Easy Guide to Choosing Your Degree Part-Time Singapore
Part-time degrees are the way forward for most people in Singapore, and increasingly, worldwide. The advent of part-time degrees is the confluence between 2 major global events: rising costs of living and education inflation.
Firstly, the cost of living is going up, so most households need every person of working age to be bringing in some sort of income to offset these costs. Secondly, education inflation means that nearly every full-time job expects a degree holder with a good chunk of work experience.
The result of these two events in Singapore is the prolific enrollment rate in private Singapore university programmes like ours. As a result, a bachelor’s degree course becomes the gateway to numerous opportunities such as higher-paying jobs or working for larger companies.
We equip students admitted with the skills needed to stand out amongst other working adults, such as critical thinking or honing raw technical talent.
Can’t decide if you want to pursue engineering, go to business school or dive into the social sciences?
Auston has prepared this simple guide to help you make an informed decision. So keep on reading to find out how to pick the right part-time degree!
What Options Do I Have for a Part-Time Degree?
The good news is that there are plenty of options with very mature overseas universities offering bachelor’s degree courses in collaboration with Singapore university institutes. Furthermore, if you are a Singaporean or PR, you may even be eligible for a government subsidy.
Some of the more renowned names in the market include
- Coventry University
- University of West England
- University of Sunderland
- University of Portsmouth
- Northumbria University
- Edinburgh Napier University
Bear in mind that the core courses and the faculty responsible range from programme to programme. Some have a fixed curriculum (e.g. you must study all nine prescribed subjects) or a variable curriculum (e.g. you learn core courses and then adopt electives).
When you add in the part-time element, there’s a whole other world of considerations.
Which Bachelor’s Degree in Singapore Should I Choose?
These are the main three options offered by Singapore university programmes, and you can pick if you want an honours or non-honours degree.
Bachelor of Science (B.S. or B. Sc.)
The curriculum is theoretically based with a firm grounding in principles and formulas. After a study duration of three to four years, this certification is mainly awarded to students of
- Natural Sciences
- Mathematics
- Computer Science
- IT
In some cases, B.S. or B. Sc. degrees can also be found in study areas like business, nursing, law and architecture.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
The core courses of a B.A. degree emphasise pursuing evidence-based knowledge and innovation with a strong focus on rationalising each point.
It is mainly awarded to students following a programme in study fields related to the Humanities and Social Sciences, such as:
- Languages
- Communication
- Journalism
- Advertising
- International Relations
Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng. or B.E.)
Lastly, a B.Eng. focuses on being able to justify your performance and projects with a justification rooted in math reasoning and calculus. Depending on your specialisation, a B.Eng. can take three to five years to complete.
- Mechanical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
That said, a B.Eng is academically equivalent to a Bachelor of Science degree. There is also a variety of specialisation options available in the field of engineering beyond B.Eng, such as Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Bachelor of Business Administration and Engineering (BBAE) and Bachelor of Business Engineering (BBE).
The truth is that most bachelor’s degrees are assessed based on your major! So, for example, if you took a B.A. in Social Sciences, the recruiter would consider only the ‘Social Sciences’ part.
This is primarily due to a lack of information on the part of HR professionals and hiring managers. In Southeast Asia, they are rarely trained in these technicalities and therefore miss the nuances. Can’t blame them, though – it’s confusing.
Thus, when picking your bachelor’s degree, think about your preferred learning mode and application of knowledge. Decide from then on.
What Should I Expect Doing a Part-Time Degree in Singapore?
These courses vary in duration, with some of the very longest ones taking 36 to 48 months while the fastest ones take about 12 to 16 months. The schedule of a part-time degree is designed around working adults and their available time. This means classes are usually during either
- weekday evenings (twice per week from 7 to 10 pm)
- weekends (typically one full day, on either Saturday and Sunday)
These classes are where faculty members teach you. Outside of class hours, you are expected to complete your readings, assignments and projects. Thus, students will need good time management skills to balance their professional and personal commitments alongside academic obligations.
Students should also be aware of the various financial pressures, such as the need to make lump-sum payments toward their bachelor’s degrees. Some loan providers allow for instalment plans, while others may direct you to more lenient educational loan providers for repaying students.
Our recommendation is to take a 3-4 year loan so that your monthly repayments are minimal and you can focus on graduating, getting a higher paying job, and then settling your loans.
What Major Should I Choose for My Part-Time Degree?
We know that having a degree is an essential requirement for getting better jobs. However, to get the best bang for your buck, your choice of major should reflect your current career and relevance to your industry, unless you plan to take a different direction in future career developments.
For example, plenty of part-time business administration degrees can be finished in amazingly short timelines. But if you work in the technical industry, picking up a few modules in business administration is not going to help you stand out.
Likewise for engineering technicians and IT junior developers – picking up a quick and online part-time degree with core courses in social sciences will not improve current prospects or employment opportunities unless you’re interested in switching fields.
Auston Institute focuses on deep technical areas such as electrical and electronic engineering, mechatronics, manufacturing, quantity surveying, and construction management. Our programmes are led by the empirical understanding that degree-qualified workers in Singapore do exceptionally well in operations and find their careers progress quickly.
How Will I Be Accredited?
At the end of the day, the Committee for Private Education (CPE) strictly regulates university programmes.
This is for the benefit of students: part-time degrees in Singapore must be identical to almost every aspect of the undergraduate programmes back in the home country. So, for example, if you receive an honours degree from Northumbria University in Singapore, you must have all the awards and rights granted to a graduate from their home country.
You don’t need to ask Singapore university whether your degree qualification is recognised outside of the country; all degrees regulated under CPE Singapore must be identical in every way.
The Last Word
When opting for a part-time degree, many factors will influence your decision. While the prospect of earning a degree is exciting, you won’t want to rush through the process.
Start with what you want to do in your career. Then research the career opportunities that you can embark on right now. Finally, if you have multiple courses in mind, weigh the different options to see which benefits you the most.
In some cases, we even recommend potential students study elsewhere as their preferred outcome cannot be achieved with our part time degree courses.
Read on to see our form below and reach out to us if we can help you any further!
So What Should I Do Now?
We recommend that you start looking for degree programmes and hopefully, you choose us.
Many people ask where do I start.
Everyone starts in different place. Your past qualifications and work experience is critical in determining where you go and start. If you’d like to speak to a consultant about joining, please complete the form below and we can get back to you about fees, duration and more.
