Being NUS School of Computing alumni, my friends and I have answered to a lot of queries to a lot of aspirants by replying to their emails, having hangout sessions, meeting in person and through so many other channels. So we thought to compile a list of the common questions which are asked by Masters of Computing aspirants.
Feel free to put your questions in comment section if you have something which is not covered here and you do not find any information about it online also. But before we move on to actual list of questions I would like to put a disclaimer here.
Disclaimer
- This FAQ is compiled by some of the NUS SoC alumni and NOT an official FAQ by NUS SoC.
- Answers might also present opinions instead of facts and as it is the case with opinions, it can vary from person to person.
- Some of the facts mentioned here might not be up to date or could be wrong. So please refer NUS SoC official website and channels for up to date and official details. (Let us know in comment section in such case you find any information wrong.)
- Multiple points in below FAQ will not hold true for students who are just NOT passionate enough for learning and are only looking forward to get yet another degree for higher salary jobs.
- Contributors and compilers of this list are NOT responsible for any loss that happens due to some information given on this page. But you can always treat us for a masala chai if you feel that this helped you 😉
FAQ
Are GRE and TOEFL scores mandatory for applying and admissions?
Submitting GRE and TOEFL scores is recommended for admissions. Many students in my batch got admit to NUS MComp without giving GRE or TOEFL.
Different people complete the course in different times. How long is actually the course?
It depends on whether you doing MComp by coursework or by research work.
By course work: In this you have to complete 10 modules in minimum 2 semesters and maximum 6 semesters. Most of the people complete in 3 semesters (which is optimal in my opinion). You can also complete in 2 semesters but it is not advisable. You will  have to compromise by taking lighter modules since 5 heavy modules are quite hard (read: mostly impossible) to manage properly. Splitting your 10 modules across 3 semesters could give you the liberty to take the modules you wanted to study (even the hard ones), explore the subjects in detail and learn it in real sense.
By research work: In this you need to do 6 modules and 1 thesis under some professor. 6 modules is deterministic from timeline perspective but thesis could sometimes take more time. In general, I have observed that people complete MComp in 1.5 ~ 2.5 years. This could be a good choice for the people who are skeptical whether they should do a PhD. or not. The thesis part in this course will show you a mini trailer how your PhD. story will feel like.
Are we allowed to do part-time job in Singapore during our studies?
Yes, your Student Pass allows it. If your semester is going on then you can work upto 16 hours of part-time per week and during your semester vacations you can work upto 40 hours per week.
Is it fine to do the course itself as part-time?
In MComp, you will find there are many full-time people who do the course as part time. This course has been designed to keeping working people also in mind and that is why almost all the MComp classes are scheduled in evening. But you are not allowed to take more that 3 modules per semester when you taking the course as part time. In short, it is doable.
But will one be able to do justice with modules and its intended learning is another thing. That is obvious, that you will not be able to take out from the subject as much as a full time student can. Remember, the idea is not that you learn in class what your professor teaches you. They give us the starting point and it is upto us to explore that subject now.
How hard it is to get an internship in NUS?
Its not that hard to get an internship. In NUS, we have multiple career fairs happening each year where lots and lots of companies come. This is the main source of internship for people. Apart from it LinkedIn, NUS Talent Connect and direct referrals from employees are other channels that people apply for internships.
How much does one generally get paid during internships?
This also varies but still not that much. As I told above that you can work 16 hours/week part-time during your semester and 40 hours/week during semester breaks. So on a rough average people get around 10$/hours during their internships. Now this can also vary from organisation to organisation by having fixed wage of monthly basis or a variable one based on number of hours you worked in a month.
What is the job scenario in Singapore? How hard it is to get a job there?
It is fine, not that hard for SoC students I would say. I have been in Singapore for about 4+ years now and seen multiple batches passed out in front of me. And I just know 2 guys who din’t manage to find a job here (btw, they did not try sincerely). If you are from India and are not aware how one gets a job here then let me brief the steps first. Here, companies do not come for placement exams in College directly hire from there. Instead, you need to go out and look for jobs, attend career fairs, apply over LinkedIn, company job portals, ask for referrals and such other channels. So yes, you will not get ready made in your plate but you will have to cook it. And let me tell you, it will be fine. Everyone around will be preparing for it, striving for it, will make it through and so will you. So do not worry 😉
How much does one generally earn in a job in Singapore?
This spectrum is huge and varies a lot. Singapore has two kinds of Visas for employed people based on their salaries – SP (Skilled Pass) and EP (Employment Pass). Mostly, all of the SoC grads fall under EP and during the time of writing minimum wage for getting an EP is 3600$/month. On an average (based on what people discuss around), most of the grads from MComp start with something around 4200+$/month. But as I already told this band is huge and people have started with as much as 8500$/month what I have heard. So it really varies.