Overview
Next Intake |
Aug 2025 (Full-Time) | Jan 2026 (Part-Time) |
Duration |
- Full-time 1 year (2 semesters)
- Part-time 2 years (4 semesters)
|
Application Timeline |
Admissions into the MTech programme is competitive. Eligible students will be offered admissions on a first-come first-served basis.
Applications for August 2025 admissions into the full-time MTech SE programme should be submitted before 15 April 2025.
Applications for January 2026 admissions into the part-time MTech SE programme will commence from 1st March 2025 and should be submitted before 1 October 2025.
*The dates above are subjected to changes. |
Entrance Test / GRE |
Face-to-Face: 17 April 2025 [FINAL Entrance Test for Aug 25]
*Applicants based in Singapore are to take the entrance test in NUS-ISS. Applicants based overseas are required to submit their GRE scores in place of the Entrance Test. Please refer to the section "Admission & Application" for further details.
The dates above are subjected to changes.
|
Download Brochure |
English |
Info-session
Group discussion
|
Click here for dates
|
Enquiry |
iss-admissions@nus.edu.sg |
The NUS Master of Technology in Software Engineering (MTech SE) is designed to meet the industry demand for software engineers who can help Singapore organisations to realise the smart nation initiatives through building robust, reliable and scalable software systems. This programme is best suited for individuals who have a few years of experience in software engineering roles and are looking to further enhance their knowledge and skills in architecting scalable, secure and smart software systems.
The MTech SE programme emphasises the skills required for architecting scalable, secure and smart systems and platforms. The focus will also be exploitation of software technologies, methodologies and management techniques. It focuses on the practical and systematic construction of software systems, using innovative and state-of-the-art techniques..
The programme will equip you with the essential knowledge and practical experience to architect, design, build and manage the delivery of robust software systems for your organisation and customers.
Learning outcomes:
- Become software architects capable of architecting and designing systems that exploit major contemporary software platforms, technologies and methodologies
- Become software architects capable of architecting and designing smart and secure systems
- Become data architects equipped with data engineering skills to engineer big data from a variety of sources
Recognition:
- Top student is awarded the Accenture Medal and Prize
- Top project team is awarded the Best Project Prize
Scholarship:
- 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:
Singaporeans aged 40 and above can receive a SkillsFuture Credit enhanced subsidy top-up of $4,000 through the
SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme. The subsidy can be used to offset the course fees.
For more information on this programme, please write into us at
ask-iss@nus.edu.sg.
Courses
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
Designing Modern Software Systems
Members of agile teams will learn how to apply essential agile practices, software design skills and
DevSecOps practices to analyse, design and implement nontrivial software systems that are robust,
reusable, maintainable and extensible with the relevant project artifacts.
Courses:
- Essential Practices for Agile Teams
- Software Analysis & Design
- Software Design Patterns
- DevSecOps Engineering and Automation
Architecting Scalable Systems
Students will learn how to architect scalable, robust and reliable ubiquitous systems using the latest
Cloud-based technology. Students will also focus on how to architect the back-end support for large
systems and platforms.
Courses:
- Architecting Software Solutions
- Platform Engineering
- Cloud Native Solution Design
Architecting Smart Systems
Students will learn skills and techniques required to engineer end-to-end Intelligent Smart Systems.
Topics in architecting smart IoT platforms and systems that are scalable will be covered. Students will
learn to design, develop and integrate systems that make sense of data from a variety of sensors and
edge devices. Students will also learn to create interfaces to smart systems that are apt for
interacting with humans in intelligent manners.
Courses:
- Architecting IoT Solutions
- Designing Intelligent Edge Computing
- Humanizing Smart Systems
Designing and Managing Products and Platforms
Students will learn how to design and manage software products and platforms. The key components include
using design thinking principles and market research to innovate and concretise product ideas; a
framework to scaffold the multidisciplinary aspects of managing a product; develop a product strategy
that aligns with business goals and to architect a platform business model from first principles.
Students can expect a hands-on approach, engaging class dialogues, lectures and offline study. Valuable
insights will be shared by industry practitioners.
Courses:
- Service Design
- Managing Digital Products
- Digital Product Strategy
- Architecting Platforms as a Business
Engineering Big Data
Students will learn various aspects of data engineering and processes required for building resilient
distributed datasets. Students will also learn to apply key practices, identify multiple data sources
appraised against their business value, design the right data storage model(s), and implement fitting
data access patterns. Finally, students will build a scalable data pipeline composed of pluggable
functional compute components based on the business insight requirements in a vendor/technology agnostic
manner. Students will work with Spark and Hadoop framework along with detailed focus on graph, ML, query
and streaming libraries.
Courses:
- Information Architecture for Data-driven Insights
- Big Data Engineering for Analytics
- Architecting Systems for Real-Time data processing
Securing Ubiquitous Systems
Students will be equipped with skills to design and manage cyber security for ubiquitous systems that
need to be highly secure. Students will learn about cyber security and its application in securing
mobile systems and software platforms. Students will also learn how to incorporate security during the
software development lifecycle.
Courses:
- ISC2 CISSP CBK Training Seminar
- Secure Software Development Lifecycle for Agile
- Design Secure Mobile Architecture
- Platform Security
Learning Journey
Fundamental
(Complete 2 Graduate Certificates)
Specialist
(Complete 2 of 4 Graduate
Certificates)
Designing Modern Software Systems
Architecting Scalable Systems
Architecting Smart Systems
Designing and Managing Products and Platforms
Securing Ubiquitous Systems
Admission & Application
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.
* GDipSA Alumni who obtain admission into the MTech Software Engineering may request to be exempted from the Essential Practices for Agile Teams and Software Analysis and Design courses in the Designing Modern Software Systems GradCert. If the request is granted, the net applicable fees for the MTech programme will be reduced to exclude the fees of the exempted courses and subsidies will also be given commensurate with the net applicable fees for the programme.
GRE / NUS-ISS Entrance Test:
- 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. (GRE institution code: 0677)
- 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
|
- Institution code of NUS-ISS for TOEFL is 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.
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:
- Applications that are incomplete, including missing supporting document(s), will not be processed till they are submitted.
- Applicants who are found to have given inaccurate or false information will be required to withdraw from the programme.
- All payments for application fee are non-refundable.
- 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.
Career Pathways
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: