Master of Technology in Software Engineering

Study Award & Scholarships:

NUS-ISS ASEAN Merit-Based Study Award: 

The NUS-ISS ASEAN Merit-Based Study Award is a partial scholarship initiative launched to enhance NUS-ISS's visibility across ASEAN countries (excluding Singapore) while supporting deserving students from developing nations to pursue full-time Master's programmes at NUS-ISS in Singapore. This merit-based award covers 40% of the tuition fees, offering a significant financial boost while maintaining a focus on academic excellence and leadership potential. It is available for students enrolled in NUS-ISS' Masters in Technology programmes.

IMDA Post Graduate Scholarship: 

The SG Digital Scholarship (Postgraduate) is an industry scholarship that empowers students pursuing tech or media-related studies at the Masters or PhD level. Individuals pursuing postgraduate studies in specialised tech or media-related areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Technologies, Immersive Media, and Film Studies can chart their future with this scholarship. Scholarship details and eligibility criteria can be found here.

SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme:

MTech SE candidates must successfully complete the following course components to be awarded the degree:

• Fundamental - Complete 2 Graduate Certificates
• Specialist - Complete 2 of 4 Graduate Certificates

Learning Journey

Admissions Criteria:

• Bachelor's degree preferably in Science or Engineering and a grade point average of at least B
• Demonstrate proficiency in the English Language (written and spoken)*
• An acceptable GRE score (overseas applicants) or pass NUS-ISS Entrance Test
• Have received a favourable assessment at admissions interview conducted by NUS-ISS
• Preferably two years of relevant working experience
• The NUS-ISS Entrance Test or GRE and interview requirements will be waived for applicants with relevant Bachelor's degrees from NUS, NTU, SMU and SUTD with Second Upper or above Honours.
• NUS-ISS Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis alumni who wishes to apply to NUS-ISS Master of Technology programmes may be waived of Entrance Test/GRE and interview requirement if they meet the GPA's requirements*
• Admission is on competitive basis; eligible students will be offered admisions on a first-come first-served basis. 

• International applicants residing overseas are required to submit GRE as evidence to demonstrate their academic capability:
  • A minimum GRE score of 320 (verbal & quantitative) and 3.5 (analytical) is recommended, within 5 years validity.
  • It is mandatory to include the Institution code of NUS-ISS for GRE. (Code: 1941)
  • Applicants who have significant work experience relevant to their intended area of study may be considered for admission even if they do not meet the recommended GRE scores (upon submission). Please note that school projects, internships and enrichment programmes do not count as work experience.
  • Please note that applications will not be processed if GRE is not submitted.

• Applicants residing in Singapore will be required to pass an Entrance Test administered face-to-face in NUS-ISS
  • Local applicants may opt to submit GREs instead of taking the Entrance Test in which case the same conditions apply as above.
  • A sample entrance test paper can be found here.

Work Experience:

• Preferably two years relevant working experience as a software engineer (e.g. programmer, designer, technical team lead).

• Preferable proficiency in the following areas:
  • Software development lifecycle, including Agile software development methods such as Scrum.
  • Software development using one or more contemporary programming languages, software design including the use of design patterns, software testing and test-driven development.

*English Language Proficiency

• Applicants who graduated from universities where English is not the medium of instruction should submit TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score as evidence of their proficiency in the English language.

TOEFL	Paper-based test (580) Computer-based test (237) Internet-based Test (85) *TOEFL iBT Home Edition is not accepted.
IELTS	Result of 6.0

• It is mandatory to include the Institution code of NUS-ISS for TOEFL (Code: 2432).
• TOEFL and IELTS are only valid for two years after the test and the validity should not expire before the beginning of the application period for the coursework programme.
• NUS only accepts TOEFL iBT scores from a single test date, not MyBest scores.

How to Apply 

All applicants are required to submit an online application for our graduate coursework programme (through-train) through GDA3.

Step 1:     You can refer to our detailed step-by-step guide on how to complete the online application.

Step 2:     It will take you about 30 minutes or more to complete your application. You will need the softcopies of the supporting documents for your online application. Click here for the supporting documents to be uploaded and additional information required.

Step 3:     You can proceed to apply online. Remember to upload all the required supporting documents under the “Documents Upload” section before you do the online submission. You can refer to our FAQ.

Step 4:     Please ensure you submit your online application(s) and make online payment for the application fee (non-refundable) of S$50.00 per application (exclude prevailing GST).

 Important: 

1. Applications that are incomplete, including missing supporting document(s), will not be processed till they are submitted.
2. Applicants who are found to have given inaccurate or false information will be required to withdraw from the programme.
3. All payments for application fee are non-refundable.
4. Please note that the University has not engaged any external agencies to undertake student recruitment on its behalf. Candidates interested in our graduate programmes are advised to apply directly to the University and not through any agents. Candidates who apply through agents will not have any added advantage in gaining admission and the University reserves the right to reject such applications without giving reasons.

Find your fit with new opened doors

There are opportunities in Singapore for most areas of IT. What you learn in terms of IT skills is not as important as what you do with it. It is the attitude and the ability to learn from mistakes, and to contribute back to the company that you work for that is likely to make more of a difference than specific IT skills.

There are two main paths for advancement in IT - either technical or management. Technical means you continue to deepen your technical area in a domain (such as system architecture, or software engineering, etc.) and you become an expert in those areas. The other is management, where you can focus on project management, outsourcing, etc.

Our internship companies often tell us that if we can give them good students as interns, it is very likely they will get a job offer at the end of the internship.

As an MTech SE graduate, you will be equipped with the essential knowledge and practical experience to architect, design, build and manage the delivery of robust software systems for organisations.

Career Prospects

• Software Architect (general, smart systems, data)
• Senior Software Engineer
• Data Architect
• Product Manager

MTech alumni are pursuing their careers at these global organisations:

• Accenture
• Creative Technology
• DBS Bank
• Defence Science & Technology Agency
• Deutsche Bank AG
• Fuji Xerox Asia Pacific
• HP Singapore
• IBM Singapore
• Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
• Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore
• Jurong Port
• Microsoft
• Murex
• NCS
• NEC Asia Pacific
• OCBC Bank
• Revolution Analytics
• Singapore Telecommunications
• Standard Chartered Bank
• Starhub
• ST Electronics
• Tata Consultancy Services

The NUS-ISS Career Services Office helps students to match jobs based on their skills and experience. There will be bi-yearly Career Fairs held for students and graduates to network with employers. However, successful employment will depend on the employers.

The average starting salary of an IT professional depends on the degree and your previous working experience. For fresh graduates with no work experience, the average salary starts from S$4,000 onwards. Graduates with more than 3 years of work experience can expect a starting pay of S$4,000 and above.

The most important skill is to get the job done and be persistent. You need to be broad-based and the technology does not matter.

You can get some salary benchmarks from these sites:

• Nodeflair
• Hays.com Salary Guide
• Kelly Services Salary Guide
• Gov Salary Comparison