SMU School of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia
Singapore Management University
The Singapore Management University was officially incorporated on January 12, 2000, and was Singapore's first private university funded by the government...
. It offers a Bachelor of Social Science undergraduate degree with options to major in Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
or Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
. Currently, the School represents one of the smallest and most tightly knit communities of Social Science students in Singapore with a student body of just 475 students and an expected average intake of under 140 freshmen every year.
Milestones
Originally established as the School of Economics & Social Sciences (SESS) on 1 July 2002, the School launched the Bachelor of Science (Economics) programme, followed shortly by the Bachelor of Social Science undergraduate degree programme. Subsequently, due to expansion and strategic reasons, the SESS was restructured in 2007 into two separate schools namely, the School of Social Sciences and the School of Economics. The restructuring was made to allow both schools, which had encountered significant growth in student enrolment and faculty numbers, to gain greater focus on their individual strengths and develop distinctive curriculums at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.Shortly after, in July 2008, the School marked the graduation of its pioneer batch of Social Science students.
Bachelor of Social Science Degree
Currently, the main offering of the School of Social Sciences is the Bachelor of Social Sciences undegraduate degree. Originally adapted from similar programmes offered at the University of Pennsylvania and Oxford University, the B Soc Sc programme features a four year meritorious honours path. Consisting of a combination of coursework as well as opportunities for empirical research supervised by professors, the programme allows students to major in the main disciplines of Political Science, Psychology and Sociology, and the option of doing a second major either from another Social Science or from any of the other five SMU schools.Concurrent Degrees
The School of Social Sciences offers a number of concurrent degree programmes with eligible undergraduate students able to pursue a second degree with any of the other SMU schools including programmes from AccountancyAccountancy
Accountancy is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management; the art lies in...
, Business Management, Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, Information Systems Management and Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
. Within the university as a whole, 25% of students typically qualify for a place within such programmes.
Multidisciplinary Tracks
Within the Bachelor of Social Sciences degree programme, students may also choose to complete one of the two multidisciplinary tracks. These tracks are entirely optional and are not a requirement for graduation. In order to fulfill requirements for a track, students typically have to undergo one course from each of the seven specified course categories, namely, general Social Sciences, Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Humanities & General Education, Economics and Business. At present, the two tracks offered are the Public Policy, Development, and Management (PDM) track and the Culture, Organizations and Behavior (COB) track.Admissions
Admissions to the SMU School of Social Sciences tend to be very competitive. As of 2009, the programme was reported to have been seventeen times oversubscribed, meaning less than 6% of applicants were accepted. This record low acceptance rate was however, partly attributed to economic reasons with many applicants shunning business school for the Social Sciences.Like other SMU schools, admissions to the School of Social Sciences is based on a variety of factors. School policy mandates a holistic approach towards applications with consideration based both on grades as well as extracurricular achievements. In addition, candidates who have taken the SAT I Reasoning Test
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
are encouraged to submit their scores although this is mostly optional. All shortlisted candidates must undergo admissions interviews.
Faculty
Starting from the seminal group of two faculty in 2003, the Social Sciences and Humanities faculty has grown to a total strength of 25 full-time faculty in 2007, with 12 in Psychology, 5 in Political Science, 6 in Sociology, and 10 in the Humanities. The School is currently expanding and will continue to recruit more faculty in the various disciplines.Faculty members are claimed to hold PhDs from top ranking universities such as Harvard, Yale and Michigan. Several faculty serve as members on national councils, editors or editorial board members of prestigious scholarly journals, and are recipients of international scholarly awards.