School of Humanities & Social Sciences
The School
Established in 2005, Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s (NP) School of Humanities & Social Sciences (HMS) is the first school of its kind among the polytechnics in Singapore.
The School aims to produce a new generation of thinking graduates equipped with sound, practical knowledge to become educators and industry practitioners. It takes pride in developing students into holistic individuals with the ability to think beyond boundaries, and the passion for community development and societal well-being.
The School has also established a reputation as a trailblazer with its unique full-time diplomas in specialised areas.
The Courses
The School of Humanities & Social Sciences offers the following programmes:
Full-Time Courses:
• Diploma in Arts Business Management (ABM)
• Diploma in Business & Social Enterprise (BZSE)
• Diploma in Child Psychology & Early Education (CPEE)
• Diploma in Chinese Media & Communication (CMC)
• Diploma in Chinese Studies (CHS)
• Diploma in Early Childhood Education (ECH)
• Diploma in Psychology Studies (PCS)
Part-Time Courses:
• Diploma in Early Childhood Care & Education – Teaching (DECCE – T)
• Advanced Diploma in Early Childhood Intervention (Special Needs)
(ADECI (SN) )
Students in the School’s full-time courses can apply for scholarships and bursaries offered by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, and various organisations such as the Lien Foundation, Singapore Press Holdings, and Rotary Club of Raffles City.
Staff and Training Facilities
The teaching staff comprises qualified professionals with various backgrounds, knowledge and experience in relevant industries. In delivering quality education, the School also taps on the expertise of its partners which include staff from the National Institute of Education, Regional Training and Resource Centre in Early Childhood Care and Education for Asia (RTRC Asia), and overseas educational institutions such as Huazhong Normal University and Zhejiang University City College in China.
Students enjoy facilities which are customised for the curricula. These include a digital language laboratory, project rooms, consultation rooms, training rooms specially designed for art, music, dance and drama lessons, and an ECH Simulated Learning Room, which depicts various models employed by the industry to support young children’s learning.
Another facility is The Caterpillar’s Cove Child Development and Study Centre, which simulates the best early childcare setting. ECH students can be attached to the centre for hands-on training and advanced research.
New facilities include an Educational Resource and Therapy Centre, which houses a counselling and observation laboratory, and a Media Hub.
Learning Platforms
At the School of Humanities & Social Sciences, theories are augmented by creative experiential learning, overseas study trips, academic and cultural immersion programmes. Here are some examples of the multiple learning platforms enjoyed by the students:
• Creative Arts Enrichment Programmes
The School has a slew of creative arts enrichment programmes designed specifically for its students to complement the core curricula. Examples of such programmes are art therapy, puppetry, drama and Chinese brush painting. The School’s Magic of Puppetry (MOPpet) Club is an offshoot of the Puppetry Enrichment Programme. The club aims to inculcate a love for stories in young children and is helmed by Early Childhood Education students who are trained by a professional puppeteer. The performers are also involved in scriptwriting and directing the shows.
• OurVoiceBox.sg
OurVoiceBox.sg is a popular online Chinese entertainment/lifestyle portal for the youth by the youth. Produced and maintained by Chinese Studies students, OurVoiceBox.sg actively engages its audience to find out their interests and passion, and provides the latest youth-related news and happenings in Singapore and other parts of Asia. OurVoiceBox.sg also serves as a platform for the youth to interact and showcase their works and talents.
• Overseas Immersion Programme
Under the China Immersion Programme, all final-year Chinese Studies and Chinese Media & Communication students study at one university in China for one semester, completely immersed in Chinese academic rigour and culture.
• Chinese Cultural Camp @ Ngee Ann Primary School
Chinese Studies students conduct a flagship Chinese Cultural Camp for Ngee Ann Primary School students during the June holidays. This camp is packed with an interesting array of activities such as Chinese brush painting and dumpling making to stimulate interest in and raise awareness of the Chinese culture and language among the young participants.
• Service Learning Trips and YEP Trips
Students at the School are given opportunities to acquire skills and knowledge which cannot be obtained in a classroom setting. For example, Early Childhood Education students go on trips to Hanoi, where they teach English through songs, skits and stories at a kindergarten.
Students also have a chance to apply what they learn in the classroom during Youth Expedition Project (YEP) trips to China, Vietnam and other countries. The students conduct confidence-building camps and refurbish orphanages, schools and mental health institutions’ facilities.
Projects
HMS students work on integrated and interdisciplinary projects that require them to conduct research on local and overseas institutions related to their course of studies. In addition, students’ projects take on an innovative and service-learning approach where they apply knowledge learnt and make an impact on the community.
Students’ Achievements
• 7th Chinese-Bridge International Chinese Proficiency Competition
Second-year Chinese Studies student Wong Wai Foong emerged third in the grand finals of the 7th Chinese-Bridge International Chinese Proficiency Competition for College Students, which was held in July 2008. Wai Foong was up against 110 students from 55 countries for the competition that was held in Changsha, China. For his win, he was awarded an all expenses paid six-month scholarship to study at a Chinese university of his choice.
• National Youth Service Learning Award 2009
Five final-year Psychology & Community Services students, Jessica Ann Joseph Vincent, Oh Shao Shiuan, Siti Fasihah Binte Subto, Yan Manhong and Yeo Yun Jing, clinched the bronze in the National Youth Service Learning Award 2009. Their team, A.M.az.E (Accepting Migrants Az(as) Equals), sought to raise awareness and acceptance of the marginalised migrant community in Singapore. The National Youth Service Learning Award 2009 recognises and rewards exemplary community projects, initiated and implemented by Singapore youths to serve their community.
• Mayor’s Imagine Social Enterprise Challenge
In August 2008, the Sole Makers comprising Justine Lee, a first-year Business & Social Enterprise student, and two fellow Ngee Ann students emerged second out of 40 teams in the Mayor’s Imagine Social Enterprise Challenge. For their sound business plan, which involves donating a pair of shoes to the needy for every pair that is sold under their SoulE brand, the Sole Makers were granted a funding of $25,000 for their project.
Collaborations
The School has forged close ties with industry partners to provide its students with excellent opportunities for internships, industry-based projects and service learning study trips.
Internships for Early Childhood Education and Child Psychology & Early Education students are provided by partners such as Little Skool House on the Green, Gracefields Kindergarten, Sparkletots Childcare Centre and KK Women's and Children's Hospital.
Business & Social Enterprise students are mentored by award-winning local and international social entrepreneurs, such as Mr Jack Sim (founder, World Toilet Organisation and Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2006) and Dr Andreas Heinecke (founder, Dialogue in the Dark, Dialogue in Silence and Schwab Foundation Outstanding Global Social Entrepreneur 2007.)
Students in the Chinese Studies, and Chinese Media & Communication programmes spend one semester working on an industry project or interning at a top overseas or local media company, such as SPH and MediaCorp, Shooting Gallery Motion Pictures, Toy Factory Productions, and Cutting Edge Productions.
Community partners for the Psychology Studies programme include the Singapore Prison Service, Family & Juvenile Justice Centre (Subordinate Courts), Institute of Mental Health, Association for Persons with Special Needs, Children Cancer Foundation, and various family services, diagnostic and therapy centres.
Degree Tie-Up With Boston’s Wheelock College
Under the Ministry of Education’s Polytechnic-Foreign Specialised Institution (Poly-FSI) initiative, graduates from Ngee Ann’s Early Childhood Education, and Child Psychology & Early Education programmes can obtain a prestigious degree conferred by Boston’s Wheelock College in only two years instead of four.
The Ngee Ann graduates enjoy a two-year advanced standing and are enrolled directly into Year 3 of Wheelock College’s Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Educational Studies & Leadership. This is the first-ever full-time degree course in early childhood education to be offered in Singapore.
Customised for Ngee Ann’s Early Childhood Education, and Child Psychology & Early Education graduates, the degree is offered by Wheelock College in collaboration with the polytechnic and RTRC Asia.
A key feature of the degree is the five-week Summer Immersion Programme at Wheelock College’s Boston campus. During this period, students take two courses, Assessing Students with Special Needs, and Parent-Teacher Communication, conducted by Wheelock College professors. They are also exposed to innovative and diverse practices.
The Wheelock degree empowers graduates to be leaders and advocates in professionalizing the industry and creates better career advancements.