Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health
Research Programmes
The Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health graduate research programmes are research-intensive programmes that emphasise both the mastery of research skills and acquisition of core knowledge in the student’s area of interest. Students may choose to receive advanced training in one of three domains of Public Health research: Biostatistics & Modelling, Epidemiology, and Health Systems and Behavioural Sciences.
- Master of Science (MSc)
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
More information about Admission Requirements is available at https://sph.nus.edu.sg/education/grp/admission-requirements/
Curriculum structure and requirements:
Overview of the programme structure:
| Year 1 to 2 | From Year 1, both MSc and PhD students will embark on their research projects, complete core courses and choose from a range of elective courses that cater to individual research interests. In Year 2, MSc students will start writing their thesis, while PhD students will complete a PhD Qualifying Examination (PQE) which assesses their ability to complete PhD requirements based on their academic progress and the quality of their research.
MSc students who wish to transfer to the PhD programme need to complete the PhD coursework requirements, and pass the PQE within 2 years. |
| Year 3 to 5 | PhD students will execute the rest of their research plans and submit and defend their thesis. |
MSc students are required to complete 24 units of coursework, while PhD students are required to complete 34 units of coursework.
Coursework Requirements for students who enrol in AY2023/2024:
| CORE COURSES | Master of Science (MSc) | Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) |
| o SPH5002 Public Health Research Methods (8 units)
o SPH6770 Graduate Research Seminar in Public Health (4 units) |
o SPH5002 Public Health Research Methods (8 units)
o SPH6770 Graduate Research Seminar in Public Health (4 units) o NG5001 Academic Communication for Postgraduate Researchers (4 units) o NG5002 Research Ethics for Graduate Researchers (2 units) |
|
| ELECTIVE COURSES | o 3 Elective Courses (12 units)
· At least 8 units of electives must be courses offered by SSHSPH (this excludes Independent Study Courses [ISC]) |
o 4 Elective Courses (16 units)
· At least 8 units of electives must be courses offered by SSHSPH (this excludes Independent Study Courses [ISC]) · At least 8 units of electives must be level-6000 courses |
More information is available here.
Credit Transfer:
Students who have completed relevant courses with comparable content and level of sophistication, and done so within 10 years before date of admission to the MSc/PhD programmes may be allowed to receive credit or grade transfer according to prevailing NUS regulations. This is subject to approval by the student’s thesis advisor and the School’s Programme Management Committee. Students who wish to apply for credit transfer should submit their application within the first month of their candidature.
English Language Requirement:
New students who are required to sit for the Diagnostic English Test (DET) may need to enrol for Graduate English Courses depending on the results of the DET. More information is available here.
PhD Qualifying Examination (PQE)
All PhD students have to pass the PhD Qualifying Examination (PQE) within 24 months from the date of admission to be confirmed as PhD candidates. The PQE comprises both a written and an oral component. Students may take up to 2 attempts to complete each component of the PQE. If students are unable to complete their PQE within 24 months of their candidature or if they fail to pass the PQE after 2 attempts, they will be asked to transfer to the MSc programme where eligible. More information is available here.
Thesis Examination
The thesis must demonstrate scholarship and the student’s ability to perform original, independent research, and represent the student’s work and significant contribution to the knowledge in the specific domain of research. The thesis should contain a substantial body of work that has been published or is publishable in international peer-reviewed journals.
The Master’s thesis should not exceed 60,000 words while the Doctoral thesis should not exceed 80,000 words. Students have to submit their theses by the maximum period of candidature. More information is available here.
Residency Requirements and Candidature:
The University’s minimum residency and maximum candidature requirements for graduate research programmes shall apply to both MSc and PhD students.
| Type of programme | Minimum Residency | Maximum Candidature |
| MSc | 6 months | 36 months* |
| PhD | 18 months | 60 months* |
*The maximum candidature for research programmes is the same for both full-time and part-time students.
The residency requirement is per the existing guidelines and residency requires payment of fees, satisfying all curricular requirements of the programme of study and satisfying other departmental requirements such as teaching assistance.
Continuation and Graduation Requirements:
Continuation Requirements:
The University’s prevailing continuation requirements will apply to the MSc and PhD students.
Graduation Requirements (for students who enrol in AY2024/2025):
MSc:
- Completed coursework requirements with minimum GPA of 3.0
- Pass in the MSc thesis (word limit of 60,000)
- Satisfactory grade (at least Grade C+) in all the required Graduate English Courses for students who do not qualify for waiver of English Language requirement
PhD
- Completed coursework requirements with minimum GPA of 3.5
- Minimum grade of ‘C+’ in SPH5002 Public Health Research Methods
- Pass in PhD Qualifying Examination
- Pass in PhD thesis (word limit of 80,000) and Oral Examination.
- Satisfactory grade (at least grade C+) in all the Graduate English Courses, for students who do not qualify for waiver of English Language requirement
Leave of Absence
The University’s prevailing policies on Leave of Absence shall apply to the MSc and PhD students