Name: Allyson Lim
Course + Year: SMU Smart-City Management & Technology Y4
Simply put, the Smart-City Management & Technology (SMT) major is an interdisciplinary programme aimed at developing skills in integrating technology, social science and management to address challenges and reap opportunities arising from the transformation of global and national trends towards smart cities.
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GCME! My favourite subjects were Math & Chemistry.
Yes, I did consider that but my A Level results were not great, so I didn’t have the luxury of choosing other majors that I thought I would do better in.
I actually didn’t know what to apply for considering my not-very-ideal A Levels results. I applied for Mathematics in NTU and a few other courses in other universities.
This course was only offered in SMU and considering the future of Singapore, I thought this major would greatly benefit me in my career after university.
I was deciding between SMT and the typical Information Systems (IS) major, but I felt like I wouldn’t like coding, so I decided to choose SMT.
I talked to seniors who graduated from SMU, had conversations with my parents, who were both in the IT industry. The main consideration I had when choosing my major and deciding what to apply for was career prospects, which only experienced adults will have a better idea of.
I personally considered career progression, personal interests, and whether there would be people around me to help when I faced problems in school when I applied for the major. I did not really consider proficiency in relevant subjects because I didn’t take any subjects in JC that were relevant to my major.
I think that you can do the same if you’re still deciding! Think about what you want to do in the future, or what you like. If you can’t decide, then choose the one that you dislike the least. Talk to people around you who are in university, in the courses that you are considering.
Since it’s a multi-disciplinary major, we learn about how we can implement Smart City solutions, the factors we need to consider: be it thinking about whether our solution will cause humans to feel uncomfortable, or whether this solution satisfies governmental regulations or whether we need to think about certain policies when we launch the solution. So, it’s not just coming up with a tech solution, but rather thinking of it in a more holistic way. I guess the school wants us to learn skills that we can apply and contribute to the Smart Nation initiative.
In SMU, a single degree student is required to clear 36 CUs (credit units) over the 4 years, where 1 module is usually 1 CU.
For the SMT major, we have a lot of pre-assigned modules. We start off with the foundations of Intro to Programming, where we learn the basics of python programming. We also have a module where we look into case studies of companies who made use of automation to help in their operations. As we move into years 3 and 4, we have more flexibility in choosing what modules we want to bid for, whether we prefer more analytical modules or more coding modules. As SMT is a multi-disciplinary major, we have core modules from School of Information Systems, School of Social Sciences and School of Business.
I would say that in general, as SMT is still considered a major under SIS, it is quite heavy on project work.
SMT was actually first launched in SMU, I don’t think there are similar programmes offered at other universities in Singapore. Perhaps overseas, yes, but I’m not too sure.
There is a Smart Nation scholarship where they look for SMT students so I guess that’s a perk? Other than that, as Singapore is moving towards a smarter nation, there are quite a number of industry partners who come in to talk to us. But at the same time, because it’s such a new major, when we apply for internships, many companies do not know what SMT is all about.
For the modules that have final examinations, it usually tests on the theoretical part of the course as well as some application. There are also modules that do not have final examinations, where project work takes up a larger proportion of the weightage.
My favourite module so far is actually one that taught us the basics of the Internet-of-Things. This module is a SMU-X module, which means that we have a real-life client who proposes some problem statements, and we have to apply what we learn in class to the solution that we propose. This is a very interesting module as we could see actual applications of the content we learnt and get almost instantaneous feedback on whether the solution is suitable for the workplace or not.
There are many different modules available for a student to bid for, but because of how the bidding system works, the student may or may not have enough e-credits to bid for the modules they are interested in.
It is a very interactive lecture-tutorial style, where students gather in seminar rooms and the professor teaches at the front. Some lecturers require you to do pre-readings, which you have to complete before the class. Lectures are 3 hours per week, over 13 weeks.
There is an emphasis on class participation, taking up about 10% of the total grade. (It’s usually marked based on quality over quantity!) There will usually be projects involved in a module, but for modules with final examinations, the weightage of the projects will not be too high. Final exams usually take up 40% of the total weightage and are conducted in weeks 15 and 16.
SMU, like other universities, operates on a semester basis A semester has 13 weeks, with a 1 week break in Week 8. Week 14 is study week, before exams begin in Weeks 15 and 16.
Compared to JC, university operates at a super fast pace, because you will have finished studying a subject/module within 14 weeks, compared to JC where subjects are taught over 2 years.
Depending on the module, some modules are quite chill but there are other modules that are quite intense. For chill modules, you don’t really have to spend much time outside of class to do revision, but perhaps need to spend slightly more time working on projects. For intense modules, students sometimes stay overnight in school, or come back to school on weekends just to meet deadlines.
I did not know what to expect when I was accepted into my course, so I did not have much expectations. However, after understanding more about my major, I wished we had more opportunities to understand how Singapore is moving towards becoming a smart city and how we could apply what we learn to the current situation.
As it is a relatively new major, with my batch being the pioneering batch, many students do not know what career opportunities are available for a fresh graduate from this major. Many students do not know the differences in opportunities for career progression between a SMT major and an IS major. I would say that there are many career opportunities for a fresh graduate in the SMT major that a fresh graduate from the IS major will not be as suitable for, especially in the field of smart cities. One example will be jobs in the Smart City Office in Singapore, where recruiters primarily look out for students majoring in SMT.
Not really, but we do have a club in SMU called International Connections (ICON), which international students are automatically part of. So as soon as a student joins the club, they will be able to meet more international students.
Not only for this course, but in general, the most important skill is to always be willing to learn and be proactive in clarifying doubts. To survive well, I would say you must be able to manage your time well because in SIS, many modules require you to code and this takes up a lot of time. Making good presentations is a skill that you will pick up in SMU because you will be required to present in almost every single class in SMU.
Yes, of course. Companies are leveraging on online platforms more these days, and with the government pushing for the Smart Nation Initiative, there will definitely be many jobs that require fresh graduates from SIS.
I would say the money is worth it to study the course, because you get an exposure to different areas you’re interested in, and understand how smart cities in other countries look like.
I intend to work in the field of data as a data analyst.
I’m more of a math person, so when I first got exposed to an analytics module, I felt like this was my thing and thus began to explore more into analytics by bidding for more analytics related modules and applying for analytics related internships. After my last internship as a product analytics intern, I felt like I could excel in this field so that’s how I came to my decision.
There are many CCAs in SMU. My main CCA is SMU StageIt, the only theatre club in SMU, where I first helped out as a Lighting Designer and eventually applied to be the Honorary Finance Secretary in 2019. I have also been in BP Mentoring since Jan 2019, where I volunteered with TGYC to help youths at risk. BP mentoring is a CCA in SMU that provides students with opportunities to volunteer as mentors to students of a wide age range. I also participated in volunteering activities by SMU Red Cross. On top of these clubs managed by the school, a few of my friends and I started a Special Interest Group, SMU Anthill Society, under SIS to promote our major and engage with industry partners to hold talks for the students.
I live off-campus, back at my own home. Travelling to and from school does not take much time so I use the travelling time as time for me to rest.
Depending on the modules you take. For University Core modules, because everyone must take it, you will meet people from other faculties. However, for major core modules, you will usually only meet people from your course/school.
Probably people who are expressive, because of the need for class participation.
I wouldn’t say that you’ll be disadvantaged because there are profs in SMU who understand that it is difficult for soft-spoken students to speak up in class, so they provide alternatives for them. For example, you could write an opinion piece on a certain topic and the prof will take it as your class participation and grade it accordingly.
I would say, a student who is interested in technology and wants to make a difference in someone else’s life through tech.
In SIS, you can appeal to switch from IS major to SMT major (and vice versa) after Year 1. I’m not too sure about the other schools, but usually you don’t have to declare your major until the end of Year 2, so you have ample time to think about what you want to study.
Take things slow; GPA is not everything. You must be willing and excited to learn – not only about the concepts taught in class, but also about other related topics out of class.
The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the interviewees and do not reflect the official policy or position of any institution. They are also not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, class, individual or organisation.
The information contained in this website is intended to provide general guidance only. It should not be relied upon as professional advice and does not 100% guarantee admission into any course.
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