Minor & Joint Minor Programme
A Minor programme is a coherent course of study in an additional area outside of the Major. Doing a Minor contributes to the breadth of learning envisaged for undergraduate education.
For students admitted from AY2019/2020 onwards, the module credit (MC) requirement for a Minor is at least 20 MCs, of which:
- Up to 8 MCs (40% of the MC requirements for a Minor) may be double counted and used to meet (i) the Minor requirement and (ii) another requirement, e.g., General Education (only for students admitted from AY2021/2022 onwards), College (e.g., Common Curriculum), Faculty, Major, Second Major, Minor, Specialisation or other requirement, i.e., at least 12 MCs of the Minor must be distinct and not overlapping.
- At least 12MCs for any Minor programme must be taken from outside the entire set of modules that are listed for the major(s)/another minor that the student is taking/ has taken.
- A minimum 60% of the Minor requirements must be earned from modules read in NUS. Modules read at NUS include all modules taught, co-taught, supervised or co-supervised by NUS faculty member(s). These consist of graded modules or modules with an ‘S' or ‘CS' grade. The remaining MCs may be earned through credit transfers, advanced placement and exemptions, from modules deemed relevant to the particular Second Major or Minor.
For students admitted prior to AY2019/2020, the modular credit (MC) requirement for a Minor is at least 24MCs, of which:
- Up to 8 MCs may be used to meet the requirements for both the Minor and the Faculty, Major, Second Major, or another Minor requirements, subject to the agreement of the particular department(s), programme(s) or Faculty/School hosting the Minor.
- At least 12MCs for any Minor must be taken from outside the entire set of modules that are listed for the major(s)/another minor that the student is taking/has taken.
- A minimum 16 MCs of the Minor requirements must be earned from modules read in NUS, unless indicated otherwise by Faculties/Departments for specific minors. Modules read at NUS include all modules taught, co-taught, supervised or co-supervised by NUS faculty member(s). These consist of graded modules or modules with an 'S' or 'CS' grade. The remaining MCs may be earned through credit transfers, advanced placement and exemptions, from modules deemed relevant to the particular Minor.
For students admitted prior to AY2015/2016: Relevant General Education Modules (GEMs) may be included in the list of modules approved for a Minor. Students who read such a GEM may count it towards both the General Education and Minor requirements. The MCs under the Breadth and Unrestricted Elective module requirements can also be used to satisfy the Minor programme requirements.
For students admitted from AY2015/2016 to AY2020/21: Students who read General Education Modules to fulfil requirements for a Minor are not allowed to count these modules towards fulfilling both the General Education and the Minor requirements. For example, if a student had taken a GEH module for his/her Minor, he/she would have to take another GEH module to fulfil the Human Cultures pillar of the GE requirement. The MCs under the Unrestricted Elective module requirements may be used to satisfy Minor requirements.
The Minor will be reflected in the student's transcript upon successful completion.
Students can be admitted to Minor programmes at the point of admission to NUS, or by applying/declaring to the relevant Faculties/Schools no later than the end of the fifth semester of study. For the combinations of Minor programmes with specific single degree courses available at the point of admission, please refer to the website of the Office of Admissions.
Browse below to learn more about current offerings:
| Minor | Host Faculty/Department | Type (see 'Note' below) |
| Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences | ||
| Disciplinary Minors | ||
| Chinese Language | Department of Chinese Studies | Open |
| Chinese Studies | Department of Chinese Studies | Open |
| Chinese Translation | Department of Chinese Studies
(with effect from AY2014/15) |
Open |
| Communications and New Media | Department of Communications and New Media | Open |
| Economics | Department of Economics | Open |
| English Language | Department of English Language & Literature | Open |
| English Literature | Department of English Language & Literature | Open |
| European Studies
(Offered only up to Cohort 2019 |
Department of History | Open |
| History | Department of History | Open |
| Human Services | Department of Social Work | Open |
| India Studies | South Asian Studies Programme | Open |
| Japanese Studies | Department of Japanese Studies | Open |
| Malay Studies | Department of Malay Studies | Open |
| Philosophy | Department of Philosophy | Open |
| Political Science | Department of Political Science | Open |
| Psychology | Department of Psychology | Open |
| Sociology | Department of Sociology | Open |
| Southeast Asian Studies | Department of Southeast Asian Studies | Open |
| Theatre Studies | Department of English Language & Literature | Open |
| Multidisciplinary NUS Minors | ||
| Aquatic Ecology | Department of Geography and Department of Biological Sciences |
Open |
| Art History | Department of History | Open |
| Asian Studies | Departments of Chinese Studies, Japanese Studies, Malay Studies, Southeast Asian Studies and South Asian Studies Programme |
Open |
| China Studies | Office of Programmes | Open |
| Cultural Studies | Department of Communications and New Media | Open |
| English Studies
(Open to students from all faculties except students majoring in English Language and/or English Literature) |
Department of English Language & Literature | Open |
| Film Studies | Department of English Language & Literature | Open |
| Gender Studies | Office of Programmes | Open |
| Geographical Information Systems | Department of Geography | Open |
| Geosciences | Department of Geography and Faculty of Science | Open |
| Global Studies | Department of Political Science | Open |
| Health and Social Sciences | Office of Programmes | Open |
| Interactive Media Development | Department of Communications and New Media & Department of Computer Science | Open |
| Language Studies | Centre for Language Studies | Open |
| Religious Studies | Office of Programmes | Open |
| Science, Technology & Society | Office of Programmes | Open |
| Urban Studies | Department of Geography and Department of Real Estate |
Open |
| School of Business | ||
| Disciplinary Minors | ||
| Management | School of Business | Restricted |
| · Entrepreneurship (Cohort 2017 & After)
· Technopreneurship (Cohort 2016 & Before)
(Entrepreneurship was formerly known as Minor in Technopreneurship, i.e., prior AY2017/18) |
Department of Business Policy | Open |
| Multidisciplinary Minors | ||
| Management of Technology | School of Business and Faculty of Engineering |
Restricted |
| School of Computing | ||
| Disciplinary Minors | ||
| Artificial Intelligence | School of Computing | Restricted |
| Business Analytics | School of Computing | Restricted |
| Computer Science | School of Computing | Restricted |
| Information Security | School of Computing | Restricted |
| Information Systems | School of Computing | Restricted |
| Multidisciplinary Minors | ||
| Data Engineering | School of Computing and Faculty of Engineering | Restricted |
| Interactive Media Development | Department of Computer Science & Department of Communications and New Media | Open |
| School of Design & Environment | ||
| Disciplinary Minors | ||
| Architectural Studies | Department of Architecture | Restricted |
| Project Management | Department of Building | Restricted |
| Real Estate | Department of Real Estate | Restricted |
| Multidisciplinary Minors | ||
| Infrastructure Management and Finance | Departments of Building and Real Estate | Open |
| Urban Studies | Department of Real Estate and Department of Geography |
Open |
| Faculty of Engineering | ||
| Disciplinary Minors | ||
| Biomedical Engineering (formerly Minor in Bioengineering prior to AY2010/11) | Department of Biomedical Engineering | Restricted |
| Civil Infrastructure | Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering | Restricted |
| Systems Engineering | Faculty of Engineering | Restricted |
| Multidisciplinary Minors | ||
| Data Engineering | Faculty of Engineering and School of Computing | Restricted |
| Engineering Materials | Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Science |
Restricted |
| Management of Technology | Faculty of Engineering and School of Business |
Restricted |
| Medical Physics | Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Physics | Restricted |
| Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health | ||
| Public Health | Department of Public Health - Undergraduate Programme | Open |
| Faculty of Science | ||
| Disciplinary Minors | ||
| Analytical Chemistry | Department of Chemistry | Open |
| Astronomy | Department of Physics | Open |
| Bioinformatics | Department of Biological Sciences | Open |
| Biophysics | Department of Physics and Life Sciences Programme |
Open |
| Botany | Department of Biological Sciences | Open |
| Data Analytics | Department of Statistics & Data Science | Open |
| Financial Mathematics | Department of Mathematics | Open |
| Forensic Science | Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Chemistry |
Restricted |
| Geosciences | Department of Geography and Faculty of Science | Open |
| Life Sciences | Department of Biological Sciences | Open |
| Mathematics | Department of Mathematics | Open |
| Nanoscience | Department of Physics and Department of Chemistry |
Open |
| Pharmaceutical Science | Department of Pharmacy | Restricted |
| Physics | Department of Physics | Open |
| Statistics | Department of Statistics & Data Science | Open |
| Multidisciplinary Minors | ||
| Aquatic Ecology | Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Geography | Open |
| Engineering Materials | Faculty of Science and Faculty of Engineering |
Restricted |
| Medical Physics | Department of Physics | Restricted |
| Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music | ||
| Music and Society | Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music | Restricted |
| University Scholars Programme (USP) | ||
| Community Development and Leadership | Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre | Open |
For students who are interested to do a Minor programme during the course of their candidature, please note:
'Open' Minor - students can declare their intention to do an open minor via the Academic Plan Declaration without any prior approval from the Host Faculty/Department.
'Restricted' Minor - students are required to apply to the Host Faculty/Department and obtain approval to read a restricted minor.
* These programmes allow for up to 16 MCs of ungraded substitutable modules to be accepted from the partner university.