Nanyang Technological University

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1981, it is also the second oldest autonomous university in the country.

The university is organised across numerous colleges and schools, including the College of Engineering, College of Science, Nanyang Business School, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, College of Computing and Data Science,
Graduate College, National Institute of Education, and S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. NTU is also home to two Research Centres of Excellence – the Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, and Institute for Digital Molecular Analytics and Science, and many University Research Institutes such as Earth Observatory of Science (which was a Research Centre of Excellence from June 2008 to June 2023, and transitioned to a University Research Institute in July 2023).

NTU's main campus covers of land, making it the largest university campus in Singapore.

The main campus is located in the western part of Singapore. Apart from its main campus, NTU also has a medical campus in Novena, Singapore’s healthcare district. As a large, comprehensive, university, it has 37,458 enrolled students, and 7,997 faculty and staff as of 2024.

History

Nanyang University (1960–1980)

In 1955, prior to Singapore's independence from the British, Nanyang University was established south of the current Nanyang Technological University campus, with the centre of the present Yunnan Garden as its heart. Its administration building currently houses the Chinese Heritage Centre, a national monument.

Renaming and merger (1980)

As NTU subsequently grew into a full university, various efforts were made to have it claim the Nanyang University mantle. In 1996, the alumni rolls of Nanyang University were transferred from NUS to NTU. In 1998, the prominent local calligrapher and poet Pan Shou, who had been the first vice-chancellor of Nanyang University, called for NTU to be renamed Nanyang University, as a way to "quieten the hearts of many" NU alumni.

Nanyang Technological Institute (1981–1991)

In 1980, Nanyang University merged with the University of Singapore to form the current National University of Singapore. Nanyang Technological Institute (NTI), a tertiary institution affiliated to the National University of Singapore, was formed to take over Nanyang University's campus in 1981.

Present form

In March 1991, the Singapore Parliament approved the formation of Nanyang Technological University. It was officially established on 1 July 1991, with the National Institute of Education (NIE) incorporated into it. The alumni rolls of the former Nanyang University were transferred to NTU in 1996. Historically, Nanyang Technological University admitted students jointly with the affiliated National University of Singapore and charged the same fees. Students made only one application, and they would be accepted by either university. This arrangement ended in 2004 as both universities began to distinguish themselves with an end of its official affiliation. Currently, students apply separately to both universities. NTU became autonomous in 2006 and stands as one of the two largest public universities in Singapore today.

NTU is currently a collaborative member of Singapore International Graduate Award for PhD applicants worldwide, which comprises Agency for Science, Technology & Research (A*STAR), the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

In 2013, there was a debate over academic freedom in Singapore when Cherian George, an outspoken academic at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communications and a government critic, did not get tenured. Although George had been recommended for tenure by the Wee Kim Wee School, his application was turned down by a university-level committee which included representatives from the Government of Singapore. Despite a petition against the tenure decision by students at the Wee Kim Wee School, George's appeal against the tenure decision was subsequently rejected by the university.

In 2021, some applications for on-campus hostel accommodations in NTU were rejected due to COVID-19 isolation protocols. The university claimed that the rejections were due to a shortage of housing facilities, which at full capacity was still unable to house every applicant, as rooms were oversubscribed. Such rejections resulted in concerns, especially among international students, as it resulted in many returning second-year students enrolled in for 2020 to 2021 not being granted campus accommodation despite the university's much-publicised policy of guaranteeing all incoming students with a minimum of two years of on-campus accommodation. NTU eventually reversed their decision on 2 July 2021, prioritising on-campus accommodations for international students that resided on campus at the time, students under scholarship programmes with guaranteed housing, and all Year 1 and 2 students under the guaranteed hall stay policy.

NTU has a diverse range of students and faculty stemming from distinct foreign nationalities. 65% of faculty and staff are foreign nationals, ranking it 3rd (tied with National University of Singapore) in terms of foreign representation among faculty across the top 100 universities according to QS. It remains one of the few top 100 universities with more than 60% of foreign faculty. Likewise, 31% or 8,089 of students are foreign nationals, with 58% them being post-graduate students.

Coat of arms

On its foundation in July 1991, NTU adopted the Coat of Arms granted to NTI (by the College of Arms of the United Kingdom in November 1982) as its coat of arms.

The Coat of Arms consists of a heraldic shield divided into two sections: the lower portion shows a stalking lion facing the spectator on a white background and the upper portion two atomic symbols, one on either side of a cog-wheel above a battlement on a red background.

It is blazoned:

The lion represents close links between NTI and NUS, the battlement represents School of Civil and Structural Engineering, the atoms represents School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the cogwheel represents School of Mechanical and Production Engineering.

Campuses

Landscape and architecture

NTU has been listed as one of the World's Most Beautiful Universities, featuring the ADM building in the report.
It has also been listed in "The 10 most beautiful universities in East Asia", featuring the Learning Hub building.
During NTI period between 1981 and 1982, the main campus layout including the building complex, the so-called North Spine, has been designed by Kenzō Tange, world-renowned Japanese architect and 1987 winner of the Pritzker Prize. The North Spine has been officially opened in 1986. The ADM building, featured in "Travel + Lesiure" report, has been designed by a young Singaporean architect Lee Cheng Wee.
The Learning Hub building, also called the Hive, featured in "Times Higher Education" report, has been designed by a British designer Thomas Heatherwick.

Yunnan Garden Campus

The former Nanyang University administration building was restored into the Chinese Heritage Centre and was gazetted as a national monument in 1998 – now overlooking the Yunnan Garden. As of 2019, the Yunnan Garden is undergoing major renovations that will be completed in 2021. However, some of it has been partially opened to the public in early 2020. The Nanyang University Memorial and original Nanyang University Arch were also declared national monuments of Singapore in 1998. The NTU Art & Heritage Museum is an approved public museum under the National Heritage Board's Approved Museum Scheme; benefactors who donate artworks and artefacts to NTU enjoy double tax deductions. There is a small lake between the Chinese Heritage Centre and Hall of Residence 4 called Nanyang Lake. Only members of NTU Anglers' Club permit holder, the fishing club at NTU, are allowed to fish in this lake.

The campus also served as the Youth Olympic Village for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010.

Undergraduate halls

NTU has 23 Halls of Residence for undergraduates, each with a capacity of between 500 and 659 residents. They accommodate 14,000 local and international students, with every freshman guaranteed a hostel room. All halls are co-ed by floor or wing and offer single and double occupancy rooms. Double rooms are shared by residents of the same gender. Every hall has communal facilities like lounges, air-conditioned reading rooms, pantries and laundry rooms with washing machines and dryers. Presently, freshmen students will be guaranteed a room for two years.

Transportation

Transportation to and around NTU is provided by means of campus shuttle buses. The Campus Loop Red and Blue services circle the campus, while the Campus Rider service connects the campus to the Pioneer MRT station.

File:NTU Administration Building.JPG, Administration Building of Nanyang Technological University.
File:NTU former administrative building front.jpg, Chinese Heritage Centre, formerly the Administration Building of Nanyang University.
File:Nanyang Lake, Singapore, 2015-02-07.jpg, Nanyang Lake
File:666 02 Learning Hub Surrounding context of the Learning Hub CREDIT Hufton and Crow.jpg, The Hive
File:2016-08-18 Nanyang Technological University Library Outpost SG WMN0001.jpg, alt=, Interior of The Hive
File:NTU North Spine.jpg, North Spine
File:NTU South Spine.jpg, South Spine
File:School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore - 20151028.jpg, alt=, School of Art, Design and Media
File:NBS1.jpg, Business School
File:Nanyang Business School .jpg, alt=, Business School
File:Hall of Residence 5.jpg, Hall of Residence 5
File:Nanyang Business School Campus Building - 3.jpg, Student Accommodation
File:Hall of Residence 9, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore - 20100102.jpg, Hall of Residence 9
File:(SGP-Singapore) ComfortDelgro PD524U Campus Weekend Rider 2024-08-09.jpg, NTU shuttle bus on Campus Weekend Rider

Colleges and schools

NTU is organised into several colleges and schools, each corresponding to different fields of study. The founding colleges include the College of Engineering, Nanyang Business School, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, and the National Institute of Education, which have been part of NTU since its inception in 1991. More recently, NTU has established additional schools for the Biological Sciences (2001), Humanities and Social Sciences (2004), Physical & Mathematical Sciences (2005), S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (2007), and Art, Design and Media (2009). In 2013, NTU and Imperial College London jointly established a new medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, on the Novena campus along 11 Mandalay Road. In October 2016, the university announced that Humanities and Social Sciences would be expanded into two separate schools, namely the School of Humanities and the School of Social Sciences.

Nanyang Business School

Nanyang Business School (NBS) is the largest business school in Singapore.

NBS also houses the 165-square meter Centre for Applied Financial Education, the largest finance lab in Singapore. The new lab is equipped with 60 dedicated Thomson Reuters Eikon terminals with Datastream, along with 24 Bloomberg terminals that will allow business school students to access all kinds of real-time financial, economic and business news information.

College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

HASS consists of four schools:

*The Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information is a school of communication studies and offers courses in Journalism, Broadcast, Advertising, Communication Policy and Information Studies. It originally established in 1992, and it was named after Singapore's former president Wee Kim Wee in 2006.
*The School of Art, Design and Media is Singapore's first professional art school and offers an undergraduate programmes in Art, Design, and Media, as well as graduate degrees in arts research. Its building, which features a sloping grassy roof surrounding a central courtyard, is frequently featured in NTU's promotional materials.
*In 2016, NTU announced that they will be splitting the School of Humanities and Social Sciences to 2 separate colleges: the School of Humanities (SOH) and School of Social Sciences (SSS) – to accommodate the rising intake of students.
**The School of Humanities which offers programmes in a wide variety of fields including Chinese, English Literature, History, Linguistics & Multilingual Studies and Philosophy.
**The School of Social Sciences which offers Economics, Psychology, Public Policy and Sociology.

College of Engineering

The College of Engineering is NTU's largest subdivision. It has been ranked among the world's top 5 schools of engineering and technology by QS World University Rankings, and claimed to be the world's largest engineering college, with a student population of more than 10,500 undergraduates and 3,500 graduates. It consists of six schools (Chemical and Biomedical, Civil and Environmental, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical and Electronic, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace) focused on technology and innovation.

In addition to the 12 single degree programmes, the college also offers double degrees, double majors and integrated programmes as well as the only aerospace engineering programme in Singapore.

College of Computing and Data Science

In February 2024, a restructuring occurred within the academic framework, resulting in the separation of the disciplines of Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence from the College of Engineering, establishing them as an autonomous college. This transition was marked by the introduction of new program offerings, including Applied Computing in Finance and Artificial Intelligence & Society.

College of Science

Today, the college consists of three schools and is home to about 150 faculty members, 340 research staff, 110 administrative and technical staff, 4,000 undergraduate and 750 graduate students.
*The School of Biological Sciences was established in 2002 and offers a variety of programmes in the Biological Sciences and double degree programme in Biomedical Sciences and Traditional Chinese Medicine with the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine in China.
*The School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences was established in 2005 and offers various disciplines in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics.
*The Asian School of the Environment is a new interdisciplinary School established in 2015 to focus on Asian environmental challenges, integrating Earth systems, environmental life sciences, ecology, and the social sciences to address key issues of the environment and sustainability.

Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine

In 2010, NTU announced the formation of a pro-tem governing board to guide the establishment of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, a collaboration with Imperial College London. The medical college was established in 2013. Prior to its opening in 2013, the school received record donations of S$400 million, including S$150 million from the Lee Foundation. The School's primary clinical partner is the National Healthcare Group.

Graduate College

NTU's Graduate College was formed on 1 August 2018 and is in charge of graduate programmes in NTU. One such graduate programme is the Interdisciplinary Graduate Programme (IGP), which leverages on professors from multiple schools or colleges in NTU to undertake interdisciplinary research and to act as advisors for IGP PhD students. Another graduate programme is the Industrial Postgraduate Programme (IPP), which leverages on partnering industry companies to undertake industrial research and to act as advisors for IPP PhD students.

National Institute of Education

The National Institute of Education (NIE), occupying in the western part of NTU's Yunnan Garden campus, is Singapore's main teaching college and is run in close collaboration with Singapore's Ministry of Education. Full-time teachers in Singapore's public schools are required to complete a post-graduate diploma course at NIE, sponsored by Singapore's Ministry of Education.

S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), named after Singapore's former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, offers graduate programmes in international relations and is an autonomous graduate institution of NTU. The school has the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies.

Research institutes and centres

NTU hosts three Research Centres of Excellence (RCE).

*The Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) is a unique interdisciplinary Research Centre of Excellence (RCE), funded by National Research Foundation, Singapore Ministry of Education, Nanyang Technological University and National University of Singapore. Hosted by the NTU in partnership with NUS, SCELSE is linking new insights from the Life Sciences with expertise from the emerging technologies in Engineering and Natural Sciences to understand, harness and control microbial biofilm communities. The union of these fields has established a new discipline of Environmental Life Sciences Engineering.
*The Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) is an autonomous research institute specialising in Earth Sciences and conducts fundamental research on earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis & climate change in and around Southeast Asia, towards safer and more sustainable societies.
*The Institute for Digital Molecular Analytics and Science (IDMxS) is an interdisciplinary RCE, funded by Singapore Ministry of Education, Nanyang Technological University and National University of Singapore.

University rankings

Overall rankings

NTU was #45 worldwide in 2023 in terms of aggregate performance across THE, QS, and ARWU.

Young university rankings

NTU is #1 in both the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2023 and the QS "Top 50 Under 50" 2021. NTU has been ranked as the world's #1 young university by QS since 2015.

Notable alumni

Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) has nurtured many alumni.

In March 1991, the Singapore Parliament approved the formation of Nanyang Technological University. It was officially established on 1 July 1991, with the National Institute of Education (NIE) incorporated into it. The alumni rolls of the former Nanyang University were transferred to NTU in 1996. NTU became autonomous in 2006 and is today one of the two largest public universities in Singapore.

Politics, government and public service

International

* HE Pehin Dato Abu Bakar Apong – Former Minister of Home Affairs of Brunei
* Major Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono – Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Indonesia
* Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono – Member of House of Representatives, Indonesia
* Lan Tianli – Chairman and deputy party chief of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China and chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
* Dato' Seri Mohd Zuki Bin Ali – Board Chairman, Employees Provident Fund, Malaysia
* Gen. Tito Karnavian – Minister of Home Affairs, Indonesia; former chief of the Indonesian National Police
* Nie Chenxi – Standing Committee Member, Deputy Director, 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, People's Republic of China
* Y.B. Datuk Seri Ir Wee Ka Siong – President of Malaysian Chinese Association; Member, House of Representative of Malaysia

Singapore

Current Ministers and Members of Parliament (MP)

* Ang Wei Neng – Member of Parliament for West Coast GRC
* Baey Yam Keng – Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment & Ministry of Transport
* Cheryl Chan – Member of Parliament for East Coast GRC
* Chong Kee Hiong – Member of Parliament for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC
* Eric Chua – Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Social and Family Development
* Darryl David – Member of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC
* Gerald Giam Yean Song – Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC
* Derrick Goh – Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC
* Low Yen Ling – Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Trade and Industry; Chairperson of Mayors' Committee & Mayor, South West District; Member of Parliament for Chua Chu Kang GRC
* Masagos Zulkifli – Minister for Social and Family Development & Second Minister for Health; Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs; Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC
* Ng Ling Ling – Member of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC, 2018 Her World Woman of the Year
* Sim Ann – Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Ministry of National Development; Member of Parliament for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC
* Desmond Tan Kok Ming – Senior Minister of State, Singapore Prime Minister's Office; Member of Parliament for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC
* Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah – Member of Parliament for Jalan Besar GRC
* Don Wee – Member of Parliament for Chua Chu Kang GRC
* Yip Hon Weng – Member of Parliament for Yio Chu Kang SMC
* Melvin Yong – Member of Parliament for Radin Mas SMC, and Assistant Secretary General National Trades Union Congress
* Zaqy Mohamad – Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence & Ministry of Manpower; Member of Parliament for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC
* Patrick Tay – Member of Parliament for Pioneer SMC and Assistant Secretary General of National Trades Union Congress

Retired politicians

* Ang Mong Seng – former Member of Parliament for Bukit Gombak SMC
* Cheo Chai Chen – former Member of Parliament for Nee Soon Central SMC
* Inderjit Singh – former Member of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC
* Intan Azura Mokhtar – former Member of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC
* Lee Bee Wah – former Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC
* Sinnakaruppan s/o C Ramasamy – former Member of Parliament, and first Students' Union President
* Low Thia Khiang – Former Secretary-General of Workers' Party; Former Member of Parliament (Singapore)
* Sebastian Teo Kway Huang – former President of the National Solidarity Party
* Teo Ser Luck – former Member of Parliament for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, Mayor, and Minister of State ; President, Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants
* Yee Jenn Jong – former Non-Constituency Member of Parliament
* Yu-Foo Yee Shoon – former Member of Parliament for Yuhua SMC, and former Minister of State for Community Development, Youth & Sports

Business

* Ajit Mohan – Chief Business Officer, Snap Inc.
* Dato’ Sri Tahir – Founder, Mayapada Group; billionaire
* Danny Yong – Chief Investment Officer & Founding Partner, Dymon Asia Capital
* Tan Chin Hwee – Chairman, SGTraDex Services; Asia-Pacific CEO, Trafigura
* Tan Lip-Bu – CEO of Intel; Chairman, Walden International; former CEO, Cadence Design Systems
* Merry Riana – Founder, Merry Riana Group

Science

* Shirley Meng – Professor, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago
* Ming Joo Koh – Associate Professor, NUS Singapore; Young Scientist Award 2022

Educators, artists and literary figures

* Choo Jing Sarah – Gold Award in the 2016 PX3 Prix de la Photographie, Fine Art Category; First Place in the 2015 Moscow International Foto Awards
* Liang Wern Fook – writer and musician; Cultural Medallion for Music 2010
* Ng Yew Kwang – economist
* Nuraliah Bte Norasid – Epigram Books Fiction Prize 2016 for her first novel, The Gatekeeper
* Tan Swie Hian – local artist & sculptor; Cultural Medallion for Art 1987
* Wong Meng Voon – writer and co-founder, Singapore Association of Writers; Cultural Medallion for Literature 1981
* You Jin – author; Cultural Medallion for Literary Arts 2009

Media professionals and celebrities

* Vincy Chan – Singer
* Annette Lee – Filmmaker, actress, musician
* Lee Teng – Television presenter
* Lin Youyi – Newscaster and corporate trainer
* Michelle Alicia Saram – Actress
* Joanne Peh – Actress, filmmaker and compere
* Rui En – Actress, singer and compere
* Diana Ser – Presenter and TV journalist
* Stefanie Sun – Singer and Songwriter
* Zhang Haijie – Television presenter and producer

Sports Medallists

* Dipna Lim Prasad – Silver and bronze medallist in sprinting at the SEA Games (2013 to 2017)
* Leslie Kwok – Bronze medallist in swimming at the SEA Games (1997 - 2005)
* Lee Wung Yew – Multiple medallist in trap shooting at SEA Games (1985 - 2009)
* Tan Cheng Yin Esther – First female naval diver and endurance sports specialist; Singapore Women's Hall of Fame
* Wong Wei Long – Bronze medallist in basketball at the SEA Games (2013-2015); Gold medallist at SEABA Cup, 2014
* Yu Mengyu – Gold medallist in table-tennis at the World Championship, Commonwealth Games, SEA Games (2007 - 2022)

Community builders

* John Chew – Former 8th Bishop of Singapore

Notable faculty

Medicine, science and engineering

* Chen Xiaodong – Materials Science and Engineering
* Ernst Kuipers – Gastroenterology
* Joseph Sung – Gastroenterology and Hepatology
* Simon Redfern – Mineralogy and Geosciences
* Warren Chan – Nanotechnology and Biomedical Engineering

Business and technology

* Teck-Hua Ho – Behavioral Science, Marketing and Operations Management
* Vijay Sethi – First Economist Intelligence Unit Business Professor of the Year

Humanities and social sciences

* Duncan McCargo – Political Science

References

External links

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ASEAN University Network
Autonomous Universities in Singapore
Educational institutions established in 1991
Education in Singapore
1991 establishments in Singapore