Yale-NUS launches new minor in Innovation and Design
Students can apply for the new minor, a collaboration with the NUS Engineering Design & Innovation Centre (EDIC), in August 2021 and start courses from January 2022
Yale-NUS College has launched a new minor in collaboration with the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Innovation & Design Programme (iDP), which is offered by the Engineering Design & Innovation Centre (EDIC) of the NUS Faculty of Engineering.
The iDP is a programme which brings students from different disciplines together to solve real world challenges. It focuses on a holistic and hands-on approach to problem solving, taking students through the processes of design thinking to conceptualising and prototyping their solutions.
Recognising the importance of design thinking in today’s world of rapid changes, Yale-NUS introduced the new minor in Innovation and Design to complement the liberal arts and sciences curriculum at the College. The minor will enable students, who are interested in entrepreneurship and innovation, to learn how to create innovative designs and solutions through project-based, experiential learning.
“Many of the issues we face today are complex and require solutions from different disciplines as well as design thinking. This highly interdisciplinary minor, which focuses on experiential learning and practical impact in the wider society, complements the College’s existing majors and learning approach. We look forward to partnering EDIC and providing Yale-NUS students with the opportunity to access the tools of engineering, interact with NUS students from a range of disciplines, and network with project stakeholders inside and outside of the University,” said Professor Joanne Roberts, Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, Yale-NUS College.
At Yale-NUS College, students are exposed to an interdisciplinary inquiry-based curriculum which enables them to master a broad body of knowledge. After going through the Common Curriculum (a set of courses that delves into the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities) for two years, students dive deep into their chosen major in their third year while continuing to take electives across the three broad disciplines. This helps them further analyse and solve problems from different perspectives. Besides the 14 majors and minors offered by the College, there are now three independent minors available to students, including the latest minor in Innovation and Design.
“The Innovation and Design Programme has been running for 12 years, nurturing budding entrepreneurs, innovators and great engineers who are ready to tackle the world’s toughest challenges. We offer students projects which range from healthcare and urban mobility, to smart living and immersive reality. We are excited to welcome Yale-NUS students into our programme. Yale-NUS students will bring a greater diversity to the iDP community,” said Associate Professor Loh Ai Poh, Director of iDP.
As part of the minor programme, Yale-NUS students will complete coursework and project-based modules from Yale-NUS and iDP. The modules include User-Centred Collaborative Design, Case Studies in Innovations, and a year-long major design project which is the highlight of this programme.
Students can work on projects from a wide range of themes such as healthcare, urban mobility, sustainable cities, smart living, and intelligent systems, which will enable them to apply their learning in Yale-NUS toward a design thinking project. For example, the project could focus on a solution to improve a museum experience, better identify people with major depressive disorders, or design robot companions for the elderly.
The minor is available to Yale-NUS students in their first and second year. Students can commence their courses from January 2022. More information on the new minor can be found at this link: https://www.yale-nus.edu.sg/curriculum/independent-minors/innovation-and-design/
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