Nanyang Technological University Singapore

Nanyang University is a young, research-intensive University in Singapore. It is one of the largest public Universities in Singapore.
Over the years, NTU has grown to become a full-fledged research
university, and currently provides a high-quality global education to
close to 33,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students. The student
body includes top scholars and international Olympiad medalists from the
region and beyond. Hailing from more than 70 countries, the
university's 4000-strong teaching and research staff also bring dynamic
international perspectives and years of solid industry experience.


Types of Nanyang University

Nanyang University is organized into several colleges and schools, each
corresponding to different fields of study. The various engineering
schools, which were consolidated to form the College of Engineering in
2001, together with Nanyang Business School, the Wee Kim Wee School of
Communication and Information and the National Institute of Education
have been part of NTU from its inception. More recently, Nanyang Technological University
has established additional schools for the Biological Sciences (2001),
Humanities and Social Sciences (2004), Physical & Mathematical
Sciences (2005), and Art, Design and Media (2009). In 2013, NTU and
Imperial College London jointly established a new medical school, the
Lee Kong Chain School of Medicine, which is based in the Novena campus.

Nanyang Universities also hosts a number of world-class autonomous institutes:
the National Institute of Education, the S. Rajaratnam School of
International Studies, and two recently established research institutes,
the Earth Observatory of Singapore and the Singapore Centre on
Environmental Life Sciences Engineering. It is also home to
variousleading research centers such as the Nanyang Environment &
Water Research Institute, Energy Research Institute @NTU and the
Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI).

Nanyang Technological University Campus

The campus is located in the western part of Singapore, near the Jurong
West Extension area. You can get to NTU Yunnan Garden campus by car,
Mass rapid Transit (MRT), or public Bus Service. Also, a student can use
Internal Shuttle Bus to get around the Campus.

Why Choose Nanyang Technological University (NTU)?

In NTU, we pride ourselves in our ability to provide a complete education;
one that focuses on creativity, inventiveness, entrepreneurship,
interpersonal and teamwork competencies, and the ability to cope with
continual change. These are all critical skills and attributes for
success in the world of today.

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Mean years of schooling

Mean years of schooling (MYS), the average number of completed years of education of a population, is a widely used measure of a country's stock of human capital. Since 2010, MYS is used as one of two education indicators (the second education indicator is the school life expectancy) in the calculation of the Human Development Index (HDI) (UNDP, 2010).
A well-known data set with estimates of MYS was developed by Robert Barro and Jong-Wha Lee, two pioneers in this field of work. In 1993, Barro and Lee published an article describing their data set, which was partly derived from data on educational attainment by the Division of Statistics of UNESCO. Barro and Lee continue to update their data set, which is available at their website.
In December 2013, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), the successor of the Division of Statistics of UNESCO, published its first estimates of MYS of the population aged 25 years and older. This indicator, used in the calculation of the HDI, had previously not been available in the database of the UIS. The UIS methodology is based on the approach by Barro and Lee. There are still important gaps in the UIS database but the UIS will attempt to fill them in the coming years.
The figure below summarizes the MYS estimates released by the UIS in December 2013. The UIS provides data for 103 countries and territories from the period 1996 to 2013. In the figure, only the latest available data are shown for each country. All countries are grouped by geographic region and sorted by MYS of the total population. As noted above, there are large gaps in the UIS database. For example, MYS estimates are only available for 13 of the 45 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. For two thirds of all countries, the MYS estimates are from 2007 or a later year but for the remaining countries, the most recent estimates are more than 6 years old. In spite of these gaps, some interesting patterns can be observed in the data.
MYS is highest (generally 8 years or more) in North America and Western Europe, Central Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe. Among the countries with data, the highest MYS was calculated for the United Kingdom in 2011: 13.8 years. By contrast, MYS values are lowest in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In Burkina Faso, men and women 25 years and older completed on average less than one year of schooling.
Gender disparities, indicated by the difference between male and female MYS, are smallest in North America and Western Europe and in Central Asia, and largest in sub-Saharan Africa and in South and West Asia. In Pakistan, adult men had on average completed 3 more years of schooling than adult women in 2011 (6.2 years for men versus 3.1 years for women). In East Asia and the Pacific and in sub-Saharan Africa, the spread between the countries with the lowest and highest MYS is more than 10 years. In the Arab States, Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and North America and Western Europe, the difference between the countries with the lowest and highest MYS is 6 years or less.
Mean years of schooling of the population 25 years and older, latest year available (click image to enlarge)

Note: Countries in each region sorted by MYS of total population.
Source: UIS Data Centre, December 2013, http://stats.uis.unesco.org.
The full data set with UIS estimates of MYS is available in the UIS Data Centre. The data set lists MYS values for the total, male and female population 25 years and older of 103 countries and territories, as well as the educational attainment data on which the MYS estimates are based.

• Go to the UIS Data Centre at http://stats.uis.unesco.org.
• Click on "Predefined Tables".
• Click on "Literacy and Educational Attainment".
• Click on "Mean years of schooling of population aged 25 years and older" to download an Excel file with all data.

References

• Barro, Robert J. and Jong-Wha Lee. 1993. "International Comparisons of Educational Attainment." Journal of Monetary Economics 32 (3) (December): 363–394. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0304-3932(93)90023-9.
• UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). 2013. UIS Methodology for Estimation of Mean Years of Schooling. Montreal: UIS. http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Documents/mean-years-schooling-indicator-methodology-en.pdf.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 2010. Human Development Report 2010 – The Real Wealth of Nations: Pathways to Human Development. New York: UNDP. http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-report-2010.

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UK courses and qualifications delivered for international students

Want to gain a UK qualification outside the UK?

Each year, over 590,000 students worldwide gain a UK qualification… without travelling to the UK!
There are countless advantages to a UK qualification, but for many students, studying in the UK is not possible.
The good news is that many UK universities, colleges and schools offer courses and qualifications that are taught or awarded overseas (sometimes called ‘transnational education’ or TNE).

Why study for a UK qualification overseas?

Reputation and quality: UK education standards are respected by employers and academics worldwide – UK schools, colleges and universities consistently rank highly for quality of education, student satisfaction and employment prospects.
There are rigorous quality assurance systems - courses delivered overseas by recognised UK schools, colleges and universities are subject to the same standards as those taught within the UK. Find out more in Gain a world-class education.
Cost: Choosing a UK qualification delivered overseas can be more cost-effective than studying in the UK - you can save on airfare, and living costs such as accommodation may be cheaper. You can also continue working if you choose to study part-time and work alongside your studies.
Looking for a scholarship? See Scholarships and financial support and the three guides to Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore below.
Career: Gaining a UK qualification will boost your employment prospects – in the 2013 QS Rankings, employers ranked five UK universities in the global top 10, and UK-educated international graduates have higher average salaries. Many international students study for a UK qualification part-time alongside a job – this lets you build experience in the workplace and progress in your career while studying.
You’ll also benefit from studying in English, gaining international exposure (on a UK course delivered overseas, you’re likely to meet lecturers and students from around the world), and gaining the skills in critical thinking and innovation that all UK degrees offer.
Flexibility: There are thousands of undergraduate, postgraduate and professional qualifications to choose from, available full-time or part-time.
Studying closer to home means you can stay close to friends and family. For the experience of living abroad, however, you could choose a programme that allows you to complete part of your course in the UK – the best of both worlds!

What are the options?

Distance or online learning
In distance learning programmes, classes might be conducted online via forums, instant messaging, social media, blogs and email. Some have ‘virtual’ lectures and seminars, where students participate through webcams. You might also receive course materials in print or on CD. These courses are ideal for part-time study, but you need to be disciplined to ensure you complete all assignments and projects on time.
You might hear about 'massive open online courses' (MOOCs). Although a great way to learn, typically these are not recognised qualifications. Always double-check whether your course offers a qualification at the end.
International branch campuses
Several UK universities, colleges and schools have a campus or academic buildings in other countries. These campuses often have a real UK atmosphere – lessons are taught in English, and some teachers and other students may be from the UK. This is a great way to experience student life, plus you’ll receive the same qualification as if you had studied in the UK.
Franchised programmes
Sometimes known as a 3+0 programme (meaning you do the full three years in one place, and spend no time in the UK), this is a UK degree course studied entirely at a local institution. The UK university or college will license a local institution to teach the course – this means the UK institution oversees academic standards and awards the final certification, but students don’t need to attend the UK campus.
Twinning
Students on twinning programmes will spend some time in the UK. These are joint study programmes, where students study at one institution and transfer to the other at a specified stage. Twinning programmes are available as 2+1 (two years spent studying locally and one spent overseas), 1+2 (the other way around), 1.5+1.5 (splitting your time equally), or another balance depending on the length of your course.
Validation
In this arrangement, the course is entirely developed and taught by a local institution, and validated by a UK institution. Although the UK institution may not deliver the same course, there is a strict system of accreditation to ensure the award is of the same standard as other UK awards at the same level.
Joint, double or dual degrees
These programmes are jointly developed and recognised by two or more institutions. The local institution might have teaching staff from the UK, and some courses include a year abroad. At the end of the programme, students receive either separate degrees from the two institutions (dual award), or a degree that’s awarded jointly from both (joint award).
Credit transfer
Sometimes called ‘articulation’, this means a UK institution recognises the ‘credits’ a student has gained from studying at a local institution. You might start studying in your home country and build up three or four credits for each subject you take, for example, then transfer these credits and continue your studies in the UK.
Top-up programmes
If you hold a 'sub-degree' which is recognised in the UK (such as an HND or Associate degree) from a local institution, with a ‘top-up’ programme you may be able to convert this into a UK bachelor’s degree in 9 to 18 months (compared to three years for a full UK bachelor’s programme).
Full-time or part-time
Many of these courses could be studied either full-time or part-time. For undergraduate degrees, this means you could study full-time and complete the course in three years, or study part-time (evenings and weekends) for five or six years. You could complete a master’s degree in one year full-time, or two years part-time. There are many more options – check out the guides below to find out more.

Finding and choosing a UK course delivered overseas

When choosing a course, check that the UK provider is a reputable school, college or university that is recognised by the UK government and education bodies. Please see the following sections for more details: Education for students aged 16 and under, Learn English, Further education, Higher education.

Online/distance learning
The Open and Distance Learning Quality Council (ODLQC) sets standards for distance learning and home study courses, and can give you a list of the education providers that have been assessed.
You can also find thousands of online and distance-learning UK courses with our course search tool. Just select the level and subject you want to study, then filter your search results by ‘study mode’ (on the left side of the screen, check the box for ‘Distance/Online’).

UK courses around the world
UK courses are available in many countries around the world. Three of the most popular destinations are Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia:

UK courses in Singapore
In Singapore, over 50 UK universities have partnered with more than 120 Singaporean education institutions, offering 1,150 UK qualifications to Singaporean and international students. In total, 52,000 students are enrolled on UK courses here, studying for degrees in business, hospitality and tourism, accounting, marketing and media, IT and much more – plus MBAs and other postgraduate qualifications.
See Cohort magazine, the guide for students in Singapore.

UK courses in Hong Kong
Over 30,000 students are studying for a UK qualification in Hong Kong, with a choice of over 700 courses, and numbers are growing every year. The UK offers 60% of non-local programmes in Hong Kong, with high-quality teaching and facilities. Many top UK universities offer full degree programmes through local partners, and there are courses accredited by professional organisations such as the Chartered Institute of Marketing and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
See our Guide to UK qualifications in Hong Kong

UK courses in Malaysia
The UK is the leading provider of international qualification programmes in Malaysia, with more than 58,000 students enrolled in over 800 courses annually – from pre-university through to postgraduate and professional qualifications. Malaysia is fast becoming a leading international education hub, and the UK qualifications offered here are among the best in the world.
See our Guide to UK qualifications in Malaysia

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