With emerging, cosmopolitan metropolises, a steady economy and growing international ties, studying at a university in Singapore is an excellent stepping-stone into your future career. A key industry and economic centre of Asia, Singapore’s international populace brings influence from around the world to help graduates build strong professional networks. Whilst the nation is strong in many industries and study fields, there are three that especially stand out. Let our guide to three key fields you should consider studying in Singapore help get your study abroad planning process on the road.

Media and Communications

With incredibly developed telecommunications facilities, Singapore ranked fifth as the world’s Most Networked Economy in 2007-2008. From 1997-2008, the nation’s media sector has grown an average of 6.8% per year, whilst the information communications and media sectors currently generate about a tenth of Singapore’s complete GDP. Some of the world’s most renowned media corporations have offices in Singapore, including EA Games, Lucasfilm, BBC, MTV, Disney and ESPN.

Singapore offers the best intellectual property protection throughout Asia, and with an increasingly international workforce and growing ties to regional markets there’s hardly a better place to develop your creative talent. And with an expected growth of 9.6% over the next three years, opportunities within the entire Asia Pacific media industry are only set to grow.

The nation’s highest-ranking university, the National University of Singapore ranks fourth globally in  Media and Communications, with their MA (Communications & New Media) programme the eighth best in the world. The Nanyang Technological University also offers students the chance to complete a number of Media, Digital Art and Communications programmes at both Undergraduate and Postgraduate level.

Browse Media programmes in Singapore

Browse Communications programmes in Singapore

Banking and Finance

As well as being named the banking and financial hub of Southeast Asia, Singapore is one of the world’s major centres of finance. With a highly-regulated, solid economy, Singapore’s foreign exchange trading centres rank within the world’s top five, whilst financial business services comprise just over one fifth of the nation’s GDP. Affectionately nicknamed ‘the Switzerland of Asia,’ Singapore is fast becoming a leading private banking destination. 

Singapore is a strong triple-A rated economy whose financial sector grew by a substantial 16.9% in 2007. With the economy, financial and banking industries booming, there is a national shortage of skilled professionals within the sector. To meet these demands, the Singapore government has an ‘open-door’ policy for talented international professionals, making the nation’s economy as the second most attractive in the world for global talent.

Whilst the National University of Singapore ranks eighth globally for Accounting and Finance, students may also study a Bachelor of Business Management or choose from a range of Masters programmes at Singapore Management University’s Lee Kong Chain School of Business.

Browse Finance Courses in Singapore

Browse all Finance Courses Abroad

Engineering (Electronics)

Whilst there is a growing demand in Asia for engineering services to support boosts in energy, electronics and chemicals industries, electronics that has been called the ‘bedrock’ of the nation’s manufacturing sector. In 2011, a huge 65% of national research and development funding went to electronics, with one in four research students studying in Electrical and Electronic Engineering fields.

Many international companies such as GP, Sony, and AU Optronics manufacture their products’ electronic components in Singapore. Singapore is also the world’s largest supplier of hard disk media, responsible for over 40% of the total global output. Growth within the sector has created key demand for skilled professionals, particularly in positions such as IC designer, process development engineer and test development engineer.

There are also a number of national development schemes in place to meet employment demands and ensure the continued growth of the sector. For example, in 2010 the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and the Nanyang Technological University opened a new Integrated Circuit (IC) Design Centre of Excellence (‘VIRTUS’) that aims to train at least 100 postgraduate students in specialist IC design by 2014. There are also a range of scholarships for electronics students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Browse Electronic Engineering Courses in Singapore

Browse Engineering Courses in Singapore

Now that you’re inspired to pursue your studies in Singapore, why not browse courses in Singapore now and start planning your study abroad adventure?

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