Yale-NUS College to Add Two Degree Programmes in Law and Environmental Studies
The Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Yale-NUS College and Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from NUS Faculty of Law Double Degree Programme will integrate the sciences, humanities and social sciences as well as legal training over five years, compared with the usual seven in the United States. To qualify, the 15 to 25 students admitted each year, starting from August 2013, will need to apply and get accepted by both schools. They have the option to do a semester abroad in their fourth year with NUS Law’s exchange partners worldwide. The law graduates will qualify to be called to the Singapore Bar and practise in Singapore.
For the Five-Year Concurrent Degree Programme, the Master of Environmental Science or Master of Environmental Management degree will be awarded after an additional year of study at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (YFES). In December 2016, the programme will begin accepting students who have to complete a major in environmental studies and spend one semester in Yale College. They are also expected to work in an environmental field for a year after graduating from Yale-NUS before matriculating at YFES.
Said Professor Lily Kong, the Acting Executive Vice-President (Academic Affairs) at Yale-NUS: “The two new degree programmes we have developed combine the breadth and depth of liberal arts education with the depth that comes with specialisations, whether in Law or environmental studies.” She pointed out the high value of a liberal arts degree, which would be further enhanced by a professional qualification.
Professor Kong said the Yale-NUS curriculum offers 14 majors such as Anthropology, Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Life Sciences, Mathematical and Computational Sciences, and Psychology. Sample topics for elective courses include Atmosphere, Ocean and Environmental Change, Galaxies and Cosmology, Modern Art, Political Philosophy and Tropical Biodiversity (please refer to the Yale-NUS admissions prospectus for more details).
Professor Charles Bailyn, Yale-NUS’ Inaugural Dean of Faculty, disclosed that the college has received some 2,000 applications for faculty positions. It will be offering tenures to about 30 candidates with multi-disciplinary experience from across the globe by this July.
Yale-NUS will kick off admissions activities in mid-January for students who have completed their A-Levels and International Baccalaureate diplomas last year, as well as qualifying National Service men in Singapore. The college will open in August 2013 with about 150 students and 50 staff.
To view the admissions prospectus for Yale-NUS College, please click here.
