Programme Description

With the explosive growth of information in organisations and in society, skilled information professionals are needed to handle and manage the information for effective decision-making and learning. Information handling encompasses the complex processes of gathering, processing, storing, organising, retrieving, filtering, synthesizing, presenting, disseminating and using information.

The MSc in Information Studies programme is a multidisciplinary programme that draws on the disciplines of:

The degree is seen as a professional qualification for information professionals working in libraries and information centres. However, the information skills acquired in the programme are relevant in every field and add value to any kind of professional work. The programme is also appropriate for graduates in other fields who want to acquire soft IT skills, such as user interface design, and knowledge of IT applications in information management, such as digital libraries and institutional repositories.

Information Studies is an interesting research area in itself, and some students with multidisciplinary interests enroll in the programme to explore this rapidly evolving field in the context of the explosive growth of the World Wide Web and its impact on organizations and society.

Duration of Programme
The programme is taken by full-time or part-time study. The full-time programme can be completed within one year. The evening part-time programme can be completed within two years, although many students take an additional semester to complete their dissertation. (The dissertation can be replaced with the Critical Inquiry course plus an additional course).

The courses are conducted through lectures, tutorials and laboratory sessions. There are two-semesters during each academic year, August-November and January-April. Students in the part-time programme attend classes on two or three evenings a week from 6.30 pm to 9.45 pm. Some courses are also offered on Saturdays. Note that the final exams for all courses are held during the day in November and April. Part-time students may need to make arrangements to come to campus at scheduled times in the mornings or afternoons for the final exams. The exam dates and times will be announced by the university before the mid-semester break.

Admission Requirements
The minimum requirement for admission is a good Bachelor's degree in any discipline. Students in the programme come from a wide variety of academic backgrounds--Engineering, Science, Business and Accountancy, Arts and Social Science, Education, etc.

International students whose undergraduate education was not in the English medium and who are not able to attend an interview in Singapore are encouraged to take the IELTS or TOEFL test, and include a copy of the result in the application. Though an IELTS/TOEFL score is still optional, preference is given to applicants with IELTS score of 6.0 and above, or TOEFL of 570 and above.

Preference is given to applicants with some of the following attributes:

Applicants who are weaker in one attribute can compensate with strength in other attributes. As the number of places is limited and entry is competitive, applicants may be required to take an entrance test and attend an interview.
Applicants for admission are normally invited through the press in early January for the academic year beginning in August. NTU accepts only online applications via the NTU Graduate Studies Office by February 28th for the August admission.

Fees
Fees are reviewed and subject to revision every year. As and when new fees are revised, the new fees will be applicable to all existing and new students. The current fees are listed at the NTU Graduate Studies Office Web page.

Enquiries about the Information Studies Programme may be sent to: