A Specialisation provides students with the opportunity to learn more about a particular sub-discipline within their main discipline. It is very useful for students who plan to enter specific career tracks upon their graduation.

For students admitted prior to AY2008/2009, the unit requirement for a Specialisation is typically between 16 and 20 units of distinctive courses within a Major.

For students admitted from AY2008/2009 to AY2018/2019, the unit requirement for a Specialisation is at least 24 units of distinctive courses within a Major.

For students admitted from AY2019/2020 onwards, the unit requirement for a Specialisation is at least 20 units of higher-level courses of a specialised nature within a Major. A minimum of 60% of the Specialisation requirements must be earned from courses read at NUS. Courses read at NUS include all courses taught, co-taught, supervised or co-supervised by NUS faculty member(s). These consist of graded courses or courses with an ‘S' or ‘CS' grade. The remaining units may be earned through credit transfers, advanced placement and exemptions, from courses deemed relevant to the particular Specialisation. For each specialisation, up to 8 units (or 40% of its requirements) may be double counted towards another requirement, e.g., General Education (only for students admitted from AY2021/2022 onwards), another Major or Minor etc. At least 12 units or 60% of the Specialisation's units must not overlap with other requirements. If the Specialisation is nested within a Major or Second Major, all its courses can count towards both the Specialisation and that Major or Second Major, which means some courses may count towards three requirements.

The Specialisation will be reflected in the student's transcript.