SINGAPORE: As Singapore considers the form its fourth or even fifth university will take, many are hoping the government will opt for a liberal arts college.

Contrary to popular belief, a liberal arts college does not always mean a Humanities-focused education.

Some top liberal arts colleges in the United States are actually well-known for their Science and Engineering programmes.

One distinguished alumnus of a liberal arts college is Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, who got his Masters in Developmental Economics from Williams College in 1967.

In Singapore, National University of Singapore (NUS) has been replicating some elements of the liberal arts college experience in its University Scholars Programme (USP), which started six years ago.

Like most liberal arts colleges in the US, the USP takes in only about 200 students every year as intake is highly selective.

Only one out of every four who apply is accepted, and these students represent the top five percent of their cohort at NUS.

Another similarity is the focus on a broad-based curriculum, with emphasis on thinking skills.

This means students must be exposed to all fields – Sciences, Engineering, Information Communications Technology, Arts and the Humanities.

At some liberal arts colleges, the broad-based curriculum takes up all the graduate requirements.

At the NUS University Scholars Programme, the curriculum is 30 percent of graduate requirements.

S Veerappan, a student in the University Scholars Programme at NUS, said: "To me, I am trained as an engineer, so the benefits of a broad-based curriculum will mean that I get to explore different domains such as Humanities, Social Sciences, Arts, and this gives me lots of different perspectives."

"We find students coming out of the USP to be able to think on their feet, to be largely communicative, to be able to deal with ideas and engage with them. So one good advantage is that it doesn't necessarily prepare you for any one career. In a sense, it prepares you for many careers," said Professor Lily Kong, vice provost at NUS.

Like any liberal arts college, the NUS programme also has a low student-to-faculty ratio and a closely knit student-faculty community.

"With a small class size, we are able to have more time to interact with each other, have group discussions and group projects as well, which will enhance our growth as we integrate ideas from different perspectives," said student Rachel Ng.

Based on the many companies that come to NUS to recruit every year, it is clear that an education with elements of the liberal arts college model is well sought after.


- CNA/so