBC upon graduation when he joined the bank's investment banking arm. [http://www.smu.edu.sg/news_room/press_releases/2006/20060707.asp]

Widely acknowledged as one of the "hottest" graduates from SMU, Mediacorp celebrity Ms Jade Seah was widely celebrated as the first runner-up in Miss Singapore Universe 2006 pageant. Seah got her break at the local media giant when she signed as a co-host on reality television show, The Dance Floor. [http://www.smu.edu.sg/news_room/smu_in_the_news/2006/sources/TNP_20061206_1.pdf] Of Chinese and Eurasian parentage, Seah graduated BBM with honours in 2006, having the inenviable position of juggling her commitments towards the beauty pageant and her examinations during her final term in school. [http://www.smu.edu.sg/news_room/smu_in_the_news/2006/sources/TODAY_20061124_1.pdf]

An entrepreneur, former President of SMU Broadcasting and Entertainment club, an outstanding academic achiever, and widely respected student leader, Ms Alvina Teh was the first single degree student from the Lee Kong Chian School of Business to be awarded the Valedictorian honour at SMU in 2007. [http://www.smu.edu.sg/news_room/press_releases/2007/20070714.asp] She broke a trend where all previous top graduates of the university had graduated from SMU's elite School of Accountancy. Graduating summa cum laude, Teh decided to follow her passion and pursue an entrepreneurial endeavour with her family. [http://www.smu.edu.sg/news_room/smu_in_the_news/2007/sources/LHZB_20070715_1.pdf]

Class of 2008 Valedictorian, Mr Yeo Zhong Yi, who graduated summa cum laude with double degrees in BBM and BAcc, was awarded the first-ever Singapore Public Service Commission Master's Scholarship and is presently pursuing his postgraduate education at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Yeo was formerly the Honorary General Secretary of the SMU Students' Association and Founding President of the SMU Special Interest & Community Service Sodality. [http://www.smu.edu.sg/news_room/press_releases/2008/20080712.asp]

Another notable BBM/BAcc double-degree graduate from the Class of 2008 is Mr Jimmy Boh. He achieved his GCE A-level certification while in Prison School and was given a second chance by all three local universities. Boh chose to enrol in the SMU in 2004 and has now graduated within the top 35 per cent of the cohort. He was formerly the Honorary Finance Secretary of the SMU Students' Association, and a Singapore Exchange (SGX) scholar. [http://www.smu.edu.sg/news_room/smu_in_the_news/2008/sources/TNP_20080712_1.pdf]

tudent Life

As admission standards increase, the academic environment has grown to be more competitive among students, who spend most of their time involved in the pursuit of academic interests. Many students also take part in the numerous school clubs and events that cater to varied interests, as well as organise school events.

The academic year commences in late August. Each term is 15 weeks long, including a week-long mid-term break and another week of revision and exams. Term 1 generally runs from late August to early December, while Term 2 begins in January and ends in mid-April. Classes are seminars that are mostly 3 hours and 15 minutes long, with most classes starting at 8:30am, 12:00 noon, 3:30pm, or 7:00pm. In most courses, students are assessed on the level of their class participation, a group project, a mid-term test, and possibly, an exam at the end of the term. Students are generally required to give a presentation on a project topic for every course they read. Attending a half-unit course, called Finishing Touch, which advises students on career skills is also mandatory. [Singapore Management University. 2006. "Degree Programmes". Available at http://www.smu.edu.sg/admissions/smu_degrees/degree_programmes.html]

It is part of each student's curriculum to spend at least 10 weeks on internship at an approved organisation, and 80 hours on community service. These occupy the summer holidays of most students. Students are also encouraged to go an international exchange term with partner universities to experience different cultures. SMU currently has up to 142 agreements with partner universities from 41 countries around the globe. [Singapore Management University. 2006. "Partner Universities". Available at http://www.smu.edu.sg/international_exchange/partner_universities.asp]

MU Students' Association

The SMU boasts a highly-vibrant student life that is led by the SMU Students' Association (SMUSA). The Association was formed in 2000 by its pioneer batch of students, with the aim of building a cohesive and close-knit community of students. Every matriculated SMU undergraduate is a member of the SMUSA.

The SMUSA serves as an umbrella organisation that consists of the SMU Students' Association Council, an Executive Committee, and 9 Constituent Bodies. The constituent bodies include SMU Business Society (Bondue), SMU Accounting Society (ASOC), SMU Information Systems Society (SISS), SMU Economics Society, SMU Social Science Society, SMU Arts & Cultural Fraternity (ACF), SMU Sports Union (SSU), SMU Special Interest & Community Service Sodality (SICS), and the SMUXtremists (SMUX).

The SMUSA is a highly-influential student body in the university. The top management of the university including the President, Deputy President, and Provost will meet with council members and discuss any pertinent issues with regard to SMU student life at least once a year. The Association also played a crucial role in creating the present undergraduate tuition-fee structure at the SMU. When the university announced its first fee hike in 2005, the Association banded its members together, and drafted a proposal for the fees to be locked in for all current students. The SMU Board of Trustees accepted the Association's proposal with minor revisions, and this allowed students who were admitted in each academic year to have their fees locked in for their entire period of study, instead of having tuition fees which were subject to revision.

The elections for the Executive Committee of the Association are held during the second term of each academic year, and each member holds a one-year term of office, beginning from January 1 to December 31. The current President of SMUSA is Mr Andrew Wong Jun-Jie from the School of Information Systems.

MU Arts and Cultural Fraternity

ACF is the student-run constituent body that oversees all 26 arts and cultural clubs in SMU, and represents their interest to the administration and to the SMUSA Council. From overseeing the strategic development of its clubs as well as arts and culture in general in the SMU, to planning flagship events such as the annual SMU Arts Festival, the Fraternity is the standard bearer of arts, culture and vibrancy in the SMU. [http://www.acf.sg/]

MU Sports Union

The mission of SSU is to propel the Sports fraternity in the SMU to greater heights, in both the local and international sporting scene. Their motto Might of One, Strength from All, represents the constituent body's mission statement: To be a united front of all Sports Clubs in SMU and champion actively for Sports excellence and for the betterment of all Sports Clubs [http://www.ssu.sg/]

MU Economics Society

SES is the constituent body representing the School of Economics. Its aim is to look after the interests and welfare of all Economics students.

MU Business Society

An initiative by the Office of the Deanery of the LKCSB, Bondue was formed in April 2004, with the objective to inculcate a sense of identity and foster cohesiveness amongst the stakeholders in the LKCSB community - the Deans, Faculty, Alumni, Staff and Students. The society represents and serves the student community at LKCSB and it plays an important role in shaping and cultivating the school's vibrant student life.

Bondue is one of the main drivers in the organising and planning of a line-up of student activities all year round, ranging from student-led camps to cohesion get-together social nights. All business-school students are strongly encouraged to actively participate in Bondue's activities to ensure a well-rounded education at the SMU. [http://www.business.smu.edu.sg/students/bondue.asp]

MU Information Systems Society

Every SISS Management Committee has a slightly different Vision and Mission for the SIS. However, generally, the society aims to be an effective bridge between students and faculty, to act in the interests and well-being of all information-systems students and to strengthen ties within the SIS community and across the university. [http://siss.sg/]

References

External links

Official university sites:
* [http://www.smu.edu.sg SMU website]
* [http://www.smusa.sg SMU Students' Association website]

Unbiased opinions:
* [http://www.uniguru.com/studyabroad/indian-student-reviews/Singapore-Management-University/72433/1/ratings.html Singapore Management University student reviews]